There’s still time left to RSVP to Raising A Reader San Francisco and Alameda Counties’ first holiday party and fundraiser! In addition to enjoying some delicious snacks, cocktails, and great company, guests will also be able to kick-off the holiday season by packing their own red RAR bags to be delivered to classrooms across the Bay Area. For more information, check out the message from our Executive Director in the video below:

Amazing Storytelling at Cleveland Elementary

Earlier this week, Raising A Reader staff was invited to take part in a literacy event at San Francisco’s Cleveland Elementary School, where RAR will launch its program soon. Antonio Sacre, a fantastic storyteller and book author, was there to help celebrate the day. Among other stories he shared with the children, Antonio told the story from his book, “The Barking Mouse.” His way of sharing the story was mesmerizing to watch and had the kindergarteners completely engaged. The children absolutely loved the part about Mama and Papa “smooching,” and the room erupted with giggles and shouts of “ewwww!”

Click below to see an example of his recent performance:

A Big Thank You to Raising A Reader Volunteers!

Raising A Reader’s annual Book Sort was a tremendous success thanks to a record 67 volunteers!

The large groups that turned out on Sept. 14 and 15 made it possible to organize thousands of books and little red bags which will reach children and families across Alameda and San Francisco counties.

For the third consecutive year, the Book Sort was held in the Caltrans building warehouse in Oakland. The staff is especially grateful to Brigetta Smith, Abdullah Mahmud, and the entire Caltrans staff for extending a warm welcome and hosting the event. We are also thankful for the support of volunteers from Wells Fargo, Western Digital, and Girl Scout Troop 30646, as well as photographers Jamie Manley and Cris Nicole.

On behalf of the entire staff and the 10,000 families with which we partner, we extend our gratitude to everyone who helped out. The dedication and hard work was heart warming!

If you’re interested in volunteering with Raising A Reader, San Francisco and Alameda Counties, please email Veronica Flores at [email protected].

Family Reading Programs

Local public libraries have wonderful programming for children and families-make it a goal to participate in at least one library activity before the end of summer!

The San Francisco Public Library features a wide array of events, with a heavy concentration on storytime for toddlers, preschoolers, and families. Some programs are bilingual.

The Oakland Public Library also features terrific programming for children of all ages, and multiple read-alouds almost every day.

According to the Applied Research Center, sharing books with children regularly and interactively is the single most effective way to develop a child’s brain architecture and the language, emotional, and behavioral skills that prepare them to learn.

Take advantage of the fantastic, free programs the libraries in your community offer, in addition to the wealth of books and resources. If you haven’t yet made it a family tradition to visit the library, start today!

Click Clack Moo: The musical

The children’s book, Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type , has been adapted into a fun musical for pre-kindergarteners. The story centers around a group of rebellious cows who refuse to give milk until they get electric blankets to keep warm.

Directed by Erin Merritt, the play is presented by the Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT), which aims to “enrich children’s lives, inspire imagination, and open the curtain on lifelong enjoyment of theatre.” The theater group was founded in 2004 and features theater productions for pre-kindergartners year-round.

The play runs now through Aug. 5 at the Children’s Fairyland in Oakland with morning and afternoon shows on Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, check out BACT’s website at www.bactheatre.org.

Summer Library Activities

This summer, the San Francisco Public Library and Oakland Public Library have many exciting events planned for young children.

In San Francisco, this week’s programs include: songs by Asheba (June 19), Yoga Kids (June 20), juggling with Doug Nolan (June 23), and much more! For a complete calendar of events, click here.

In Oakland, this week’s list of events include: Baby Bounce (June 19), Preschool Storytime (June 20), Toddler Storytime (June 23), and many other terrific programs. For other programs or more information, click here.

Happy learning!

Happy Father’s Day!

The U.S. Children’s Bureau reports that “fathers who are involved, nurturing, and playful with their infants have children with higher IQs, as well as better linguistic and cognitive capacities. Toddlers with involved fathers start school with higher levels of academic readiness. They are more patient and can handle the stresses and frustrations associated with schooling more readily than children with less involved fathers.”

