Summer Reading Update: First, a deep apology to Pizza Hut for forgetting about the Book It! program. I did indeed participate in this. I don’t remember it being a big motivator for me though because a) I liked to read anyway and b) I am not sure going to Pizza Hut felt like a big deal? But maybe it did (I do recall getting your very own Personal Pan pizza was kind of fun).
Second, our library does indeed have an incentive program so I think we’ll use this to track and then add to it with our own additional incentives. AGREE that trip to a bookstore (and carte blanche to pick something out) is a great one! Barnes & Noble also has a lot of non-book enticements for my kids (toys, stationery stuff) so they love to go.
Summer Reading Update #2: The MMD summer reading guide comes out next week (I will be buying the pdf)! I’m super excited. I think I am going to try to really plow through a lot of her recs – I’ve done that in the past (nothing crazy, but like 10-12 of them) and it’s been really fun.
I’m sharing this because it cracks me up:
(“You play the floor is lava” might be wishful thinking. But I am glad to get credit for cleaning up the kitchen and telling “dad to get off his butt”.)
((Yep, still working on spelling and handwriting and some other grammatical things over here . . . she has made a ton of progress though! She actually did this with her reading tutor and surprised me after!))
Weekend plans: Lots! Fun dinner out, taking various kids to trampoline place, visit to my in-laws for pre-mother’s day festivities, and then flying to Baltimore tomorrow for my appointment on Monday. Will report back on that (likely on Tuesday).
Today’s yoga: Really nice class (not too taxing but still some movement) with some stretches that felt really good.
Planners + Politics: I recorded an episode of BLP ahead of time and made some joke about there not being breaking planner news, and then I listened to this PP ep:
Really informative and I’m so impressed with Emily Ley (of Simplified) at her willingness to be so open about everything and really put herself out there. I’ll have to mention this on an ep after the one I prerecorded!!
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I did Bookit as a child, too, but someone else would eat my pizza and I would get the salad bar because I did not like pizza (made my stomach hurt – prob an early sign of my gluten intolerance). Pizza Hut was one of the few places we went since there were 5 kids and we were solidly middle class. So it was very exciting to go there since it wasn’t common to eat out! But now we rarely eat out with our kids but it’s not about money, more of the hassle factor (which we probably a bigger aspect is the decision to not eat out often than cost for my parents, too).
Both boys still like reading but I know that can change. I also grew up in a house without rewards for grades. We were expected to perform to our level (not all were straight A students due to different abilities/challenges).
Our library has a library passport program so I am going to pick one up and make that a special project for the summer as there are so many great libraries around us. I also need to sit down with Phil to come up with a different plan/limits around screen time now that it’s nicer out and we have more options…
For years, I would download the free summer reading posters from Everyday Reading and masking-tape them to the kitchen wall so my kid had a fun visual (and color-in-able) aid to help make reading fun. Now that she’s aged out of that a bit, I made one with Canva that I’m going to print out and hang up in her room. Our library also has a summer reading challenge with fun prizes, so we may do that in tandem.
I loved Book It! when I was a kid. Pizza is one of my favorites and I also already loved to read, so it was easy to combine the two. Not sure if pairing food and reading was the best idea for my particular personality, but it was fun!
So basically, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger, you found some reading programs in Pizza Hut as well as your library, the MMD summer reading guide’ll come out next week, you got this year’s “Top Ten Reasons You Are the Best Mom!” list as a gift – from G – I think, you’ve planned for this Saturday and Sunday as you always have, you had a really nice yoga class, and you found out about Ms. Emily Ley – whom I’ve actually never heard of before either. I’m not sure if your library has already figured out that you, too, are an author, Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger, but I think that they’ll figure that out eventually.
In the meantime, yes, I have a design for the front cover of the book “Best Laid Plans: A Simple Planning System for Living a Life That You Love”, but I’m highly skeptical that the publishers will be interested in it.
My daughter – who sounds a lot like A in so far as she likes order, neatness, pretty colours, matching things – has really taken to reading when I buy her a good box set of chapter books. They look so enticing (even to me!) all lined up nicely with their crisp book spines in the special box… Might be a good motivator. We are in Australia and book series by the author Anh Do are WILDLY popular here, eg my daughter is smashing wolf girl at the moment – and he is so prolific! She is a bit younger than A but a big reader. So a box set might be worth a try…
Oh I love a summer reading programme. We did an Easter one – just a list of days and he wrote down what he read each day. We will do the same for summer since we spend it away – not at home to do the library one. I love the everyday reading poster but wish it came in a more portable version.
I also wonder about a weekly magazine as well. Teddy gets The Week and a monthly nature one and will take them to school to read in his spare time, etc.
I always read but never comment, but as a Baltimore-an, I hope you enjoy Baltimore!! Not sure which part of Hopkins you’ll be at, but Ceremony coffee is a must if you’re close!
Hahahahaha… I was trying to figure out #5- love it.
I’m wondering if you could somehow tie in your own reading “challenge” to the kids. You’re going to get the MMD summer reading guide and plan to read X number of books. You could somehow display the guide and check off books as you read them- to show the kids that you’re doing a reading challenge as well. It could be really fun.
GOOD LUCK with your appointment tomorrow! I’m sure you’ll get useful information, hopefully some clarity and closure. I can’t wait to hear all about it. Happy Mother’s Day!
Oh, I totally forgot to mention that podcast episode Yes, this is really going to hurt the small business owners. Not to get too political, but I do understand the reasoning behind the tariffs- ideally it could be a good thing (eventually) but the way it’s being implemented is very confusing (Plus, Trump is acting like a seventh grade bully (WAIT DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD) so everyone is freaking out.) There’s a constant attitude of “This won’t hurt the millionaires” and no consideration for… everyone else. Okay, I’ll stop now.
The irony is that pretty sure Emily Ley is a multimillionaire … yet it’s still going to hurt!!!
Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program for grades 1-6 where they can get a free book. Here’s the info https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our-stores-communities/summer-reading-program/
thank you Charlotte!!! Will def check that out!