Winter has gone on long enough, so forget spring!  We want to go straight to summer!   

We can't wait to feel the warm sun on our faces, scrunch our toes in the sand, feel the cool grass under our feet, swim in the ocean, jump in the lake, catch fireflies, chase frogs, and have ice cream run down our chins.  
Baseball, barbeques and bicycle rides are just around the corner, but summer still seems just out of our reach.  
What can we do to make summer get here faster?  Use our brains and have (parent- and teacher-approved) fun in the process!  Let's get those creative juices flowing to finish out the school year strong.  Brains need exercise, too!  And we're about to take our brains to the gym... the brain gym, that is!
How are we going to exercise our brains, you ask?  You did ask, didn't you?
Here's how.  Beginning today, Friday, March 13th (insert scary music here!) we're going to take pictures, share stories, have fun days and play games.  I want to know what you're up to as we count down to the longest day of the year, June 21st.

What can you expect?  Fun writing prompts, silly scripts, picture scavenger hunts and goofy holidays.  Help us celebrate summer's arrival by following along and posting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or here on my blog, and visiting my website.  When possible use the hashtag #100DaysTilSummer. 
I promise you there will be something new and silly and fun to do every single day, and before you know  it, summer will be here!  
Oh, I almost forgot.  I have a surprise for you!  
June 21st is not only the first day of summer, it's also a special birthday -- for my picture book A Reel Cool Summer , so I'm giving away one paperback copy every day for those hundred days (US addresses only).  Or, if you're a bit too old for picture books and you have a Kindle, I'll send you an electronic copy (.mobi file) of Smell My Feet! 10 Seriously Silly and Sweet Short Stories for Squirts or What About Barnaby? A Gumshoe Crew Mystery by email.

Scroll down for giveaway entry form and to follow our 100 Days 'til Summer countdown fun!  Deal?

Deal!

I hope you're as excited as I am to use our brains for fun, which will keep them healthy for all that learning that's still to be done in school.

Let the 100 Days 'til Summer countdown begin!

And as always... stay cool!
Martha

Day 100:  March 13th
Today is Friday the 13th, but not even a black cat, scary horror movie music, blood-curdling screams or creepy shadows can stop us from having fun.
1.  Write about that time you saved your best friend from the worst Friday the 13th mayhem.
2.  Look up the words triskadekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobic.
3.  Picture scavenger hunt!  Take a picture of something related to Friday the 13th or join us in the countdown with a picture of a 100 (find one or make one out of stuff around your house).

Day 99:  March 14th
It's National Pi Day, but we prefer National Pie Day!  And it's also National Potato Chip Day!  I think we'll need to throw a vegetable in there somewhere...so it's parent approved, of course! 
1.  Describe your favorite pie or potato chip flavor.  It's much more fun if you make one up and tell us why it's your favorite.
2.  Take a picture of a pie, or 99 pies, or just your face full of pie, or a potato chip that looks like something or reminds you of someone.  Potato chips have a lot of personality, you just have to look to find it, and preferably before you put it in your mouth!

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