We are now moving into the last half of our celebration of Black History Month. How have you been celebrating, thus far? This month, I’ve applauded African American authors and musicians. What do you know about your favorite African American author(s) or musician(s)? What was their life like as a child? What experiences led them…
In 2014, the New York Public Library proclaimed the fourth Wednesday in January as Library Shelfie Day. So let me explain, a shelfie is like a selfie, except you take your selfie in front of a shelfie! 🙂 And, a library shelfie is simply a shelfie taken in a library. So, let’s have some fun.…
In the month of November and throughout the year, my church choir sometimes sing the song, “Every Day is a Day of Thanksgiving.” The lyrics go on to say: “God’s been so good to me, Every day He’s a blessing, Every day is a day of Thanksgiving, Take the time to…
For Readers: Do you collect words? As a child, words fascinated me, as I imagine they do for most young people. Mostly, I collected unfamiliar words. I’d look them up in the dictionary and would practice using them in sentences. I thought all kids my age did the same thing. As an adult and as…
For Readers: When choosing literacy activities for the kids and for yourself this summer, most times you don’t have to go any further than your local public library. Activity events range from summer reading for kids and adults to photography, to computer coding, to arts and crafts, to movies. When speaking about “literacy,” in this…
There’s still time to celebrate Black History Month. This week, let’s applaud African-American authors, in which I am one! In 1990, the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English created the National African American Read-In. Their purpose for creating this event was to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. It…
It’s mid-November and not in the least too late to celebrate. What are we celebrating? I’m glad you asked. Take your pick or celebrate them all! Picture Book Month: An international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book founded by author and storyteller, Dianne de Las Casas. Simply stated on the Picture Book Month…
September is National Literacy Month and Saturday, Sept. 8 marked the 52nd annual International Literacy Day. In an effort to raise awareness for literacy and its significance as a foundation for lifelong learning, this annual event brings together communities, organizations, students, and educators. Although September 8th was this past weekend, you still have the rest of this…
A story exists in each of us. I encourage children and adults to find inspiration to write. Ideas can come from a variety of sources: Pictures Newspaper or magazine articles Sunday school lessons or sermons Events in one’s own life Events in other people’s lives Shared conversations (with permission and without revealing sensitive info that could personally…
This summer, continue to encourage your child to read during the school break by enrolling them in a summer reading program. There are many incentives, including freebies! Register your child for a summer reading program and take advantage of the activities and events that will keep your kids busy. Some summer program activities and events…