Showing posts with label Summer Reading Programs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Reading Programs. Show all posts

Friday, June 1, 2012

American Girl Doll Books ($39.75) #Giveaway

AMERICAN GIRL ENCOURAGES READING AND FUN WITH READ-A-PALOOZA™!

American Girl's Read-a-palooza is here and ChiIL Mama's giving away 5 Great American Girl Books to kick things off in style:   McKenna & McKenna Ready to Fly, Take the Challenge, The New Girl & The Cameo Necklace ($39.75 value).

 Enter here for your chance to win through 6/15/12!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up).  Entries accepted nationwide.   Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   Winning rocks!   



We were super stoked to get a package of new American Girl Doll books in the mail.   There are some excellent new releases just out!    We'll have a full set of book reviews (on the titles in red) in the near future.  Here's a sampler of the new releases and where you can buy them, too.
  •  ADVICE:  A Smart Girl's Guide to Liking Herself-even on the bad days
 
  • CONTEMPORARY FICTION:  Innerstar University Series--"a book staring YOU with more than 20 endings" and an on line play component.   We'll be reviewing The New Girl and Behind the Scenes
 
  • MYSTERIES:   We'll be reviewing The Cameo Necklace, A Cecile Mystery, The Crystal Ball, a Rebecca Mystery and The Hidden Gold, A Marie-Grace Mystery

I was thrilled that my reluctant reader got super excited and engaged with the books and has been carrying them with her everywhere and devouring them.   American Girl is committed to not only entertaining but educating girls and helping them grow intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

   

This summer, American Girl is inviting girls and moms to discover the joy of reading while helping a great cause! Read-a-palooza provides girls with fun activities and incentives to inspire them to keep their reading skills sharp and encourage engagement in a variety of different literacy activities! In addition, Read-a-palooza will be contributing to Save the Children through a book purchase donation. Starting May 1 through September 3, $1 from every book purchased from American Girl will benefit Save's U.S. Literacy Program.
For more than 25 years, American Girl’s award-winning books have helped millions of girls discover the joy of reading and have earned the trust of parents and educators. This summer, to celebrate books and encourage girls to keep their reading skills sharp while school is out, American Girl is introducing Read-a-palooza, a summer reading program created for girls ages 8 to 12. Packed with fun activities and incentives that encourage literacy, Read-a-palooza will run from May 1 to September 3, 2012, and also will include a charitable partnership with Save the Children’s U.S. literacy program.
 
Click here to participate in Read-a-palooza.   Girls can download colorful bookmarks and free book-related content, such as tips and materials for starting a book club. They’ll also be able to do reading challenges and take fun, interactive quizzes. Starting in June, girls can participate in Read-a-palooza by visiting an American Girl retail store, where free reading events will be offered all summer long.

To further emphasize the importance of reading and to help a great cause during its Read-a-palooza campaign, American Girl is partnering with Save the Children’s U.S. literacy program. From May 1 through September 3, 2012, $1 of every book purchased through American Girl (up to a maximum of $100,000) will support Save the Children’s efforts to raise literacy rates in impoverished communities by providing basic education and equipping schools and teachers with reading materials. In addition, American Girl will make its third donation of books to Save the Children this fall, bringing the value of the company’s total book donation to nearly $1.5 million.

For more information about Read-a-palooza and American Girl’s partnership with Save the Children
click here.


Remember to Check back in with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often, and YOU could win ALL of the following awesome American Girl titles to get your summer reading off to a sweet start.   When girls love to read...everyone wins!



ChiIL Mama is celebrating READ-A-PALOOZA by giving away two McKenna books by Mary Casanova, McKenna and McKenna Ready to Fly!  



One lucky reader will also get a copy of The Take the Challenge book 






AND The New Girl (part of the Inner Star University chapter book series) AND The Cameo Necklace a Cecile MYSTERY.





Check out the site for American Girl Place Chicago for more special events, guest appearances, Read-a-palooza events, merch and more. 


*If  you'd like to see our prior photo filled feature on author Mary Casanova
click here.


About American Girl American Girl Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), the world’s leading toy company. Since American Girl’s inception in 1986, the company has devoted its entire business to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12. American Girl encourages girls to dream, to grow, to aspire, to create, and to imagine through a wide range of engaging and insightful books, age-appropriate and educational products, and unforgettable experiences. In meeting its mission with a vigilant eye toward quality and service, American Girl has earned the loyal following of millions of girls and the praise and trust of parents and educators. To learn more about American Girl or to request a free catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005, or visit www.americangirl.com. 

