'Bingo for Books' gets students reading
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In a world of video games, Cartoon Network and computers, it can be a challenge for parents to get kids to pick up a book. Pablo Elementary School is doing its part to combat the ever-appealing distractions children face outside of the classroom by combining the age-old classic game bingo with a huge book giveaway. More than 280 parents and children piled into the Pablo gym Feb. 7 to play bingo and win free books.
“It went very well; a wonderful night,” event coordinator Terrie Alger said. “We had record attendance… a great night all around.”
More than 300 books in the kindergarten to sixth-grade reading level were handed out during the event, with every student receiving at least one book.
“Everyone gets a book,” she said. “No kid leaves without a book.”
Midway through the event, 5-year-old kindergarten student Aiden Sorrell waived his arm in the air after successfully scoring a bingo on his board.
“This is the third time we’ve come,” Aiden’s father Trevor Sorrell said. “It’s a fun community event with lots of people and a lot to see. The kids love it too.”
It was the first time playing bingo for books for Kailey Potter and her mother Katrina.
“We’re having a good time,” Katrina said. “I feel that reading is very important for our youth. Not many people read these days.”
When asked what kind of books she likes to read, Kailey said, “All sorts.”
“I like the ‘Little Mermaid’,” she smiled.
At the conclusion of gaming, children sorted through a table full of books.
“We have them out on the counter and try to help match kids to books,” Alger said. “If there’s a book they want, they can take it.”
Ronan School District’s Indian Education Committee purchases most of the books for the event, while the rest are bought with chocolate sale funds.
The obvious goal is to get books into the hands of children, Alger said, and is the key for developing reading skills.
“A child who reads at home four times or more (a week) for 20 minutes or more reads at (grade) level more than students that don’t,” Alger noted. “It’s just like anything else; the more you practice, the better you get.”
Other benefits of bingo night include building a repertoire between parents and teachers, as many Pablo educators show up to volunteer their services.
“If kids know that their parents value reading, it tells kids (reading is) important,” she added. “Parents mean more than any other adult in life; it makes all the difference in the world."
