January 1 - December 31, 2012
What is the Challenge? To spend 10 minutes every single day reading to our children. Since this year is a leap year there are 366 days hence 3660 minutes. The goal is to promote reading, increase imagination, foster a love of words, bolster comprehension skills, and spend quality time with the children in our lives.
Who Can Participate? Anyone who is welcome to join at any time so long as you have a child/children you can share love of reading to. If you are pregnant you can read aloud to your unborn baby. If you are a grandparent you can phone/skype your grandchild to read. If you are a babysitter you can read to the children you babysit. If you have younger brothers or sisters you can read to them. If you are a librarian you can read to children in the library. If you are a teacher you can read to your students. You do not have to a blogger nor do you have to review the books you and your child read but it is encouraged.
What Counts? This is very open ended. Newspapers, magazines,books, ebooks, audio-books, comics, poems, plays, internet articles count. Also having children write their own stories, write in diaries, word problems, learning the lyrics to songs, learning ABC's, writing out letters etc. Also discussion of what you just read counts! So if you want to read for 5 minutes then discuss it- IT COUNTS! Art projects surrounding books you are reading/have read together counts! Letting your child read to you counts. If you feel that what you are doing helps a child learn to love words/letters then yes it counts.
What Does not Count? Homework! Books they HAVE to read for school do not count. The only exception to this rule is if it is extra credit books for school.
How Long Will it Run For? From January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012
Can I Skip a Day? The goal is to read every day but if you can't for some reason (ie you are a teacher and don't see your students on weekend) then you need to make up those minutes. At the end of the year you want to have in 3660 minutes of reading with children.
Can I Cheat/Lower the Goal? Well yes you can but really the person you are cheating is the children. Really who wants to do that?
Can I do More Than 10 Minutes a Day? YES!!! 10 minutes is the minimum but more than that is not only acceptable it is encouraged! It also helps bank up minutes for those days you are unable to read.
How Do I Check In? OK so let us admit it most of us are bad at checking in on these things. So I will try and post up on the 1st of every month a thread for us to update on. Tell us what you have been reading. Have you been successful? Give suggestions of books to read. Did you come up with a creative activity to get your children excited about it?
I'm a Blogger Do I Need to Post to my Blog? No you do not need to post to your blog but it is encouraged. It will also help during the monthly check ins if you want people to just read posts on what you have been doing with your children. While not required please put up an introductory post to help promote the challenge.
I'm Not a Blogger How do I Sign Up? You can simply leave a comment below and check in on the 1st of the month to let us know how you are doing.
For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.
