Why Reading to our Students is so Important!

When I was home in June, I asked people to consider making videos of them reading a child's book, especially illustrated books.  The reason, simply enough is for the kids to get as much exposure as possible to having books read to them in English.  Unfortunately I have not heard of anyone getting me any of these type videos made, so I must not have explained well enough the need for reading to kids.

Before I start, I am not an educator.  I manage and build things in this world, that is my skill set.  I have other skill sets, but really hope I never use most of them again.  With that said, even I know the  importance of helping children in the preschool age and students in their early years develop multiple ways of learning about the world around them.  I understand that while I love logic and math, it is not the only way to solve a problem.  In fact you need creativity if you want to find new ways to solve the problem. 

 

You can actually see Kristen Bell in this photo on the screen

Creativity is formed by looking at the world in a different way than simply memorizing what is put on a black board and written in you exercise book.  One of the ways you can help with creativity is to explore the imagination and where it can take you.  That is the biggest way a book can help.  Yes movies can do this also, but I always found a book requires one to use more of your imagination than a movie will.  When I read a book I have to imagine the world it is taking me to.

One of the few things I can remember from my childhood years, is sitting in circle while we the kids passed a book around and read a paragraph each.  I loved to think of being a cowboy riding a horse on the plain, meeting animals and fish that could talk and each had their own personality, riding trains to search for friends, and exploring the moon.

I want to give that to our kids here as well.  So much of their education will be memorizing things written on a black board and then in their exercise books, just a smile or two as a child thinks about a meeting a leopard that likes to wear fancy clothes, or a giraffe that blows bubbles seems to be the simplest way I can contribute to their education.

Unfortunately books are expensive over here and trying to bring them over is getting more difficult every year.  So the thought of someone in the states going over to the library and checking out a book for free to read it to our kids via video seemed like a no brainer to me. 

I have about 15 books I have brought over so far and have been reading them to the kids.  In fact the book I bought from Kohls for $5 has become their favorite to ask for during free time so they can try to read it themselves after I read it to them the other week.

In addition I was told about several resources for people reading books on video including Storyline Online from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation where TV and Movie stars read illustrated books to kids.  Unfortunately not all are age or topic appropriate so I don't have as many as I hoped for.

I did start off this week with Kristen Bell reading Quackenstien Hatches a Family  by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrated by Brian T. Jones.  We are doing these Wednesday afternoon during Sports and Games right after lunch.  I have the teachers rotate the kids in groups of less than 10 at a time and we show the video on my laptop.  The first video was a huge hit as you can tell by the photos I have placed throughout this blog.  It was great because  a major topic of the book was Adoption which is something most of these kids have never heard of and we discussed that with each group. 

Next week we will do another Storyline Online video read by Tia and Tamara Mowry which I excited about because it features a song with the story and the kids here love songs.

I hope this encourages some of you to go get a favorite book you loved as a kid or reading to your kids and make the school a video of you reading it.  The kids love it, and every smile as they experience the world in a new more imaginative way helps their creativity.