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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Libraries' Summer Holiday Reading Challenge - anyone's dc taking part ?

73 replies

billynomatesmum · 21/07/2011 12:51

I have drawn a blank mentioning this at school, nominated member of staff for literacy simply not interested in promoting it (yet again), no-one encouraging kids to give it a try. My dc will be signing up for it again this year, oldest keeps asking how soon we can sign up for it.

Do your kids know about it, does your school make parents aware of it ?

OP posts:

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wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 09:40

madhairgirl my DD(10) has already read 2 of the big thick books she got yesterday and written book reports on them. DS(8) has read one book and written a book report on it and DD(4) made me read all 6 books she brought home, has drawn pictures about them and is asking when we can go to the library again it is awesome. DS(7) who is the only one still at school :( was upset that he had missed the library had homework (on the second to last day of term) and a reading book from school to read and write a book report on by the morning but has picked out one of his brothers books to read tonight for the scheme.

Think the problem in our house will be they will have all completed the scheme by next week

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 09:42

oh and before you all ask book reports aren't part of the scheme but my DCs love to write them so they can prove they read the whole book to me (evil untrusting mummy smiley)

AnonymousBird · 22/07/2011 09:45

Very poor form of the teacher.

They come to our school to promote, and the school sends them all home with the bumph and actively encourage participation at all ages.

We signed up yesterday and DC (6 and 5) have already read their first two books and we are going back today for two more!!!!

I love the scheme, it's brilliant. Stages are on the kitchen shelves eagerly awaiting their stickers........

JiltedJohnsJulie · 22/07/2011 09:47

Glad reports aren't compulsory as I think DD at age 3 might struggle a tad.

Will probably get lots of comments now about how behind she is and how other MNers DC are completing their PHDs at the same age

pink4ever · 22/07/2011 09:54

My 3 dcs are doing it again this year. The librarian comes into school to promote it. Also there is a certificate for the school which gets the most of it pupils to sign up. This makes for lots of friendly rivalry and our school really wants to win it this year!.
My two youngest cant read yet but enjoy looking at the books with me. My ds struggles with reading so I just let him choose the books he likes and then I read along with him.
We love the library-trying to save money this week so spent hours there. Kids can colour in,read or play with toys/jigsaws and I browse for books or read the paper.Fab.

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 09:54

JiltedJohnJulie you are such a BAD mother if your 3 year old is not reading (hope the sarcasm comes across in that he he he)

My 4 year old drew the picture about the book because she felt left out with the others doing theirs. Must say that by the end of the week she also knows the 7 year olds spelling as we learn them by rhyme and rhythm and she picks it up too (to qualify though he remembers them 3 weeks later she doesn't)

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 10:51

pink4ever your DCs sound like my 4 1 reluctant the other 3 love it but the library itself is a big adventure not to be missed, especially as we either walk to the local one or take a bus to the town centre one all makes for a good 3 hours trip with lots of fun

merrymonsters · 22/07/2011 11:20

Our headteacher talked about it in assembly and got the kids all excited about it. The school does this every year to promote the reading challenge.

JemimaMuddledUp · 22/07/2011 11:42

This is the first year that we have heard anything about it through school. There was a bookmark advertising it in the pack of letters/reports etc that we had on the last day. We have done it before, but TBH the library isn't all that enthusiastic about it and I tend to feel a bit of a pain asking for the stickers etc when they bring books back.

We went to the library yesterday and all 3 DC signed up. When I asked about it the library assistant was actually quite enthusiastic, but there was another older assistant behind him making sarcastic remarks about it being a load of rubbish Surely with libraries threatened with closure they should be encouraging children to take part?

Anyway, they have all taken their first book out. DD has just finished Reception and so is only just starting to read, she has chosen a Rala Rwdins book as they read them in school. She has taken out a book for me to read to het too, but I will only count books that she actually reads herself towards the reading challenge. DS1 has taken out Tudr Budr (Dirty Bertie in Welsh) and DS2 has taken out Y Dyn Haearn (The Iron Man in Welsh). As DS1 and DS2 both read in Welsh and English I am encouraging them to read 3 books in each language. DD can only read in Welsh so all 6 of hers will be in Welsh.

AFAIK there aren't any activities planned in our library, but the boys did pick up some sheets to write book reviews on and are going to have a look at the website later.

