SHARE A STORY
“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.”
World Book Day has caused quite a stir in the education sector this year, with many educators believing that it has become more about dressing up than books. This, partnered with the shocking statistic that 1 in 8 disadvantaged children in the UK say they do not have a book of their own meant it was time to reflect.
We had a wonderful week celebrating World Book Day at nursery, our practitioners did a fabulous job of bringing the children’s favourite stories to life in all kinds of ways! We had story sacks, puppets, readathons, fancy dress and lots and lots of stories! A big thank you to our wonderful team and our lovely parents for making it such a memorable week for our little ones. When reflecting on last weeks celebrations I couldn’t help remembering that so many children in the UK don’t have a story to share at home. We at Poppins decided to do all we can to make sure that every child in our community can have access to a story that they can share with loved ones in their own home.
I can not promote the value of sharing stories enough. It offers children and their grown ups so so much! That feeling of closeness, snuggling down in a cosy spot, sharing and playing out emotions, giggling and chatting about experiences and asking questions about topics that arise; it is just a beautiful time to connect with a little soul. It feeds our inner being and fills our hearts with human connection, something we all so desperately need these days.
It’s also important to remember that reading isn’t just for children that can ‘understand’ words. Babies gain so much from sharing stories too. Early story sharing provides babies with quiet time for closeness made even more special by the soothing sounds of a familiar voice. Equally it can thrill and fuel a wild and silly time for adventure and giggles. But most importantly story sharing teaches our babies to associate books with love and affection. It lays the foundation for a positive and healthy attitude towards books that will stay with them for a life time.
It is for all these reasons that my heart sank when I reflected on the articles I had read about the limited access some children’s have to books. So, in light of World Book Day 2020, we will be driving our ‘Share a Story’ initiative at Poppins Day Nursery, bringing a love of books to all our children!
Below are some of the actions we have, and will continue to take, in order to provide a story for every child.
Poppins Community Lending Library. There will be a small box placed outside our nursery gate where parents, carers and the community can borrow a book to take home and enjoy. Along with our own donations, if you feel you are in a position to donate pre-loved books to the Lending Library it would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Poppins Book Bags. To help to prepare our pre-school children for school and the routine of ‘school reading books’ we would like to give our older cohort a Poppins Day Nursery Book Bag. This is a gift to encourage a love of books and will give our pre school teacher the opportunity to spend time with both parents and children supporting and extending their ‘share a story’ experience.
We will be introducing a ‘Bed Time Story’ into our nursery routine. (This is my favourite objective and I can not wait for this to be a daily experience for our children!). We read many stories through out our day at nursery, but we would like to offer a wind down ‘bedtime’ experience to those children that are with us a little later. We will be turning the lights down at 5pm, getting the big cosy blankets out and snuggling down with some warm milk for a sleepy story and relax before collection.
Reading Corner Revamp! In each of our rooms we have reading areas, they will be undergoing a revamp to entice and encourage our children to want to read and share a story. They will be cosier, comfier and most importantly enable independent reading. Offering a variety of texts and audio options.
Reading Materials. Reading and enjoying stories doesn’t always have to mean ‘books’. To offer our children a variety of texts we have signed up for a subscription of National Geographic KIDS Magazine and Okido Magazine. We have also stocked up on some of the classic Julia Donaldson books and some more Usborne books for our children to access. We are also giving our pre school children greater story independence by giving them a Yoto box, a screen-free audio device that our children can independently control using physical smartcards to access stories.
Join us in celebrating a love of books and reading everyday, and remember…
“The more that you read, the more things that you’ll know. The more that you’ll learn the more places you’ll go!”
