Want to know what my very favorite part of summer is? It’s reading—preferably while sitting on the beach soaking up the sunshine. Even though the kids still have about a month of school left, my summer has arrived. I finished grading finals last week, just in time for my parents to come to town. We…
Because I love to read, it naturally follows that I enjoy being part of a book club. I have been in different book clubs over the last ten years, and I always appreciate a book that really inspires a great discussion. Unfortunately, amazing books do not always inspire amazing discussion at book club. While I…
Today I’m going to tell you about some of my very favorite picture books—the ones you may not have heard of before. Even though my youngest daughter is 8 years old now and a fabulous reader, we still love to read fun picture books together occasionally. And I even still buy them when I find…
Too many books and not enough shelf space? Use these 7 questions to help you declutter your books. It’s Day 13 of our 30 day decluttering series, and today we are talking about books. I have a lot of books. As a child, I was a voracious reader. While my parents had lots of children’s…
This post is part of an ongoing Summer Reading for Kids series. Click HERE to find ideas for reading activities, reading lists, and reading incentives…and keep checking back for more! My girls did their first summer book club in the summer of 2012. My youngest daughter was still a bit young for such an activity (though she did…
These easy-to-read chapter book series are perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade kids who are ready for bigger books. This post is part of an ongoing Summer Reading for Kids series. Click HERE to find ideas for reading activities, reading lists, and reading incentives…and keep checking back for more! My youngest daughter was reading really well…
The benefits of summer reading for kids are too large to ignore. Encourage your kids to read over the summer by gifting them a pile of books as soon as school is out. This post is part of an ongoing Summer Reading for Kids series. Click HERE to find ideas for reading activities, reading lists, and reading incentives…and…
My summer starts in one day. Even though there is still lots of snow on the ground (le sigh), I am done with the university school year and will not have to teach nearly as much over the summer. I will also not be performing at all this summer, and sad as that is, it…
I love to read. However, as my children have gotten older, I have realized that my insatiable desire for books hasn’t necessarily been genetically transferred to them. What is up with that? Then I realized that I was buying them books that I would have liked to read at their age, and those weren’t the…
Reading a Christmas book with your kids each night before bed is a wonderful Christmas tradition. Here’s a list of 24 Christmas picture books to add to your collection. Make sure to check out our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide—Find hundreds of gift ideas for EVERYONE on your list! Reading a Christmas book every night during December…
How to host a kids book club on the book Wonder by RJ Palacio. Invitations, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more. This post is part of an ongoing Summer Reading for Kids series. Click HERE to find ideas for reading activities, reading lists, and reading incentives…and keep checking back for more! This summer my middle daughter chose the…
Looking for summer activities for kids that will help them learn self-reliance? Use these ideas for chores, reading, snacking, and help your kids be more independent! Here are three ways we are taming the summer chaos by teaching kids to be more self-reliant this summer. Today was the first official day of our summer. And…