Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday. The first thing I did when I woke up was say my morning prayer...which has actually continued throughout the day. It is a prayer of thanks--all thanks, no asking, today. It's been a good life--not always easy, but good. I've been thinking of the specific things for which I am grateful.

I thank my Heavenly Father for books, for the ability to read. Think about the impact that the ability to read has had in your life! What an amazing miracle.

I thank my Heavenly Father for imagination, creativity, the ability to explore worlds of my own creation, the ability to look at life in different ways.

Love of Books

There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.

–Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

I love it when I see a child totally immersed in a book.

Introduce Them to Books

I occasionally accept substitute teaching assignments. Last week I subbed for a resource teacher in a junior high. I don't believe I've ever seen a classroom that was decorated more creatively. Mobiles hung down from the high arched ceiling. The walls were covered with interesting and fun posters and decor. There were shelves of board games and things to do. And there were books--shelves and shelves of books of all kinds.

The students had earned a free day. After the opening happenings, they were left to their own devices. They just sat there. Nobody went over to check out the board games. Nobody went over to the bookshelves. They didn't even seem to be confident conversing with one another--other than the normal banter of young teens.

It wasn't until the computers were unlocked and the students had access  to technology, their hands and eyes and minds occupied with surfing the Internet or playing a game. were they comfortable.

This happened in each of the class periods. I was amazed. And saddened.

Something's wrong with this picture.

I understand that technology is here to stay. We live in a world where our children need to use technology to learn and function. But surely books haven't become a white elephant! Are we really dependent on a computer to entertain and intrigue us? Can't we function or be conversant or creative without a monitor staring at us?

Hooray for Non-Fiction

We had a delightful evening with our daughter's family. She and her husband have two wonderful sons, 9 and 6. They love reading non-fiction books. Around the dinner table we had a lively conversation about what the fastest animal was, the fastest chicken, what is the deepest ocean in the world, and on and on.

I was amazed at what these boys know about the world around them! They just love checking out stacks of library books--especially non-fiction. How cool is that!