About Save the Children

Save the Children's U.S. Programs work to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of children by ensuring they have the resources they need—access to a quality education, healthy foods, and opportunities to grow and develop in a nurturing environment. When disasters like hurricanes and wildfires strike, Save the Children is among the first on the ground ensuring the needs of children are being met.


Save the Children’s early childhood education, literacy, physical activity
and nutrition, and emergency response programs reached more than 147,000 children and families in the United States last year alone. For more information click here.

Information concerning Save the Children Federation, Inc., including financial, licensing or charitable purposes may be obtained, without cost, by calling 1-800-728-3843 or writing to Save the Children Federation, Inc. at 54 Wilton Road, Westport, Connecticut  


*Disclaimer:   Many thanks to American Girl and Mattel for providing the books for the give away and review copies for us.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

ChiIL Mama's Top Tips for Getting Your Kids Ready to go Back To School



It's hard to believe that school is just around the corner.   In fact, we're in a "year round" Chicago Public school which means only 7 weeks of summer.   So THIS Monday, Sagezilla and Du-Jay begin their journey as 2nd and 4th graders.


Here are our top tips to prep for school:



1.   Rock The Reading:  This generation is extra lucky that there are a plethora of great books out there to help ease kids back into school.


We've kept the kids excited about reading daily all summer long, so the transition back to the books will be easy.   This week and last, we made the rounds of all the summer reading programs and collected our goodies.   We got great, free chapter books from Barnes and Noble  for reading 8 books. 

Then each kid got $3.00 store credits at Half Price Books Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program, for reading at least 15 minutes a day for a week.
  


Tomorrow we're going by the public library to get our Reading is Artrageous T-shirts for reading 10 chapter or 25 picture books.


Then Thursday we're going to spend the day at 6 Flags--Great America Amusement Park.   The kids both get in free from completing their reading program.








Over at TwitterMoms there are excerpts and advice on back to school books, and links to win great Harper Collins titles.

It’s that time of year again, moms. It’s time for your children to go back to school. There’s no better way to get ready for this challenge than by kicking off the back-to-school season with brand-new back-to-school books!
For the first day of kindergarten or for the old pros of first and second grades, these books make going back to school a snap! This all-star line-up features your children’s favorite characters in sweet stories full of excitement, adventure, and discovery.






Click to learn about other back-to-school titles 

HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality books for children, HarperCollins is home to many of the classics of children's literature, including Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, The Giving Tree, Charlotte's Web, Ramona, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, the I Can Read! beginning reader series and countless award-winning titles. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world.


Disclaimer:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set.  For more information on how you can participate, click here.  
  


2.   Label It:   What's in a name?   What's your name in?   Make sure it's in everything!   You don't want all those shiny new school supplies to end up in the Lost N Not Found Box.   ChiIL Mama recommends Emily Press Labels for ease of use, attractive design and reasonable price.




3. Check Out Free Check Ups:  Most schools require proof of doctor and dental visits.   Check on line in your area to see if there are free health fairs going on.   Many include free school supplies, free check ups, and dental exams to get kids ready for school.




****Share your tips on what you do to get your kids ready for school.   We'd also love to hear how you educate--whether you home school, go public, private, Montessori, Waldorf or other options. 



Saturday, June 13, 2009

Neighborham Lincoln at your Neighborhood Library



When my little sister was a toddler, our Grandpa, whom we called PaPa, gave her a $5.00 bill and told her she could keep it if she could name the president on it. She proudly declared, "That's Neighborham Lincoln". She got to keep the bill, and our 16th President became fondly referred to as Neighborham for the rest of our childhoods.

This summer, your offspring can also cash in and learn about "Neighborham Lincoln" at your neighborhood library.
The annual summer reading program through The Chicago Public Libraries is excellent and includes children's entertainers, events and incentives. Kids 3-9 who read and log in 25 picture books and kids 9-14 who read 10 chapter books win a T-Shirt. Individual branches also run free raffles for books and goodies from local businesses. And many give goodie bags or little prizes along the way. Chicago History Museum is the partner this year. Go to your local branch to sign up.

Barnes and Noble also runs a good summer reading program. Click the link and download a reading journal and activities. When you've read 8 books, come to your local B & N and they'll let you pick out a free book. They have a wide selection of topics and reading levels from beginner to chapter books.

Borders and Waldenbooks Summer Reading Program for kids 12 and under, also requires reading 8 books for 50% off on select titles.

Finally, Half Price Books has a summer reading program, as well, but it requires weekly visits to the store, rather than an on line option. Still, if you live near a store, it's well worth it. Kids earn a $3 gift card every week that they read 15 minutes a day. That's more than a Neighborham Lincoln for two weeks of reading fun!

So, you can't say reading doesn't pay. And the lifelong pay off for having good reading skills and a love of books... is priceless.

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