About a month ago, we shared that both of my granddaughters had signed up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. My younger granddaughter has always been an avid reader, and her sister not so much. Something happened this summer that has transformed, Becca, and occasional reader into a full fledged book worm. We found a couple of book series that she really enjoys. Eeach time they read both girls are eager to log their reading minutes online to unlock new badges. I’m so glad we have partnered with Scholastic for this compensated campaign.
This year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme is “Reading Under the Stars” so we decided to do just that and had a little party over the weekend. Just before sunset on Saturday, we got things ready for our party. As we were setting up, some nasty clouds rolled in and gave us a little rain. Luckily, it passed over quickly. We weren’t going to let a little rain stop us, so I put a plastic tablecloth over the wet picnic table and a blanket on the ground where the girls could read.
Becca and Maddie really wanted a tent for our party, and since we don’t have one we decided to make one. This hula hoop tent was very simple to make.
Do you want to know how we made it? You only need four things to make this tent. It’s so easy!
Here’s what you’ll need:
hula hoop
king size flat sheet
safety pins (about 20 large)
some kind of string or cord to hang the tent from a tree (we used fishing line)
Layout the sheet and at one end of the sheet begin to fold it over the hula hoop, about 2-3 inches over the hoop. Secure with safety pins. Work your way around the hoop, until one entire end is folded and pinned into place.
Attach several pieces of string or fishing line to the hula hoop. Join and tie them together at the top, and tie to a tree limb.
This hula hoop tent creates such a nice area for kids to read, day or night. The tent was big enough for both of my granddaughters to snuggle up inside and read. It was a ton of fun!
We planned our Reading Under the Stars party for the same night as the supermoon, but sadly never got to see it. While the rain left, the clouds never went away. Did you get to see it? I heard it was spectacular. I did get to see a few pictures of it that were shared on Facebook and Instagram.
Nighttime snacks were a must for this party. Cookies and milk seemed appropriate. We made some star and planet sugar cookies to go with our theme of Reading Under the Stars. I used green and blue food coloring and a variety of colored sprinkles to give the cookies a celestial look.
Like most kids, my granddaughters just love things that glow in the dark. Some inexpensive glow sticks, necklaces and glasses really added to the fun of our party. We all started to get a little silly after the sun went down. Both of my granddaughters are reading the Lorien Legacies Series right now, so a lot of our dinner conversations of late have been about super powers, aliens and the possibility of life on other planets. I couldn’t pass on these glow in the dark alien balloons.
We live in a very wooded area and needed more than glow sticks to read under the stars. EVEREADY® flashlights came in so handy for reading in the dark. You can’t go wrong with kids and flashlights, really.
Reading under the stars felt like an adventure. It was so much fun!
I encourage you to have your own party.
There is so much fun stuff to check out on the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge website. The challenge, now in it’s 8th year, is dedicated to stopping the “Summer Slide” and getting kids to read throughout the summer months when school is out. They really know how to make reading fun for kids.
Did you see our first post about the Summer Reading Challenge? If your kids want to get in on the fun there is still time. The Summer Reading Challenge runs through September 5, 2014. Get more information at scholastic.com/summer and start logging your reading minutes to help Scholastic reach it’s goal of 176,438,473 minutes logged this summer.
Every Monday, you can check Scholastic on Twitter for the #MondayMinutes to see the total number of minutes kids have read to date! Every Friday, check out the Summer Reading Challenge Pinterest Board for a new collage of summer books. Also, be sure to tune in to Facebook on June 21 for the Summer Solstice Facebook Chat for Parents. It’s sure to be really great!
This year’s Summer Reading theme is Reading Under the Stars, and is powered by EVEREADY®, the maker of batteries and flashlights, to encourage families to discover new and fun ways to explore reading outside this summer.
Robin (Blommi.com) says
July 15, 2014 at 5:42 PMWhat a fun party! This is a great way to encourage kids to read and have fun doing it.
Shop with Me Mama (Kim) says
July 15, 2014 at 5:48 PMIs that a glow in the dark alien balloon I see?! How awesome, LOL! Love all the pictures and how it really shows the fun in reading!
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
July 15, 2014 at 6:07 PMWe have a lantern that we could use. I’ll have to bring tons of bug spray, too – our state bird should be the mosquito!
Jaime says
July 15, 2014 at 7:11 PMMy son would love this. He’s already an avid reader (he’s almost 3) and loves all things glow in the dark!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
July 15, 2014 at 7:34 PMWhat a fun way to get kids reading. I should try that.
Christie says
July 15, 2014 at 9:43 PMAn outside reading tent is a great idea! Looks like they had so much fun
Debbie Denny says
July 15, 2014 at 9:59 PMthis is wonderful. looks like so much fun.
saminder gumer says
July 15, 2014 at 10:09 PMthis is a great idea and especially for this time of year when it is not that cold outside. i love all the lights that you used to read in the dark.
Sally T. says
July 15, 2014 at 10:15 PMWhat a fun party and to get kids reading
courtney b says
July 15, 2014 at 10:50 PMlove the glow in the dark. this is really a fun way to get kids reading books. reading is soo important when your a kid!
mellisa says
July 15, 2014 at 10:50 PMThis is such an awesome idea! My kids love to read and I bet this would encourage them to do it even more.
Shell says
July 15, 2014 at 10:53 PMAll the glow sticks are such a fun idea! And the hula hoop tent is so smart!
Birdiebee says
July 15, 2014 at 11:17 PMReading under the stars looks like so much fun. My granddaughter stays with me many nights during the summer and she takes her flashlight under the covers to read her books.
