Getting little ones, aged 5 or 6, interested in reading is a great way to ensure their success throughout their education years. Reading is such an important part of eventual learning and development in our school systems that it needs to be emphasized early. For kids it also needs to be made fun and enjoyable. So, Edutainment can be achieved by giving kindergartners a personalized book called “School is Fun".
The Rotary Club of Tehachapi, CA, has had great success in doing an annual Community Service Project in basic literacy called our Kindergarten Book Project. Here’s how it works:
A unique “School is Fun book” is personalized for each student so the story in the book uses their name as the lead character and has the name of their parents, teacher, friends and even their pet’s name included.
This personal information is gathered by having the kindergarten teachers work with each of their students to fill out a one-page form listing the information. These info sheets are then gathered and sent to a printer who prepares the individualized books. The small books have colorful firm bindings and nice quality pages. When received back from the printer, the books are handed out by Rotarians to the kids in their classrooms. They can take the book home, bring it to school, or share with family and friends – it’s their very own.
It’s a joy to see the kids react when getting a special book of their own. Their enthusiasm and thanks make it a very worthwhile community service project. It’s also gratifying to know that stimulating an early interest in reading really helps the kids build a strong basis for the rest of their education. We’re sharing the “Joy of Reading”.
If you’d like to learn more about the Kindergarten Book Project please feel free to contact me at (661) 821-0086 or at tim-trujillo@earthlink.net