| The Miracle in the Making provides
a monthly opportunity for your family to work
together to make someone’s life and
your neighborhood better. We know how
precious your time is. We will provide
you with community service opportunities that
are flexible. This way your family can
decide on the amount of time you will spend
each month on making miracles happen.
Here's a sample of the miracles your family
will participate in once you join SimplePath. |
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Crazy
for Books! |
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Whether you're a parent,
guardian or grandparent you can help a child
learn to love reading and appreciate the
wonder of books. You also can help
ensure your child's academic success by
encouraging good reading habits at an early
age. October is National Book Month
and to celebrate, this month's Miracle in
the Making is all about books and reading.
In addition to this month's activity, we've
included some ideas to help you encourage
your child's love of reading.
Many public libraries and non-profit institutions
are looking for gently used books. This
month we encourage you to help your child
collect books to donate to your local library
or social- service organization. Here
are a few easy steps to help you get started: |
Step
1: Get Organized! |
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Call your local public library
and ask them about their book donation policy. |
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If your library does not accept donations,
call your local Goodwill, United Way, Salvation
Army or check with your community of faith.
You can also log onto the National Book Foundation's
website www.nationalbook.org
for ideas on where to donate books in
your area. |
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Set a date to collect the books you would
like to donate. You may want to pick
a few days during the month to collect books.
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Also use this month to support your child's
reading by going to the library to get library
cards if you don't already have one. |
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Pick a few nights each week to turn off
the TV, get cozy and read to your child.
Bedtime is always a good time. If your
child is learning to read, make sure to also
include "read aloud" time to help
build your child's reading confidence (check
out www.rif.org
for more ideas on how to create a family reading
time). |
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| Questions
for Reflection -
Find a quiet time to talk with your child
about reading and books. Use this time to
share some of your own reading experiences
or a favorite story. The possibilities are
endless. Here are a few questions to get started: |
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What do you like best about reading? |
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What are your favorite stories or books? |
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If you could read a book about any subject
what would it be about? (Surprise your child
one night with a book about this topic!) |
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Step
2: Get Going! |
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| Small
projects -
Go through your own collection and find books
you would like to donate. This might
include baby or children's books that your
child has outgrown. Make sure the books
are in good shape and put them in a box for
donation. |
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| Bigger
projects -
If your family is interested in organizing
a book drive, consider these basic steps: |
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Reach out to people who live in your area
and tell them you are organizing a book drive. |
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Select a target date for collection and
donation. |
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Talk to your local library, Salvation Army,
or United Way to determine who can accept
your donations. You can even check with
your child's homeroom teacher at school to
see if a book drive is being planned. |
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On collection day, make sure that all books
collected are clean and in good shape.
Pack your donated books in boxes (this makes
it easy for the recipient of your books to
sort your donation). |
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Take your books to your organization of
choice. |
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Thank your volunteers. |
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Congratulations! You just completed
your first book drive. Don't forget
to celebrate your success! |
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| Questions
for Reflection - Take time
out to talk to your kids about their thoughts
on their experience: |
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What was the most memorable part of the
book drive? |
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Name two or three things you learned doing
this activity. |
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What unexpected challenges did you encounter
and how did you address them? |
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Step
3: Final Reflections on Your Activity |
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| Think
about Lessons Learned -
Talk with your children about the
lessons they learned and why the experience
was valuable. Dinner is a great time
to talk with your kids; but you can also pick
anytime where you can relax and have time
to chat. Here are a few questions to
jump start your conversation: |
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What excited you about this project? |
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Why is reading important to you? |
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If we did this book drive again, what would
you want to do differently? |
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Helpful
Hints & Resources: |
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| For more ideas about book donations,
check out the National Book Foundation at
www.nationalbook.org.
To find helpful hints and ideas to unlock
your child’s reading potential log onto
the U.S. Department of Education at www.ed.gov
or Reading is Fundamental (RIF) at www.rif.org.
RIF also offers parents lots of great tips
to help your child become an enthusiastic
reader at any age. |
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Hug
Your Family Members and Tell Them You Love
Them. |
