Archive for category: 5-min. ideas

Image: D.Salhundi, Karnatak, India

Here’s why we say you should “scatter books around the house.”

I want you to watch this exciting speech by Sugata Mitra on TED.com that illustrates the extent to which kids can teach themselves.

Through his “Hole in the Wall” project he conducted a series of experiments in 1999. He went to a slum in New Delhi, India and secured computers, hooked up to the Internet, into a wall so they could be used. And then he left.

The kids there had never used a computer before. And, the computer was completely in English—a language the kids didn’t speak or understand.

Within eight hours, an eight-year-old boy was not only surfing the Internet, but he was teaching a six-year-old friend how to browse.

The kids taught themselves how to use the PC, and the Internet—in English—and they began teaching each other.

He conducted the many more experiments which supported his theory that when they’re left alone, with the right resources, children are able to self-instruct to an incredible degree.

So how does this apply to literacy? It’s simple: Scatter books around your house. Put a book on his bed. Put a book in the bathroom. Leave a book poking out from under his dresser. Leave a book on the kitchen table.

If you leave a kid alone with a good book, he will pick up the book and start flipping through it. Soon, he will become interested in it. He will read.

Here is the speech (it gets really interesting at about 7:33).

Have you sent your kid a letter this summer?

This activity will boost your child’s reading in five seconds.

I often let my son break the rules by reading.

When I tell him, “it’s time for bed,” he knows that if he grabs a book, it’ll buy him an extra half-hour or so. As long as his teeth are brushed and he’s in his jammies, I’ll extend his bedtime by a couple of chapters.

If he’s been sent up to his room to make his bed, and I discover him reading instead… the bed can wait. And as long as I know his homework will eventually get done, he can delay that by reading as well.

In fact, many rules in our house can be “gotten around” by reading. Of course, the chores have to be done eventually – but in the meantime, my son is discovering that reading is more fun than cleaning up his room.

Reading is more fun than cleaning. I break my own rules as well, staying up late reading a good book. And it’s a whole lot better than late-night TV.

Have you taught your child how to read a newspaper?

I don’t mean the words themselves. I mean how a newspaper works. What a headline is. Where the author’s name is, and how to tell what’s happening in the pictures. Where does the rest of the article go off the front page? Why are there sections? And how to use the index to find the comics (very important).

This kind of information is crucial to a newspaper reader, because it helps you understand what to read, what you should skip, and what you can skim. It helps put the images in context. For instance, the same photo on the front of the Style section, and the front of the News section would have very different meanings.

Beginning readers need to know that they don’t have to (and shouldn’t) read every word of the newspaper. They need to understand what advertisements are vs. articles, what headlines and subheads are for, and how to tell which article goes with which picture.

You wouldn’t do this all at once, of course. Even a thirty-second explanation could have a huge impact. Let’s say you’re reading the paper in the morning and your child is eating her breakfast. Why not take the section that would be most interesting to her, and point out an article. Show her the headline, and the photo, and tell her what’s happening in the article.

Thirty seconds. That may be all she needs to get started – and curious. And curiosity creates amazing readers.

Newspapers are great because there’s something for everyone. You child might enjoy the sports section, the comics, the main news, or fashion. Just keep them away from any articles that could be too scary – like in the business section.

Every night? Every night.

Hoppity by A. A. Milne

Christopher Robin goes
Hoppity, hoppity,
Hoppity, hoppity, hop.

Whenever I tell him
Politely to stop it, he
Says he can’t possibly stop.

If he stopped hopping,
He couldn’t go anywhere,
Poor little Christopher
Couldn’t go anywhere…

That’s why he always goes
Hoppity, hoppity,
Hoppity,
Hoppity,
Hop.

How many times have you said, “My child’s not a reader.”

If you’ve said it, he’s heard it.

The way we define our children goes a long way towards making them that way. So if we tell people our child’s not interested in reading, he’ll live up to that expectation.

Fortunately, when we speak positively about our child’s reading, he’ll internalize that message, too.

So instead of, “My daughter’s not a reader,” how about, “My son loves those Magic Treehouse books.” Or, “Last week, Martina read Amelia Bedelia at school.” Or, “I love it when I see Sam reading.”

Let those “big ears” of your child hear that you think he’s a reader – and that’s what he’ll become.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!