Reading books over the school holidays

[TwoSunnyDays]

Do schools generally let you take home reading books over the summer? Will they look at me as if I am a loon if I ask?

I know we can read books from home but DD is slightly obsessed with ORT.

I have also heard that children often drop a level over the summer, is this true? Is it because they stop reading for 6 weeks?

[pointydog]

There are LOADS of ORT books to get through. She might be hooked now but she could soon get fed up.

Go to the library, get real books. I think there's a Magic Key comic too.

[Hulababy]

We have never been sent books home over the bigger holidays, esp over the summer. an imagine it'd be a pain for teachers to try and manage, esp woth regards to getting them back in the first day back, etc.

You can buy ORT if she is really interested.

They are only likely to drop a level if they don't do any reading at all. If they keep reading, regardless of what books, they will not drop a level IME.

[Littlefish]

I agree with the others. Read some real books with her and go to the library.

We don't send home reading books over the summer because that tends to be the time when they are audited, re-ordered etc.

[hedgiemum]

DD1 ended y1 reading at level 9 ORT. This was a bit behind average for her class (as all girl, private) She enjoyed them. Her 6th birthday was the first week of the summer holidays, and my mum sent her a box set of Roald Dahl books. Then her younger siblings got chickenpox, one after another, and we were housebound for three weeks. She read 5 Roald Dahl books completely independently! When she went back to school, she had to skip the rest of the ORT (which she was a bit sad about as she wanted to see what happened next with the magic key!) and go onto "chapter books".
She isn't G&T by the way, just a bookworm! I think reading to a scheme (albeit a good one) can sometimes hold them back. Take her to the library really often. If she's 5+ then read her the first in the series of something addictive, like Rainbow Magic. Work out the right level for her, and do "Mummy reads a page, dd reads a page" - before you know it she'll have finished it behind your back!

[cathcat]

I agree with what others have said about reading other books at home.
Schools would not be keen to lend out books over the summer as this could not be done for everyone who asked and there is too much chance books will be damaged or lost and never make it back to school.

[Housemum]

Your local library may have a summer reading scheme going - at ours you get a card to fill in with stickers (or you can write reviews if older) for each book you read, usually they aim for at least a book a week.

[Smithagain]

If she's obsessed with ORT, I'd actively discourage reading them over the holidays. They have a particular style that the children seem to get used to (or at least DD did and her reading only really took off when she started reading a decent range of other things).

Plenty of early reading books in the library.

Of course, then she might end up obsessed with some other range of books that you can't stand the sight of ....... Like the blessed Animal Ark ones that DD has now progressed to .

[TwoSunnyDays]

So glad I posted this, you have all saved me from making a embarrasing fool of myself!

We already do most of what you suggest, she is a book worm and tonight read her ORT school book to me, then two from the library to herself. I am pretty fed up with Rainbow Fairy books and keep stopping at a really good bit, but so far she hasnt taken the bait and is only reading non chapter books to herself, but it may be a bit early, she is in Reception.

I will look out for a library reading scheme, that would really suit her! Thanks for the tip!

At school she reads all the ORT books from her colour box first, then all the others like Ginn. I think so far it isnt hampering her reading. As she likes ORT so much I think she might like Enid Blyton, might try one of those over the holidays.

[Smithagain]

Ah, TwoSunnyDays, it's a blessed day when they eventually gain the confidence to read the Rainbow Fairies to themselves and you can wave bye bye to Kirsty and Rachel with a clear conscience!

[TwoSunnyDays]

[ThingOne]

My DS1's in reception and has really taken to the ORT. He feels really safe with it. I'm so torn about what to do over the summer. I can hardly take thirty books from school! I really hope we can get him to believe he can do some of the others before the long holiday!

[piscesmoon]

Our library has a section where the books are graded according to reading ability.
Mine were reluctant readers so I used to get a stock of suitable books from the library, carboot sales and make out a chart like a ladder and they got a sticker on it when they read the book (they had to be able to talk about the story to get the sticker). Every 5 rungs on the ladder had a symbol and they got a small prize!
If it was a DC like me-the difficulty was getting my head out of a book -then a visit to the library would be wonderful without the incentive scheme.
I think our library runs a reading safari scheme with special card.It is worth checking out your library.

[piscesmoon]

I think that you will find that most schools have all reading books in over the holiday to have a good sort out.

[Jux]

DD always had to return all library books before the holidays; cue huge panic and rampage through the house desperately trying to find them.

Public Library.

[ThingOne]

You know, you're right about the library scheme. I remember him being upset last summer that he couldn't join that scheme (bookstart stickers having lost their gloss). Somebody official looking helping him choose "the right" book will no doubt have more influence that just mummy.