BE A BACKYARD SUPERHERO

Educational publisher Scholastic has teamed up with the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's Education and Research Foundation to create an online resource portal to help parents avoid their kids suffering from succumbing to the "summer slide" -- the phenomenon where students lose important skills they've learned over the last year during the break from school.  By visiting scholastic.com/turfmutt kids between the ages of 5 and 12 can participate in a variety of activities meant to encourage them to care for the environment and which demonstrate how science impacts the world around us.  Topics include how to take better care of green spaces, understanding how climate impacts ecosystems and the importance of living landscapes.

A band of cartoon superheroes, TurfMutt & the Outdoor Powers, demonstrate how to become a "backyard superhero" through lighthearted lessons that are meant to be both educational and entertaining.  These resources are all FREE for families to access online as well as to download and print out.  Activities include:

Digital Storybooks

Encourage summer reading by providing a child with TurfMutt's digital storybooks.  There are two to choose from.  The West Coast Mission and Saving the Planet, One Yard at a Time.  They can be read online or downloaded a a pdf file to read on a mobile device or as a print out.

Creative Writing

 After a child has read TurfMutt's digital storybooks encourage them to write their own story.  Utilize the learning portal's online story creator app to help.  Children simply add their name, select their age range, and off they go!  TurfMutt's story idea spinner suggests imaginative topics with a countless combination of options to encourage kids to get writing.  The app even includes a drawing screen so  illustrations can be added to their stories.

Outdoor-Themed Activity Sheets

Print out these activity sheets, turn off the computer and get outside to complete them.  These hands-on activities are based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) principles and encourage kids to learn about the green spaces around them.  The activity sheets are available in two categories --> for students in grades K - 2 and for those in grades 3 - 5.

Climate Quest Game

This video game challenges children to answer questions correctly to help TurfMutt and the Outdoor Powers move through various climate regions on an interactive map of the United States.

Educational Videos

This special section of the Scholastic website also offers several educational short movies for kids to view that cover topics about living landscapes.  They teach children how to help their families be good environmental stewards of the green spaces in their communities.



Additionally, the learning portal includes section with resources for parents and teachers to help them get kids engaged in learning STEM concepts relating to the environment.  Click here to check out the campaign partners, which include the EPA, the Center for Green Schools, and Outdoors Alliance for Kids, who want to encourage kids to be involved with the conservation and preservation of our planet's environment one yard at a time.

FREE SUMMER ONLINE READING PROGRAM COURTESY OF CRICKET MEDIA

Cricket Media, the publisher of 11 magazines for young audiences ranging from toddlers to teens, want to help kids avoid the reading slide during their break from school with an entertaining, free online reading program.  BUG CAMP 2017 will provide nine weeks of reading-focused fun crafted by Cricket Media magazine editors for various age and grade levels.  Activities will include downloadable stories and games, recipes and easy craft ideas, as well as suggestions for outdoor stuff to do.

Starting on June 5, each day a new colorfully illustrated story or interesting activity will be unlocked for children to engage in.  Each week will have its own theme. The first week's theme will be "ponds".  Other weekly themes will include "My Backyard," "Travel," "Sports," "The Environment," "Fourth of July," "The Beach," "Gardening," "Art" and "Camping."

Day #1 of BUG CAMP begins with the story "A Day at the Pond," which was originally published in CLICK magazine.  Featured books can be viewed on your computers and mobile devices or can be downloaded as mini-books and printed out to read.  In addition to the books to read there will be other engaging activities on the BUG CAMP website to explore tied to the week's theme.  Connecting with the theme of BUG CAMP's first week, kids can also play a "Nature Detective Bingo" game, discover how to make a water scope to view pond life, and learn how to make dragonflies out of pretzels.  Each week new stories and activities will be introduced tied to its theme.  Visit here to check out this complimentary summer program.

For additional summer reading material, Cricket Media is also offering a special offer.  Take advantage of an exclusive subscription deal available from their online store.  Families can order 3 issues of one of their magazines for $5 for a limited time from shop.cricketmedia.com/3-for-5 . Hint: There is a link within the ordering information of each magazine that lets parents download a FREE past issue to check out before you buy. Read through these free issues and see which magazines are best suited towards your child's reading level and interests. For my eight year old twins with curious minds that would be ASK Magazine which is written for 6 to 10 years old audiences and each issue is full of science, history, and art.  I hope everyone has a great summer full of reading!

