Hello Everyone!!!!

How is everyone doing?  Are you enjoying your summer? It is 98 degrees here today so pretty warm.  I was thinking about the pool today.  It sounds cool and refreshing.  Also,  I was thinking about when I was a kid and what I did in the summer for fun.  There was bike riding, going to the pool, playing baseball in the lot next door to our home, having homemade popsicles under the shade tree in the backyard.  My brother and I always enjoyed our summers and all the fun things we did.  I remember one summer  we decided we wanted to go camping. So we asked mom if we could get a tent and being the ingenious mom that she was she built us a tent in the backyard. She took a couple of blankets  and put them on the clothesline and attached them with clothespins.  Then she put down a piece of tarp and then put blankets on top of it.  Then she showed us

how to make a homemade sleeping bag.

How to make a Homemade Sleeping Bag

1. Start with two blankets

2.Place left half of one blanket over right half of the other blanket.

3.Fold left half of bottom blanket over the two blanket layers you already have and then the right half of the last blanket over the stack.

4. Carefully pin with large safety or blanket pins.

5.Now fold up one end and pin it.

6. Crawl in and sleep snug as a bug in a rug.

After we fixed our sleeping bag we grabbed our pillows, flashlight, snack, and headed out to our tent.

Dad would even fix us a small campfire and  all of us would roast marshmallows and make smores.  Then we would sing songs. We had great fun and didn't have to buy anything.

I used to lay out in my backyard on a pallet in the summer and read my books.  I loved doing it and my mom would always fix me a snack and some lemonade and I would spend my summer afternoon reading and enjoying the outdoors.

So I am going to talk about some good books to read about camping and how to get your children or grandchildren outside to read and enjoy the outdoors this summer.

Make a homemade tent or if you have a real tent set it 

up outside and have some fun reading and enjoying the great outdoors this summer.

Here are some pics of homemade tents I found .  I don't really have a pic of the one my mom made for my brother and I but I sure do remember it which was a long time ago.  So I know I loved it  to remember it all this time.  SO make a tent today and read some books in it with your child or grandchild.  See you next time with some camping books to share with you.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

How is everyone's July going so far?  I hope you are enjoying your summer with your children or grandchildren. I love summer and I always enjoyed being in the swimming pool and sitting outside drinking some ice tea and reading a good book.  Some of my favorite things happen in the summer.  Has anyone started a book club?  If so, how is that going?  I hope well.  I hear there are also book clubs online and I have been thinking about joining one or at the library myself.

Oh, but yesterday I did something I always loved in the summer and fall.  I bought some school supplies.  Teachers' love school supplies and what child doesn't love going shopping for new supplies.  Every child should be able to fill up a book bag with new supplies. I have taken my children and granddaughter shopping every year.  We all love it. Yesterday, I bought a few supplies for myself .  They were on sale at my local Wal-mart and many other stores I saw adds for in the paper.  I took some pictures to show you a cute way to display your supplies that all children will love.   What excitement to get new pencils, crayons, notebooks, and book bags.  They even had some cute stuff for just 25 cents.  I love school supplies and children starting back to school.  So check  out my school supplies and check out your neighborhood stores for some good buys on school supplies.  

I think since summer is about camps and vacations that I will pick some books to share about both for my next posts.

Go out and buy some school supplies for someone today.  Who doesn't love them?  Have a wonderful day and I will see you Friday.

Enjoy your shopping and let your child pick a theme or a favorite color like I did with purple.  Have fun!!!!!! Also, pick up a good book to read now or the first of the school year. 

Happy Monday Friends

Well, I hope everyone had a great July 4th.  I love the picnics, balloons, and fireworks during the 4th of July  weekend.  I would love to be sailing on a beautiful lake on looking out my window at the mountains.  I used to spend everyday in my parents' in ground pool.  My girls and I had a blast swimming and playing in the pool with my mother and friends.  I enjoyed everyday of the summer right there for many years and I really do miss that.  So enjoy those days at the pool with your children and grandchildren.

How is the summer reading going for the children?  I hope they are reading a little each day.  It is so important for young children to be reading during the summer when they are out of school.  I think that is why book clubs are so good for children in the summer.  So start  a book club and get the children reading this summer.

I have another great idea for a book club especially for girls this summer.  I would plan a book club around the movie, Frozen.  I really enjoyed the movie and meeting and learning about Elsa and Anna. 

Here is the site for the books on Frozen at the Barnes and Noble Store.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/frozen?store=allproducts&keyword=frozen

I know young girls would love reading these books all summer and then having a cute party (giving you a link for one off of pinterest).  Then they could watch Frozen as the end of the summer reading book club.  You might check the library too but I'm not sure what they have yet.

