Reading, Rolling, & $aving! (*Not* just for home schoolers! ; )

I’ve come across a few good deals and programs this summer, that I’ve repeatedly found myself telling other parents about, in random conversations lately.  So I figured it just might be a worthy blog post, so that I can let you all know of these great deals and ideas this summer too!

First up!…..

A wonderful and rewarding reading program, for your kids (up to age 12) over the summer, from Borders Book Store. (I hope most all of you have one near you?).  How it works is quite simple:  For every 10 books your kids read, they can choose a FREE book from the list Borders offers! My kids love to read, so getting a new book was a real incentive. (And then they can read each other’s!)  But even for kids who don’t enjoy reading quite as much, having read 10 books, and completing the form, gives them a real sense of accomplishment, that comes with a nice reward, that continues to encourage more reading.

I learned about this program, from a Borders associate.  The kids and I were at the store, buying books, and the associate told us about it, and gave us a simple form for each kid.  (My kids are filling them out themselves, as they go. ; ) You can visit a Borders near you to get forms for your kids as well, or, download the form available at their site.  To get more details and the form, just click on the Double Dog Dare logo above!  Hope it buys you all a little quiet time, too! ; )

Next….another great offer from Borders Books…..

This one IS for home schooling parents, unless you are a teacher or a librarian in a formal school.   Applying for this Classroom Discount Card gives us 25% off books and music CDs, and 10% off DVDs for professional use.  It does say we need to show proof of educator status with the application, but then states: ” Homeschool educators will need to document certification in states that require certification.”   I don’t know about your state, but MA does not require certification.  If you home school any of your kids, and your state does, you are probably certified.  So either way,  I think we can all benefit from this card.  I shop a lot at Borders.  It’s the kind of store that gives me butterflies, just walking in, and smelling all of those books!  So, I’m applying, and from the details I’ve read, being approved should be no problem!  To read the details yourself, just click on the discount banner yourself!  Hope you save too!!

Here’s another GREAT idea, and this one can be for the whole family!  We’ve been all over this one!….

2 FREE GAMES PER PERSON, PER DAY, every single day! All summer long!!

No, I’m *not* kidding!

We’ve been taking full advantage of this one.  And it’s a GREAT deal for us!  Well, we haven’t gone every day, but we’ve been a few times, and we’ll be going many more. We LOVE to bowl. (The kid’s Daddy and I used to bowl together into the wee hours on weekends, and then go to a nice1 a.m. breakfast at Bickford’s, back when we were courting. ; )  You DO pay for shoes for the kids, but that is IT!  What’s more….if you want to buy the ‘Family Pass’ for $24.95 (flat, one time, done deal)…..up to FOUR adults can bowl free all summer long too!  (Again, just shoes.)

So if you love to bowl, and you have a participating bowling alley near you, you can all bowl for free too!  The list of participating alleys is huge, so surely there is one near you.

I just think bowling is a fun family activity, and it’s great exercise too.  What’s more, it’s a great thing to do on the hottest of these summer days!

But like I always say….the opportunities to learn come up every day, in the most unexpected places.  Ans that is EXACTLY what happened the last time we went bowling.  The guy at the counter was drilling the holes for a custom bowling ball.  I was watching him, and was absolutely fascinated with all he was doing.  So we went up to talk to him, and he was MORE than happy to tell us ALL ABOUT, making a custom bowling ball for bowlers.  He went on, and on, and we soaked up every word, asked a 100 questions, and he was happy to keep educating us.  Why?  Because he is obviously passionate about what he does.  He is a grand example, of using his gifts, to serve God’s people. He does some wonderful things for people, using his gift.   But back to just drilling the finger holes…..I am telling you people…..IT’S A SCIENCE!!  It really is.  And it was also a perfect example for my kids, of how important their MATH SKILLS will be in life!! It was SO INTERESTING.  I am really trying to find a way to do a blog post on this.  I know he would do it.  I think it would take a video.  (I’m not really going to get into video on my blog now, AM I??  I might,  People….I want to show you all this bowling ball business pretty bad! lol).

Anyway…..if you want to see if you all can BOWL FREE ALL SUMMER LONG, just click on the banner above, or visit the link address it says, to get all the details, sign up if possible, and start bowling!

That’s all for now.  But I’ll let you know of any other good stuff I learn about.  I hope you find any or all of these a helpful tip, to keep the kid’s fun going and the $ staying, as much as possible!    If YOU know of any good deals or programs too, please share them with us and our readers if you can!

Thanks for stopping by.  : )