Book project helps kids discover joy of reading

The Rutherglen Reformer reported on a Reading Is Fundamental, UK project at Burgh Primary school. More than 20 pupils took part in the five-week story sacks project, designed to encourage a love of reading. The project is run jointly by a Home School Partnership worker and a primary one teacher, and was run alongside parents, who attended the full programme. At the end of the programme the children got to choose and keep two free books to encourage them to continue to read. Each child received a story sack, which contained a book and other items, such as jigsaws, puppets and games. The children could take the sacks home for a week.

(Rutherglen Reformer, 27 December 2007)

More information on Reading Is Fundamental, UK
More information on story sacks

---

RIF and the Aberdeen Reading Bus

In Aberdeen the Reading Bus team with help from parents and library staff organised two book distributions: one for Kittybrewster School’s P1s and one for their P4/5 class. Both had a Scottish theme, the events coming close to St Andrew’s Day. The younger children had an interactive Scots song, sung by a local storyteller, with the children inventing verses.

There was a really good parental turn-out, and everyone was encouraged to join in with the animal noises during the re-telling of a traditional Scots story. The children all loved it and then sang the parents and reading bus staff the two Scots songs they were to perform in their school Scots song. Each child came up to the stage individually to receive their books. Moira MacIver, from the Aberdeen Reading Bus, said: “It was amazing to watch their faces, they were absolutely delighted to get their book and it was a privilege to see.”

Bill Burnett came to talk to the older children. He enthralled them with information about clans and tartans and different Saints’ days. Then he told a story in Scots about a cat called Brockit. All of which was so popular that at 3.10pm Moira insisted they had to stop so there would be time to receive the Reading Is Fundamental, UK (RIF) books. The Reading Bus team with a home/school link teacher have bought disposable cameras to send home with a letter requesting that parents take a photo of their child reading their book with an adult or to a teddy etc. They have also taken each P1 child's photo with their RIF book and taken a quote to be mounted onto a card. It is hoped that this will help draw more parents in to the next event, by displaying the photos from the disposable cameras at school and inviting parents to come in and take the one of their child home.

For more information, visit www.readingbus.co.uk

---

Leighton Primary School, Crewe

On Friday 5 October Leighton, a Reading Connects school, celebrated a literacy day with most of the children dressing up in book character costumes. At 2.30p.m. parents, grandparents and other family members came into school and shared a book with their child and the school also ran a library for the adults to borrow books. The wholeday was a great success.

---

Catholic School of St Gregory The Great, Cheltenham

Year's 1 to 6 all attended events at the Cheltenham Literature festival, which they followed up with a writing competition related to the authors or poets that they saw, which included Jeremy Strong (Year 3), Emma Chichister Clark (Year 1), Mairi Hedderwick (Year 2), John Foster (Year 4), Morris Gleitzman (Year 5), and Gillian Cross (Year 6). The children had a fantastic time. The school set up an adult library at the end of the summer term which has been welcomed by staff, cleaning staff, voluntary helpers and parents alike. 

---

Allendale First School, Northumberland

Allendale is a member of Reading Connects, their deputy headteacher, Alison Hawkins, describes the school's recent reading activity:

"We have just devoted a whole week to reading, celebrating National Children's Book Week. Some of the activities were taken fron suggestions in the Book Week pack and we also did our own. Each class has written their own stories or poems, made book marks and had reading assemblies.

"The librarian from Hexham came especially to open the local library; each class visited and he read stories to them. He then came into school and did a special assembly celebrating the reading challenge in the summer that quite a few of our children had completed. We had a story teller in school to work with different age groups. Years 2,3 and 4 visited Seven Stories in Newcastle to do various workshops, whilst the younger children brought in their pyjamas and had special bedtime reading sessions. 

"But I have to say the most popular and successful events were ones where we firstly invited parents, grandparents, and family members into school to read books from our library to small groups of children. Lots of adults attended and there was a lovely atmosphere and sounds of enjoyment from the story telling.

"Then another afternoon we paired up older children and younger children and they chose books to read together or the older children read to the younger. We also dressed up as a favourite book character on this day and again the sounds around school were wonderful.