Reading - an important part of our summer

 This fall when we begin our school year , we will be starting our 30th year of formal schooling.  We value reading the most as far as the academics go. I happen to love reading and encourage our children to read, read, and read. It makes my soul happy to watch as they discover the joy of books. When they run up to me excited to share what they are reading i love it. One of the ways we have tried to encourage reading is thru a summer reading program. Sometimes we have done this thru our local library. Other times I do my own program. With this many children I find it easier for me to do this rather than use programs available at the library ( which are excellent ). Just the logistics of managing the programs protocol and record keeping sometimes don't work for our children. So this week we started our program....these are pics of some of the kids who took right to it the night I introduced it. We even have a place for Jubal for his reading.

My program is pretty simple . I bought bags, a recording booklet, a special pen and a piggy bank from the Dollar Store for each one. My older ones will earn 25 cents for 5 books read that someone older checks off in their record books and a sticker is placed on a chart. When they reach 50 books they will get an extra reward of 10 dollars for the summer with the 25 cents/per 5 books they've earned. I have a collection of extra activities like new puzzles for diff. ages, Dory coloring books with 3D , paper airplanes, cards, new memory games and other things to do on the quiet parts of our days in the summer . This is to encourage quiet times . We do a lot of outside times in summer with the most time swimming but we always have a need for some down time. Usually at our home it is nap or quiet time from 1 to 3 daily. The older ones can read during this time.

We have also done some books read aloud or listening to cds of great people in history and the christian faith. Developing listening skills are important for our kids who sometimes struggle with this . Encouraging times where they have to pay attention to a reader who is reading out loud or following the directions of a music cd helps with this skill.

I love summer because we don't feel the pressure to have to do all the academics and we can relax and share in one of my joys way more than during the school year. Reading is so important for the children who want to go on to college but also in life as an adult can be enriched with good reading skills. All of my kids at home are now ESL ( English as a second language ). Reading helps them to develope their vocabulary and proper use of the verbs , pronouns and other parts of speech. My first desire though is for them to love to read because I have seen if they enjoy it they will read. We check out easily 120 to 150 books every 3 weeks for the children. They all love going but I have to restrict the amount of kids I send so they rotate. We have many books and book shelves of ones we own too.

Read to me or can I read to you....are words I love to hear.