March reading activities

March 2 is NEA's Read Across America Day! To all who read with a child, we dedicate these words from Christopher Morley:

"Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue — you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night — there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book."

*****

March is National Nutrition Month, and March 8-12 is National School Breakfast Week.

Resources

• Read It Before You Eat It! Curious George and the New Food Label
• Visit Kidseatwell.org for classroom activities on navigating fast food restaurants. Includes suggested reading.
• Put books on the menu! Navigate Your Day with School Breakfast offers recipes like Pirate Pancakes with Ahab Apple Topping! Or try some Ghosts for Breakfast by Stanley Todd Terasaki, see what happens If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff, and Don't Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins.

Activity Ideas

• Work with school cafeteria staff or volunteers to concoct other tasty, healthy, book related snacks and meals like strawberry flavored milk for Seuss's Yink who likes to drink pink ink, a hearty bowl of Stone Soup, a yummy Gingerbread Man, and of course, Green Eggs and Ham.
• Let kids get involved in the cooking as well as the eating. Read Bread, Bread, Bread or The Tortilla Factory aloud then work together to research recipes to make your own. Or, have them recreate foods eaten by beloved book characters, like Harriet the Spy's favorite sandwich, Harry Potter's butterbeer, or some of that good diner food from Hope Was Here.

*****

March is Women's History Month. In 1980, the National Women's History Project (NWHP) was founded in Santa Rosa, California. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week. In 1987, at the request of women's organizations, museums, libraries, youth leaders, and educators throughout the country, the National Women's History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the national celebrations to the entire month of March. This year's theme is "Women — Inspiring Hope and Possibility."

Resources

• The National Women's History Project is an educational nonprofit organization. Their mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs. Visit their Web site for information about National Women's History Month.
• Resources for U.S. history and children's literature
• Take your students on the Women of Accomplishment: An Internet Scavenger Hunt
• A Celebration of Women Writers

Activity Ideas

• Arrange for history to come to life for young readers. Ask a storyteller, an actress, or even a parent to don a period costume to portray a famous woman author in history and share stories about her life, interests, books and accomplishments.

*****

March is Music in Our Schools Month. Begun as a single statewide celebration in 1973, it has grown over the decades to encompass a day, a week, and then in 1985 to become a month long celebration of music in our schools.

Resources

• Visit the official Music in Our Schools Web site, sponsored by the National Association for Music Education.
• The Sounds of Music Scavenger Hunt
• Use rock and roll to teach literary devices. Discover Jimi Hendrix' "The Wind Cries Mary" and other lesson plans from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Activity Ideas

• Stimulate interest in both reading and music with a rhythm activity. Create rhythm instruments like bean tambourines (paper plates with beans stapled inside) or shakers (rice-filled plastic eggs taped shut). Then have kids provide rhythmic accompaniment as you read aloud to them. If you choose a book like Green Eggs and Ham, ask them to play each time the words "green eggs and ham" are repeated.
• Lots of songs have been written as a tribute to a special person. Have kids write a song about a favorite book character or author that he/she wishes to honor with music. Kids can match their lyrics to an old folk tune or create their own background music. Hold a concert so everyone can share their song and the story that inspired it.

*****

March is Youth Art Month, an annual observance to emphasize the value of art education for all children, and to encourage support for quality school art programs.

Resources

• Visit the official Youth Art Month Web site, sponsored by the Council for Art Education, Inc.
• Check out the "@rt sparkers" in the @rt Room
• Support for Teachers in Art offers the Art of the Book
• Top 10 Art History Books for Children Under 12
• Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books, 1938-Present. Words may tell the story, but illustrations add beauty and dimension to the reading experience. Help kids appreciate the art in picture books by giving them more authentic art experiences of their own. Point out the artists' techniques as you read Caldecott Award winning titles and then provide the materials and encouragement to kids to try new methods and mediums to create their own works of art.

Freedom of Information Day is March 16. Contact the American Library Association/Public Information Office at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5041/5044 or visit their Web site.

*****

March author birthdays

Discover these literary luminaries for satisfying spring reading:

*****

It's time to spring into books! Take a look at our booklists to plan your child's spring reading:

• Teachers' Top 100 Books
• Kids' Top 100 Books
• Celebrities' Favorite Books
• Hispanic booklist
• Asian-American books
• 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should know
• State-by-State booklist
• Youth Leaders for Literacy booklist
• Native American booklist

Send comments to readacross@nea.org