How can you make a difference?

How can you make a difference?

Rosemary Peterson is a bus driver in Florida. She challenges the students on her bus to read books, write reports, and then turn them in for prizes. 

Not only is she motivating them to read, but I am sure they are also learning a valuable lesson in how to use their time wisely. Can you imagine how enjoyable a ride to school would be with a bus full of readers?! (I know that's not what my bus rides were like!)

Be sure to watch the video [from nbc's Nightly News with Brian Williams (who is awesome, might I add!)] You've got to hear the story straight from the source.

         

The question is this: "Ms.Kookyi" is making a difference. What can YOU do?

The power of reading...

A friend of mine sent me a link to this article that was published in the New York Times. It truly explains the power of reading, and how reading with your children can build lasting memories.

Click on the link below to read the article...
A Father-Daughter Bond, Page by Page by Michael Winerip (March 18, 2010)


Hopefully this is inspiring!!

Making time to read

It's something we all want more of, in fact it's something we can't get enough of- time. There are so many things packed into each day, how can we possibly get them all done?
My challenge to you is to MAKE time to read with your child(ren). Make it a priority. Make sure it happens. Notice I didn't say 'find' time to read. The time is there-it's not that you have to find it...all of us often get caught up in what is going on around us and fill that time with other things. (Trust me, the lover of reading books with my daughter that I am- I still loose track of time and miss out on those opportunities!)
MAKING time is different- it is a choice. When you make time to read you have chosen to make it a priority for your family.
The NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) encourages families to read every day together at a designated time. They have found that taking time to read together shows your child that reading is worthwhile; that it's important.
Making time to read may mean different things for different families. Maybe this means right before bed, or before nap, right after dinner, or even during bath time-but in some way build a time for reading into your child's daily routine.
I know you're picturing "the perfect family" huddled around a book and laughing and smiling and having a grand old time- and you're thinking- yeah, right...there's no way I can get my kids to do that! Well, it may not go that way, and that's okay. Just try it out. Spend some time one-on-one with them. Try reading a new book. But, don't look at it as work, or just one more thing to do. In the end it doesn't matter so much what you read with them, but that you are reading with them.
So, make some time in your day to read with your family. No matter what their ages, your children will benefit from it. And, you may even benefit from it too!

Let me know how it goes. Make reading a priority in your family. Start by making time each day to read.