Thank you to Disney Book Group for gifting us the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan and sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
The summer is in full swing and we’ve settled down into somewhat of a routine. Our mornings are filled with camps, summer sports practices, errands, and on the occasion cartoon and PJ watching just because now we can. Our afternoons are filled with swimming, enjoying the freedom of all things summer, and – my personal favorite part of the day – reading hour. This is the first summer in a long time I can remember that we DON’T have to beg our children to get their summer reading minutes in. That’s because they’ve been reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.
We mentioned a few weeks ago that we chose this Greek adventure filled reading series for our children. Between the rave reviews – and its fast-paced content – we believed it would be a story that was of interest to all of our children. Now a few weeks in, it’s safe to say the series has far exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be good. I just didn’t realize it would be “my kids can’t put it down and I have to beg them to go to bed” good.
Even though we are only a few weeks into our summer routine, our readers have managed to read half of the series. The kids just wrapped up The Titan’s Curse, and are a few chapters into The Battle of the Labyrinth. At this rate, our prediction is that they’ll be on book five somewhere around Thursday’s fourth adult swim.
HOST THE ULTIMATE PERCY JACKSON PARTY
We’ve been having so much fun reading the Percy Jackson series that we decided to channel our inner Dionysus and host a fun party. So many of the kids’ friends are reading the series as well this Summer. We thought it would be a great way to extend the conversation around the books in a fun and engaging way. Plus, any excuse to have a party.
Planning the party was super easy. We used the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series as our inspiration. The Lightning Thief introduces you to Percy Jackson and his Camp Half Blood crew. Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon who loves to eat blue foods. Percy and his new found demigod friends find themselves on a world saving quest that climaxes at a water park. Pulling together a party with that information? Easy!
We pulled together a spread of blue foods (think blue juice, blue shark gummy snacks, blue candies, blue cupcakes, etc.). Next, we planned the decor around a nautical style theme to reflect Percy’s water god abilities. We added in a trident or two to serve as an anchor (see what we did there?) to Percy’s relationship with Poseidon.
Water plays such an important role in Percy Jackson’s life. We decided to elaborate on that (and because this is summer!) by taking the party pool side. Oversized Pegasus themed float and all.
Calling all demigods! Let’s discuss!
Having the Percy Jackson party at the pool was also a strategic move. Our kids aren’t the only ones who have been reading and learning about Ancient Greek battle strategies, and lifeguard breaks occur every hour. What better time to sneak in a little reading or chat with your friends about the books themselves?
During each break the kids were encouraged to grab a blue snack and enjoy the 10 minutes chatting. It was an easy time to share amongst each other about their favorite Percy Jackson moments.
To help facilitate the discussion we created these Percy Jackson discussion cards. We wanted to encourage thinking beyond just “that battle was epic!”. And to be honest, we knew if we left it up to some of the kids they would have just used the ten minutes to poke each other with the toy tridents.
Download your own set of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Discussion cards.
Spending the Summer with Percy
Our kids might not be going to Camp Half-Blood this summer, but they are looking forward to spending the remainder of our break with Percy Jackson and his crew. The kids can’t wait to see what fun adventures the rest of the series has in store for them. That makes this book-loving mommy quite happy.
Stay tuned for a full review and more Percy Jackson fun as the summer continues. To learn more about the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series visit ReadRiordan.com
Have you been reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians series along with us? What quest are your kids reading about now?
Comments
Great party!
Do you mind sharing where you found the trident? I feel like my son would LOVE that!
Thanks!
Awesome party!
Could you please share where you found the trident? Im planning my son birthday Party and he would LOVE that!
Thanks!
Here you go! Trident
This is amazing! There did you get the blue gems?