Summer Reading Program

Summer Reading Program is one more of those weird losses / changes due to the pandemic.  Are you doing SRP this year?  How's it going? What's it like for you?

In past years, Little Guy has eagerly asked to go to the library the very first day of SRP to get his name on the wall.  One year it might be on a star; one year on an owl; one year on a spaceship, based on the theme of SRP.

Despite the fact that we read A LOT in normal times, SRP always puts our reading on steroids.  It's as if it becomes our JOB to read!  And I don't mind it one bit. :)  Being a 'yes' mom is not my default, but when asked if I can read a book, I'm a 'yes' mom. :)

Our little village has a wonderful library, and a well-oiled SRP.  Log your books. Fill out a log of 30 books, get a trinket.  Fill out up to 3 logs for trinkets.  At the end of the summer, each log earns you one paperback Scholastic book, for a max of 3 books. 

It's not well-advertised, but if you keep filling out logs, there is a grand prize.  And LG has been the village winner in his age group year after year for most number of books read (perhaps because others do not know they can fill out more than three logs).  I think that after 1st grade, the child has to read the books independently, but as of now, I'm still reading them. 

This year, SRP is not happening.  :-(

But, the two libraries 20-25 miles away are offering virtual SRPs.  Friends have urged me for years to do those SRPs also, because the prizes are decidedly NOT trinkets.  They are things like a $10 gift card to an ice cream shop, free ice skating, free everything!!!

Their rules are different, so I'm learning a new game, plus it's all virtual, so I'm learning an even different game.  One has a paper log. Read either 20 books or 15 hours.  That seems SUPER easy!! We chose the 20 books.  Our goal is to turn them in the first available day, when the prize selection is best. 

The other library has an app (ggrrhh).  It's not that hard, unless you have multiple readers logging on the same app, and sometimes you log a book under the wrong child. ;) The twist with the app is that there are challenges and streaks within the app, so that you want to read at least one book EVERY day.   So, now, the first book we read that day gets logged on the app.  Subsequent books get logged on the other library's paper log until we reach 20. Whew!

The app also gives you points along the way. It took a lot of searching for me to see where the points go.  You can "spend" them on chances for the grand prizes.  Oh, my!!

It's making the trinkets & Scholastic books look better every day. :) 

But, we are still having a super-fun summer reading sometimes two 80-page books every day for LG and multiple picture books for LM.  Read, read, read!!