
School is out, pools are open, camps are in full swing - and schoolwork is hardly a blip on our radars, thank goodness! Of course, don’t count reading in that category. Reading can be perfectly lazy, in the best sense, and summer offers so many opportunities to enjoy books you and your kids love.
Encouraging your kids to read this summer can be pretty simple. Bring books along with you wherever you go, be it on vacation or just to the grocery store. Provide a space that invites reading with plenty of reading materials around the house and in the car, and visit your local bookstore. Read with your kids, and read in front of them - indoors and outdoors. Summer reading programs abound at local libraries, so sign up your kids (and yourself!) - they come with perks beyond the books.
The St. Louis County Library has Summer Reading Clubs for the whole family, from toddlers to grandparents. Teens can register online, and their club includes some great events, like podcasting workshops with local radio station KDHX and comic book making with Chris Sagovac. Visit your local branch for logsheets and a schedule of club activities. The perks? Cardinals tickets, signed first-editions, iPod Nanos - just to name a few.
If you live in the city, visit your St. Louis Public Library branch to sign your kids or teens up for their Summer Reading Club, which runs through August 6. Reading goals chart books rather than hours spent reading, an approach I like for its focus on the books rather than the clock. Club members can also earn prizes by attending summer library events, which range from Poetry Slams to World Juggling Day to Library Family Night field trips at The Magic House. Then there is Pageturners, the reading club for us grown-ups - no reason we can’t enjoy our books with some perks too.
Similar summer programs are underway for kids and teens at the St. Charles City-County Library District, and in other local libraries across the metro area (like University City or the Metro East, which are not affiliated with county library districts). Visit your neighborhood branch for more information and to sign up.
Erin Quick, books blogger for SmartParenting
Year after year, Webster Groves Community Days continues to be one of the largest Independence Day community celebrations in the area, including one of the most popular 4th of July parades.
The Whitaker Music Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is a beloved summer tradition that presents free Wednesday evening concerts under the stars.
Splash and play with your little one in this fun morning activity. No registration is necessary.
Get ready for tons of free, soapy fun! Come to the library to play with tons of bubbles with the Bubble Bus.
See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.