Category: Reading Incentive
Read to Succeed program wrapping up!
If you have not already done so, be sure to log your hours for the Read to Succeed program and get that hard earned Six Flags ticket into your child’s hands.
They just extended the deadline, but it is still coming soon! At this point I believe you have to have registered already, but if you have and you didn’t finish logging hours, do it today!
https://feedback.sixflags.com/rts/
Six Flags Read to Succeed
Six Flags Read to Succeed Program is open for registration.
We get lots of freebies for all the reading that goes on around our house, but these tickets are the most frequently used. We rarely miss a year to take advantage of this program or the free tickets we get through it. Even though the water park is an addition fee now, we still love our day together at Six Flags.
Sign up now and be sure to return to the site after your kids are done with the reading to log their hours so you will receive your free tickets via email.
Any homeschool family with kids in the K-6 grade range is welcome to participate. You mist sign up individually, not as a group or co-op, so follow the link and get your family registered!
Six Flags Reading Program Sign up
We always look forward to our annual visit to Six Flags Great America. Now is the time to prepare for it and motivate the kids to keep reading as well.
Follow the link to register your homeschooled kids to earn free admission for completing 6 hours of reading. https://feedback.sixflags.com/rts/default.aspx
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Ozzie Reading Program
The Cougar’s have a great reading incentive program that homeschoolers are welcome to participate in as well. Following is some of the information related to the program and contact information to get all the details.
In a nutshell, your pre-K through 8th grade kids read for 8 weeks, working to reach their goals. The big prize is a free ticket to the Cougar’s game and accompanying guests can order their own tickets while ordering the free ones for the student.
Dates are available in April and May for various home games (you make a game selection when registering for the program) and this is always a fun outing as we near the end of our school year.
1. We are now affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, meaning that many of the players who you see playing for the Cougars right here in Geneva will one day be playing at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
2. We are offering a scholarship program called Ozzie’s scholars. All students enrolled in Ozzie’s Reading Club will have the opportunity to apply for one of ten $1,000 academic scholarships which they can use toward their future educational endeavors.
3. If you have other programs in place during the typical Ozzie’s Reading Club months of January and February, you can run the program during another more convenient time.
Kane County Cougars One Cougar Trail Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: 630-232-8811 Fax: 630-232-8815 E-Mail: ozziereadingclub@kanecountycougars.com
Six Flags reading program coming soon
Here’s the latest info from Six Flags. Registration opens in just a few weeks!
On behalf of Six Flags, I would like to thank you for your past participation in our Read to Succeed Six Hour Reading Club and provide you with some detail about our upcoming 2012-2013 program. In this electronic world that we live in, reading has become more important than ever. We plan to continue to do our part by offering you and your elementary school students free tickets to Six Flags when they participate in the Read to Succeed program.
Beginning October 9th, you will be able to register online for Read to Succeed at sixflags.com/read. At that time you will need to have the following information available to complete your registration:
- Your name
- Name of your school
- Your email address
- Your school’s physical address (for ticket delivery)
- Number of students in each grade you teach
If you are a school coordinator (registering on behalf of multiple teachers) you will need:
- Name of each teacher
- Email address of each teacher
- Approximate number of students in each grade each teacher teaches
We will send you another note on or before October 9th when the new Read to Succeed online registration form is ready to go.
Thank you again for your participation in Read to Succeed!
Sincerely,
The Six Flags Read to Succeed Team
Panda Express Learn with Me Program
A fun program that incorporates learning about the Chinese New Year is available from Panda Express.
This would be great for your co-op or support group and is geared specifically to kids in second through fourth grades.
Here’s the link: http://www.pandaexpress.com/px/2011/cnysignup2012.aspx
Sign up by January 8th!
Kane County Cougar’s Reading program
Once again it is time to prepare for Ozzie’s Reading Club. We have enjoyed this program for many years now. I like that it is not a preset reading goal, but you and the child determine what is best for them. It excites them about reading, and rewards them with a great outing in the spring.
If you would like to participate in 2012, please contact Amy.
Amy Mason
Kane County Cougars § 1 Cougar Trail § Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: 630.232.8811 § FAX 630.232.8815
E-mail: ozziereadingclub@kanecountycougars.com
2012 OZZIE’S READING CLUB
Great America — homeschool days and more
Found out about these events from the Six Flags’ website:
HOMESCHOOL DAY — AUGUST 18th
Six Flags hosts the 16th annual Home School Day event on August 18. Enjoy a fun filled day at the park with your family and friends. A special all-you-can-eat Home School Day picnic is also available in our private picnic grove. Contact SFGAMspecialevents@sixflags.com for additional information.
CATHOLIC FAMILY DAY — August 14th
Six Flags Great America is excited to announce Catholic Family Day on Sunday, August 14th. Enjoy a fun filled day with your family and friends at Six Great America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. In the evening join us for Mass in our Southwest Amphitheatre sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry Office – Archdiocese of Chicago. Please contact SFGAMspecialevents@sixflags.com for more information.
AUTISM AWARENESS DAY — July 30th
Six Flags Great America and the Autism Society of Illinois are proud to announce the Second Annual Autism Awareness Day.
