Ten Reason Your Kids Should Participate in a Summer Reading Program

by Rebecca J. Gomez When my kids were young, summer reading programs were a sure thing. For the most part, my children were avid readers, especially my girls. A summer reading program wasn't necessary to encourage them to read, but we participated because it was a fun addition to summer. And the free pizza, books, and water park tickets definitely didn't hurt! There are lots of reasons to participate in a summer reading program or challenge, and here are ten of them: 1. Many summer reading programs offer prizes. And while we all know that reading is its own reward, some kids haven't figured that out yet. For those kids, a prize is just the incentive they need to stick their noses in a book now and then over the summer. 2. It's a fun way to reward those kids who will be reading no matter what! 3. For some families, trips to the library may help break up summer monotony.  4. Summer reading programs promote reading together as a family, especially for those with very young

Story Time Activity: WHEN YOUR LLAMA NEEDS A HAIRCUT

by Rebecca J. Gomez

When Your Llama Needs a Haircut by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman, is a delightfully silly board book about a llama (who needs a haircut, but doesn't want one), an insistent boy, and a pair of scissors. Not the best combination for a great hair cut, but it is a great combination for some fun reading! And when you pair it with a wacky hairstyle activity (with yarn, not real hair), it doubles the fun!

READ: When Your Llama Needs a Haircut

DISCUSS: Have you ever had a haircut you didn't like? How do you feel about getting your hair cut or styled? Why?

DO: Create a wacky hairstyle collage like the one pictured below.

You will need:
  • a printed photograph (or one cut from a magazine)
  • glue
  • scissors
  • construction paper or card stock
  • collage items such as yarn, fabric scraps, washi tape, torn paper--whatever you have lying around!
  • pencil (optional)
  • crayons or markers (optional)
Directions:

Gather your supplies. Cut around the photo of the person so that only the head and shoulders are showing. Glue it onto a sheet of paper, leaving plenty of space above it for the hair collage.

Note: I used a glue stick for the photo and white glue for the yarn and fabric.

Imagine what you want the finished hairstyle to look like, then design it using your chosen collage pieces. If it helps, draw your design with pencil before filling it in. In the sample pictured, I cut out a photo of my husband (he gave me permission to share it with you), then used yarn for the hair, a fabric strip for the bow, and washi tape along the hairline. Be as creative and wacky as possible!

Having trouble thinking of an idea? Use the images from When Your Llama Needs a Haircut for inspiration!

This craft originally appeared in a post on www.rebeccajgomez.com.









Comments

Mindy Baker said…
I love this! I am going to look for this. book!
Rebecca Gomez said…
It's a fun one, as is the whole series. This activity would go well with other hair-themed books too!