Reading Escapades
Reading Escapades is a Pennsylvania-based education group with the goal of introducing children to a love of learning that stays with them throughout their lives.
On June 25, 1947, The Diary of a Young Girl was published in the Netherlands for the very first time. The book didn’t receive its first English translation until 1952. It is perhaps best well-known throughout the world as The Diary of Anne Frank.
This collection of personal entries details the difficulties and challenges that a young Jewish girl faced during her time in hiding with family and friends during World War II. The diary was given as a gift to Anne on her 13th birthday; it chronicles her life and those around her from June, 1942 to August, 1944.
In an attempt to escape the Nazis, Anne and her family went into hiding in a secret annex located in her father’s office building. The group managed to remain hidden for nearly two years before they were eventually betrayed and arrested. Anne and her sister were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they both sadly succumbed to typhus in March of 1945.
Otto Frank, Anne’s father and the only surviving member of the family at the end of the war, was surprised to find that the diary was safe and remained intact. He pushed to have Anne’s work published following his return to Amsterdam. Since it’s original publication in Dutch, the diary has been translated into English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Greek.
If you’ve read The Diary of Anne Frank, stop by Reading Ecapades on Facebook and let us know your thoughts and feelings about one of the world’s most compelling and enduring memoirs.
~ Mr. Chris
It’s time for another Student Spotlight!
This week, we have a piece written in Spanish by Garrison, age 9!
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Tomo dos clases en Reading Escapades: matematicas y espanol. Ahora mismo yo soy haciendo la palabra problemas en matematicas. Pronto tomemos ser haciendo un pruebaen espanol clase. Me gusta tomar clases alli muy mucho.
I take two classes at Reading Escapades: math and Spanish. Right now I am doing word problems in math class. Soon we’ll be doing a test in Spanish class. I like to take classes there very much.
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Are you a student at Reading Escapades? Would you like to be featured here in our weekly spotlights? Head over to Facebook and let us know!
Summer’s here and the heat is on, but that doesn’t mean your family can’t enjoy a fun and educational trip to a very cool place!
Located in Jim Thorpe, the Asa Packer Mansion is truly a sight to behold. Completed in 1861, it was commissioned by Asa Packer, a coal and railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh University.
The mansion was constructed over a cast iron frame and consists of 3 stories. It contains 18 rooms spread out over nearly 11,000 square feet of living space! The house still has all of its original furnishings!
Mary Packer Cummings, Asa’s daughter, left the mansion to the Borough of Mauch Chunk in her will as a memorial to her father and all of his accomplishments. Unsure of what to do with the establishment, the home sat dormant for 44 years until the Jim Thorpe Lions Club suggested opening the home to the public. The mansion officially opened it doors for public tours on Memorial Day in 1956.
The mansion is open 7 days a week from 11AM-4PM each day! General admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $5 for students ages 6-18, and only $3 for children 5 and under!
Drop by Reading Escapades on Facebook and let us know what you think of our suggestions! If you have any local spots that you enjoy with your family over the summer, let us know with a comment or two!
~ Mr. Chris
With another season of baseball in full swing, it’s only fitting to celebrate and remember one of its greatest players: Lou Gehrig.
Born on June 19, 1903, Henry Louis Gehrig would eventually become a baseball legend. Gehrig caught the nation’s attention at age 17 while playing for the New York School of Commerce’s team at Cubs Park (now known as Wrigley Field); Gehrig hit a grand slam out of the park in front of a crowd of over 10,000 people.
Gehrig played first base for the New York Yankees from 1923-1939. He made his debut with the team as a pinch hitter on June 15, 1923. The indomitable Gehrig quickly rose in the ranks, becoming one of the Yankees’ most valuable players.
Gehrig accomplished quite a few feats during his baseball career:
- Earned the nickname “The Iron Horse” because of his outstanding hitting and durability
- Most grand slams in a career with the same team (23)
- Most consecutive games played (2,130), which was only recently broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1998
His career was unfortunately cut short by ALS (better known in North America as Lou Gehrig’s disease), a disease that causes rapid progressive weakness, muscular atrophy, and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing. Gehrig played his final game on April 30, 1939 before retiring from baseball.
Sadly, Gehrig succumbed to the disease and passed away on June 2, 1941. To recognize Gehrig’s accomplishments, the Yankees retired his uniform number “4.” He was the first player to ever receive such an honor.
For all of you baseball fans out there, drop by Reading Escapades on Facebook and share some great sports memories with us in honor of one of the greatest players in the game’s history.
~ Mr. Chris
We just had another amazing set of day camps at our office in Palmerton!
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9AM-12PM: Pajama Party
Mr. Chris, Ms. Kerri, and newcomer Ms. Ariel welcomed the kids to a comfy pajama-themed party! Everyone really enjoyed working together to create the pretend “camp fire,” and the tale-telling that followed turned out to be a big hit! The kids were encouraged to come up with and illustrate their own stories, with everything from a totally wacky and zany alien sweets invasion to haunted houses and zombies! The camp wrapped up with a Monsters, Inc.-inspired activity - everyone created his or her own closet monster and then shared it with the rest of the group!
12:30PM-3:30PM: Ocean Animals
In an encore of last week’s very successful ocean-themed camp, everyone once again had a blast putting together some fun and exciting homemade aquariums! After a few rounds of a boys vs. girls hide-and-seek game for rare sea creatures, the group built an impressive “sea cave” using only blankets and chairs. The day came to a close with the group working on some very fun and educational worksheets that included sea mazes, identifying different ocean life, and learning how to draw penguins!
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We look forward to seeing everyone on June 22 for the Safari Animals (9AM-12PM) and Dinosaurs (12:30-3:30) camps!
