CC's PBS Kids Summer Book Party

CC and friends have fun at her summer book party.

CC is right on the brink of really reading, so this summer was perfect timing to host a book party with all of her fellow pre-K and soon-to-be K friends. Thanks to PBS Kids and iVillage, we did just that.

Both PBS Kids and iVillage wanted to show their support for literacy, so they sponsored a reading party complete with books for all the kids, activity sheets, temporary tattoos, stickers and fun notebooks for drawing.

While the kids kicked off the party by coloring their favorite characters or decorating arms and hands with temporary tattoos of Super Why and his friends, we finally gathered kids and parents together to read a Scholastic book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick.

Talk about a great time! The kids loved being read to way more than I would have imagined. The story, about an old lady who swallows everything from a chick to an Easter basket, had the kids in stitches. They even shouted out things like "Why is she doing that?!" and "It didn't make her sick!" the latter a line that's echoed in the story.

I loved watching them laugh and giggle at the story. Reading is so important, and it's always great when you can start early and make it fun.

CC and I have been making regular runs to the library this summer, and she's already finished half of her first homework assignment for kindergarten. (She has to read two books and draw a picture of her favorite part of each one.)

If you're interested in making a game out of reading this summer, have your kids join Scholastic's Summer Challenge (through Aug. 31). They can log their reading minutes and earn fun rewards, while helping to set a world record for summer reading.

It seems as if summer's flying by. (It's already August!) But what a great way to get ready for school!

Happy Reading!