The Reading Promise Project: Day 21: Streak Update

Welcome

Welcome to our Reading Promises Blog for families at Sinking Springs Elementary! Thank you for stopping by to read, learn, and share with us.

The purpose of this blog is to connect the readers of this blog and their reading promise experiences. The Reading Promise Project is based upon the reading streak author Alice Ozma chronicles in her real life memoir, The Reading Promise, between her and her father. What started as a seemingly lofty goal of 100 consecutive nights of reading together when Alice was in fourth grade, turned into a streak lasting until Alice's first day of college, 3,218 days. Our project aims to inspire as many others as possible to create reading promises of their own.

If you are a Sinking Springs parent or student, I hope that you will use this blog as a way to communicate with other families about your reading streak experiences. Tell us stories from your daily reading experiences, what books you've loved and what books you've passed up. Share your successes with us to celebrate and your challenges with us to collaborate on solutions. What little magical moments have arisen because of the commitment you've made to reading with your family? What books have you found that are must-reads for other families?

If you are a new visitor to our blog, I invite you to join our conversation and share your thoughts and experiences! From what I've learned by following Alice Ozma on various social media networks, our readers are not the first, nor the last to be inspired to begin reading streaks. I've seen other stories about amazing family reading moments and the readers at our school would love to hear about thoughts, experiences, suggestions, successes, and challenges from anyone else out there who is taking the same journey or just interesting in sharing his/her thoughts. Contribute to our conversation! Become a part of our online community of readers. We'd love to have you.

Join us in the effort to make reading a special part of your everyday life. Make a promise to read with your family, your classroom, your friends, your loved ones.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Day 21: Streak Update

I remember learning somewhere along my educational career that it takes sixty repetitions of doing something before it becomes a habit. While my reading streak with my son is nowhere near sixty days yet, I am starting to feel like we are falling into more of a routine with our reading.

Anytime we're sitting together and we have a free moment between playing or eating or rolling or eating or playing or (occasionally) napping, it is becoming more automatic for me to pick up a book, find a cozy spot, and curl up with my little man to read to him.

He's seeming to enjoy our reading experiences together more each day. While books are still a favorite chew toy for him, he likes to look at the pictures, grab at the fun extras (flaps, tags, finger puppets, etc.) that baby books are so lovingly known for, and cuddle up listening on my lap.

In My Patch by Sara Gillinghan, a current favorite because of the adorable mouse finger puppet.

In fact, the other day, out of his entire bag of toys, he reached in and grabbed a book. And while I'm almost positive (I'd be completely positive if it weren't for that tiny bit of wishful thinking) that this just happened to be pure coincidence because the book was near the top of the pile, it didn't make me love it any less.

Hope your reading promises are bringing you a smile each day. Please share! We'd love to hear.

Happy Reading!