by Morgan Brown
I wanted to share one of my recent experiences as a BookSpring volunteer! A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to volunteer with Ms. Collier at the Galindo Elementary School Literacy Night. The theme of the event was based around the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. Students were invited to participate in the activity stations and earn “cookies” for successfully finishing each task. Upon earning six “cookies”, they would be able to pick out a book to keep. As a volunteer, I helped Ms. Collier run the individual stations and hand out “cookies” as the children completed their activities.
I was extremely impressed by the creativity of each station. They were thoughtfully designed to tap into different interests, and keep the kids engaged. The stations included Dr. Seuss themed word-searches, and mazes on dry-erase boards, decorating tote bags to carry one’s new book home, telling a joke to the gym teacher to try to get him to laugh (such a good sport!), and using an iPad to play a literacy game. It was great to see new technologies like tablets and digital cameras being used. The school was embracing traditional and new methods of teaching that the kids seemed to love. Each activity served its purpose to encourage reading and get the kids exited about it in a new and different way!
Last but not least, children were treated to a visit from the Mouse character from the story upon exiting the event! It was great to see them pose with their families for happy photos!
I thought that Ms. Collier did a fantastic job with the event. Not only was her enthusiasm contagious, but also it was clear how much she cared about the students, and was passionate about encouraging them to embrace reading! Their families accompanied most of the students, and it was great to see the event involve so many parents and siblings both young and old!
It was inspiring to watch the kids go from hesitant and unsure about the event to not wanting to leave! They were so excited about the games and activities that many of them came back again and again – even after collecting all of their “cookies” and their new book!
The event was a great success and Ms. Collier and the other participating teachers received excellent feedback from the students and their families. It was evident that everyone had a great time, and I was very appreciative to be a part of it!
