By Gina Aphane | Frontline Marketing Support
“There is more treasure in books than in the entire pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney
In the spirit of the words by the talented and inspiring Walt Disney, help2read celebrated the 2018 World Read Aloud Day on 1 February by encouraging our schools, partner organisations and supporters to read aloud to their children, learners, colleagues and friends. Our enthusiastic teams went out on the day in full force, visiting schools and partner organisations to celebrate the special day.
We were thrilled to see so many schools and organisations enthusiastically celebrate the day. Everyone, from young, early readers to mature book lovers, found a unique and engaging way to celebrate their appreciation for reading.
Westcott Primary School celebrated with a Teddy Bear-themed day. Learners each sought to showcase their love for storytelling in the glorious summer outdoors, whilst the Grade 7 Learners read aloud to their Grade 1’s & 2’s.
Alicedale Primary School educators dressed up in costume for the occasion, drawing inspiration from classic storybook characters, and read aloud to their grade R to 7 learners whilst in character.
Portia Primary School didn’t hold back in their celebrations, hosting a series of events throughout the day to commemorate World Read Aloud Day. A total of 746 learners participated, showcasing their passion and love for stories. Learners wearing their “Proud to Read Aloud” Badges were later treated to the tri-lingual story on soccer compiled by Nal’ibali and read by Melanie Lippert, Portia Primary librarian and Nal’ibali reading ambassador, Andy Maqondwana.
What would World Read Aloud Day celebrations be without a special author appearance? The Grade 3 class at Diepsloot Primary School was spoilt to have author of How Many Ways Can You Say Hello?, Refiloe Moahloli, visit and read to them. Their class of 44 enjoyed listening and then joining in when she started singing the greetings in various South African languages. The children thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story and earnestly participated in the actions. The book is filled with local imagery that each child can relate to, making it a relevant but fun learning tool. Studies show that the more joy that children experience from reading the more they learn.
With the help of our dedicated Reading Helpers, Literacy Tutors, partner organisations and schools, a total of 8403 learners were reached through World Read Aloud Day activities.
If this year’s successful celebrations are anything to go by, we can be confident that the number of enthusiastic story lovers in South Africa will grow in leaps and bounds. A huge thank you to the following schools and external partners for taking the Read Aloud Challenge and celebrating this special occasion with such enthusiasm:
Authors should be inspired to continue to write stories that will feed the imaginations and satisfy this great appetite for fun and engaging books. Starting off on such a positive note, we wish to thank all our partners, readers, Reading Helpers, teachers and the entire help2read team for celebrating with us this year.
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