*This post is sponsored by Scholastic and EVEREADY®. I was compensated for my participation in the program and received promotional items to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own.
My family and I have been loving joining in the fun of the 8th Annual Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge – getting kids reading and ready for back-to-school! Scholastic has been encouraging children from all over the globe to get outside and READ over the summer. Last year Scholastic inspired more than 130,000 kids from 4,200 schools in all 50 states and 31 countries to set a new record for summer reading of 176 million-plus minutes! I cannot wait to see how many minutes will be logged this year! (I think I just got goose bumps!)
If you haven’t signed your kids up yet, there is still time! Every day and every minute counts! You can sign up HERE. I encourage you to sign up today to take advantage of this program and help inspire your kids to READ under the stars all summer long.
Imagining a world where ALL kids are motivated and excited to read gives me the chills. Scholastic shares my dream, and is providing families with the tools necessary to keep kids engaged, learning, and on track with reading. With book lists, fun challenges, chances to win giveaways, and digital rewards, kids are eager to log their minutes and learn new things. You can check out some of the great resources for parents by clicking HERE.
Get ahead of the summer slide by encouraging your child to read, and read every day! In addition to supporting independent reading by making it a part of your routine, and creating fun reading opportunities (like a family read-under-the-stars night!), I encourage you to read to your kids, with your kids, and in front of your kids. When your children see you making reading a priority, and incorporating it into family time, they are more likely to become life-long readers and lovers of books.
My family enjoyed a night of reading outside together. My husband and I sipped ice tea and read books on leadership and business. We snacked on star-shaped cookies. We set 
up our play tents and spread out a big blanket. The kids got out their EVEREADY flashlights, along with a selection of new reads. No one was “plugged in.” It was a family enjoying stories and information in the great outdoors. I can’t wait to make that kind of experience part of our regular family routine. Reading and fresh air are good for the soul.
This amazing reading opportunity (and anytime you get to read – it’s a party!) was sponsored by EVEREADY®. 
This year’s Summer Reading theme is Reading Under the Stars, and is powered by EVEREADY®, the maker of batteries and flashlights, to encourage families to discover new and fun ways to explore reading outside this summer.
How much fun does reading under the stars sound?! Sounds like a little slice of joy to me – and it is! Thanks to the information shared as part of the Summer Reading Challenge, my kids were eager to get outside, read, and look for constellations. (How awesome is it that the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge sparked a new interest for my kids? Hooray for science and stacks of non-fiction books!)
We as a family have been inspired to get outside and read this summer. I can’t think of anything better for my kids than getting valuable reading practice (while becoming life-long lovers of literacy!) all while getting some fresh air! We all know our kids love to be outdoors when the weather is warm, so why not head out back with a stack of your favorite books or new reads from your local library? Set up a tent and make a reading fort. Spread out a blanket and read on the grass. Rock in the hammock with your favorite read-aloud or kick back on the porch swing with a great YA novel. I hope you’ll “join the party” and sign up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge, and start reading under the stars as a family. Happy summer and happy reading!
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