Summer Reading Programs

Have you signed your child up for a summer reading program?

Let’s talk for a minute about how important it is for your child to be doing at least some learning over the summer. According to the report “Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap” by Karl Alexander, Doris Entwistle, and Linda Steffel Olson, in April 2007, “Teachers typically spend between 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material students have forgotten over the summer.” I sometimes wonder what it would be like for a teacher to start with a class in August that had done some work over the summer. I imagine what it would be like to jump into new material quickly.

There are two summer reading programs I will focus on. There are many more.
1. A summer reading program offered by your local public library.
2. Barnes and Noble Summer Reading.

Any person, adults included, in the state of Tennessee have the ability to join a summer reading program through their local public library. You are required, on our state, to read 600 minutes over the summer. Students can keep track on paper but the program is mainly hosted online. I like recording our reading online because I am less likely to lose the paper. I can also log into the program anywhere I can get Wi-Fi. As we log our minutes we earn points that we can use to change the clothes on our Avatar. Once we reach our required 600 minutes of reading we can print off a certificate, take it to our public library, and collect our prizes. If you have a younger child who isn’t reading, then you are able to read to them and count those minutes. Check with your local public library to find out about the program they run.

Barnes and Noble is celebrating its twenty-first year of summer reading. This program is limited to students in grades 1-6. Stop by a store near you to pick up a summer reading journal. Children are required to read any eight books, record the titles on the journal along with what their favorite part of the story was, then bring the completed journal to the store. You can bring it in anytime between May 16 and September 5^th. Your child will then get to choose a free book off a selected list located on the back of the journal. You can find out more Here.

If you are going to do one summer reading program it becomes easy to count any reading you do for other programs too.

Now that you have two summer reading program options take a look at these tips on how to beat the summer slide.

https://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/summer-slide/

We are now camper owners!

It’s been awhile since I posted and as I read back on my last post I am happy to admit that we are now travel trailer owners. We didn’t go with the Jayco I mentioned though. After countless posts on a variety of camping Facebook groups I was made aware of a Fleetwood model made by Forest River. I then discovered there is a “better” version, called a Rockwood, with the same layout. I researched the specific model and realized it was a strong contender.

Rockwood Mini Lite 2509S

We wanted to make the decision soon so I visited nearby RV dealers that had Jayco and Forest River brands, just not the models we were looking for. I hate having to make big decisions. I sat down one afternoon to compare the two. We had found the best deal on the Jayco up in Michigan. A 7.5 hour drive wasn’t something I looked forward to but we were willing to drive for a deal. My husband wanted to drive up to Michigan, buy the camper, haul it back, and then leave for vacation the next morning. I called the dealer to ask some questions about the model we liked and it turned out that in a matter of a week both of the ones they had were sold. Well that helps with the process of elimination!

The closest model of Forest River that we liked was just down in Alabama about 2.5 hours away. We decided that on the way back from our Gulf Shores vacation we would stop by Camping World to look at them. This particular branch had three of the models for sale. When we looked at it we really liked it. We felt it had a lot of the features we were looking for, and some extras. The only thing it lacks is a direct entry bathroom. That was the one thing on my list that I would have compromised on. It’s two feet less than the Jayco which I think will give me more confidence when I learn how to haul it.  Five hours later she was hitched up to my car and we were starting the drive home.