Here is the link for the party.

 http://bubblynaturecreations.com/2013/12/disney-frozen-party.html

I hope you and your child or grandchild will enjoy  a summer book club with Frozen as your theme.

Happy Tuesday Readers!!!!

How is everyone today?  It is sunny and 85 degrees here today.  A perfect summer day for a picnic, time at the pool, or sitting on your deck or patio with a good book.  I hope you are enjoying the first few days of summer with your children and grandchildren and planning your Summer book reading or Summer Book Club.  I shared the other day about doing An American Girl Book Club.  Today I am going to share more ideas for Book Clubs for Children.  I did a book club one year with my students during the year and they read more and enjoyed it a lot.

The first one I have shared some of the books with you before but these are great books and boys and girls both would love reading these books.  They are exciting and have great stories about america and other interesting places.  Of course, I am talking about the books by Mary Pope Osborne.  She has written quite a few books in the series of the Magic Treehouse Books.   Oh what wonderful and exciting tales she tells through the eyes of Jack and Annie. You can get all of them that your children want to read at the local library or bookstore.  I have a link to the Magic Treehouse Site to share with you.  There are so many things you can do with this series and your children for a book club this summer.

http://www.magictreehouse.com/

I hope you will do this with your children ( boys and girls both love the Magic Treehouse books.  I will share another idea for a book club on Thursday.  Enjoy starting a Book CLub with your children or grandchildren.  Happy Reading!!!!

Hello My Friends!!!

My post for today is to give you an idea for a Girl's Book Club.  In fact I have two ideas but I will only give one for today. The idea I have for today is to use the American Girl books for a club this summer.  They have books about the Girl of the Year, Historical American Girls, and American Girl Mysteries.  You could pick a genre such as the Historical American Girls and start with 4 or 5 girls.  The girls could read the assigned chapters and then meet together to discuss the book and play games related to the book.  Also, if the girls happen to have American Girl dolls they could bring them along.

So check out the plan below for one book you could start with and then you could make up new ideas for each new chapter or chapters.

American Historical Girls

1.   Plan the first session as a chance to preview the book.  Also, you could make cute invitations  to invite the other girls for the Book Club.

2. When the girls get together for their first meeting have them pick a leader for each section of this book.

3. There are games on the American Girl website that you could use  and other ideas and of course the books are listed there too.

4. Be sure and assign someone to lead the discussion for the next meeting and pick a meeting place .

5.  Be sure and  plan a snack for each meeting.  You know children love snacks.

6.  Let your daughter or granddaughter help with all the plans and enjoy the club together.

Have fun and be sure and let me know how the Book Club goes.

Happy First Day of Summer

Link for the American Girl Site

http://www.americangirl.com/index.php

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Hello My Friends!

I am sorry I haven't been here for a little while.  I have had a few health issues and I haven't had a chance much to read or to review some books for my followers.  I hope to be back now and blogging at three times a week.  So I hope you are ready for the summer and for the children and grandchildren to be around and what better time to start a Book Club for the kids or enroll them in one at your local library.

I would like to tell you why I think having your children or grandchildren join a book club this summer  is a very good thing.  As a former teacher I know how important it is for children to continue to read during the summer.  According to research from the University of Missouri shows that summer breaks can cause an average student to lose up to one month of learning but by reading 15 minutes a day children and teens can keep up skills and spark their knowledge.  So I definitely believe children need to read in the summer and be read to if they are younger to prepare them for school.  There are great Summer Reading Programs at most libraries and some schools.  If you don't find a good program where you are located then start your own Book Club.  Children love reading for rewards and for the games etc. you can do.  I will try and give you some ideas for a book club on my next post.  In the meantime check out you local library for their summer reading program and get your child or grandchild enrolled today and start their summer adventure.

See you soon with more on book clubs.

Happy Tuesday Friends!!

I am sorry I haven't posted for a little while.  I hurt my back so was dealing with that and I wasn't able to get to the library yet to get books to share with you.  I hope to be back Thursday with more books and some I hope you will enjoy sharing with your children or grandchildren the summer.  I hope your children will join the summer book programs at your library.  They are great programs to keep your child reading during the summer.  It is very important for them to continue to ready during the summer to keep up their reading skills.  You could even plan special nights and reading parties.  Children love reading stories and then acting out the stories so maybe doing a play with costumes.  There are so many things you can do to keep the children interested in reading.  

I am planning on reviewing some good summer books and doing some author studies that  I hope you and the children will enjoy.  

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will see you again on Thursday.

Happy Reading!!!!!