Who is smack in the middle of a heat wave right now?

If you’re anywhere near the mid-west or Western Canada, we have been breaking temperature records! I hope wherever you are, you are well and staying cool!

I have designed this Summer Reading Bingo Printable just for folks like you. And I highly recommend getting your kids in on the decision of what the prize will be in the end. Perhaps a nice cold ice cream treat?

How to Play Summer Reading Bingo

 

First, you will need to download your FREE printable and print it off.  I suggest placing it somewhere highly visible in your home! Maybe you have a family calendar station or even the fridge works.

Next, decide who is playing! I’ve made this Bingo game so that both parents AND kids can participate. A little competition never hurt and it’s a great motivator.

You can also decide the rules… will it be a simple traditional Bingo game where you need a straight line? Will you go for the gusto and try and fill the entire grid? You decide!

Need some book recommendations?

Here are some great book list recommendations!

 

“Read about nature or the environment”

 

For nature books, backwoodsmama.com has an incredible list of over 100 recommendations. She has listed recommendations for fiction, non-fiction, different age-groups,  books by certain authors like Kate Messner and Rachel Mazur, and guide books!

“A book written by an Indigenous author”

CBC Books has a wonderful section on book recommendations for all ages, including many articles dedicated to giving Indigenous voices a platform.  

Currently, Canada is going through a time of grief and acknowledgement of a part our history that has not previously been given enough.  With the recovery of many mass graves that were a direct result of the Residential school system mandated by the government, there are a lot of emotions and truths that need to be told and learned. I’m not going to lie, these conversations are HARD. And when I say hard, I mean they are difficult but essential to learn and acknowledge. Fortunately, David A. Robertson, a Cree author, has started a list of stories and books that we can use to help us with these conversations. This list started as a Twitter post, but he has curated it for a CBN article called, 48 books by Indigenous writers to read to understand residential schools. 

They also have an article that is not directly related to residential school system stories here! 14 inspiring children’s books from Indigenous writers

And there are so many more, Indigo Chapters also has great lists of books by Indigenous authors.

“A book of poetry”

 

Poetry often gets missed out! I think there are some brilliant poetry books out there that everybody should take some time with.

In doing research for this blog post, I came across this awesome website. Have you heard of bookriot.com? Check out their mission:

“We’re dedicated to the idea that writing about books and reading should be just as diverse as books and readers are. We began with the goal of leading a new discussion around books, readers, and publishing. Individually and collaboratively, we do the work each day to innovate fresh content and services to our readers, amplify marginalized voices, and challenge ourselves and our community to be inclusive.”

BookRiot has an awesome article called- 50 MUST-READ POETRY BOOKS FOR KIDS. They also have a curated list for teens.

Some of these are true classics like Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and some are fantastically current and inclusive like “Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World”.

Those are just a few suggestions on how to get started! I hope you engage in this activity this summer and keep us posted!

Don’t forget to pick up your free printable here!

If you can, please post some of your own suggestions below or find my post on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/chelseydesign

Have a great summer! Stay in touch!