Here we are about a month or so into summer vacation. How’s it going? Are you still excited to not have to drive your kids to school, pack their lunches, and drag them out of the bed in the morning so as not to be late? Good! OR are the days starting to feel really loooonng and never-ending? Like you have nothing to do all day but be the cruise director for your kids? If you feel like the former– awesome! If you feel like the latter, don’t worry. You are not alone. When my three kids were young, summers sometimes seemed to stretch forever.
What’s a parent to do? For one thing we got our kids BOOKS! Books are awesome! They are fun for reading, but also for doing activities. We bought each kid a math workbook and had them do problems to keep their skills up. (It was also a great incentive for them to get some videogame or TV time) 🙂 If you’re looking for some FUN ways to do that, check out these Big Fat Notebooks by Workman Publishing.
The BIG FAT NOTEBOOK™ series is built on a simple and irresistible conceit—borrowing the notes from the smartest kid in class. There are five books in all, and each is the only book you need for each main subject taught in middle school: Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History. Inside the reader will find every subject’s key concepts, easily digested and summarized: Critical ideas highlighted in neon colors. Definitions explained. Doodles that illuminate tricky concepts in marker. Mnemonics for memorable shortcuts. And quizzes to recap it all.
The best part is that they read as if they are written by a kid. Kids will LOVE them!
If Games, Puzzles, and Mazes are more your kid’s game, then check out this AWESOME new book by Mike Lowery, also by Workman Publishing.
Pure interactive fun between two covers A book that begs to be doodled in with 96 wacky prompts, games, and crafts, and adorable creatures to boot, The Kid’s Awesome Activity Book is packed with activities that take delightful twists and turns, inviting kids to design, draw, and dream–and encouraging creativity on and off the page. Enter an ancient cave to decode a mummy’s message. Find your way through a beehive maze. Write a song for a cat rock band. Design a personalized spaceship–and so much more. Plus, plenty of goodies to return to again and again for hands-on play: paper dolls, finger puppets, bonus stickers, and a giant pullout poster designed to kindle curious minds and active imaginations.
A great boredom-buster for travel or rainy days, and a fun birthday or holiday gift. From the author and illustrator of the Doodle Adventures(R) series and based on the Kid’s Awesome Activity Calendar, the book showcases Lowery’s inimitable quirky style and humor that clicks with all ages–get the whole family in on the fun.
This is TONS of fun for kids and it will keep them occupied for hours. (which means you get to dive into a book yourself!)
Want to win them all? Enter below.
(And hang in there, school is only a month or two away…) 🙂
Dr E’s Super Stellar Solar System by Bethany Ehlmann and Jennifer Swanson
Nancy Castaldo
James Ponti’s T.O.A.S.T series follows Florian, the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial, and his best friend Margaret. Together, they use TOAST – Theory of All Small Things – to solve mysteries both small (where to sit on the first day of school) and big (solving crimes that stump the FBI).
Publishers Weekly describes Jennifer Chambliss Bertman’s Book Scavenger series as ‘full of heart and replete with challenging ciphers for readers to decode, [this] debut is a literary cousin to classic puzzlers like The Westing Game.’ Emily and her best friend James are fans of the game Book Scavenger, an online sensation created by Emily’s literary idol Garrison Griswold, where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are reveled through puzzles.
Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series is pure kooky Willy Wonka-like fun. When Kyle learns that the world’s most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he’s determined to be there. But the tricky part isn’t getting into the library—it’s getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route.