Read, Enrich, Achieve, Discover
  

READ: Spark Your Child's Imagination

Summer is the perfect time to sneak in all sorts of learning, especially reading  practice. There's no better way to turn those pages than under a tree or on the beach, and kids and parents alike know that reading is one of the things that sets summer apart. Taking the reading adventure beyond the classroom is a great way  to find new friends! 

Parents, if you're looking for some ideas to encourage your child to find new friends and adventures this summer, try these simple tips:

ENRICH: Your Child's Reading Experience

* Become a reading role model. When you spend time reading books on the beach or even directions for how to put together the grill this summer, you demonstrate for your child that reading is both fun and useful.

* Set a reading routine. Depending on your family's schedule, reading time might be in the morning, afternoon or before bed. Whatever time you choose, stick to it, but also remember that flexibility around trips and special family events is OK.

* Let your child make his reading choices. In the summer, let kids read  whatever they want (within reason and good sense, of course).  Now's a good time to encourage reading about topics they don't get a chance to study during the school year, to explore new interests, to discover new talents, or to delve into old favorites.  

ACHIEVE: A Rewarding Family Experience 

* Read as a family.  It's so easy to schedule family reading night.  Take a half-hour - or longer if you want - and everyone brings a favorite book.  Read favorite parts aloud.  Serve chocolate chip cookies.  Enjoy one another's company.

* Set goals, reward effort. Reward reading with more reading, we've always said. Stop by the library or bookstore for the next book in your child's favorite series, or let your child shop for it online. 

DISCOVER: The Joy of Reading

* Visit the library.  This is already a school-year routine, but don't forget to keep it up during the summer.  When kids have their own library card - just as you do - and use it regularly - just as you do - they quickly see that reading plays an important role in their family and in their lives.

* Take books along on outings. Pack books in your beach bag or picnic basket, and bring a stack on long car rides. You and your child can enjoy books together  anywhere you go this summer.

* Go online for ideas.  There are lots of websites for kids' book choices. Book Adventure is a veteran, happily motivating kids to read for over a decade.

Summer Learning Resources

Reading is an adventure that begins early in a child's life and should extend beyond the classroom. Children exhibit certain reading behaviors at a young age. By understanding and nurturing these behaviors, parents can make reading fun and inspire their children to develop a lifelong friendship with books.

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) and Sylvan Learning's Book Adventure are teaming up to make sure children keep reading this summer.

Looking for summer learning resources? Visit www.summerlearning.org and  www.BookAdventure.com

Get Creative with Your Writing

Summer writing can be fun, expressive, and skill-building. Give your child the confidence to be ready for school in the fall, and help her teacher get right down to business without spending precious time reviewing skills kids have forgotten in the summer. Here are some ideas to keep your kids writing this summer. Collect interesting, amusing, thought-provoking summer pictures from  magazines, the Internet, or your own family albums.  

   "Prompt" your children with ideas about writing: 

  *  What's your favorite summer memory?

  *  Write a poem about summer fun. 

 *  How do you think people kept cool before air conditioning? 

 *  Pretend you lived 100 years ago. What's summer vacation like for you?

Interview older friends and relatives about their summer memories. Then write a short  description or story.  Together come up with a list of questions for these interviews. 

Keep a family photo journal and have the children write captions for the pictures or a short story summary.  A variation of this is to keep a summer scrapbook with pictures and  memorabilia of your favorite things. 

Keep a personal or family "summer things I notice" journal.  Every once in a while, everyone in the family contributes a short piece of descriptive writing, a drawing, a  favorite poem or an original one, favorite memories, interesting observations, etc.   Watch the journal grow.  

Yes, even in an electronic age, kids love getting letters in the mail.  Help your child have  a pen-pal and keep up a correspondence for the summer and beyond. 

Go to www.bookadventure.com for cool reading ideas, and then write about the books and  stories you've read together.  Don't call this a "book report," even if that's what it really is.