Percy Jackson & the Olympians Candy Popcorn Treat

This post is sponsored by Disney Book Group. 

Last month we shared how we were adding Percy Jackson & the Olympians to Jude’s summer reading to help kick the summer slide.  While this was the first time we bought any books by Rick Riordan, after Jude read the first book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series we knew this would be an author he would be reading again.  

Every summer we make sure to have books in the home and available for both Jude and Teagan to help encourage reading throughout the summer.  Neither one of them have to be hounded to pick up a book, thankfully, but to be honest the TV, computer and video games are more appealing to them both so having great book options available is really important in my opinion.  

As discussed in our first post about Percy Jackson, Jude is our reader, he is reading grade levels ahead of his peers and that leads us to some issues in finding some books that are appropriate for his age level that fall into his reading level.  The struggle is real!  Oh and he is a FAST reader!  All great characteristics to have and another reason why we are so thankful that we were introduced to Rick Riordan and this series.  

Summer is all about having fun, and I really believe that finding ways to making quiet and reading time fun can help encourage kids to get more excited about their books and reading time.  After reading a few of the Percy Jackson books, Jude told me that a lot of the food that Percy Jackson’s mom makes is blue food.  We decided that it would be fun to turn one of our favorite treats into a Percy Jackson treat that Jude could snack on while reading for a bit one afternoon.  

Percy Jackson Popcorn Treat

Ingredients:

1 bag of microwave popcorn
1 small bag of blue melting candy or chocolate 
blue sprinkles
Wax Paper

Directions:

1. Pop the bag of popcorn in microwave as directed.  
2. Lay out pop corn on a sheet of wax paper making sure to remove any unpopped pieces. 
3. Melt melting chocolate/candy as directed on package. 
4. Carefully drizzle the melted candy over the popcorn. 
5. Before the melted candy dries, pour some of the blue sprinkles over the popcorn.
6. Let the melted candy harden (15 minutes) and then break apart and add to bags or tubs for easy serving.  ENJOY!

This easy popcorn treat is so simple to make, we make a version of this treat for every birthday party we host.  It is always a hit and the adults are always so surprised when I tell them how I make it.  SO simple and a perfect treat that everyone LOVES.  Jude had fun making this with me and has really enjoyed eating it when he is doing his reading for the day. 

ABOUT PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS BOOK SERIES 

Rick Riordan‘s fun, fast-paced Percy Jackson series is perfect for kids who love monsters and mythological heroes. The Percy Jackson series follows the adventures of young demigod (half mortal, half Greek god) Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover. This series is listed for readers ages 9-12.  So far, the 3 books he has completed have been perfect for his age and his reading level.  

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS BOOKS:

Book One – The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him.

Book Two – The Sea of Monsters: After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson—a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any “normal” friends. But things don’t stay quiet for long…

Book Three – The Titan’s Curse: When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped. And now it’s up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess?

Book Four – The Battle of the Labyrinth:  Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical. In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near.

Book Five – The Last Olympian:  All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. 

Jude is almost done with the 3rd book of the series, The Titan’s Curse, and cannot wait to continue his reading with Percy Jackson.  What is great about this series is that it has sparked his interest in Greek mythology as well.  He has been doing some research on the Greek gods and myths he is reading about in the Percy Jackson books.  I love seeing him do research and wanting to learn more about this subject.  

From the moment Jude saw these books on the kitchen table he was ready to dive into them.  Jude is really into fantasy, dragons and mythological heroes and these books have really delivered some great entertainment for him so far this summer.  Summer is going quickly, how is it almost July already?!?  Make sure your kids are getting some reading in every day so that they are let that imagination run wild and kick that summer slide.   

Tips For Getting Your Child To Read Every Day:

Make Time For Reading:  We set aside at least 30 minutes of reading a day, this includes the adults in the home as well.  When schedules get jam packed it can be hard for kids to sit and actually enjoy the quiet reading time. 

Offer an incentive: Create a chart for your child.  When they finish a book, mark it on the chart.  When the chart is complete have a prize or a reward for their hard work.  

Provide books: Have books available in their room, playroom, living room and even the car.  Having books around will help them see the value and fun in reading. 

Keep reading out loud: Yes, both of my kids can read but the importance of still reading out loud to your child even after they are reading is critical.  Not only does this provide your family with some quality time together but it helps facilitate good reading habits and discussion. 

Ready First:  We have a rule that in order for their to be screen time of any kind this summer you must first read for 30 minutes.  This has been a great way to start our days.  Quiet time and no screens for a bit.  This is a good incentive to get the reading done every day.   

Have your kids done some reading this summer?  Would love to hear what books they are enjoying.