Our office will be closed from Monday, December 24 through Wednesday, January 1st. We’re taking a break but we’ll start blogging again in January. Wondering what to do ‘til we get back? Here are six and a half things you can do while we are away:
1. Read aloud to a child. Kalamazoo Public Schools has identified eight pillars for building a college-going culture and reading is one of them. You can find all eight pillars listed in our CIS Connections newsletter.
2. Tell someone you love them. And, if for some reason you can’t, then read aloud to them. Nothing says love like reading aloud.
3. Make giant marbles with your kids or someone else’s kids. I am totally going to try this! I found this and other really cool ideas on Kalamazoo Public Library website by going to their “Pinterest” site.
3 ½. Figure out what Pinterest is all about. (Hint: It’s an on-line bulletin board and people who “pin up” an idea/photo on it are called “pinners.”) Just think how, at your next dinner party, you can amaze your friends and family by casually mentioning that it was when you were on “Pinterest” that you got the idea to make the towering tree of grapes that everyone’s oohing and aahing over.
4. Read a book to yourself. As of this post, the Kalamazoo Public Library has “pinned up” 37 books suggested by their staff. In looking it over, it reminded me that I have been wanting to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio (about a fifth grader who is born with severe facial deformities). They have some great picks, like the dark and thrilling When Captain Flint was Still a Good Man by Kalamazoo’s own Nick Dybek. Donna Carroll lent me her copy and I couldn’t put it down.
5. Find something you have lost. Okay, I’m totally doing this, too. Socks, I’ve discovered, are slippery little rascals. I think I’ll start by organizing a search party to hunt down mates who have abandoned their partners.
6. Give away something you love. Some wise person once said, “What you keep to yourself you lose. What you give away, you keep forever.” It may not be easy but you’ll be better for letting it go.
See you in 2013, dear readers!
Tags: CIS, college going culture, Communities In Schools, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Donna Carroll, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo Public Schools, KPL, Nick Dybek, pinterest, R.J. Palacio, read aloud to kids, reading, six things, socks, When Captain Flint was Still a Good Man, wonder
