Archives for 2014

2014: Father’s Day Printable Resources, Crafts, and Ideas

June 13, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Fotolia

With Father’s Day just a couple days away, the plans are forming or coming together to celebrate the special men in our lives.

My children get so excited about celebrating holidays that the mere mention of making a craft or card brings my girls running to the table.

If you are searching for suggestions or need a finishing touch, then enjoy these FREE Father’s Day printable resources, crafts, and ideas:

As you continue making preparations for Father’s Day this coming Sunday, June 15, 2014, create your own celebration in honoring the Dads in your life.

In using time wisely, print a project or two, make it your own creation, and present it to your favorite Dad on Father’s Day. Happy creating!

Question: How are you planning to celebrate Father’s Day?

J. C. Penney: FREE Mustache or Bang Trim in June 2014

June 12, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: J. C. Penney

Taking a pause in our summer reading series to celebrate the special men in our lives with a couple Father’s Day posts, I am thrilled to share a FREE deal for the mustached men in your circles.

Throughout the month of June, participating J. C. Penney salons welcome customers to stop in for a FREE mustache or bang trim.

If you take advantage of J. C. Penney’s generosity, then you might consider calling ahead to see if walk-ins are welcome or to book an appointment.

In using time wisely, J. C. Penney is helping to stretch your dollars with a FREE mustache or bang trim until June 30, 2014. Happy savings!

Question: How many men in your life sport a mustache?

2014 Summer Reading: H-E-Buddy

June 11, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: H-E-Buddy

My favorite summer reading program is the topic today with the H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club.

We have participated in this program for five years, and we have lots of “Buddy the Bag” t-shirts.

Our third year in this program, the rules limited the submissions to Texas residents. However, this wording was removed this year. Yay!

Last year, H-E-Buddy introduced a new program called H-E-B 321 for Summer Fun Challenge.

We participated and received a certificate along with a coupon for a FREE bag of ABC pretzels at an H-E-B grocery store.

Though we could not use the coupons, our friends were traveling to Texas, so we let them enjoy a snack on their trip.

This program has transitioned from reading, eating, and exercising to focusing on healthy eating and exercising. Called Eat Fresh-N-Fruity with Buddy and Bruce Challenge, this program began on April 1 with a postmark date of July 1.

To participate, print the entry form (see the second challenge), try 8 new fruits or vegetables and draw a picture of each one. Mail your form and wait to see if you receive a response. Stating that this program is open for Texas residents only, this program offers rewards of a certificate and a chef’s hat for those who complete the entry form and mail by the deadline.

While we do not live in Texas, the representative last year still sent us our prizes. However, they could end their kindness at any time. I am sharing this information because last year this program was launched with a summer reading section. Since they have separated their programs, I will not write a separate post in this summer reading series for this challenge.

However, the H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club program continues again this year, and all may participate which is a great change from the last two years. Woohoo!

H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club

Photograph Credit: H-E-Buddy

Participants

Open to children of all ages with the largest t-shirt size of a youth extra large (18-20).

Program Length

The reading log is due by October 1, 2014.

Goal

Read any 10 books.

Requirements

Record the titles of the 10 books read and have a parent initial beside each title.

Redemption

Mail the completed reading log to H-E-Buddy 2014 Summer Reading Program, 10530 Sentinel, San Antonio, TX 78217 by October 1, 2014.

Reward

On some afternoon when you least expect it, you will receive a package of prizes including a t-shirt, certificate, and a pencil.

H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club Benefits

The best benefit is the FREE t-shirt prize. My children love to wear their shirts at the same time which makes it easy to spot them when we are out and about.

Another fantastic benefit is that the program has been reopened to the public.

Though the Texas-resident limitation did not deter us from submitting our reading logs, we never knew if those prizes would arrive. However, that day came in October, and my children celebrated by wearing them right away.

The last benefit is the ease of this program. Print a reading log for each child. Choose 10 of the many books they will read this summer and complete each form.

Mail all the forms in the same envelope and wait for the prizes to arrive. Thus far, all 3 of our prizes have arrived in the same envelope as H-E-B also ships the prizes together.

In using time wisely, this program has proved that the investment of time is worth the few minutes to complete the logs and the cost of the postage stamp. To encourage reading, the H-E-Buddy Summer Reading Club remains at the top of our list as my children proudly wear their earned t-shirts. Happy summer reading!