Below are some wonderful father-child-themed books:

Also, check out our list of Father’s Day activities taking place in San Francisco and in the East Bay:

• The San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch - enjoy bilingual story time for the entire family, Sunday, June 17, 1-1:30 p.m. Free.

• The Oakland Public Library, Multiple Branch Locations - check out the Unique Derique Juneteenth celebration, family story time, or the ZooMobile (various days and times). Free.

• Children’s Fairyland in Oakland - watch the children’s theater play, Mouse Deer; a performance by Buki the Clown; or a puppet show! Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17, various times. Admission is $8.

• Father’s Day Kite Day - kite-flying at Cesar Chavez State Park, Berkeley, at 11 on Sunday, June 17. Free.

• National GeekDad Day - at Lawrence Hall of Science at UC, Berkeley, on Sunday, June 17. Inspired by WIRED magazine, dads and their littles can make marble machines, discover the science of skateboarding with Tony Hawk, and watch surfers catch a wave in 3-D. Free with museum admission.

It’s ‘Blue Bag’ Season!

Raising A Reader’s Blue Bag program marks the transition of a RAR preschooler into kindergarten. The Blue Bags are distributed as a keepsake for the children to remind them of their progress in Raising A Reader and to encourage the children and their families to keep up shared reading routines. This year, RAR will give away approximately 4,800 Blue Bags full of library card applications, reading tips, toys, and stickers!

Many of the schools that partner with RAR plan Blue Bag events to connect the children and families with local libraries and to celebrate the students’ progress in early literacy.

Blue Bag events vary from site to site, and this year’s festivities are already off to a great start.

This year’s Blue Bag highlights in Alameda include:
-Brookfield Head Start involved the whole community by including a family potluck with their celebration.
-Karen Freeman of Fruitvale CDC included blue snacks and craft tables based on the story read during the event.

San Francisco highlights have been:
-Teacher Lynn Yagle-Snead at Bernal Heights Preschool invited parents and caregivers to attend the Blue Bags celebration. Families listened to a RAR read aloud, and children learned how to borrow books from the library.
-At Whitney Young Masonic, site director Cornell Cobbins invited the families for a potluck dinner and Blue Bag celebration.
-ABC Preschool had a great event where parents could come to watch their children participate in a special library-themed read aloud, receive their Blue Bags, and share a blue snack!

The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of the Week of the Young Child™ is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The 2012 Week of the Young Child™ is April 22–28 and the theme is Early Years Are Learning Years®.

Click here for a Calendar of Events in San Francisco

RAR staff will be celebrating this week at the following events:

Tuesday, April 24 : Children’s Council Resource Fair
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Families and providers can learn about community services related to small business management, child care, credit management, financial support, support for special needs, early literacy, housing, health care and nutrition. The fair features snacks, prizes and cooking demonstrations. This is a free event

Thursday, April 26: Jumpstart for a Day
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Selected preschool children and teacher’s jump into this annual festival of fun at Civic Center Plaza, opposite City Hall. This event features many hands-on learning stations, each one inspired by a popular children’s book. Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Friday, April 27 : Head Start Day at Children’s Fairyland
9:00 am– 3:30 pm
All families who participate in Oakland’s Head Start programs are invited to spend the day at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland in celebration of community, literacy, and school readiness. Raising A Reader staff with be there leading interactive read alouds!

San Francisco Public Library Events

From scavenger hunts to music and movement, the San Francisco Public Library has an engaging list of events for April!

The scavenger hunt will take place from April 22-26 at the Merced branch, with prizes and a chance to win a raffle. Librarians will give clues and hints to discover the answers to trivia questions and help children complete challenges in a quest to discover the library’s treasures.

For younger children, the library is offering a music and movement program for kids 4 and under at the Eureka Valley branch. The program will be held outdoors on the patio, weather permitting.

Other highlights this month include the program “Japan: From Silkworm to Kimono” and a showing of the movie “E.T.”

For more details and a complete listing of the library’s events for children, please click here.