"TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six."
Open your child's imagination. Open a book.
How do you motivate your kids to read during the summer?
"Buddy reading" is more fun!A bookworm is a fun friend to help motivate reading. This bookworm is quick and easy to make and he is filled with gum. (I first saw this idea as a scripture snake to help motivate kids to read scriptures. Here is the original link.)
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6815
Here is the idea-the kids pick up their book and their bookworm. They take a piece of gum out of the bookworm. They begin chewing the gum and reading the book. They keep reading until the gum is out of flavor, then they are through. (Hopefully by then they are so involved in the story that they will keep reading!)
This poem can be given to the kids with their bookworm.
Poem (This is the poem created by some one else for scripture reading that was tweaked a little bit. Sorry I don't know who originally created the poem.)
Reading a book is lots of fun...
'Specially while chewing bubble gum!
Read a book while you chew,
And when the flavor's gone...
You're Through!
Bookworm Supplies:
A piece of fleece 5” X 30”
2 colors of felt
2 googly eyes
1/4" strip of Velcro
Gumballs or wrapped gum
Sewing machine (the original tutorial has the snake glued together but sewing is much stronger), glue gun, scissors, a sewing marker or chalk
Cut your fleece to the dimensions indicated. Fleece generally doesn’t
have a right and wrong side, but if the pattern does, fold it lengthwise right sides
together and pin it.
Take a piece of chalk or fabric marking pen and draw a
slightly curved tail and a nice rounded head.
Start at the tail end of the worm sew follow your lines and then stitch down the body of the worm (with a 1/4" seam allowance) to about the middle of the strip. Stop. Be sure to backstitch to hold stitches in place. Then leave a 2” opening in the seam line and start again. Continue sewing the entire length of the body and the curve that forms the head. Again be sure to backstitch when you start and stop. You should have a long tube with the ends shaped for the head and tail.
Start at the tail end of the worm sew follow your lines and then stitch down the body of the worm (with a 1/4" seam allowance) to about the middle of the strip. Stop. Be sure to backstitch to hold stitches in place. Then leave a 2” opening in the seam line and start again. Continue sewing the entire length of the body and the curve that forms the head. Again be sure to backstitch when you start and stop. You should have a long tube with the ends shaped for the head and tail.
Sew a piece of Velcro on the seam allowance to
close the hole. Trim the seam allowance around the tail and head shapes so that
it is about a ¼” in length. Turn the worm right side out. 
Using the felt, cut 2 ovals
for eyes. Fold a piece of felt in half and pin it. Draw some antenna shapes
with chalk or disappearing ink and sew on those lines. Cut them out and glue
them on. Glue on the felt ovals and the googly eyes.
Stuff the the body with the pieces of gum and close the velcro. Give your child their Bookworm Buddy and the poem.
Now all you need is a good book to enjoy the whole alphabet this summer.
What are you and your children's favorite books?
