Kip's teacher didn't assign any summer homework but we assigned a little summer work to keep up with his kinder skills and stay ready for first grade. Because Kip has a hard time with academic expectations, we've done our best to keep things simple and low key.
He has to do two pages from this summer bridge workbook which has a variety of skills throughout (and takes him about 5 minutes to complete if he focuses). We have him write his name at the top of the page for each day (to writing practice, spelling last name correctly, and remembering to put his name on his work). He has to read aloud one book of his choice (for reading practice) and complete a couple of pages from a math workbook. Some days are more of a struggle than others, but he has stayed consistent, and I can already tell it has proved a benefit in preventing slides.
Both kids are registered for the summer reading program at two local libraries.
One program is through the neighboring town (population ~45,000) which has a much larger library and much more organized program. However, there are no age brackets. Each kid has to log 25 hours in the app. I have to scan the ISBN numbers on the books and input the amount of minutes read each day. For an older kid plowing through chapter books, this is easy. Imagine logging board books that take 1-3 minutes to read? x 2 kids. There is no way Ivy will finish this program. We are trying our best with Kip since we can usually get about 15-30 minutes a day of either us reading to him or a combination of him reading to us. The other issue with this program is the prizes. When Mandy and I were kids the prize for completing the summer reading program was a ticket to the Six Flags amusement park. Our family went to the amusement park ONCE a year - at the end of summer, we when got our tickets from the reading program. That prize was a HUGE motivator and incentive for participating in the program.
For the program Kip and Ivy are in, these are the prizes:
For every 2 hours read they get one crayon. Yeah, that's right. A crayon. When they finish the program they will have a completed box of crayons (like the kind your get a restaurant). For what? We don't know. We have to complete the program to find out. Now, if my five year old is disappointed in receiving a crayon after reading for 2 hours...how does a fifth grader feel? I'd feel like I don't want to participate in the program. Look, as an adult, I know it's not about the prizes but for a kid...it kinda is.
Okay, so what about the raffle? Each kid earns a ticket for every 30 minutes read. So at the end of the program you'd have 50 tickets, right? Plus an extra 25 IF you finish. So 75 tickets to enter in the raffle. Below are the prizes they will raffle off. Cool if you win one, but what are the odds of that?
Because this program feels so steep, we also registered the kids for the program at our local town library (population ~10,000). We've done this program two years in a row now and it's a flop (a lot less organized, a lot more lame) but at least they set achievable goals for younger ages! Each kid needs to log 15 books either they read or have read to them. Every 5 books earns a small prize (think Oriental Trading...or random SWAG like a lanyard from habitat for humanity). They have to be library books and only Ms. Maryann can check and authorize prizes. So if you go to the library and she isn't working that day, tough luck. Zero other staff can help you.
Okay, so now that I've officially snarked on the library programs. I'll say this, we are grateful for our local libraries and the staff that work there. It's not personal it's just bizarre. I assumed wrongly that there was some kind of national summer reading program with consistent standards that somehow matched ages. And I realize the prizes come out of a budget and that will vary from location. But remember the Pizza Hut Bookit Program? Is it that hard to get local businesses to partner with the local library? I don't expect a free amusement park ticket but I think more than a single crayon is as reasonable expectation. I do want the kids to be excited about participating, not disappointed and discouraged.
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