Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion summer reading clubs

The bubble system is pretty good, I think. I don't know. I hate to encourage fibbing, and we would totally be guesstimating in a major way. DD has a tendency to overestimate this kind of thing, too (she's in a fibby phase).

Our program requires no work whatsoever on my part. It's pretty much on the honor system, where the parent just signs saying their kid did the required 12 hours of reading. Since DD reads for at least 15 minutes before bed, almost every night, it's a no-brainer for me to sign.

They do have another program where the kids can read X number of books on subjects A, B, and C, and earn prizes based on that. That one would at least require us to ensure DD is checking out the right number of the right books, and then reading them.

Our DD has yet to find a prize that can be won that she doesn't want, no matter how stupid or useless.

Yes. DD is in an anti-fibby phase. But, it is definitely an estimation. I feel a little better knowing we are not counting the time we read to her or audiobooks. I would not enter her in any formal contest anyway.

I mean, ours is honor system too, but IIRC, you have to report the date, the time, and the name of the book on each date...oy. So ours would be, you know:

6/13: Harry POtter and the Goblet of Fire (3rd rereading of the series in a row--yes, DD is over her "I hate HP" thing): 8:15-8:37, 1:15-1:45, 3:15-3:45, 6:15-6:27, 7:25-9:15

I mean, kill me now.

The time?! That just seems sadistic. I should think start and end dates for books should suffice or, heaven forbid it, just a list of the books read.

I think what they're actually trying to kill is any enjoyment of reading. Because once you turn anything into a clock-watching exercise, all the joy is gone.

Wow, that is crazy...lots of work and just too much monitoring. DD always has her head in a book. She will sit in the bathroom for an hour even if I let her. Not to mention after I leave her room at night. I have no clue how long she reads then, although I have had to go in at midnight in the past when I heard noise and take the book away (she's 6).
Out library just lets the kids set their personal goal and they get a prize for reaching it, and for participating. DD set her goal at 60 chapter books. She's ambitious. Dh are supplementing the prizes on our own with things she really wants. A dollar for every 5 read, her own milk shake from a local restaurant that makes AMAZING ones, for every 10. She just finished White Fang, so not short little chapter books either.
They also have a sheet where you mark off time read, but I am so not doing that. There is no way I could ever keep up with every 15 minutes she reads. Seriously, I could just go ahead and cross out everything on those after a week because she reads that much. If I had to estimate yesterday, I would say she read over 3 hours, I do know she read at least 250 pages yesterday. LOL, the library probably wouldn't believe me if I wrote that down.

Our library system's summer reading program is pretty easy, just color in a small picture for every 30 minutes. DD has been timing herself, DS just guesstimates and gets my approval first. Last year the prize was a free book and small tote bag, plus a handful of coupons for local museums.

The Half Price Bookstore has a summer reading program, if you have one of those in town. I believe the prizes are gift cards to the store.

DS had a reading program at school that involved writing down the names of books and number of pages read during the month. When he was in first grade, and he read out loud mostly to me, it was pretty easy. In second, when he was tearing through novels when we weren't looking, it was a total PITA to track down which books he had read. Since he didn't seem to care enough to help me figure it out, I stopped doing it. He certainly didn't need a carrot to get him to read more. (Although I suppose his class lost points because he wasn't participating. Oh well.)

I miss the library and school programs. My DD is 15 - almost 16 now. I just wanted to join in. My daughter and I are doing our second Mother/Daughter book - "Joy Luck Club". We are going to study China and concubines (not something I'd do with a younger child).

We are going to watch the movie and also "Raise the Red Lantern". This is the way we celebrate books now at her age.

You know, most summer reading programs at the local library is run by just a couple of people. I mentioned to the children's librarian that I felt that the grand prize of a video game system (going to one child via a drawing), kind of sent the wrong message. She listened, and I gather I wasn't the only parent who thought this was an issue, as the grand prizes have been more appropriate since.

If you were to describe what this system looks like in practice, they very well may listen. I suspect they're thinking about kids who need to be told to go do their reading, instead of kids who spontaneously pick up anything (and everything) to read.