Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Summer Reading Programs 2022: Kids' Reading Programs near Arlington, Texas

Summer break is (practically) here!

Time for summer vacations, lazy days by the pool, day and overnight camps and just general relaxing and thinking about anything except school.

Buuuuut (my kids are going "Mom, don't even talk about learning" as I type this), if you are like me, you want your kids to do something, anything, that resembles learning over the summer.

Reading is the perfect compromise. It's educational and fun and something kids of all ages can do, most of them without parental guidance. Books can be borrowed for free from local libraries or found in Little Free Libraries all over Texas. Kids can find a genre or an author that they love and just dive in.

Reading
This kid loves the Whatever After series!


Reading is good for kids (and adults!) for a number of reasons. It can improve your memory and focus, expand your vocabulary and improve brain function. There is no shortage of reasons why kids should read over the summer. 

If your kids need a little extra push to get reading this summer, they aren't alone. Locally, a number of local businesses recognize that kids sometimes need a small incentive to open a book and get reading. Here are some great programs that will reward your kids to do something rewarding in and of itself: reading!

Summer reading incentive programs for kids 2022


Pizza Hut Book It- Yep- Book It! is back. Actually, I'm not entirely sure it ever left. But if you spent your childhood reading to earn a free personal pan pizza, well, now you can pass the tradition on to your children! Kids 4-12 years old can read to earn a free pizza. Sweet!

Arlington Public Library Discover Reading- Formerly called the Summer Reading Challenge, this program offers so much for kids. Not only will the library host free concerts and play dates all summer long for kids and teens, but kids can read five books and earn a number of goodies. There is even an adult reading club! Sign up on the website for more details. 

Free Play Arlington Read It- Guys- I'm SUPER pumped about this one. If you can believe it, I have never been to Free Play! Kids can read 5 books and fill out the online form for free admission and a free swag item! I read 5 books in April... Can I get in for free? All those vintage games look awesome! 

HEBuddy Summer 2022 Reading Program- Designed for kids in Texas between the ages of 3 and 12, the HEBuddy program runs through October 1. Print out the reading log, complete your summer reading and mail in the journal for a special prize. 

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading List- Kids entering grades 1-6 can fill out this summer's reading log and turn it in for a free book from a pre-selected list. This program runs through August. 

Chuck E Cheese Summer Reading Rewards- Print the summer reading calendar and mark the days you complete the task. When you've filled the calendar, bring it to Chuck E Cheese for 10 free play points. 

Half Price Books Summer Reading Camp- Starting June 1, HPB will offer four different reading camps for kids. From camp creativity (focusing on arts and crafts) to camp imagination (focusing on music and arts), this program has lots of great programming that will appeal to everyone. 

I can't wait to get my kids reading all summer! And, if you want to keep up with me and all my reading, the next books on my bookshelf are The Paris Bookseller and Last Train to London!

child reading
Reading from her favorite series. 



Happy summer reading! 

Friday, May 20, 2022

Summer 2022 Kids Movie Programming- See Movies on the Cheap!

As much as I love summer, there are days when I just can't with the Texas heat. 

I want to retreat inside where the air conditioning is so cold I want to grab a sweatshirt!

For this reason, I love taking my kids to the movies.

For the past decade (decade! I literally can't believe I just typed that), I've been taking my girls to free and cheap summer movies as a way to entertain them on the cheap. Because, let's be honest. Entertaining kids during the summer can get crazy-expensive. 


Sing 2
Sing 2 is being shown quite a bit this summer at various summer movie clubs for kids. I still haven't seen it but my kids say it's wonderful!


Luckily, we live in an area with a lot of movie theaters that are awesome enough to offer fantastic summer programming that will get your kiddos out of the house and out of the hot Texas sun. Sure, the movies you'll see at a reduced rate aren't current blockbusters. But I never tire of Minions or Trolls or some of those movies my kids have watched on repeat for years anyway. 

So grab a few dollars and maybe text a friend- it's time to go to the movies!

