Story Time

The sky is overcast today.  I hear an occasional rumble, as if someone is moving furniture above my head, and the rain is tapping out a soothing rhythm on my window pane.  The draw is great, as if magnetic, pulling me to the book on the end table. 

I can't remember NOT reading.  I read as a child curled up in the dog house with a cat on my lap and on each side.  I remember reading in the barn, in the car or any other place when I could.  In fifth grade I won a contest for reading the most books during the school year.  Reading! 

 A passion that opened up volumes of excitement and new information.

When my children were born, the reading adventure took on new depths and dimensions.  We read together almost every night until they were in High School. Oh, the adventures we had through the pages of a book!  Each summer found us at the library with a special library bag.  Each child could pick out seven books to read... one for each day of the week.  We chose a family series for me to read to everyone.  We participated in the library weekly programs.  I remember more than once my children rushing in with a new found treasure, screaming in excitement, and asking,

"Do we have a book about this?"  If we didn't, off to the library we would go,

to learn more about the latest discovery.

 As they moved into their tweens and teens, when reading a book didn't seem as cool, we subscribed to magazines about their interests.  Magazines are great for many ages.  Your Big Backyard,

Ranger Rick, National Geographic for Kids, Highlights, etc. are great kid magazines. 

As the kids get older, magazines that will enhance and encourage hobbies and/ or interests are nice additions to their reading activities.  Hunting, Fishing, Model Railroad, RC Cars, Horses, etc. 

There seems to be a magazine associated with just about every interest. 

Find out what your children enjoy and encourage healthy past time activities. 

These early efforts are worth the time and money as kids move into their teens.

Every day is perfect to read, but there is something about a cloudy, rainy day that just begs for you to pick up a book, curl up with a blanket in a big soft chair and escape into a literary world.  The nice thing about reading is that it has no age limit.  There are books for every age and reading level.  Infants start with plastic and cloth books, toddlers progress up to cardboard books, school age children have books with lots of pictures and ones with stories written for their reading level.  As we get older the pictures disappear, for the most part, but the thrill and excitement of a story on the written page never diminishes. 
Open the flood gates for imagination, knowledge and learning today!  Grab a book and let the adventure begin!