2023 Reading Challenge – February

Inspired by reading challenges offered by many public libraries but limited to people in those specific communities, GSHE is organizing a 2023 Reading Challenge for NH’s homeschool community!

It is just for fun, to help young readers explore new authors, subjects, and genres. Our monthly challenges are very broad so families may choose whatever book they wish and feel is appropriate for their children.

We announce each challenge in our monthly newsletters – they usually go out around the 13th or so. Sign up for our newsletter at our website; there is a box in the right-hand column that says “join today” and pop-up boxes to register. If you have any difficulty, email us at info@GraniteStateHomeEducators.org and we will register you.

Participants are not required to complete book reports, give oral presentations, or any formal project, and families are free to incorporate our reading challenge into their child’s learning as they see fit. We have a simple 2023 GSHE Reading Challenge log that families may print out to keep track of their child’s participation. It can be part of your child’s homeschool portfolio!

 

PARTICIPATION RULES

Parents/guardians may send GSHE one submission per month per child – include the child’s name and age along with what book he/she read. Email us at info@GraniteStateHomeEducators.org with “Reading Challenge” in the subject line so we can more easily keep track of everything. Submissions are due before the next month’s challenge is announced.

Each month’s participation is another chance to win! For example, if your child reads something each month, that is 12 opportunities to win one of our prizes. If a child participates in six of the monthly challenges, that is six chances to win.

For kids that are not reading independently, audio books and books you read together are perfectly fine. Any reading ability is welcome to participate.

To help motivate kids to participate, we would love to have photos to go along with the monthly submissions that we can use in our monthly newsletters.

At the end of the year, we will award $25 Amazon gift cards to FOUR lucky winners!

Let’s get started!!

For February, it’s a two-part challenge! Read a book that is a play or has been adapted to a play or movie, and then watch the show.

This is a great opportunity for extra fun! Consider hosting a group book/movie day as a meet-up at a local library or your home; it’s a great excuse to meet people and make new friends. Yes, I partially stole this idea from some moms who are doing this for teens in Hooksett every month.

There are several theater productions coming up, so maybe you would like to select one of those shows and read the book before the performance. See the list we collected at the end of this article.

This also sets up an interesting discussion to compare and contrast the book and movie or show because there can be great differences in how the story is portrayed.

Hope you enjoy this month’s challenge!

 

Suggestions for Plays and Shows

Annie

Antigone

Beauty and the Beast

Cats

Fiddler on the Roof

Into the Woods

Les Miserables

Little Shop of Horrors

Little Women

Lord of the Rings trilogy

Mary Poppins

Narnia series

Our Town

Phantom of the Opera

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Misanthrope

The Wizard of Oz

Twelve Angry Men

Waiting for Godot

West Side Story

Wicked

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

anything by Arthur Miller

anything by Shakespeare

 

Upcoming Theater Productions

Little Women    February 17        Central High School, Manchester

Beauty and the Beast     February 19        Souhegan High School, Amherst

“Grease – School Version”           February 23 – 25               Scenic Theatre, Pittsfield

Little Women    March 3 – 19       Palace Theatre, Manchester

Once Upon a Mattress, Youth Edition      March 17 – 26    Peacock Players, Nashua

Moana, Jr            April 14 – 22       Majestic Theatre, Conway

 

 

Theatre Companies – Opportunities to watch or perform

Arts in Motion Theatre Company, Conway

Colonial Theatre, Laconia

Concord Youth Theatre, Concord

Kids Coop Theatre, Derry

Majestic Theatre, Derry and Manchester

Palace Theatre, Manchester

Peacock Players, Nashua

RB Productions Theatre Company, Concord

Windham Actors Guild, Windham

About

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Michelle Levell, director of GSHE