Here at casa de Perfect Day we LOVE books. We read with R(3) two or three times a day, (or more if he asks us to). It has been that way since he was three weeks old. He adores books and our weekly trip to the library is something he has loved since he was just a baby. By 7 months old he knew which street in town led to the library and he would wail and scream if it wasn’t library day and we didn’t turn down that road. I have had so much fun these past three years reading old sentimental favourites from my own childhood such as The Berenstain Bears series as well as discovering new favourites like Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and I have a long list of titles that I just can’t wait to share with him as he gets older. He has just begun to recognise letters and a few sight words, so now we have turned a new corner as he begins to learn to read independently. It is a magical experience to witness this little person discovering language, and learning to read.
So you can imagine how excited I am that the first week of March is packed full of reading related days and events.
- 2012 is the National Year of Reading in Australia
- March 1 is day one of The Little Book Challenge being run by My Little Bookcase (we are VERY excited about this!)
- March 1 is World Book Day
- March 2 is Read Across America Day
- March 2 is also Dr.Seuss’ birthday
- March 7 is World Read Aloud Day
Today, March 1, is World Book Day. What better day to mark the start of The Little Book Challenge being hosted by My Little Bookcase. There will be 10 monthly book related projects/challenges, and the lovely Jackie, editor of My Little Bookcase, writes ”each poject is designed to encourage families to take reading to the next level. The projects will encourage you to think about stories, talk about the elements of a book, connect with a book, share a book, use a book or bring a book to life. None of the projects will be overly difficult.” The aim of the challenge is to contribute to the goals of The 2012 National Year of Reading. Research has revealed that 46 % of Australians don’t have the literacy skills required to ‘read newspapers; follow a recipe; make sense of timetables; or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.’ You can read all about the challenge here and you can registed to take part here. We have registered and we’ve already started planning our ideas for the first challenge. This is going to be so much fun!
Tomorrow, March 2, is Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Dr.Seuss is one of those authors who you either love or hate. R is a big fan. I really do enjoy all of his books with the exception of the Cat in the Hat books. I loathe that cat! Give me The Sneetches, or a There’s a Wocket in my Pocket any day! If your little ones are fans of Dr Suess and you are looking for some fun Dr Seuss themed activities, Mon to 2 Posh Lil Divas is co-hosting a fantastic Dr Suess linky party. There’s a tonne of fantastic ideas being linked up.
March 2 is also Read Across America Day is the largest reading event in the nation and 2012 marks the fifteenth year for RAA. You can learn more at their blog here.
World Read Aloud Day , on March 7, is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. WRAD is organised by LitWorld, a non profit organisation. They aim to equip ten thousand literacy leaders to effect change that will impact ten million children across the globe by 2016. WRAD had 40,000 participants in 2010. Last year, there was five times that number with 200,000 participants. They are hoping to achieve 1 million participants this year. You can register here.
There are so many fun book related events happening right now. If you and your family love books too, why not register and join in the fun? Do you have any plans for Dr Suess’ birthday tomorrow? What about World Read Aloud Day…what are your family’s favourite read-aloud books? I’d love to hear about them!
