Parents, we're in the home stretch! There are just a few weeks of school left.  Before you know it, the kids will be home for summer vacation.  Amazon wants to lend you a hand to help keep them entertained!

You've been there before right? Less than 24 hours into summer vacation, your child's knocking on the bedroom door yelling "Momma! I'm sooooo bored."  You sit there trying to enjoy the little private time you have.  Scratching your head, you mumble to yourself "You don't even wake up this early on school days. How can you possibly be bored at 6:45 a.m.?!"

Portrait of a sweet little girl with books
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You probably try to avoid this inevitable struggle every summer, scheduling out fun activities like summer camp, camping trips, a Roaring Springs outing, family movie dates and signing them up for swim team.  I don't have any children of my own, but I think my parents had it figured out pretty well back when my sister and I were younger. Most of the time, they'd send us a few blocks away to our local swim club with a couple dollars to spend on snacks while we were there.  They also enrolled us in the summer reading program at our local library.  Once you read so many books you were entered to win some cool things like free cones at Dairy Queen and tickets to our minor league baseball team's games. It kept us pretty entertained!

If you're thinking about signing your child up for a summer reading program in the Treasure Valley, Amazon's here to help! They're rolling out a new subscription service for kids called "Amazon Prime Book Box Kids" just in time for summer vacation. For $22.99 a box, they'll send your kids ages 1-12 a box of books every 1, 2 or 3 months.

The infants get 4 board books.  Kids ages 3-5 get two hardcover picture books.  Kids 6-8 get two hardcover books.  Kids 9-12 get two hardcover novels. While signing up, tell Amazon a little bit about your reader and how often you'd like a box delivered. Their experts will show you their favorites and if you don't like what's on the way, you can sub it out for another book off the list of options.

The service is currently available to Amazon Prime subscribers by invitation only, so if you'd like to try it out click HERE to request an invite!

Treasure Valley Summer Reading Programs

Young girl absorbed by reading
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Rediscovered Books: Open to all ages, readers are encouraged to read 20 minutes a day, every day from June 1-July 31.  For each week you don't break the chain, you get a chain-link and entry into a prize drawing.  For more information click HERE.

Boise Public Library: Also open to all ages, the library's summer reading program features the themes of adventure, comics, fantasy, history, horror, mystery and science fiction. Once you complete five reading activities on a theme card, you're entered to win some fun prizes.  You also earn a free book after you finish your first theme card! For more information click HERE.

Garden City Library: Garden City offers their Libraries Rock! Summer Reading program for both kids and teens.  It kicks off on Wednesday, June 6.  Participants can pick up their reading log at the library and work their way through four levels of reading.  After finishing a level, bring the log in to collect a prize.  Complete all levels and a total of 10 books to be in the hunt for a grand prize! For more information click HERE.

Meridian Public Library: Meridian kicks off their summer reading program with a party at Settlers Park on June 1.  That's the same day kids can start logging "music notes" showing that they read at least 20 per day.  Once they've worked through a level, they can bring it into the library to pick up a prize. After all three levels are complete, the kids can bring it back in for a FREE book! To download the reading log click HERE.

Similar programs are available through the Caldwell and Nampa Public Library.

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