I love the beautiful weather, festivals and the seemingly endless fun activities to do with the kids in the summer. As much as I love those, there also is one thing that I really love: summer reading programs. There is something about summer reading that evokes a feeling of nostalgia for me.
When I was a child, I looked forward to the summer because of the time off from school and also the Big Boy Summer Reading Program. At the time, if you read 10 books you could get a free kids’ meal. I loved Big Boy’s grilled cheese sandwiches, so my sisters and I each read 10 books every week to get free grilled cheese sandwich meals. Although Big Boy no longer has the program, the memories of that summer reading experience remain in my mind.
Therefore, I got so excited when Cuyahoga County Public Library announced their summer reading program. I anxiously counted down the days until the program officially launched and I could begin the program with my 3-year old twins. We read daily, but there’s something about summer reading time that makes our normal reading time even more special.
I love that the Cuyahoga County Summer Reading Program kicked off with a special treat at Mitchell’s Ice Cream. That prize went fast and I had to go to two branches to claim the welcome prize for my kids and me! I was determined to track it down though! It was totally worth it because we ended up taking a trip to Mitchell’s Ice Cream and hanging out with my dad over ice cream!
We also went to Chipotle for lunch when we hit the midpoint of the program.
Unfortunately, we only got about ¾ of the way through the program because with the kids’ activities, plus work and travel, we only did about 10 minutes of reading per day. I still look at it as a win, because we read almost daily and I can further use this program to instill a love of reading in them. I did this by explaining why we were able to get discounts and freebies at some of their favorite places. My twins already love to read, but even at 3 years old, they are excited that they got rewarded for reading, too.
Last year I wondered if it was too early to start summer reading. Honestly, it’s never too early to get started. For me, it is all about getting them excited about the library and getting excited about reading because the love of reading and education will serve them the rest of their lives.
The Cuyahoga County Public Library Summer Reading Program ends on August 3, so head to your local branch to claim any prizes that you still need to redeem. They have a midpoint prize of either a buy one get one free burrito, burrito bowl, salad or order of tacos or a free children’s meal at Chipotle. They also have a variety of completion prizes as well which include:
- Free book prize — choose from a selection of book prizes courtesy of Cuyahoga County Public Library (YOUTH ONLY)
- Bookmark redeemable for a free kids meal at Choolaah (YOUTH ONLY)
- Chuck E. Cheese 5 Free Play Points coupon, (YOUTH ONLY)
- Certificate redeemable for 1 free ticket to a Cleveland Monsters home game (YOUTH AGES 18 & YOUNGER ONLY, purchase of adult ticket per free ticket required).
Also, if you are sad that the Cuyahoga County Summer Reading program is ending, the Summer Reading Program at LifeWay.com runs through August 31st and while supplies last, if you read 6 books and memorize 6 scripture verses you will receive a free book! I can’t wait to do that program next with the kiddos!