Let’s Read: Michelle Obama puts a focus on reading this summer
I know. This blog isn’t about reading. It’s about local foods. But I know that a lot of the readers of this blog are also big readers of old fashioned books and care about literacy. As part of Michelle Obama’s ambitious Let’s Move campaign that strives to fight child obesity (& a big part of that campaign focuses on getting fresh, natural, local foods to kids) , the Let’s Read. Let’s Move campaign kicked off yesterday. The Let’s Read campaign’s goal is to combat “summer reading loss.” Many children don’t read at all during the summer and that puts them behind when they start school again in the fall.
I don’t think kids should have to spend their entire summer being traditionally educated. They should get as much outside time , as much time with their friends, as much time lying in the grass looking at clouds, as much splash time as possible. But, they also should spend time reading. The Let’s Read site says that reading 5 books over the summer can prevent learning loss and that without summer reading, students can lose 2-3 months of progress in reading achievement.
If you want to make sure that your kids don’t lose valuable brain matter over the summer, I’ve got a great way for you to get them books very inexpensively.
The Voorhees Branch of the Camden County Library System will hold its library book sale this Friday and Saturday. In the past, kids books have been 3 for $1. There are thousands of kids books that have been donated throughout the year to the library. Overall, there will be between 25,000 and 50,000 books sold over the course of the two days. I plan on going to the library and stocking up on books for the boys to read over the summer.
And don’t forgot your own summer reading while you are there. I usually buy a couple of light beach reads at this sale, and I always check out the cookbook table at library sales, too. Some of my best cookbooks have come from those tables.
