If you have kids who love to read or even kids who like you read to them, be sure to sign up for the Summer Reading Program with the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County (PLCH). This is a fantastic and fun program for the entire family. That’s right, the Summer Reading Program and the prizes are for the entire family – there’s a level that’s right for each member of your family: preschool, kids, teens and adults.
My family has participated in this for the past four summers and it’s always so much fun. The basic idea is that you sign up for the program; you read some books; you keep track of how many you read; you get a prize for reading the books. How cool is that? I believe this is the first year you can sign up on-line and keep track of you or your child’s progress on-line. How quickly you can earn prizes all depends on your level. To keep the kids motivated to keep reading, there’s a Grand Prize drawing at the end of the Summer.
You can sign up now. The official start date is June 1st and the end date is July 31. The kick off date is Saturday, May29. Kids and their families are invited to stop by the Main Library’s Children’s Learning Center or any of the branches throughout Cincinnati between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. on the May 29 to decorate a canvas covered book during the official Summer Reading kickoff celebration. The Library will supply everything you need to personalize your journal and you do the rest!
In addition to the Summer Reading Program, the PLCH has tons of cool special events happening all over town throughout the summer. There’s magic shows, a portable circus, learn about bugs (and eat some!), juggling, music (by Zak Morgan), and a pirate show just to name a few. In the past, we’ve been to the magic show and the pirate show and both were excellent and tons of fun! I’ve just touched on all that there is to see, be sure to go here to see a complete list of events, locations and times.
I’m full of good intentions, but too many times in the past I remember we wanted to go to something only after it’s taken place. Here’s a quick tip to make sure you can take in everything you want to throughout the summer. Start making a calendar of things that are a must see for you and your family throughout the Summer months and put it on your refrigerator. I know for my family this summer, our calendar will include tons of things from the Library, sporting events, summer concerts (stay tuned for an upcoming post on these), summer camps and events at parks around town.
You definitely will want to be sure to sign your entire family up for the PLCH Summer Reading program. It’s sure to be a huge part of your family fun this Summer.
[…] Summer Reading Program: The basic idea is that you sign up for the program; you read some books; you keep track of how many you read and then you get a prize. Great way to get kids exciting about reading while school’s out, right? What’s great about this too, is after you complete your sign up sheet, and get your initial prize it’s not over….. there’s a Grand Prize drawing at the end of the Summer. Read more about the Summer Reading program here. […]