Visit Reading Escapades on Facebook and let us know how much your children enjoyed these camps and what they’re most looking forward to in the coming weeks!
~ Mr. Chris
Today, we celebrate the adoption of the flag of the United States! June 14 also marks the founding day of the U.S. Army, which occurred on this date in 1775.
Flag Day was first officially established by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, but it wasn’t until 1949 that National Flag Day came into being by an Act of Congress.
Unlike several other national holidays, Flag Day is not recognized as an official federal holiday. However, on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first and only state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.
The week of June 14 is now officially designated as National Flag Week, and U.S. citizens are encouraged to fly the American flag for the duration of the week.
Head on over to Reading Escapades on Facebook and let us know how you’re celebrating Flag Day by leaving a comment and/or sharing a photo with us!
~ Mr. Chris
Looking for a great getaway but don’t necessarily have the time or money to make a long trip? Well, we’re here to help with a few suggestions!
Starting with this entry, Reading Escapades will be offering travel tips throughout the summer for exciting and educational locations that the whole family can enjoy!
At an impressive 42 acres, America’s first zoo is home to more than 1,300 animals! The zoo officially opened to its first visitors on July 1, 1874, and the price of admission for an adult was only a quarter. Kids got in even cheaper, costing only ten cents per child!
Most zoo attendees come to visit the impressive collection of large cats found in the First Niagara Big Cat Falls exhibit, and visitors can see everything from lions to leopards! If you’re lucky, you might see the lions trying to lap up a cold misting of milk from the handlers, or you could catch the tigers playing with each other!
Another attraction that’s sure to provide a thrill to both adults and children alike is the Reptile and Amphibian House. Step inside and check out some of nature’s most beautiful and dangerous snakes, lizards, and frogs like you’ve never seen them before!
While you’re roaming the grounds, don’t forget to check out the PECO Primate Reserve, which is home to several large gorillas and some endangered primates!
These are only a few samples of what the Philadelphia Zoo has to offer - be sure to visit all of the other incredible wildlife that’s on display, including rhinos, giraffes, bears, and penguins, just to name a few!
The Philadelphia Zoo is located at 3400 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Admission is $18 per adult and $15 per child, ages 2-11 (children under 2 are free). There’s also a $12 parking fee per vehicle.
Drop by Reading Escapades on Facebook and let us know what you think of our suggestions! If you have any local spots that you enjoy with your family over the summer, let us know with a comment or two!
~ Mr. Chris
Our students had a great time and put together some awesome projects during our last round of camps in Palmerton!
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9AM-12PM: Ocean Animals
Ms. Kerri worked with Brady, Garrison, and Nathan to learn about the mysterious depths of the sea! The students created still-life aquariums out of household items, enjoyed a game with pirates that reinforced addition, subtraction, and reading, and learned how to identify some common sea life in both English and Spanish!
12:30PM-3:30PM: Pirates
Nathan and Jadon helped Mr. Chris solve pirate puzzles, and the crew worked on some very cool pirate-inspired crafts, including masks, swords, and eye-patches! Each of the students created his own treasure map, and then the group set out to play a scavenger game to find lost loot and the pirate responsible for hiding it!
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We look forward to seeing everyone on June 15 for the Pajama Party (9AM-12PM) and an encore of the Ocean Animals (12:30-3:30) camp!
Visit Reading Escapades on Facebook and let us know how much your children enjoyed these camps and what they’re most looking forward to in the coming weeks!
~ Mr. Chris
Do you want your child to reach their full potential in life? Then don’t miss all of the educational opportunities during the summer months!
John Hopkins University studied children from different backgrounds over the course of several years, and the results showed that children who were not given educational stimulations during summer months lost vital skills and had difficulties the following school year.
By 9th grade, students who did not have opportunities over the summer were 3 ½ years behind their peers.
Fortunately, parents and guardians can do several things to invest in their children’s future. Take trips with your children to libraries, museums, and historical sites. Playing board games like Scrabble or Monopoly or visiting educational sites online keeps your kids’ minds active and promotes fun family environments. It’s also great to plant and tend to a garden with your children or have some fun in the kitchen by cooking with them!
At Reading Escapades, we’re dedicated to making sure that your children get the absolute best out of their education. During the summer months, we’re offering weekly sessions for math, reading, writing, and foreign language in order to keep your kids’ minds sharp and to help give them an edge on the upcoming school year.
Along with these group and private sessions, we’re also hosting 3-hour educational camps every week at both our of Palmerton and Jim Thorpe locations. Our camps are offered every Wednesday and Friday, with one in the morning from 9AM-12PM and then another immediately following that time from 12PM-3PM.
For this week’s camps in Palmerton, we’re currently offering a last-minute special 20% discount! $28 per 3-hour camp or just $48 to book both camps for six hours of fun and learning!
These prices are only applicable to the June 8 camps in our Palmerton location, so drop by Facebook or check us out online to view the schedule and reserve a spot for your child today!
~ Mr. Chris
Join us at Reading Escapades this Friday (June 8) for the first round of our entertaining and educational summer camps!
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PALMERTON
9AM-12PM: Ocean Animals
Dive into the deep blue sea and come along with us as we explore the murky depths and visit some of our underwater neighbors! From creating unique sea creatures out of household craft items to setting up your own imaginary aquarium, there’s sure to be something for everyone!
We might also check in on a very special pineapple under the sea!
12PM-3PM: Pirates
Set sail across the vast oceans aboard a grand vessel bound for endless adventure and lost treasure! We’ll be creating our own homemade pirate ships and giving them captains and crews before launching off in search of untold riches!
Take part in scavenger hunts, board games, and more as we explore the history of pirates, both real and make believe!
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Visit us on Facebook and let us know what you’re looking forward to the most with this week’s camps!
We hope to see you there!
~ Mr. Chris
