Summer Reading Program

It is that time of year. Everywhere you turn someone else is advertising their summer reading program, trying to keep school kids from walking away from books while they walk away from school. 

As a year-round homeschooling family, we are unlikely to ever have the kind of summer drop that the even other homeschool families who break completely for the summer have (which is less than school children).  Given Froggy's personality and interests we are much more likely to tell Froggy she cannot read rather than she needs to read. 

All that being said, we did not participate in any summer reading programs last year.  This year we are participating in several.  Froggy loves to read but she reads to herself and frequently does not talk to me about the book.  Therefore I have no idea whether she is really reading or skimming or just looking at the pictures. So our rule for books she wants to use for these programs is she must read it aloud to a grownup and then narrate the book afterwards as well.  She was very reluctant to even read out loud for the first book but quickly discovered the joy. She now wants to read aloud even when it is not for the program and when she isn't supposed because it is the grown ups turn.  It is a thrill to me to watch this sudden transformation.  She still is not thrilled with the idea of narrating the story but is more willing to go along with it.


And with Froggy reading out loud we have returned to more picture books and easy readers.  My blue ribbon winner for the week is Fancy Nancy The Dazzling Book ReportI was not a big fan of Fancy Nancy when Froggy first discovered her but I have been converted.  Fancy Nancy is a"real" girl, very girly girl but real and I like that.  I also love that it introduces new vocabulary in a independent manner.  Froggy is not the type to come ask when she hits a word she does not know in a book.  She will just skip it and go on and not necessarily ever learn the meaning.  With Fancy Nancy she does not have to ask and she still gets to learn. 

Froggy's pick of the week is Froggy Goes to Camp.  As far as I am concerned the book has no redeeming value other than she likes it.  It is chock full of mischief and inappropriate humor.  As a direct result of this book we have all been seranaded at inordinate length with the old song "bean beans the musical fruit...."  I thought with a girl I would be spared. Guess not.

Comments

  1. I'm definitely envious of some of the summer reading programs I've heard of in the US. Here, there is the library one and that's it. And what they give you isn't wonderful - you usually get a poster promoting their program, and a few stickers to stick on the poster. This year, they're calling the poster a "treasure map." Sheesh. Seriously, I was amazed when I heard about the ones where they give the kids actual BOOKS. They do have a new Pizza Hut one here, but not much good that does us. :-)
    Seriously, though; I'm not worried. You couldn't possibly keep any of my kids away from books for a whole summer!
    p.s. How did you get Froggy reading so young? Did you do anything to help her along, or did that emerge on its own? I have been wondering for a long time but keep forgetting to ask...

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  2. Even in Canada you should be able to participate in the B & N one which you get a free book at the end. Another one gives a book at the end but I don't know who. We are not doing Pizza Hut either.

    I did nothing to get her reading other than read to her and let her play. She did it all on her own. She was really resistant to the phonics program when I introduced them. It turned out it was because she was already beyond that but we did not know it since she was a stealth reader.

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