Get ready, families of Washington County! Summer is here! Before all the "Mom, I'm bored" starts, we've got some help to get your kids reading to kickstart summer vacation. Looking for some motivation to get your kid to crack open some books in Canonsburg, Peters Township, Washington, Chartiers-Houston, and other areas of Washington County? Fun summer events at the the Frank Sarris Library in Canonsburg, Peters Township Library in McMurray, Chartiers-Houston Community Library in Chartiers-Houston PA. We've included some other places beyond libraries where you can take your child for rewards too like free food and everyone wins - mom gets a night off cooking!
Avoid the summer slide by keeping kids reading this summer. Check out these summer reading programs with incentives to read -- enter one, or all!
Washington County Libraries Summer Programs
Summer Frank Sarris Library this Summer
The reward: Come to the summer reading kickoff on June 15 for all the details!
How it works: We will begin our Summer Reading Challenge on Saturday, June 15th, from 11:00 am-2:00 pm with a Summer Reading Kickoff Party with games, iced treats, and a bounce house. The Summer Wrap up Party will be on Friday, August 9th.
New for Summer:
- Bon Appetite! Cake Pops – Cake Pops are the most delightful little treats! Each participant will make six basic cake pops to take home. This program is for ages 10-14. There will be a limit of 10 participants for each class. This program will start at 1:00 pm for the following dates: June 13, July 11, July 25, and August 8.
- Kids Movie Afternoon Matinee – Join us for some fun on Friday afternoons. Bring your own snack and water. The movies will start at 1:00 p.m. for the following dates: June 7, June 21, July 12, July 26, and August 2.
Summer Reading Camp: week of July 8th – five spots left, week of July 15 – filled, week of July 22 - filled, week of July 29 – filled.
WQED Work it out Wombats: Tuesdays – June 11, June 17, June 24.
More info about Summer programs HERE.
Summer at Citizens Library
The reward: Come to the summer reading kickoff on June 17 for all the details!
How it works:
- Summer reading will run June 17 through August 2, 2024.
- Reading records are available for all ages and sign ups for all programs will also begin June 17.
- Join us on June 17 for our summer reading kick-off! We will have grab and go bags, and fun activities available all day, while supplies last.
- See our full calendar of summer reading activities at citlib.org or on our Facebook page.
More info about Citizens Summer Programs HERE.
All Ages Summer Reading Challenges at Peters Township Library
The reward: Prize Baskets: Complete the challenge for a chance to win
How it works:
- Readers from birth to adult are invited to read with us from June 1 - August 10 on Beanstack through the website or the free app.
- Readers earn points by logging books and completing activities
How much do I have to read?
Different age levels have different goals for the summer
- Birth to PreK: 200 books, an average of 3 books a day
- K to 2nd Grade: 1500 minutes, an average of 25 minutes a day
- 3rd to 6th Grade: 2500 minutes, an average of 40 minutes a day
- 7th to 12th Grade: 3000 pages, an average of 45 pages a day
- Adult Readers: The more the merrier!
Summer Reading Kickoff is Saturday June 1 from 11:30 - 1:30. More info about the Summer Reading Challenge HERE.
Summer at Chartiers-Houston Libarary
The reward: Incentive chances will be available for all who participate!
How it works: Mark your calendars for our 2024 Summer Reading Club Kick-off Event, Saturday, June 22, 2024 from 1-3 pm.
We will be climbing aboard Air-CHCL to take off on our summer journey. This year, our theme is "Adventure Begins at Your Library" and we will be getting lost somewhere new each week for seven weeks.
- Tuesday Family Nights return with numerous fun STEAM activities
- Storytimes will follow summer themes each Monday and Thursday
- Teen and Adult monthly programs will tie into Adventure Themes
All programs are FREE and all are welcome * Join us for our Kick-off Event to receive your reading logs and other goodies. More info HERE.
Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Journal
The reward: Kids going into grades 1 to 6 can earn a free book from Barnes & Noble (limit one per child).
How it works:
- Read any eight books this summer and record them in Barnes & Noble's Summer Reading Journal. Kids have to write a sentence or so to explain which part of the book is their favorite, and why.
- Bring your completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between July 1 and August 31, 2024 to receive a free book.
Download the Barnes & Noble book log. More info HERE.
Scholastic Summer Reading on Home Base
The reward: This is a different kind of reward! One you and your kids can feel great about. Kids will unlock a donation of 100,000 books from Scholastic to Save the Children for kids in rural America with limited or no access to books by completing reading streaks in Home Base.
How it works:
- The Scholastic Summer Reading program runs from May 9 through September 12.
- This offers kids an exciting, free, and safe summer reading experience.
- Kids can read any book of their choice and download and print a report of their reading progress at any time.
- Kids will be able to track their summer reading by reading every day and maintaining a Reading Streak™ in Home Base.
Find out more information about the Scholastic Summer Reading Program here.
Chuck E. Cheese Reading Rewards
The reward: Kids can receive 10 free tokens.
How it works:
- Kids need to record that they read every day for two weeks to receive 10 free tokens. A food purchase is required.
Download Chuck E. Cheese's reading log.
Pizza Hut Camp Book It! (it's back)
The reward: A certificate for a one-topping Personal Pan Pizza. I remember doing this!
How it works:
- This program is for students in Pre-K - 6th grade (ages 4-12).
- Parents set reading goals for June through August on Pizza Hut's digital dashboard.
- Book It! is also offered during the school year from October through March. Each month kids can earn a free Personal Pan Pizza for meeting their reading goal.
See the Book It! page for more information about their programs.
Books-A-Million Summer Reading Adventure
The reward: Return the completed logbook to any store for a free pencil pouch.
- Store closest to us:
520 Cabela Drive
Triadelphia, WV 26059
How it works:
- Choose four books from the summer reading adventure section in-store or online and write about the books you’ve read in your summer reading adventure logbook.
- Turn in the logbook to the nearest store for your reward!
See the Books-A-Million website for more information about their programs.
Sometimes an incentive -- even a small one! -- is all a kid needs in order to find the motivation to read. We hope these summer reading programs give your child an extra push toward reading this summer!
Did we miss any programs? If so, let us know - we'd love to include them. Email heathers@macaronikid.com or submit the details directly to our calendar here.
