My grandsons and i attended a "Words At Play" party hosted by Northeast Treatment Center at the Dr. Ruth Hayre Wright Educational Center in Blackberry Mansion. "Words at Play" party what could that be all about is what i was wondering. The parents/caregivers are vital to introducing our youth to new words via play and i want to learn as much as i can to help my grandsons and others gain independence by reading. The party started out with a story about an apple that fell off a tree. The story wasn't read from a book. The hostess recited the story from memory and used their body to also help tell the story much like we learn the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." My five year old grandson enjoyed the party, my youngest grandson only focus was using the scissors. I enjoyed the information about how allowing our youth to explore the front cover of a book helps them create their own stories and if we read a book about seasons we can extend the learning experience by doing an activity relevant to the story we just read. I enjoyed the party and books that we received as a gift.

When we got home, we read a few of the books. The Cookie Monster book had a cut out game on the back of the book. i allowed my five year old grandson to cut the pieces out. We played the game and created a another version of the game using the tree he created at the words at play party. i recorded the party so that we as a family can view what we learned and learn more from the party. My goal is not to get my grandsons to read by 4th grade. My goal is to get them to read by five years of age because that was the expectations for us when we were growing up. With these tools and supports my family will reach our reading goal by the end of this summer. Best part is that my two year old grandson soaks up everything that i'm working on with my five year old grandson. Guess he will be reading by two or three because of the exposure!!

We also plan to participate in "The Summer of Wonder" reading program at the Free Library.

There are two ways to participate in a summer full of reading, games, and creativity!

From June 13 through August 5, sign up in person at your neighborhood library where you will find programs, activities, and events for all ages, as well as Bingo with a literacy twist for children and raffles for teens and adults.

We are very excited to debut a whole new online summer reading experience this year for readers of all ages! From June 1 through August 31, sign up online and earn badges by tracking minutes read and completing fun learning track activities themed around STEAM, literacy, and exploration. You can also select reading materials from School District of Philadelphia suggested booklists, write up book, movie, and music reviews, and explore more in-depth themed learning guides. Every time you earn a badge, you will be entered into a weekly raffle with prizes for each age group, as well as be entered into a special grand finale prize raffle that will take place at the end of summer!

The goal of our Summer Reading program is to encourage all Philadelphians to read for fun and to explore learning opportunities during the summer months. Summer Reading also helps children and teens combat the dreaded "summer slide", so that they can return to school in the fall ready to learn! Summer Reading also plays an integral part in our Read by 4th campaign, a citywide effort of 50 organizations, public and private, large and small, convened and managed by the Free Library of Philadelphia, aiming to have 97% of students in Philadelphia entering the 4th grade at reading level by 2020. This is the largest effort of its kind in the city of Philadelphia. Learn more at freelibrary.org/readby4th.

When i was growing up books were part of the living room decor. We and our neighbors had encyclopedias, Dr. Seuss and Highlights magazines. Seems we need those salesmen to come back and do some community calls with books. The days of those door knocking salesmen are gone, but there is a "Reading Revolution" going on at our summer camps, and libraries, to raise the value for independence via reading and thinking for your self. In Northwest Philly, summer camps have teamed up with State Senator Art Haywood and other community partners to promote reading.