Summer Movie Programming for Kids 2022- Arlington/Mansfield, Texas

June 15- August 3. $1.50 per movie. Movies are on Wednesdays. Plus enjoy $1 off kids snack packs or popcorn and drink combos. 

summer movies
Summer Movie Clubhouse promo flyer, taken from the Cinemark website. 



June 5- September 1. $3.25 per movie, multiple showtimes per week. Snack on drinks and popcorn for $3 each during these special movies. 

May 30- September 1. $2 per movie, 11 am showtime Monday- Thursday. I don't see any snack deals posted but their food is super yummy! We love the pretzel bites :)

May 30- August 11. $6 per movie, which includes popcorn and a drink. Movies shown Monday- Thursday at 10 am. 

As of this post, I cannot find any information about AMC Theatres doing any sort of summer programming. My emails for information have gone unanswered. 

Yay for inexpensive summer movies! 

Friday, May 13, 2022

Stocking My Summer Go-Bag: Must-Have Summer Necessities

Ready for summer? Be up for anything any time when you keep a summer go-bag stocked and ready!


I am counting down the days until summer 2022 is officially underway. My girls are ready for lazy days by the pool, summer road trips and just simply waking up at their leisure and having breakfast on the couch when they feel like it.

I'm ready for those days, too.

So I'm using these final days of school to stock my summer go-bag- the bag I always keep in my trunk stocked with must-have items to be ready to adventure on all summer long. My summer go-bag is a fixture in my summer routine, and I replenish it regularly so we are always ready to grab summer- and life, really!- by the horns!

Summer go bag
We are always ready for summer fun! 


What's a summer go-bag? 

A summer go-bag is a large tote filled to the brim with all the necessities that keep you ready to go all summer long. We keep ours stocked so we are always ready to accept last-minute invitations to pool parties, water parks, overnights and so much more. We are always prepared in the summer to leave the house first thing and not come back until the street lights come on. My girls have absolutely inherited their mother's inability to stay in one place for very long!

What's in a summer go-bag?

I got the idea for my summer go-bag years ago from a mommy blog. Every time friends would call and say "want to go to the splash pad?" it would take me ages to round up everything we needed, from sunscreen to Goldfish and everything in between. So I followed the mommy blog's advice for a summer go-bag and have kept one stocked and ready every summer since my girls were babies. It's evolved a bit through the years (it isn't filled with diapers anymore, something I have mixed feelings about), but it's core necessities are largely the same.

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Here's what I keep in my summer go-bag:
- One bathing suit per girl that is dry and ready to be worn
- One wet bag per girl, to store wet bathing suits
- One change of clothes per girl: shorts, shirt, undergarments
- One pair of PJs per girl
- Baby wipes
- Snacks: GoGo Squeez, fruit snacks, Goldfish, crackers- anything shelf stable
- Empty water bottles, at least two
- Toiletries: on-the-go toothbrushes, a hairbrush, multiple hair ties, detangler spray, deodorant, face wipes, hand sanitizer
- Flip flops or sandals, one pair per girl

Yep, it's a lot of stuff. And their clothes take up a lot more space now than it did when they were young! But, hear me out:

Summer go bag
Working on this year’s summer go-bag! 




I fit everything in a large tote. For years, I carried a large utility tote from Thirty-one. This year's I've switched to a large rubber tote, similar to a Bogg Bag, from Simply Southern. It holds everything I need and then some! Before we hit the road, I always try to toss a few lunchables and cold bottles of water in the bag, but this sometimes just doesn't happen.

Why do I keep so much stuff in my bag? Easy. Then we can hit the road with zero effort! How often do you go to a morning play date and the kids fuss when they have to go home but you didn't bring a change of clothes? Or you head out the door to the pool so the kids wear bathing suits and you want to stop for lunch or ice cream but they have nothing dry to wear? Or they want to stay the night with a friend you met up with but you don't have anything for them to wear or sleep in?

Our go-bag lets my girls go from pool to friend's house or free outdoor concert to ice cream to pool. It ensures they always have something dry to put on and somewhere to store their wet bathing suits. We always have snacks and sunscreen and bug spray so we can be outside for hours. It's brilliant!

What do you keep at the ready for summer?