Summer Reading
Is it just me? Really?
I really push my kids to read. What they read is mostly up to them. I might tell Swicky she needs to read something closer to her reading level if she's been reading primarily Coconut's library books, or recommend a book that is thick enough to be daunting to an eight year old; I frequently tell Coconut he needs to balance out his graphic novels with some chapter books. Still, they read every day, whether as school work or before bed (or, increasingly, when they're supposed to be going to sleep). For the library's summer reading program, which has been going on for 22 days, Swicky has read 22 books and Coconut has finished 17 so far.
Please note: we don't stop school during the summer. They both carry full school loads during the summer. If they didn't have anything else to do, I'd expect at least two books a day (or 200 pages of a long book).
So this article really confuses me: Survey: Kids who read in summer most likely to be girls, ages 9 to 11, at libraries, whose parents would rather see them outside.
Outside is important. Swicky and Coconut are both out often (P.E. is part of the curriculum, and often takes the form of bike riding, organized exercise outside, or just running and playing in the backyard). But if you asked me which I believed was more important? Reading. Not that they're mutually exclusive - when I was a kid, I'd take my books outside to read during the summer, usually up a tree. If you had asked me then if one book a season was enough, I'd have laughed and laughed and laughed... I hope I'm raising my kids to think the same thing.
Links:
I really push my kids to read. What they read is mostly up to them. I might tell Swicky she needs to read something closer to her reading level if she's been reading primarily Coconut's library books, or recommend a book that is thick enough to be daunting to an eight year old; I frequently tell Coconut he needs to balance out his graphic novels with some chapter books. Still, they read every day, whether as school work or before bed (or, increasingly, when they're supposed to be going to sleep). For the library's summer reading program, which has been going on for 22 days, Swicky has read 22 books and Coconut has finished 17 so far.
Please note: we don't stop school during the summer. They both carry full school loads during the summer. If they didn't have anything else to do, I'd expect at least two books a day (or 200 pages of a long book).
So this article really confuses me: Survey: Kids who read in summer most likely to be girls, ages 9 to 11, at libraries, whose parents would rather see them outside.
Outside is important. Swicky and Coconut are both out often (P.E. is part of the curriculum, and often takes the form of bike riding, organized exercise outside, or just running and playing in the backyard). But if you asked me which I believed was more important? Reading. Not that they're mutually exclusive - when I was a kid, I'd take my books outside to read during the summer, usually up a tree. If you had asked me then if one book a season was enough, I'd have laughed and laughed and laughed... I hope I'm raising my kids to think the same thing.
Links:
- Libraries, Books, & Authors:
- Remember the illustrated materials/censorship issues I've been discussing lately? Here's a great satirical piece on it: Society That Sexualizes Real Minors Mad That Drawings Not Considered Child Porn in Japan
- Pablo Neruda poems 'of extraordinary quality' discovered
- Instead of begging, homeless man reviews books on the street and sells them (but not to kids)
- Universities 'get poor value' from academic journal-publishing firms
- Net & Tech:
- Egypt's Travesty: Blogger Alaa Abd El Fattah Sentenced to 15 Years I hate seeing Egypt reversing the democratic progress it made during the Arab Spring.
- Computerworld to end print run on Monday; here’s the first issue from 1967
- Neutrality Begins At Home: What U.S. Mayors Can Do Right Now to Support a Neutral Internet
- The NSA still wants to pass CISPA. We won't let them. Sign the petition - stand up for your rights!
- Science:
- Other:
- Pope excommunicates Italian Mafia members
- Artist Creates Glass Loaves That Can Be Sliced Into Beautiful Portraits Like Bread Gorgeous!
- Defender of Fake Bomb Detector Appointed Top Forensic Science Job Well, that's an...interesting choice.
- In Switzerland, City Seeks a Hermit Who Also Likes People My dream retirement job!
- Best. Commercial. Ever. Girl fakes period, mom gets revenge with fake "first moon party" in new ad The idea of a period starter kit is pretty ingenious, as well.
- Bobby Jindal vetoes bill aimed at reducing Louisiana's prison population Damn it, Jindal!
- Wrong! Deconstructing 5 Famous History Stories
- New Study Ranks 50 States By Gun Sense And Gun Deaths Not surprisingly, "[s]tates with weak gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership have the highest overall gun death rates in the nation" and "states with the lowest overall gun death rates have lower rates of gun ownership and some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation" - although "even in these states the human toll of gun violence remains unacceptably high and far exceeds the gun death rate in most Western industrialized nations."
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