The photo above is of the beautiful rug my 2nd grade parents bought for our classroom as a holiday gift. They know that we love to sit together at the front of the room and share books. It’s where I read aloud to the kids, and until the holidays, the kids would just sit on that old gray school carpet underneath it. This is so much nicer, and although you can’t tell the size of it from this photo, all 28 students can squeeze onto it to listen to a story! And this class loves to listen to my read alouds, so we named this wonderful gift our “Reading Rug.”
Since January 1st, sitting on our Reading Rug, we’ve read quite a few books together. My class loved listening to Kate DiCamillo‘s The Tale of Despereaux last month, so during the holidays I picked up a boxed set of her Mercy Watson series. As I read each one aloud, the kids laughed and laughed, and begged for more. Then they each wanted to read the books by themselves. They’ve worked out some kind of queue, and those three books are slowly being read by each child in my classroom. Reluctant readers? Not with Mercy Watson in the classroom and a beautiful Reading Rug to sit on while you read!
Nice rug and what a thoughtful gift! We also love the Mercy Watson books – I bought the second one for Christmas. Not only are the stories and illustrations great, but I love how the books are bound as well.
LikeLike
What a sweet gift from the parents and something that will surely be enjoyed by many classes to come. I used to love reading time when I was a little kid too…I sure wish that DiCamillo was around when I was a little kid!
LikeLike
I have seen that rug before. The children’s librarian at my previous branch of the library had one like it that we rolled out when she did storytime. It is really nice. So colorful and the kids loved it.
I’m so glad you read to your kids. I think that is so important. Those Mercy Watson books are very popular at the library and are constantly being circulated.
LikeLike
I’m with Chris, I wish Kate DiCamillo had been around when I was a kid! I can only imagine how delighted your students must have been. That rug is simply wonderful!
LikeLike
What a beautiful rug and what hapy times the children will have on it!
LikeLike
Thanks, Tara. The Mercy Watsons are bound beautifully. It makes them a real pleasure to hold and read.
Chris, I was very moved by such a generous gift from this group of parents. And I’m loving having Kate DiCamillo’s work available to inspire these young people.
Kay, it’s a beautiful rug and adds such cheerful color to our classroom. It also goes beautifully with the big bulletin board my daughter put together for me on that busy weekend before school started in September! You can look at the photo of that board here: http://fondnessforreading.blogspot.com/2007/09whirlwind-week.html
Nymeth, it’s such a pleasure getting to know Kate DiCamillo’s work and sharing it with kids.
Thanks, Karen. The teacher is having very happy times there, too.
LikeLike
What a simply lovely rug and what a super present. I love the idea of you all sitting in a circle reading aloud and having fun
LikeLike
Wow, what a terrific gift!! I’m sure the parents are all thrilled that their children are so excited about reading. We could have used a teacher or two like you. Fortunately, my kids grew up surrounded by books and I managed to turn them both into bibliophiles, despite some really wicked teachers who plugged in video tapes and told them the books were off limits (that still baffles me). Kate DiCamillo is a wonder, isn’t she?
LikeLike
Thanks, Elaine, it’s a lovely place to sit and share books. And it’s made my classroom look absolutely lovely, so it’s a place we enjoy spending the day.
Thanks, Bookfool. I can’t believe there are teachers that plug in the videos instead of plugging in the books! There are so many wonderful book experiences for kids, it’s a sin not to spend every free moment sharing those books with them. Kate DiCamillo’s work is a great example of books that can light the spark of passion and create Readers.
LikeLike
I love the rug and that the parents bought it for the classroom. What an amazing thing for them to do. I’ll have to look into the Mercy books. I’m planning to read Despereaux this year. (I think I told you already).
LikeLike
Nan, I was overwhelmed when they presented the gift to me (us). Their generosity was incredible, but it was the feeling of support that came with it that meant the world to me.
LikeLike