1,000 Books Before Kindergarten!

You Are Invited to The

1000 Books Before Kindergarten (1KBK)

Registration & Activity Afternoon Saturday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m. in the Ames Room

What is It?  1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a nationwide effort focused on early childhood literacy. The Mystic & Noank Library is thrilled to be starting our own 1KBK (as it's known!) program, thanks to a grant provided by the generous  Groton Education Foundation.    This program is for children who are not yet readers themselves.  Research shows that parents and caregivers are the best teachers for pre-readers to develop a life-long love of reading and books. A child and caregiver spending time together reading is one of the most beneficial activities for the child's educational and social growth.

How Does it Work? The program is available to all families with children between the ages of birth to 5 years old. The goal is to read 1000 books together prior to the child's start of formal schooling/Kindergarten.  Sound impossible? It's not!  Three books a day for one year is over 1000 books!  Families commit to recording how many books they read together on a Reading Log (provided by the library). As the child reaches certain milestones (100 books, 200 books etc.), the child receives a small prize! We will also create a special bulletin board in the library to mark the progress of participants!  Reach 100o books and the child takes home a special book of their own to keep! In addition, a book will be dedicated in the child's name for the library's collection.

Where and How Do I Register?  Author Tish Rabe Saturday, March 25 is our  Registration & Activity Afternoon! We will have an afternoon of exciting activities and a presentation by author Tish Rabe. Tish has written over 160 children's books for Sesame Street, Disney, Blue's Clues, Curious George and many others.  In 1996, five years after the death of Dr. Seuss, Tish was selected by Dr. Seuss Enterprises to create The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library, a new line of rhyming science books for early readers.  You can sign up on Saturday, March 25 or any day afterwards in the Children's Room at the library.  How Much Does it Cost? There is NO cost to families, thanks to the generous support of the  Groton Education Foundation!

Children's Spring Reading Contest

The annual spring reading contest is starting April 1, so don't be late!

Sign-up and get your reading log in the Children’s Room at the end of March or any time during April. The reading categories include Read-To-Me, Early Readers, and Independent Readers. Contestants will record the number of minutes they read, or are read to, each day during the month of April. Top readers in each category will be awarded prize baskets.

Completed reading logs are to be returned by noon on April 29th.The Spring Reading Contest is free and open to all children and is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Mystic & Noank Library.