Danielle @ We Have It All says
July 15, 2014 at 11:24 PMThis is a great idea, so much fun for kids. My hubby used to do things like this with the older kids a long time ago. I’ll need to remind him so he can do it with our little two.
Carly Bellard says
July 15, 2014 at 11:32 PMThat looks like a great time! My little ones would love that!
Melissa says
July 15, 2014 at 11:56 PMWhat a fun party! We just had ours last weekend – my son had so much fun!
Carly Anderson says
July 16, 2014 at 12:15 AMI love that DIY fabric tent! Too cute! I love that Scholastic has this great reading challenge.
Candy O. says
July 16, 2014 at 1:21 AMWhat a fabulous idea! I need to get my oldest more into reading. It’s like pulling teeth 🙁
Kiwi says
July 16, 2014 at 1:29 AMOMG the hula hoop tent and the glow stick accessories made this whole entire experience fun! More idea for my future Glamping Party!!
Tammy says
July 16, 2014 at 2:22 AMWhat a fun activity to do with your kids and their friends! That canopy tent is a nice touch 🙂
Veronica says
July 16, 2014 at 2:43 AMThat is a fun way to get some reading in. Hope there were no bugs around
Kay Adeola says
July 16, 2014 at 3:11 AMI think my kids would enjoy this.I love your tent idea,sounds really easy.
Elizabeth @ Food Ramblings says
July 16, 2014 at 10:18 AMWhat an awesome way to get kids reading! How creative– I bet they love it!
Krystal says
July 16, 2014 at 10:32 AMThanks for sharing these fantastic ideas for summer fun! I love the hula hoop tent. That is so creative!
Chrystal @ YUM eating says
July 16, 2014 at 11:06 AMHow fun! I have loved Scholastic since I was a kid. I couldn’t wait for those flyers to come at school so I could take them home and beg my mom for every single book!
Dina says
July 16, 2014 at 11:23 AMwhat a fun thing to do as a family. My girl would love the hula hoop idea!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
July 16, 2014 at 11:47 AMWhat a great way to get the kids to read. I’ll have to try something like this.
Liz Mays says
July 16, 2014 at 11:51 AMThat’s pretty genius, lady! Did you climb up in the tree to secure it? 😉 Reading under the stars sounds like a blast!
Lori says
July 16, 2014 at 12:04 PMWhat a fun idea! I will have to try this for my daughters.
Allison says
July 16, 2014 at 12:47 PMSuch FUN way to get kids to read. Sometimes all someone needs is the right seat and the right book and then they will realize how much fun reading really is!
I wish that reading under the stars is something that I could partake in. Unfortunately we live in mosquito nation and we get bit up the moment we go outside at night. It’s just horrible! 🙁 I need to find a way to get rid of these bugs!
Esperanza Gailliard says
July 16, 2014 at 1:47 PMI absolutely loved the tent! It is super cute. The girls with their glow in the dark stuff really sets it off!
Tracey says
July 16, 2014 at 2:09 PMThis is such a neat idea! What a great way to get kids reading!
Tammy S says
July 16, 2014 at 5:05 PMWhat a fantastic idea! I love the hula hoop tent idea! I would have never of thought of that. Thanks!!
Family Travel Blogger says
July 16, 2014 at 5:16 PMWhat a fun night! We have a hammock in our back yard that my daughter and I love to read on.
Marina @ Mommy Snippets says
July 16, 2014 at 7:28 PMThat is soo awesome. I’ll be trying that with my kids. I know they’ll love it.
Donna says
July 16, 2014 at 8:34 PMI love everything about this! We are big readers and I just love the tent!
Dawn says
July 16, 2014 at 8:46 PMI think it’s great that they are loving to read! My daughter is quite the bookworm herself! I also love the set up your girls have, it looks comfy and fun!
Amanda says
July 16, 2014 at 11:19 PMOh I love this idea! Looks like everyone is having a blast and enjoying their books!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
July 17, 2014 at 10:48 AMThe Hula Hoop tent is such a neat idea!! What a fun evening!!
Elisabeth says
July 17, 2014 at 3:28 PMThat’s happened to my 9 year-old sister too this summer, she’s all about reading now! 🙂
Vanessa: thequeenofswag says
July 17, 2014 at 11:28 PMI love this idea. It’s always great to make it unique and fun to have them enjoy reading their books.
Colleen says
July 18, 2014 at 8:24 PMLove the glow in the dark and cute tent
Crystal says
July 19, 2014 at 10:30 AMWhat a great idea to get kids excited about reading! I love the hula hoop idea!
Sarah @ Play 2 Learn with Sarah says
July 19, 2014 at 3:58 PMThat looks like a great idea for a motivator to read…or just about anything else. I’ll have to check out the reading program since we’ve already gone through one of the local ones.
Theresa @ Faith and Family Reviews says
July 22, 2014 at 4:22 PMOur children love reading and have been participating in our library’s reading program for the first time. They are sad it is coming to an end next week.
Christina S says
July 24, 2014 at 9:06 AMLooks like a lot of fun. My son would love reading under the stars with all your fun goodies!
Marcie W. says
July 28, 2014 at 7:18 PMWhat a great idea to help make reading even more enjoyable. Thankfully my kids seem to be alright with having scheduled summer reading time and I always indulge in a book of my own too.
Jenn says
August 1, 2014 at 12:43 AMSounds like my kind of party! I think whatever ways you can encourage children (or adults) to read more are fantastic.
Debbie Welchert says
August 24, 2014 at 5:28 PMIt looks like everyone had a great time. This would be so much fun for my grandchildren to do. This would be great to do when the weather gets a little cooler and we could have a bonfire and roast hot dogs too. It would also be a great way to have fun reading books too.