Super Pets Helping People In Distress

**A Geek Daddy received the featured products free to review**

What if pets had the power to save the day for humans in distress?  That is the theme for a line of books by Capstone Publishing called the DC Super-Pets.  In these stories the pets of the heroes and villains from the DC comic book universe have their own super powers which are demonstrated through their embarking on various adventures and challenges.  My seven year old twins really enjoy the DC Super-Pets books and are just the right age for this series which is written for children six to nine years old who are in first through third grade; though I have to admit this 40 year old dad enjoys reading these stories just as much as his kids do.

DC Super-Pets stories are designed to help early readers transition to chapter books.  Each book is normally three chapters long and filled with large-sized text and colorful illustrations so they aren't overwhelming for young readers.  In fact the fun illustrations of the Super-Pets combined with goofy scenarios attract children towards wanting to read these books.

While DC Super-Pets are of course fictional creations there are animals in the real world that help make a positive difference in people's lives.  For example K-9 dogs are trained to help police search for illegal drugs or explosives and service dogs can provide assistance to people with disabilities.  Therapy dogs can also play an important role in helping improve lives by providing affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, schools, and disaster areas and to those with Alzheimer's Disease or Autism.  For example, therapy dogs were brought in to help the survivors of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut cope with the incident and are credited with providing peace of mind to the shocked and devastated children and adults these real life super pets interacted with.

Our local public library incorporates assisting with the training of a therapy dog into its children's summer reading program.  Reading to therapy dogs helps kids practice their literary skills over the summer while helping train the animals to be comfortable interacting with people.  It also gets children excited about reading over the summer which is a time when unfortunately books are often tossed aside for other activities.  My kids really look forward to these reading sessions and take a lot of pride in they are helping a dog so that it can help others.  They've been really excited to share their DC Super-Pets stories with a real life super pet who will one day be helping people in distress when reading during the therapy dog training at the public library.

My daughter has been reading DC Super-Pets BACKWARD BOWWOW during her therapy dog training sessions.  In this story, when Bizarro Krypto crash lands on Earth, he can't believe his eyes.  Humans own dogs as pets! On his Bizarro planet, everything is the exact opposite -- canines rule the world! Before returning home, he promises to make things right ... or maybe wrong.  Can Krypto the Super-Dog intervene and prevent Bizarro Krypto from making a huge mess?

 My son has been reading DC Super-Pets THE AMAZING MINI-MUTTS as he helps train the therapy dog.  In this book, Krypto, Ace, and other Super-Pet pooches visit the Bowwow Boot Camp to show a new breed of heroes a few tricks.  But the evil Brainicat wants to teach the canine cadets a lesson as well.  When he shrinks them all to microscopic size, the prep-school puppies must quickly learn to step up!

There are more than twenty DC Super-Pets adventure books by Capstone Publishing to choose from plus a super-sized Character Encyclopedia that provides interesting facts and descriptions of each animals unique powers in the profiles of more than 200 pets.  All of these DC Super-Pets books feature quirky artwork from Eisner Award winning artist Art Baltazar.  The Eisners are the comic book industry's equivalent to what the Oscars are for the movies so only the most talented and creative professionals are honored with this award.  Baltazar's artwork provides a zany vibe that makes reading each DC Super-Pets an amusing endeavor that kids are sure to enjoy.  As a parent, I appreciated that the illustration are numerable enough to capture children's attention and imagination but not so overpowering that they distract a child from immersing themselves into the text of the story.  Adorable characters and amusing plots will have children wanting to pick up a DC Super-Pets book to read.  For more information about this great early readers children's book series visit capstonepub.com/library/products/dc-super-pets

If you'd like to know more on how you can contribute to training therapy dogs or for a referral to obtain the services of one, please visit the Therapy Dog International website at tdi-dog.org.

Have a Brightly Summer

For most family's with school-aged children a summer break filled with fun activities has begun.  Unfortunately, one fun activity that is often neglected over the summer months is reading which often leads to kids regressing in their literary capabilities which were developed over the previous school year.  I've discovered a nice resource that supports parents in helping their children avoid the "summer slide" with a variety of online articles, tips, and resources.  BRIGHTLY (www.readbrightly.com) provides free downloadable SUMMER READING FUN PACKS specifically designed for Preschoolers (3-5 years old), Growing Readers (6-8 years old) and Tweens (9-12 years old).  A resource of Penguin Random House, BRIGHTLY also offers summer reading book suggestions for every age group from Preschool through High School with a few ideas that mom and dad might enjoy themselves too.

BRIGHTLY sent A Geek Daddy a complimentary care pack to help my kids avoid the summer slide consisting of a nice tote bag filled with a GROWING READER - SUMMER READING FUN PACK and some age appropriate books for my 7 year old twins to enjoy.  Summer reading is going to be an important focus for my kids over the next few months and I hope our readers will make it a priority for the children in their lives too.  To help one lucky A Geek Daddy blog reader or social media follower accomplish that goal, BRIGHTLY has also provided a Summer Reading Prize Pack for us to giveaway that will include an age appropriate Summer Reading Fun Pack and a Penguin Random House book selection based upon the gender and age of a child the winner selects.