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 12:23

our library had no activities itself as it is a small satellite library but they gave us a list of the other libraries in the council that did have activities and said according to demand they may add more so to keep checking the council website.

Great that yours read in Welsh, my DD4 keeps asking for me to teach her Welsh as she is at nursery with a lot of Welsh speakers, I don't speak Welsh (I'm from Oxfordshire) and feel very guilty that she can now speak more of it than me and speaks to her friends in it without me knowing what they are saying. We are only living here for a couple of years and as much as I try your language is so hard for me to get my head round

madhairgirl · 22/07/2011 12:31

It's a shame there is no activities, but if it is anything like the library I work at, they may be so short staffed they can't do anything. We have lost lots of staff recently due to Voluntary redundancy, and with it being school holidays, leave is full, so it is really difficult to do much.

Mind you we are putting craft tables out on Tuesday for children (with their parents) to do something like clown hats and lion masks. And 2 other days we have a planned workshop with staff one for little ones and one for older children. we used to make them ticket only (were free), just so we could cope with the numbers, but we would find half wouldn't turn up which was a real shame, so this year it is everyone welcome (hope I have enough things prepared)

JemimaMuddledUp · 22/07/2011 13:54

wheresthepimms: I would hate to try to learn Welsh as an adult! DH is first language Welsh and I am fluent (my mum doesn't speak Welsh but I have always lived in Wales and went to Welsh medium schools). I actually work in a Welsh medium nursery school so your DD and I could chat away quite happily

simpson · 22/07/2011 14:35

well am back from the library and DS is signed up but they wouldn't let DD do it as she is not old enough

They have to be 4

mankyscotslass · 22/07/2011 14:37

All three of my DC signed up this morning.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 22/07/2011 16:34

Thats a shame simpson our library seems to be turning a bit of blind eye to the age limit if the child is interested.

shouldbeelswhere · 22/07/2011 17:00

Don't understand that at all, my DD is 2.5 and signed her up for the 2nd yr as her big brother always does it???

My DS is a bit miffed you have to be 10 to get the DVD voucher (he's 7 with reading age of 10 and obsessed and has already read 3 horrid henry books since yesterday!) They always have someone from the local library come into school to promote it and he gets really into it.

I was shocked to see that the promotion of the reading challenge was minimal at our local library but huge in the nearby main library. Seems a bit odd when, like others have said, they should be promoting anything just to get their library used. I think use it or lose it hense why we waited and signed up at our local library.

MigratingCoconuts · 22/07/2011 17:31

I've never heard of this thank you! Will be off with the DC asap...just what we need to keep the reading going over summer....

simpson · 22/07/2011 17:42

the librarian said last yr they got a younger version of the scheme for the siblings but have not got it this yr

Am going to another local library next wk for a storytime session so may ask if they will let her do it instead....

madhairgirl · 22/07/2011 17:57

The younger version was an extension of the bookstart bookcrawl, but they have recently change the bookcrawl. It used to have lovely certificates by different illustrators, and so they could make a certificate that fitted in with the reading challenge, but they have changes it to boring certificates that all look alike, so there is less scope for change

shouldbeelswhere · 22/07/2011 18:11

DD just got given the same as 7yr old, the theatre stage thing no mention of her age, but they know us well in there. Should that make a difference? Seems v poor. Not sure it's particularly age appropriate but she just likes anything DS has!

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 18:43

our library quoted that it was for 0-10 year olds and there was no difference according to age, DD10 complained that it was easier for DD4 although we are going back tomorrow as DD10 has already read the 4 books she borrowed

simpson · 22/07/2011 18:48

will definately try the other library then on tuesday.

DS has read the two books he got out this morning

Disclaimer: they are very short

wheresthepimms · 22/07/2011 19:05

DD4 read all hers too, well with help from mummy (as in I read some lovely postman pat books today )

Oh have just looked it up online and it does say from 4, would try the other library anyhow and ask if she could as she feels left out, make her have some books and do the puppy dog eyes :)

simpson · 22/07/2011 19:25

LOL she can do the puppy eyes well

Will give it a go!!!

MuddlingMackem · 22/07/2011 19:29

Just checked the council website and it says for children between 4 and 12 here. However, dd was allowed to sign up last year when she was only three.

It doesn't start until tomorrow here, so I'm saving signing them up until Monday for a free activity to fill part of a holiday weekday.

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