Including the Chicago Children’s Theaters Red Kite Project. Join us in our Wilderness Theater for interactive, multi-sensory
performances courtesy of the Chicago Children’s Theaters Red Kite Project. There will also be a designated Quiet Area near the Wilderness
Theater that will provide sensory exercises for guests throughout the day from 10:00AM–5:00PM
More details on this event and special discounted tickets on the AutismIllinois site.
And, for more educational benefit from Six Flags:
Make Six Flags Great America your outdoor learning lab
Six Flags Great America is not only the entertainment capital of the world but also a unique outdoor learning lab. We have designed specific learning materials for both students and teachers that gives experiential learning a new meaning. Let Six Flags be your outdoor learning lab and use the free materials below to plan lessons and make learning fun. Whether it’s calculating (or experiencing) the velocity of the America Eagle or learning how an entertainment giant like Six Flags markets themselves.
Educational Resources:
Illinois Curriculum Standards correlations to Six Flags Rides
Wisconsin Curriculum Standards correlations to Six Flags Rides
Physics Day Teacher Manual
Physics Day Student Manual
Math and Science Day Teacher Manual
Math and Science Day Student Manual
Marketing Day Commercial Guidelines
Six Flags Great America recommended amusement park physics websites for further learning:
The Physics Classroom
The Physics of Amusement Parks
CPS Webinar Presented by Nathan Unterman for Preparation for Physics Day Field Trips
Office of Science / Physics Day Webinar – April 14, 2011
Don’t forget to use your Reading Reward free tickets before they expire.
We just enjoyed the day there yesterday and it was once again a great incentive for my kids. They look forward to it every year.
TOS Crew Review — Read for the Heart
Reading is an integral part of learning, and more so it is an irremovable part of our family life. Because of this, I am constantly on the lookout for good books. You know the ones. The ones that have withstood the test of time. The ones that both boys and girls can’t wait to hear more of. The ones during which you would never fall asleep. The ones that spark meaningful conversation even after you have closed the cover for the last time.
Sarah Clarkson wrote Read for the Heart to do more than just recommend some good books. She wrote it to help cast a vision for giving reading a place of prominence in your home. By the time you get to the book list you can’t help but be fingering your library card debating which book to put on hold or check out first. I know reading is important, but this book helped reignite my desire to pass my love of reading on to my kids.
Product: Read for the Heart
Details: A 384 page book with encouragement to make family reading and individual reading time a priority. Over 300 of the pages are lists of books that include summaries and background information to help you choose the best reads for your family and your kids.
Price: $17
What I loved . . .
- Inspiring. I can find oodles of book lists all over the internet. While I appreciate getting a good book recommendation now and then, I really appreciated Sarah’s casting of a vision for reading. I love to read, and yet it is one of the first things I drop from my schedule when time gets tight. She reminded me with a passion how important time spent reading is in our home and school.
- Personally and statistically supported. Creating beautiful word pictures, the author shares what crafted this love for reading in her heart. And, she shares statistics, quotes, and other encouragement as to the importance of reading. We owe it to the development of our kids’ minds to read early and read often, and this book can be a great catalyst to encourage you in the endeavor and give you the tools (great books!) to enjoy doing so.
- Lists and more lists. Not just an alphabetical listing of books (although the index does provide that), this book breaks down the lists by popular genres (historical literature, fairy tales, picture books, etc.) Beyond that, each entry includes the author, other books by the author, illustrator, copyright date, and a brief summary of the book. A few quick lists also reference Caldecott winners, Newberry winners, and books especially for boys, girls, and families reading together.
- Reading tips. Aside from rich motivation and abundant lists, she also gives some tips to making reading time special. From locations to treats she will stir your own imagination in this area.
- A must have book. This book offers an incredible resource when doing your book shopping. I am always looking at books at a used book sale and trying to figure out by reading a sentence here and there if I or my kids will like the particular book. I will definitely bring this guide along with me now to see what it has to say when purchasing unfamiliar books. Obviously it won’t have all the good books listed either, but it does have many, and many that I am not familiar with as well. I look forward to bringing Sarah with me to all the book sales now and ask her advice before I buy. 🙂
Some considerations . . .
- One person’s opinion. You might feel differently. Her glowing opinion will not guarantee that you will like it. For example, she loved Across Five Aprils (which I have also heard many other people rave about), and I had to force myself to trudge through this book with my kids a few years ago. I was not impressed. But, we are all entitled to our own opinions and will love what others didn’t and vice versa. You will still need to determine what books are a good fit for your family’s interests, values, attention span, academic subject, and personalities.
This book stirred up an incredible amount of enthusiasm within me. I cannot wait to finalize plans for the coming school year and include some of the great books recommended in this resource. I would strongly recommend this book to any homeschooling mom needing encouragement and ideas for making reading come to life in your home. You can check out the table of contents as well as a sample chapter if you would like to see a bit of the book for yourself and accept Sarah Clarkson’s invitation to more than just a “reading list, but to a reading life.”
For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.
Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Apologia as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.