Reading is fundamental and it’s important for our kids to continue reading throughout the summer months; not just during the school year. Scholastic is determined to help children thrive in their reading abilities and that’s why this year marks the 9th year of the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, to help stop the “summer slide”. The theme for this year’s challenge is is “Power Up & Read” and is powered by ENERGIZER?.
Did you know that teachers spend four to six weeks re-teaching materials to students, things that they have forgotten because of the “summer slide”? That is a huge loss of learning that can occur while school is not in session and as parents, it’s up to us to ensure that our kids are still using their noggins during the summer months. We can help by letting our kids choose their own books – ones that interest them. Just like you and I, our kids have different interested when it comes to the books they read, so it’s really important to help them choose books they like – it will only help encourage their love for reading!
The?Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge started May 4, 2015 and runs through September 4, 2015. Kids are encouraged to help break last year’s world record of 304,749,861 minutes by logging their reading minutes, online and via mobile. The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is completely FREE and there are monthly sweepstakes where kids can enter to win fabulous prizes. There are also weekly reading challenges which kids can earn digital rewards for when they complete.
What’s new this year for kids and parents?
This year includes a lot of exciting new things for kids and parents that you won’t want to miss out on. Authors Blue Balliett, Patrik Henry Bass, Varian Johnson, Gordon Korman, Michael Northtrop, Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pierce, Roland Smith, R.L. Stine, Tui T. Sutherland, Lauren Tarshis, Wendy Wan-Long Shang and Jude Watson have each created a short story using the same opening sentence, which is, “I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that no one had followed me into the shadowy library, then took a deep breath and opened the glowing book…”. There are 12 short stories in all, including never-before-seen videos from the authors. There is a new creative writing game, the “innovation machine”, which kids can play and enter to win prizes through its contest.
Parents can enjoy a new “The Daily Digest” area to receive daily tips and they can download free resources like printables and booklists. Theer are “Power Up & Read Kit” prize packs that parents can enter to win which include Scholastic tote bag, water bottle, a copy of Reading Unbound by Jeffrey Wilhelm and Michael Smith, $10 gift certificate to Scholastic Store Online, Energizer? brand batteries, Scholastic books, and more.
Lil Man has a love for reading just like his mom and I often find him lounging in the shade with a good book. I’m really proud of him because he’s logged in 120 minutes of reading time in the 5 days since summer vacation started! He’s bound and determined to help break last year’s reading record!
Connect:
You can connect with?Energizer? Bunny on Facebook?and/or?@Scholastic on Twitter! Here are some Scholastic Resources to help encourage your kids to read all summer. You can also enter the?Energizer? Instant Win Game?for a chance to win a family trip to NYC and thousands of other prizes!