Each year, National Read Across America Day (now called Dr. Seuss Day) is celebrated on March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The annual event is an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. 

Great ways to inspire reading in children include:

• Keep books everywhere you spend time. Put them in the car, in every room of the house and tuck them in backpacks and purses. Make them easily accessible. 
• Visit the library often. Knowing how to use the library and learning the benefits of a library fosters a love of reading as well as a genuine respect for the services libraries provide.
• Get caught reading. Children imitate what they see the adults around them do. Whether they see you read a magazine, newspaper or novel, let them know reading is the cool thing to do. 
• Read to your children. No matter their age, reading aloud strengthens their vocabulary and language skills. It also opens up opportunity for discussion. 
• Have your children read to you, too. You never know what you might learn!

Source: nationaldaycalendar.com

February 5, 2020, is World Read Aloud Day! Now in its 11th year and celebrated in over 173 countries, World Read Aloud Day is a wonderful reminder of the power and importance of this best practice. Reading aloud provides a number of opportunities and benefits for children of all ages, from strengthening their vocabulary to increasing their attention span. Here’s a list of important questions to ask after you finish reading aloud to test comprehension and understanding.

https://rifhonolulu.org/read-aloud-guide-and-tips/

A survey in the UK found that children who own books are six times more likely to read above the expected level for their age. It makes sense that this applies globally, and RIF-Honolulu is part of the solution right here!

The Winter book distribution has begun, and the students have been enjoying visits from RIF readers, as well as a new round of books to select for their own.  Above are some ‘Thank You’ messages that grateful students wrote to their RIF readers after the previous visitation.  

RIF elves (aka volunteers) have been hard at work getting books ready for the Winter distribution that will start in January!  We’re excited for the children who will be receiving their new books soon!

As we enter the holiday season and reflect on all the things we are thankful for, we want to take this opportunity to give thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers and generous supporters throughout the many years that have helped RIF Honolulu serve Hawaii’s keiki.

For over 40 years, RIF, Honolulu has supported children and communities on Oahu to promote literacy and a life-long love of reading. With your help, we have distributed over 600,000 brand new books, and impacted the lives of over 50,000 of Hawaii’s keiki through books and literacy support. Since 1978 RIF Honolulu, along with the many volunteers and supporters, has been dedicated to RIF Honolulu’s mission of promoting literacy through book ownership. Today we have grown to serve Pre-K – 3rd grade students in 16 public schools throughout Oahu.

Kindergarten and Grade 1 students at Nanaikapono Elementary School were very happy to receive their books (and bookmarks!).  This was their first RIF visitation of the school year, and they are looking forward to the Winter and Spring visits!

These are just a few of the MANY thank-you cards, letters, and posters that students made for their RIF readers this school year.  The messages inside are sweet and often funny, but some 3rd graders’ letters were tinged with a bit of sadness as this would be their last RIF year (we serve pre-school through third grade).  We’ll miss them, too, and hope they’ve discovered the joy of reading, especially for fun, during their four years with RIF.

Ka’uluwela Elementary third grade students presented their special thank you card to Mrs. Tam at their last RIF visitation of the school year. Each child wanted to show her the “petal” they made to express their mahalo to her for reading to them, reminding them why reading is so important (especially over the summer months while they won’t be in school), and allowing them to select a book of their own.