Utah
Reading Tree
Reading Tree is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own books. Reading Tree supports children's literacy by getting books into the hands and homes of children. They place and maintain book collection bins in communities across the country. By collecting and redistributing gently-used books, they support literacy programs by providing an ongoing source of books to children in disadvantaged neighborhoods, schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, international community libraries, and family literacy programs - such as The Children's Reading Foundation of Utah.
Please contact Colleen Taylor at 801-560-7675, 801-884-2630 or e-mail at: colleentaylor_353@hotmail.com.
News and Events
Reading on the Road!
Summer Vacation Planning – Plan ahead or it’s no vacation!
There are many fun learning things that you can do in the car to help your children be engaged during the hours on the road.
Hooked on a Book - Take some old favorite titles and introduce a few new, exciting books to your children. Let everyone take turns to read aloud. Model various intonation and interesting voices throughout the story to add interest. Children are also interested in stories their parents read when they were young. Be sure to include the classics!
‘Journaled’ Journey – Your children can take the time to write a beginning for the journey, the daily events, and traveltime. Be sure to add postcards, hotel brochures, museum or zoo tickets, etc. and make a memorable scrapbook of your summer travels. Keep colored pencils (not meltable crayons) and glue sticks in a ziploc bag.
Cards-On-The-Go – Be sure to look around the house and find card games which could be taken on your trips. Children can sit quietly and play Old Maid, Go Fish, and many other fun games to occupy their time in the car. A lapdesk (or used pizza box) can serve as a solid surface to play games on. If the going gets a bit rough, the inside of the pizza box, will help keep cards or gamepieces in place.
Map-It-Out - Have children draw a map of where you are going as a family. Purchase a map so that each child can look for mountains, rivers, landmarks, highways, etc. and let them draw their own maps. Older children will be able to add map keys, mileage signs, cities, and towns.
Alphabet Game – Beginning with the letter A, look for billboard, hotel/motel, road signs, state names and taglines on license plates, for each letter of the alphabet in order. Parents may need to help younger children.
License to Drive - A great way to pass the time and help children work on their letter recognition is the ABC license plate game. Find a U.S. map online with states’ names listed and print-off enough for each player. As you travel, mark off the various license plates that you see. If children are a bit older, you can have them find the states’ names in alphabetical order to win.
I Spy – Each person looks through their window to “spy” a sign, a certain colored car, a mountain off in the distance, and then by describing the item, can encourage the other players to guess what the leader has spied. Once the item is guessed, a new person takes a turn.
See and Count – As you drive, see and count signs, billboards, cows, horses, barns, and other interesting things. “I see 3 brown and white horses standing in the field.” “I see a big red barn with a silo on the side.” Encourage the children to use descriptive words in their sentences. Silly descriptions count too!
Twenty Questions – First player thinks of a specific item, or person, and takes questions from other players answering only with “ yes” or “no”. The guessers continue to question the first player, until they are able to narrow ideas down, and to be able to guess correctly. They must ask in twenty questions or less.
Paper-Rock-Scissors – Players each tap closed fist to open palm , tap, tap, tap. On fourth tap players choose to - open palm representing paper, closed palm for rock, scissors are first and second fingers open. Paper can wrap rock, rock can break scissors, scissors cuts paper. Two hands the same, the players go again.
Sing-A-Long – Sing along with the radio or tape. Singing songs from your childhood, so your children can learn them is also a fun time. Listen and learn a few of their favorite songs. Sing in rounds, silly voices, open the windows and SING!!!
Click here for a printable version created by Colleen Taylor, 801-884-2630
