school's out for summer... kinda

Remember when we were kids and the end of the school year meant no more school work? When we could spend all summer at the pool or rotting our brains in front of the TV, if we wanted? Then teachers spent the entire month of September re-teaching us what we learned in May?

Apparently, not anymore! A packet came home from Ava's school last night. Ava is supposed to spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day reading, either with a parent or alone. Her teachers sent home a list of recommended authors and a chart to keep track of her reading. She is also supposed to set aside a half hour each day to work on reading, writing, and/or math. She is also expected to keep a summer journal to write down her "activities, experiences, thoughts and feelings". These journals will be shared with her class in the fall.

While I think it's great, Ava may have a different opinion. SO...I'm going to make her a little summer reading kit to get her excited.

First, I ordered a bunch of books from Amazon from the recommended authors. Here are a few:

1.Pretzel by Margaret Rey



2. Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia McKissack


3. The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume



4. A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
5. Lemonade for Sale by Stuart J. Murphy

I also ordered this workbook:

Summer Bridge Activities: 1st to 2nd grade

And this book just for fun:

642 Things to Draw

I also thought I'd get her a cute tote bag for the library like this one:

Little Library Tote by Bushel and a Peck Paper - $20

Or this one:

"For The Love of Books Tote Bag" by The Little Fox - $19

Then maybe a few little extras like this cute pencil case:

Woodland Animals Pencil Case by Pocket Carnival- $14

Maybe, some bookplates:

Little Owlets Bookplates by Marmee Craft - $7.50

And some cute little notebooks:

Sweet as Pie Pocket Notebook Three Pack by The Black Apple - $12

This would also make an adorable birthday gift! Maybe I should make little reading kits and save them for when we get those last minute birthday invites.