Reading to Kids on May 12, 2012

This past Saturday I participated in Reading to Kids for my very first time.  I volunteered at White Elementary School, and enjoyed the (bumpy) bus ride and the lovely scenes as we drove through Los Angeles.  I rarely leave campus so enjoyed seeing sights like the La Brea Tar Pits, many parks, and a few museums.  I chatted with some volunteers about what the experience would be like and I realized that kindergarteners were one of the rowdiest groups of kids -- Uh-Oh, I had chosen kindergarteners! This worry was still in the back of my mind as I went to the new volunteer orientation and had breakfast with others who were also volunteering with kindergarteners.  Our book was Larry Gets Lost in Los Angeles, by John Skewe, which is about a dog Larry who travels to Los Angeles with his owner and friend Pete.  The two get lost and Larry tries to find Pete while venturing through the bustling city of LA.  The arts and crafts project we decided to have the kids work on was to have them draw maps and pictures of their favorite places.

My reading partner was Michelle, and we worked very well with each other.  The three kindergarteners we had were Stephanie, Alex, and John.  Stephanie was a very bright, friendly, and enthusiastic girl, and she was always asking us questions and answering our questions about the book.  Alex was a very shy but engaging kindergartener, and I remember his face with a constantly shy smile as we went through the book.  John was the one who made this experience very memorable because midway through the book he began to scoot his chair away from the table and giggle.  Michelle and I, and Stephanie too, gave him friendly invites back to the group so that he can finish the book with us.  But, John kept his distance, and he moved further and further away.  And then, his giggles turned to silent tears!  Michelle and I were very surprised.  We had definitely included him in our discussion as best as we could, so we did not understand why he was so sad.  So, Stephanie, Alex, Michelle and I brought over the book and activities to John, so that he sensed that we wanted him included in the activities.  This brightened him up almost immediately, and he was back to his old self!  We were able to finish the book and move on to the arts and crafts activity with all three kids happy and satisfied!

This was an unexpected turn of events, but I did enjoy reading with these bright kids!  And, I would love to read to kindergarteners again next month when I go!