Key Stage 1 has gone ‘Dahl Crazy’ to celebrate World Book Day. Willy Wonkas, Oompa Loompas, Fantastic Mr 
Foxes, Matildas and The Enormous Crocodiles, to name but a few, all came to school this morning in place of the children!
We have made dream catchers for the BFG, glittery bottles to store the dreams in, finger puppets, book marks and designed sweets for Willy Wonka.
We also set some busy characters the task of making chocolate food for our party.
The day culminated in a Roald Dahl treasure hunt and chocolate themed party – milk shake, chocolate spread sandwiches, chocolate lollies and chocolate crispie cakes. Yummy!
Mrs Hyde our Librarian was asked in a radio interview why it was so important in the modern age for a child to enjoy a book. Our response was that it is vitally important particularly because of the modern age that we live in. Children nowadays have access to a vast array of technology.
Computer games, text messaging and social networking sites are all about instant gratification and very highly stimulating, and people tend to forget the benefits that a child receives from becoming invested in a good book.
They develop empathy from reading about characters’ thoughts and emotions that might be far from their own. Their concentration level improves and it helps them to express themselves both verbally and in writing.
Perhaps most importantly for a child whose imagination is fired and who becomes lost in the world of a book, they can forget any day to day problems that they might have. Reading is a great stress reliever in a time when our children can suffer high stress levels.
We were also asked how parents can encourage their children to read for pleasure. Our answer was to read with your children. Set aside a quiet time of day and make some precious memories with your child. Put on funny voices, encourage your children to speculate on what is going to happen in the story and what the characters’ feelings are.
This applies not just to little children but also the older ones. Here at The Elms we read to all our children from Nursery right up to Year 6.
It also helps children to see their parents reading. Have magazines, books and newspapers around your house and discuss what you’re reading.
This is particularly important for boys because seeing a male role model enjoying reading has a huge influence on what choices they make about their own reading.