More 2014 summer reading programs:

2014 Summer Reading: Half Price Books

June 10, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Half Price Books

Miss 6 informed me that she has read 14 books for summer reading. She is keeping a pile of the books she has read for me to record on her reading logs.

As I write this post, she is camped out in our reading corner reading more books.

Definitely fascinated by books, she loves to “read” what she thinks the picture is communicating rather actually reading the words.

She gets frustrated with how long it takes her to read which I am hoping that patience, a well-written curriculum, and repetition will cause a steady improvement in the next couple of months.

In the meantime, Miss 6 enjoys her books and allows us to assist in reading the stories.

Moving from create-your-own summer reading program to log your minutes, the next highlighted program comes from Half Price Books.

Half Price Books Feed the Brain

Photograph Credit: Half Price Books

Participants

Children ages 14 and younger.

Program Length

June and July 2014.

The June logs are due by Sunday, July 6, 2014.

The July logs are due by Sunday, August 10, 2014.

Goal

Read every day for at least 15 minutes totaling a minimum of 300 minutes per month.

Requirements

Work on your summer reading and record the number of minutes read each day on your reading log. Add up your minutes and have a parent initial each weekly total.

Redemption

Take the finished reading log to a participating Half Price Books store.

Reward

Qualifying participants who read 300 or more minutes during the month and submit their reading logs by the monthly deadline will earn $5 in HPB Bookworm Bucks.

The coupons are valid through August 27, 2014 and apply to a pre-tax amount on your next visit’s transaction.

Multiple eligible family members may participate, and minutes parents read to their children count in the total minutes read.

One top reader award of a $20 HPB Bookworm Buck will be chosen for each month in each age category (ages 5 and younger, 6-10, and 11-14). For more details, visit the Half Price Books website.

Half Price Books Feed the Brain Benefits

In establishing good reading habits, Feed the Brain encourages reading 15 minutes per day. As participants are encouraged to submit their reading logs once they reach 300 minutes, obviously more minutes are allowed each day.

Even if you start this program after the June 1 or the kickoff on June 8, your reader can make up the time missed by reading more on other days – if needed. If your family is like mine, we don’t even track all the books we read.

We definitely read at least 15 minutes per day, but many times I forget to consider the little book here and there or the nightly reading series as part of that time – though I probably should.

Keep on emulating good reading habits and encourage the progress they make on their summer reading journey. Happy summer reading!

More 2014 summer reading programs:

2014 Summer Reading: Education.com

June 9, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Education.com

Read another short book today on Egyptian history from a title on my daughter’s second grade reading list.

I have more books on my dining room table purchased for next year’s curriculum, but frankly, I do not find the medieval genre calling my name.

In fact, I keep putting off reading a couple of those books though I need to get through them. In the meantime, I enjoyed reading 4 books to my kiddos this evening after dinner.

My son really loves the Sir Cumference series. This is a cute series of four books based on math concepts like circumference, diameter, radius, angles, and more.

The series is set in medieval times around the time of King Arthur. I am enjoying this series and watching my son make the connections between the names of the characters and the terms in math.

As you work on summer reading, I encourage you to branch out into new genres and topics. For more ideas on creating your own summer reading program, check out the 10-week Do-It-Yourself Summer Reading Camp at Education.com.

Education.com Summer Reading Adventures

Participants

Students of all ages.

Program Length

Each week is a different reading theme. The resources for all 10 weeks have been published. One can access the worksheets at any time.

Goal

Explore a topic through reading and hands-on activities.

Requirements

To download the worksheets, you must register with education.com. Using the basic FREE version, one is limited to 5 downloads a month. For unlimited downloads, one must purchase the PLUS option for $47.88 per year.

Reward

Either combine these resources with a program that allows reading any type of books or determine your own individual or family rewards – the choice is yours.

Education.com Summer Reading Adventures Benefits

With at least 5 FREE resources each month, one can print 5 of the 10 summer reading camp worksheets in June and then print the remaining 5 in July. Education.com offers hundreds of printable worksheets and activities to assist parents and educators.

Though not every summer reading resource will work for your family, choose the ones that interest you. The point is to keep on developing a love for good books while continuing to develop strong reading skills. Happy summer reading!

More 2014 summer reading programs:

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