Well it is official, my kids are out of school for summer vacation. I am looking forward to lazy summer days. Not having to up early in the morning. No frantic searches for missing shoes (our puppy Toupon has chewed up more sneakers than I care to count in the past few months!). And no mad dashes out the door to catch the bus. Instead summer means finding fun activities to keep the kids occupied and enjoying their time off from school. And my goal is to make sure those activities are affordable. Our entire family are readers, you will be hard pressed to find a spot to sit down in our house that does not have a book nearby. So you can bet that my kids will be enjoying some of these great summer reading programs to keep their minds sharp and occupied. Besides…what is not better than lazing about in a hammock in th back yard with a good book?

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Barnes & Nobel: Kids read any 8 books and record then in the Reading Journal and then they get to pick a free book from a selected list when they turn in their journal at a local Barnes & Noble book store.

 

 

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Book-It Summer Reading Program: Kids who were in grades K – 6 during the 2010-2011 school year and meet the challenge of reading 5 books will be eligible for a chance to win a slammin’ summer prize package

 

 

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Bookworm Wednesdays: Present a book report at participating Showcase Cinemas, Multiplex Cinemas or Cinemas de Lux box office and your child gets a free admission to a select children’s film (Accompanying parents or gardians and children under 6 receive free admission too!)

 

 

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Borders/Borders Express/Waldenbooks: Kids ages 12 and under are being “Double Dog Dared” to read 10 books this summer and record them on the downloadable form. Then just take the completed form into any store for your free book of select titles.

 

 

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Chuck E. Cheeses: You can download a free Reading Rewards Calendar (and other ones too) to incentivize some summer reading. Read a book for 2 weeks and kids earn 10 free tokens as a reward!

 

 

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Half Price Books: Kids 14 and under can participate in Hald Price Books “Feed Your Brain” summer reading program. Download a reading log and record 600 or more minutes and turn in your reading log at Half Price Books between July 25th and August 7th and receive $5 Back-to-School Bucks summer reading reward. Plus top a reader in each age group will be selected to win a $20 gift card.

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Old Spaghetti Factory Rewards of Reading Program: Every child who reading five books will earn a free Kid’s Meal from The Old Spaghetti Factory

 

 

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Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge: Keep your kids reading all summer long with great books from Pottery Barn Kids. Read together at their weekly Story Times or read independantly at home. Visit a local store to receive a free book when your child complete one of our recomended reading lists. The recomended reading list has some great classic childrens books on it!

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Scholastic Summer Challenge: Kids log their reading minutes and enter a sweepstakes. Reach the weekly reading goal to win digital prizes.

 

 

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Sylvan Book Adventure: A free reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children can create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they have read, and earn points and prizes for their literary sucess.