Some Free Summer Reading Programs!

There is nothing that I love more than allowing myself to completely get lost in a book.  I have my favorites.  Perhaps because of whom gave them to me.  My Grandmother gave me the books Little Women and the Anne of Green Gables series for two different birthdays.  To this day - more than twenty years later, they happen to be some of my favorite books.  I also love the movies!  But you have to read the books before seeing movies - because it's just better that way.

If you FB Friend me - you'll find that I post a lot of "reading" and "book" graphics.  If I could build my own house, I would have a room with bookshelves on every wall, one of those ladders that spins around the room, deep carpet that your toes could sink into, a fireplace, and a bay window or window seat - and a rounded tower type area.  That would be my library.

So of course, my love for reading HAS to rub off on my kids, right?   Well.... thankfully... it has!  We're beating Dysgraphia and Dyslexia one book at a time!!

So of course - why not get involved in some great summer reading programs???

Top 10 FREE Summer Reading Programs

1. Barnes and Noble – earn a FREE book when you read 8 books this summer
2. Half Price Books – earn bucks to cash in
3. Showcase Cinemas Bookworm – bring a book report on Wednesdays for a FREE movie
4. Sylvan – offers prizes for taking book quizes and this program is always available
5. Pizza Hut - Book It Program offers tips and printables, too
6. Chuck E Cheese - complete the reading reward chart and receive 10 FREE tokens
7. Scholastic – earn digital rewards
8. Pottery Barn – children will receive a reward after they read all the books on the list
9. PBS Kids - games, printables, and challenge, starts June 17th- , 4 weeks
10. American Girl – has lessons and book suggestions

Bring Drawings to Life

There is a company named Child's Own Studio that will craft a real toy from a child's drawing.

This is a great idea for a homeschooler - to see their creation in 3-D.  

It's a bit expensive and she's got a waiting list .... but....  it's an amazing though...

Great Websites: Whiteboard, Acrobabble, and more...

So there are a couple of websites I thought were to great not to share!!

The first one I want to share is Scholastic's Whiteboard Lessons  found at  www.scholastic.com/interactivewhiteboards

You have to download a little program to be able to use the free lessons, but it didn't take me long at all.  So I just basically checked it out and was very impressed.   I clicked on one of the programs, Capacity Lesson (Grade 1) by Joey Savoy which is in the Science & Math section..  and here is an example of what you see and/or do...

This was the screen that I saw...  so I then moved the items...

And then moved the boxes that said "answer" to see if I was correct... 

They have a bunch of great lessons in there.  It's definitely worth checking out!!

Also, a friend of mine introduced me to a fun little free web-based game called Acrobabble.  You can use things like Yahoo, AIM, Facebook, Myspace, etc to sign in to play.  You can create a little "nickname" and then join in the fun!!  www.acrobabble.com

You choose a room ...  there are "unrated" rooms that can get awful dirty, so be sure if your child is playing that you have them in a clean room.  I would suggest this game for teens & adults.  There is some language that would probably be questionable for little kids (I've seen "sex" or inappropriate situations expressed in some answers, it's all about what you as a parent are comfortable with) ...

You can see your category in the upper left corner, and your timer bar counting down.  You simply write a phrase with the letters given. 

And then everyone in the room votes for the "best one" ... if you win the next category choice is yours.  You simply click the category you want from the list, and then you can choose if you want random letters, or a word, and then if you want to add or subtract 10 seconds, or just leave it as it is... and don't forget to hit the submit button or your category will default to "general"

And last but not least, there is a fun link that lets you in on the secrets of LOL and all those combos that we look at and go huh?  Got an older texting child and you just can't understand what all the cryptic acronyms and symbols people us...  check it out at www.netlingo.com