When I was in sixth grade we had a read-a-thon at the school. If you read all the way to midnight without stopping - except to take a bathroom break during the allotted times - you got to have PIZZA. (Have I mentioned that I love pizza? Only a hundred times? Alright then, let's continue.)
I remember trucking my beanbag chair to school, finding the ideal spot, pulling out the snacks my mom packed for me, and reading, reading, reading. Did I make it to midnight? I should say so! Not only am I a pizza-holic, but I'm a bookworm to boot. It was almost too easy!
Princess is the exact same way. She may only be five, but she LOVES reading. I didn't want to make her wait clear until she starts school to have a read-a-thon. Why not have one right now?!
I told the kids I had a surprise for them and to grab a blanket, pillow, and a stuffed animal if they wished. Then, I told them to find an area in the living room and get comfy.
Princess grabbed her favorite fuzzy, pink blanket, a flower pillow, and her giraffe.
Once they were situated, I sent them into the toy room to grab some books. When I explained what we were doing Princess was beside herself!
I kicked off the night by reading a story of the kids' choosing. I just love listening to a story, don't you?
With books nearby, my kids got ready to read.
Princess' current favorite books are Junie B. Jones. Yes, she reads them all by herself. It astounds me too!
Goofy did take a moment to pretend to be asleep, but she decided it was more fun to be awake.
I wasn't sure how Bud would do, but to my surprise he looked at his board books the whole half hour.
Goofy can't read yet. However, she loves looking at the illustrations.
Princess had lots of fun reading out loud to her giraffe.
Even mom got in a little Anne of Green Gables reading time on her kindle. Win-win!
When the half hour was up the kids begged for a few more minutes. They have been begging to have another read-a-thon ever since. This was such a fun, free activity that can be done anytime, anywhere. What better way to spend a night?!
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What a great idea! I love that the kids are learning to love reading at such a good age. It always helps to have treats or snacks during these read-a-thons as well. I bet you could even stress "healthy eating" at the same time with apples & peanut butter or celery with cheese spread.
ReplyDeleteThe healthy snacks are such a great idea! Next read-a-thon we will have to make sure to make that happen.
DeleteI love it! My elementary actually had a "sleep over" read a-thon. I don't recall getting to sleep at the school though, and looking back I don't blame my parents, lol. But I grew up with read a thons in my family. While most families gather around movies, we would grab a book or two, and read until we fell asleep. We called it "Read till you drop". So much fun! And very little sleeping going on.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder to do this with my kids.
I am so glad it brings back good memories! I like the idea of "read till you drop" (I may have to start that when my kiddos are a little older).
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