What are you reading today?

Believe it or not you have probably read hundreds of words already today before you sat down and read my blog; We take reading so much for granted don't we? The newspaper, your child's homework page before it's submitted, captions on the t.v., a magazine that you browsed while you were tidying up etc. etc. etc. We never bat an eye as we flip the page to a new recipe or scan a letter that has arrived in the mail. Words, phrases, sentences are all around us and we just naturally translate those words into meaning. What about kids that can't do that? How sad it is for them and some adults who cannot make sense of the words in their world? We must fight for literacy in our schools and in our homes. Kids have the right to read. We must show by example that reading is important and by our passion the importance of escaping into a good book. At every opportunity read to your kids, have your kids read to you and please, please talk about your readings. You do not have to be designated times to read together. Read a restaurant menu together, read the ingredients on your cereal box, read the dog"s new t-shirt slogan....but read. Your world is saturated with words begging to be discovered. Make a game of it, keep at it and remember reading is always fun so don't be a teacher with words but have fun teaching the words to your kids. Show your kids their world through the words printed around them.