Thank you to Scholastic for sponsoring this post. The honest opinions are our own.
It’s back to school season! I know many of kids out there have already had their first day of school and many others only have a few more days or weeks to go. Kora & Logan are really torn this year. They love school and can’t wait to go back but at the same time they have been having so much fun this summer they don’t want it to end!
While much of our summer has been fun, games, walks with Yoshi, bike rides, and trips to the lake, an important topic for us has been the summer brain drain or summer slide. I’ve learned that over the summer kids typically lose 2 months of learning and are behind when they return to school. This means teachers have to spend the first few months trying to catch everyone back up. I’ve been looking for fun ways to prevent this and the Scholastic Summer Reading Program has been a big part of it.
It is a free online program that is lots of fun for kids. It encourages them to read and to log their minutes each day. When they meet their weekly goal they unlock stories and earn rewards.
Kora and Logan have enjoyed this program and have been very motivated to read even more than usual. Before they go to bed they log their minutes, check out their awards, and read any new stories they’ve unlocked.
Scholastic has joined together with ENERGIZER® to power the 2015 Summer Reading Challenge and encourage families to find innovative ways to discover the power and joy of reading.
It’s not too late to take part! Now through September 4th, visit Scholastic.com/Summer.
The kids and I were also excited to see that Scholastic’s Maggie McGuire has 5 easy tips for making reading a priority for your child, like setting a weekly minutes goal, reserving special time to read together as a family, and celebrating reading accomplishments. It’s not too late to get your kids reading.
I was also excited to learn about the Energizer® Instant Win Game. Energizer® and Scholastic are partnering to create the “Power the Possibilities” campaign which gives moms the tools they need to unlock their child’s talents, fuel their ambitions and set them up for future success. Parents can buy any specially marked pack of Energizer® brand batteries to scratch for a chance to win one of thousands of prizes that will power discovery and learning.
Prizes include a family trip to New York City, a Scholastic Study Corner Makeover, a tablet with Scholastic apps, a library of Scholastic books and more! Everyone who plays can also download free digital stories for their family.
To learn more sign up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge
We’ve really enjoyed reading this summer and here are five of our favorite family friendly books for older kids with 5 word book reviews:
- The Invention Of Hugo Cabret – boy, adventures, train, station, illustrations
- Captain Underpants series – hilarious, alliteration, superhero, principal, cape
- Geronimo Stilton series – mouse, bumbling, colorful, font, fun
- Thea Stilton series – mouse, sister, journalist, journey, mystery
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians – boy, mythology, danger, page turner
Enjoy the last few days of summer and happy reading!
I have a granddaughter that loves to read. She signed up for this over the summer and really enjoyed it.
Scholastic Summer Reading Program has been around forever, I remember them from years ago! I like how they have ‘kept up’ and are now online so kids can access it anytime.
Youre right.. summer really depletes learning andd you spend about 2 oe 3 months just relearning from thee last year. Kids that read do much bettter than those that dont over the summer.