Follow @Geekdad248 and RT by July 5 for chance to win a @ReadBrightly Children's Summer Reading Prize Pack #ad pic.twitter.com/MbpTF5FmiK

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) June 29, 2016

To be eligible for this giveaway you must follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet our original contest tweet embedded above before July 5, 2016 @ 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US  resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per person and we'll randomly select a winner from all eligible entries.

BRIGHTLY can be a valuable resource for parents to help their children avoid learning loss over the summer, but it is also filled with great information on a wide variety of subjects that can be utilized throughout the year to help promote with kids a life-long interest in reading.  As a fan of comic books who enjoys sharing my enjoyment of them with my son and daughter, I appreciated the site's article "8 Graphic Novels Tween Girls Can't Get Enough Of" encouraging female readers to check out the medium and "7 Graphic Novels Elementary Schoolers Love" to promote comics with young readers.  I also appreciated the site's outreach to dad's with articles like "5 Things I Never Expected to Love About Being a Dad."  BRIGHTLY is filled with author essays, informational articles, and more that are meant to be helpful for moms and dads in making their way through that grand adventure know as parenting.  It is also full of activities that are educational and entertaining at the same time such as their Family Book Club and a variety of printable activity sheets to help parents get their children to embrace reading as an interesting and enjoyable activity that they want to do rather than be forced to.

The current BRIGHTLY Family Book Club selection is The BFG to commemorate 2016 being the 100th anniversary of the author's birth, Roald Dahl passed away in 1990, and to tie-in to the excitement of Disney's summer movie based upon the children's book about a Giant and the orphaned girl he befriends.  This section of the BRIGHTLY site includes suggestions for activities, crafts, snacks, and games with a The BFG theme plus group discussion questions for parents to engage in with their kids after the whole family has read the book.

Check out readbrightly.com as it really is a brilliantly useful resource for moms and dads.

Disclaimer & Rules / FTC Notice:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but Penguin Random House is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize. By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion. A Geek Daddy Blog hosted this contest and blog post based upon Penguin Random House providing the prize to the selected winner. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. Must be a US resident over 18 years old.  If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this giveaway as a benefit to our readers.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for publishing this post but did receive one of the prizes for personal use.

Keep Your Kids Amused & Learning Over the Summer Break Through A Library Reading Program

While lazy summer days may be fun they can also really set kids behind when it comes time to return back to school.  A good way to keep children amused during the break is to check with your local library to see if they are offering a summer children's program.  Libraries across the United States often participate in the Collaborative Summer Library Program which is a consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children and teens.  This year's theme is "EVERY HERO HAS A STORY" which participating libraries can base activities and programs around to entertain and educate children throughout the summer.  It is important to keep children reading throughout their summer break to maintain proficiency so they don't start the new school year with diminished academic skills.  While some library programs focus on just reading others also include programs that promote math, science, history, and an appreciation for learning in general.  These programs primarily take place during the month of July so now is a good time to check into them and get your kids enrolled.

My kids started off their summer with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle day at the library which involved doing various feats around the children's section like a bean bag toss, bucket stacking competition, and scavenger hunt to get them familiar with visiting the library.

Other activities taking place throughout June/July include reading to a therapy dog, competing in a LEGO building block challenge, doing experiments at a science fair, enjoying a magic show, attending a safety presentation with police/fire departments and participating in a program called "Be a Math Hero."  Most of these activities are an hour long and they are sprinkled throughout the month so children still have plenty of time to enjoy just being a kid during the summer.  Plus these programs tend to be somewhat entertaining for the kids as well as educational which is always a plus for me from my parenting perspective.

In addition to the activities and programs offered, my kids also are challenged to submit a list of books they've read each week to the library for a chance to win prizes.  Also every kids who participates in the reading challenge gets some FREE books from the library at the end of the year.  Our librarian has told me that they've received a donation of Kohls Cares books so that every child participating is guaranteed a good quality new book to take home as a reward for their participation. I'm sure this varies from library to library but we appreciate seeing Kohl's being involved in the community with our local public library, especially because our family does a lot of shopping there.

Most of these programs are aimed at children from preschool to fifth grade.  If you have some kids in that age range that don't have a whole lot planned to do for the summer, I encourage you to contact the libraries in your area and see what they have going on.  To search for public libraries near you, visit  publiclibraries.com