2026

2026 Summer Reading Programs

Abby H.Leave a comment

Summer break from school means summer reading programs from the local library systems, plus a few other places.

At the time of the publication of this post, the City of San Diego has not officially posted their information; however, I spoke to a librarian at a city library, and they said it would be almost identical to the program offered in years past.  For more information on prior years’ programs and prizes, click here.

Here are a few of our favorite summer reading programs. Unless specifically stated, the programs start on June 1st.

Book It has a summer program where kids can read and earn free personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut! Book It is the FAVORITE reading program in my house. Parents can enroll their kids for the summer! All logging of reading and prizes is now done on an app. Learn more here.

The County of San Diego Library’s summer reading program starts on June 1st. They have all sorts of prizes for kids and adults.

If you want your family to experience a multicultural world through reading, I  recommend PJ Library.  PJ Library sends free, award-winning books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to families with children from birth through 12 years old.

My kids love learning about faraway places and experiences different from their own. The PJ library books have opened their eyes to new holidays, customs, and ways of life.

Read Conmigo provides free books for kids by mail in Spanish and English to children ages preschool to fifth grade. They are only available to kids in CA, TX, and Florida. We used to receive the books, and they are ok, but my kids aren’t interested in learning Spanish. The books were super useful for me in learning to read in Spanish (Beyond what Duolingo teaches).

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program starting July 1st. More info here.

Dolly Parton has established the Imagination Library, which is available in select regions, and those who live in participating areas can receive one book for their kids every month via mail.

Many of you have told me about Nothing Bundt Cake’s reading program. Books & Bundts is their youth reading program for pre-K through elementary students that celebrates the joy of reading. It’s easy and free with delicious results. Contact your local bakery to see if they are participating and to learn more.

If your kids like Chuck E. Cheese, this offer is great!  When they read every day for two weeks, they can fill out and turn in this calendar for 10 free play points!

Project Pan 2026: Use It Up, Wear It Out, Or Do Without

Abby H.

After seeing so many people with varying levels of success in 2025, I’ve decided that in 2026, I’ll be joining in on Project Pan.

What is Project Pan? It started out with cosmetic wearers wanting to “hit pan,” meaning the metal cup is pressed in, but this phrase has been applied to any sort of “use it up” beauty product challenge.

The term can be used for any sort of beauty product, skincare, haircare, or even cleaning supplies.

It’s a more modern way of saying, “Make do, use it up, go without.”

My Project Pan 2026 goals:

  • Go through the cosmetics and skin care I have, discard anything expired/smelly/separated.
  • Organize my cosmetics and skin care so that it is easy to see and use.
  • Keep track of what I use daily, and make sure to rotate unused items in as I “hit pan”.
  • I have cosmetics spatulas like these to help scoop out any liquids/gels that are stubbornly clinging to the sides of bottles and jars.
  • I will also be cleaning my makeup brushes more often. Some of them I’ve used very vivid colors, and they really need a deep cleaning before I use them again.

I will not be purchasing any new:

  • Perfumes/Body Sprays/EDT
  • Face Wash
  • Exfoliants
  • Masks
  • Serums
  • Eye creams
  • Lotions (I don’t use lotion too often to start with)
  • Body Wash

Things I will be purchasing:

  • Shampoo and Conditioner- With three people in my house, we go through a bottle of each about once a month. I’ll be using my free $10 from CVS Care Pass each month, combined with deals and Extra Care Bucks offers, to buy Shampoo and conditioner. Hopefully, I’ll get some good deals and be able to stock up and not have to use my $10 on hair care products each month. I currently have 3 bottles of shampoo and no conditioner in my stockpile.
  • Deodorant: I use a specific type of deodorant, and it’s not on sale very often, so I usually only buy 1 stick at a time. Upside- a stick lasts 3-4 months. If I see it on sale, I might buy 2.

Talk Back: Have you ever done anything like this before?