Summer Book Club For Kids

[des]

I know some of you are parents and some of you maybe teachers. Anyway, I maybe have said that I am a special ed. teacher and doing tutoring which is esp. slow in the summer.

I have gotten some brochures made for a summer reading club, which would mostly be small groups of up to 4 kids, 2 hours a day, 3 days a week for two weeks.

 

Here is some copy from the middle page of the brochure:

 

(alll formatting is lost, oh well).

SUMMER READING CLUB

 

Work on: Reading comprehension, study skills, writing, creative and fun activities. Keep up skills or jump start new ones.

 

Sessions available for:

* Students going into 3rd- 4th grade.

* Students going into 5th- 6th grade.

*Early readers (going into 1st -2nd grade). Phonics. Sound awareness. Games, songs, and art activities.

* Special Harry Potter session for your “Harry Potterite”! Read *another* book and work on comprehension, writing and study skills. PLUS many Harry Potter activities-- drink “butter beer”, have a costume party, build Hogwarts, and MORE.

* 3 week session with any student with trouble in reading, spelling, handwriting and/or keyboarding, writing skills, or basic math (up to and including fractions).

 

Limited enrollment. Call today: phone no. deleted.

 

On the front, I have a little blurb like do you want your child to read more, play fewer video games, etc.; on one side I have more detailed info; and on the back I have some bio info.

 

I'm going to take to the some local schools, bookstores, etc. etc.

 

Any book recommendation. I am looking for books with a theme, so the HP related one will be something else but with castles, etc. I am not a big Narnia or LOR fan.

 

I have ideas for th$8e little kids one of a Dr. Seuss book where we make a Dr. Seussish character, and a fable book where we make animal puppets with a possibility of puppet shows, etc.

 

Other theme oriented ones would be somethign where we could do a diarama say of the ocean or anything else that would lead to a theme oriented project that would be fun for kids. I am good at the arts and crafts stuff.

 

Also I am thinking of charging $80/ 2 week session. This is based on two things. Taking my regular tutoring rate and dividing by 4 (highest enrollment) and adding a materials charge (just not calling it anything). Also the going rate for various arts, music, etc camps and classes taught by pros vs teens and stuff is $12/hr. Keep in mind I am in a little city not like in CA or NY. What do you think anybody?

 

Also anybody knows any parent or teacher related sites with books and activities??

 

Anyway I asked all this in the ld group I am on, but I know at least some of you are parents and/or teachers?

 

--des

[Cynthia]

Looks good des -

 

Other obsessive books are the Lemony Snicket, Series of Unfortunate Events... Hilarious! Boys (especially) love Animorphs - very cool... huge series of over 100 books... they were very big a few years ago, it has died off now, but provides a great set of books to hook a reader. They are best read in order.

 

Artemis Fowl is popular.

 

There is a great Animatronics series of little paper books in a cardboard binder (3 levels, I think) for beginning readers. Beats Bob books by miles!!!

 

The rate sounds quite reasonable. Good luck!

[des]

Thanks for suggestions. I am staying away from Lemony Snicket, as I think the kids are reading these like crazy anyway. BTW, I wasn't able to find the Animatronics series. Is there some other name these go by.

 

 

Another book I've thoguht of for the Harry Potter group is A Wrinkle in Time. This is pretty much a classic, I think.

 

--des

Edited May 7, 2005 by des

[Cynthia]

A Wrinkle In Time is great - it is the first in a trilogy.

 

The animatronics is near the bob books at borders and b and N... hard cardboard, small, with 10 paper books inside in plastic sleeves. We are out of that stage, so I have passed mine on... I'll try to remember to look next time I'm at the bookstore.

 

Animorphs is the older kids series... the library has them here; so do used book stores, I think they may be out of print.

[des]

Did a neat little search in Amazon and came up with a few Egypt books. That has a lot of possiblities as a theme.

 

I'm going to look out for those Animatronics books when I research this at the library.

 

 

--des