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

Parent and Child Poetry Challenge: Tercet Poems

by Rebecca J. Gomez

For our final Poetry Month challenge, we are exploring tercets! A tercet is simply a three-lined poem or a three-lined stanza (or verse) in a longer poem. Tercets often rhyme, with each line ending with the same sound. Sometimes only the first and last lines rhyme. And other times they don't rhyme at all!

Here is an example of a rhyming tercet poem:

Honey Bee

by Rebecca J. Gomez

The honey bee buzzes from flower to flower.
Doesn't he ever grow weary at all
busily buzzing hour by hour?


Here is one that does not rhyme: 

Delicious Dilemma

by Julia McMullen and Samantha Coté

A box of puffs calls, whispers of magic sugar dust.
I pass temptation, pushing my cart of provisions,
but I left my heart in aisle four.


There is only one rule in writing a tercet: there must only be three lines! That's it. And here's a fun fact: ANY three-lined poem is a tercet. Even a haiku!

I hope you enjoy writing tercets this week. Remember to share them on social media using the hashtag #RDDPoetryChallenge or email them to us at readdiscussdo@gmail.com. 

Happy Writing!

Comments

Mindy Baker said…
I love this! It has been such a fun month!