PTO Today

So, summer is clicking right along in our home. We've had LOTS of free time. Cub Scout Day Camp and Brownie Mini-Camp was a success. Next week my 3rd grader is doing a Writing Camp with Sylvan (our first experience with them). After that, I need a plan to keep Nathaniel's Language Arts skills up (and improve his reading fluency).

Here are some of my thoughts:
Library Summer Reading Program - Checked-In this week.

BookAdventure.com - A free program through Sylvan (AR testing)

BOOK/MOVIE Connection: I had the kids rubberband books with matching movies that we own. The plan is to have them first read the book, AR test at BookAdventure and then everyone can watch the movie with a snack.

Planned PBS Time: Between the Lions, Reading Rainbow, Cyber Chase, Fetch with Ruff (Are there other TV shows that are educational???)

I found this website yesterday, and will read more. . .
Family Education

Does anyone else have a struggling 3rd/4th grade student? What family and independent reading books do you recommend? What seems to be working for you?

Thanks, Tammy

I purchased a few summer bridge activity workbooks from Barnes & Noble to give general and pinpointed work to my kids. We have been out of school over a month and they are doing great. We also have the kids read 30 minutes a day. They get extra stars on their chore chart if they read more or to their baby brother.
Also, we planned a trip and had the kids do some research about things to do in the area and animals/exhibits at one of the zoos we are going to. They really enjoyed this. It may sound weird but I've noticed they don't mind doing these activities (work) when they get to go places they've read about and planned for.

Our boys do a food drive every summer for the local food bank. This year we're pulling in some of the interested PTO families to do that same in their neighborhoods and then we'll all meet at the school and head to the food bank where the children can make the donation and learn about the food bank. Last year my guys collected 175 pounds of food.

d

No pointers here.
Just a thanks for the ideas we've been out 2 days and 6 fights, 2 almost beatings, 5 or 6 meltdowns and a looooong discusion on how our family was going to have a fun summer. OR we're hiring a shrink

[ 06-26-2006, 03:08 AM: Message edited by: Shawn ]

Eastside Eagles - Barnes & Noble also usually has a summer reading table that's appropriate for lots of grade levels. I'm pretty sure Borders and Waldens does the same thing, or even your local library. They all also usually have a schedule of guest readers and activities for the summer.

Our school has a summer reading program so that every book a child reads and summarizes (no AR testing during the summer) he/she gets a BEAR token to be "spent" at a little carnival at the beginning of the year. This incentive worked for about a week for my kids (6 & 5 yrs.), but the goal was too far away, I think, for them to stay motivated. So, my husband and I decided to add reading and summarizing 3 books a week to their chore list as part of earning their allowance. At least my son is a little more motivated.

Shawn - If you're looking for something less academic, check with your local movie theatres. I know that Regal Cinemas has two days a week that they offer free movies in the morning - of course they're hoping you'll buy concessions, but it's not required. All movies are G or PG. You can check the website for the showings or if the program is offered near you.

Deb

OHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh, thank you gals. I had a "Shawn" day today. The Writing Camp didn't sit so well with my boy. 2 hours of camp, and 2 1/2 hours of (on and off) rewriting his first draft. It was UGLY!!!! I had no idea a summer camp could have homework! Anyway, the dictionary came out unscathed. We'll try again tomorrow.

Tammy

If it's any consolation, my allergies were really bad today and I got to the point where I had ot lay down with a cool cloth on my eyes and had my oldest read from my current book to me. At some point I fell asleep (because everyone was taking a nap) and my son was still reading for almost 30 minutes before I started to snore! He got extra marks on the chore chart because I felt so bad, then he asked if he could read the book when I was done.

__________________
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris

Hey, at least he liked the book!

Writing camp is almost over. Tues, Wed. and Thurs. went MUCH better. I had Sylvan clarify what they expected from the parents. Grandma and Grandpa have been in town, so I have had Grandma work with Nathaniel on the spelling/grammer while I take on the books. Sylvan does lots of toy rewards at the end of the day, so Nathaniel has been motivated to read books that have AR tests on Sylvan's site: Bookadventure.com (he wants to earn more stuff). I have been checking the reading levels, and picking books off his shelves that are fun and easy for him. His confidence is building!!!!!!!

Enjoy your weekend - Tammy

Hey Everyone!

I found this great summer reading program at Barnes and Noble.com

Click on: Summer of Unfortunate Events Journal and Instructions. You can print off a sheet for each child. Then they read 8 books and bring their completed sheet to the store to trade for a free book. We went last week, and there must have been 30 books for my kids to choose from. What a great reward for reading!

Hope you're having a Great Summer! Tammy

whoever above complained about allergies.....mine went away with about 6 treatments of acupuncture. even more amazing, becuase I didnt believe it would work. at least, there are no side effects (if the needels are clean!!). anyway, something to consider. of course, this is anecdotal experience only and just one case, and not professional advice by any stretch!!