Summer reading extravaganza!!!!

It's no secret that we are BIG READERS at our house!

Tempe learned to read last year in kindergarten and I didn't want her to lose enthusiasm over the summer, so I made sure that reading was a big part of every day. We made time for reading (both silent and together) every day, we had some fun reading charts and incentives, and we did our mom-and-me summer book club again with some friends in the neighborhood!

We kicked the summer off with a Ramona party and a few days ago we celebrated the end of summer with an ice cream extravaganza!

 

Breyers sent me an assortment of their yummy new toppings to try and I was so excited to use them for this party. Hot fudge, chocolate sauce, and caramel come in squeeze pouches that make topping ice cream (or cheesecake) really easy. Mixed berry, strawberry, and cherry toppings are the perfect mix of tart and sweet, and rainbow and chocolate sprinkles add fun to any food!

Thanks Breyers for making our sundae bar a success!!

Along with Bookworms, we've been doing a couple of really fun reading programs. I keep all of our reading charts taped to the inside of the playroom door. One is just a generic fill-in-the-balloon chart and one is this really great reading Bingo chart. I think this is such a great idea! The chart is filled with fun ways to read ("under the kitchen table", "with a snowcone", etc). My kids (Tempe especially) had so much fun this summer finding new places and ways to read! We haven't quite filled the whole card out yet, but we're close!

"Read in the bathtub--no water, just pillows!" was Tempe's favorite Bingo square!
Another thing we did this summer was the Barnes and Noble reading program. You read any eight books and then you turn in your completed chart and get to pick a FREE book! We spent the afternoon filling out our charts and picking our books yesterday. I thought the book selection would be things like licensed character drivel, but they actually had a pretty good selection.

Tempe ended up with a Calendar Mysteries book that she can't put down ("Dad, do you ever feel like you just have to get back to your book and you just have to find out what happens?!")

Helena chose a book called "Remarkable" that I haven't heard of, but it's next on our list after we finish Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
It has been a fun summer full of books and I will miss my kiddos on Monday when school starts again!

Household organization: Closet doors + kid money management part 1

We have a small house and soon-to-be two kids in school.

Two kids in school create a lot of paperwork and scheduling.

I needed a place to keep track of it all.

And enter... closet doors.

I can keep track of all our household organizational type stuff on the inside of closet doors. They're accessible when I need to see stuff and easy to close when I don't need to see stuff. 

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The inside of the pantry door is where I have my "household" organization. I made the corkboard, isn't it cute? I pin up schedules, countdown chains, fliers, etc on here, but the main purpose of this corkboard is to keep track of my kids' chores. We do chores a little differently here.

  
I was inspired partly by this blog post and partly made it up myself, so it works for us. My kids don't get a regular allowance; they have to do jobs for their money. This works in two different parts:

First, work for hire. This part of the corkboard has little odd jobs that I want done around the house. I put them up when I need them done and anyone can come grab one, do it, and get paid (the amount each job is worth varies, but is usually 50 cents or so). After they job gets done, I take the job card down and put it away until I need it done again, and then it goes back up on the board.

Second, help wanted. These are "contracted" (for lack of a better word) jobs that my kids can apply for. Yep, apply for. Each job card has a job description, pay rate, and contract length. Every Friday I conduct interviews and anyone who would like to apply for a job may do so. They have to be dressed and presentable to apply and I ask them questions like "Why are you interested in this job?" and "What kind of experience do you have that would help you do this job well?" 

If they are hired, we both sign a contract for the week or month, depending on the job. The contract has the day of the week that they have chosen to do their job so I can quickly see who needs to do what when, and also reminds them that they can be fired at any point for not doing their job well. At the end of the job period, I can renew their contract if they are still interested and did a good job, or I can put it back up under "help wanted" so someone else can apply for it. They can choose to apply for as many or as few jobs as they would like; it's completely up to them how much money they earn. They can also choose not to do any jobs. The jobs pay from $1-$2 per week + bonuses if they do their job without being reminded by me. 
Also, my kids have quite a few jobs that they have to do because they are part of a family and we all work together to keep our home clean: they have to help clean their bathroom once a week, clean the garage once a week, and make their bed/put away dirty clothes every day. The jobs on my corkboard are optional ways for them to earn spending money.
We keep track of the money they earn a little differently, too--post on that coming soon!

Checking in with Tempe and Helena during reading time

Jason and I have both always been big readers. Big, big readers with big, big bookshelves. We are doing our darndest to raise a family of readers as well, and so far I think we're doing a good job.
As part of our summer routine, we do reading time twice a day--in the morning and in the afternoon. Sometimes I read to the girls--library books or pictures books or Harry Potter or Ramona or stories from The Friend or whatever--and sometimes I have them do silent reading time. Even though Helena can't read yet, she loves to look at books--some of her favorites are Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Time's 100 Best Photographs. 
Today I took pictures of Tempe and Helena doing their silent reading 

Tempe discovered that our cardboard playhouse is the perfect place to plop down with a book.

"Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray"

Helena prefers the couch and lots of pillows.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid"

that time of year again!!

School is almost out and you're probably wondering what to do with your kids all summer.

One thing you can add to your list is Bookworms, our mom-and-me summer book club! If you are in my area, you are more than welcome to join our neighborhood in this fun summer activity. If you're not local, start your own chapter! The goal is to keep kids reading all summer long, while having some fun along the way!

Our first activity this year will be a really fun Ramona themed party where we will discuss the first chapter of "Beezus and Ramona" (it's a long chapter and all the chapters in this book are stand alone stories so it works out perfectly). And when I say "discuss", I don't mean sit in a circle and talk about the book--I mean play games, do activities, and eat food from the book! At this activity, we're also going to decide what to read for the rest of the summer (we meet again in July and August) so come with ideas.
I hope to see LOTS of you there, ready to read!

Through the Magic Door

Last night our local library system had a big children's event called "Through the Magic Door".

It was a fun fantasy-themed party after the library closed for the night. They do a big event like this every six months or so. The last one we went to was a Space activity.

The library was divided up into different sections: The Shire, Fairyland, Down the Rabbit Hole, and a princesses and knights section (I didn't see the official name for that one).

Here's Helena kicking over the dwarves in Dwarf Bowling in the Shire (she isn't a good bowler)

Tempe and Helena playing "minute to win it" games in the Shire (cup stacking, cereal box puzzles, and bean sorting)

"Crazy Croquet" in the Alice in Wonderland section. They also had some really good storytellers!

 The croquet balls were really hedgehogs!!

Tempe and Helena both made shields and crowns. We made one for Juno, too!

learning to read

My darling Tempe Joann has been in kindergarten for two months now. She loves going to school. In fact, I don't think she's made a single negative comment about school yet!

She also actually loves doing her homework. I know, I know, it won't last so I'm enjoying it now. We try to make it fun by having "Homework Club" every night: one parent takes Juno upstairs to play and get ready for bed, and the other parent supervises Homework Club. The big girls do their homework (Helena colors or something) while listening to their favorite songs (Gangnum Style, anyone??) and eating snacks. It's fun.

Tempe is especially thrilled to be learning to read. Her teacher sends a beginning reader book home every day and Tempe is always so excited to sit down and read them!

I can't wait until she can really read on her own. Tempe is really going to love being able to flop down with a good book whenever she wants--just like her mom and dad do!