Motivational Reading Events

Motivational Events

Vibrant Minds Charter

First Motivational Reading Event! 2023

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Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

Students at Walnut School were

treated to a week long motivational

event, built around the theme,

“Welcome to a Winterland of Books.”

The books had varied titles related to

winter and the holiday season.

Parents made posters, set up the

distribution room, and participated

in the classrooms as guest readers.

Each day was centered around

different winter related items: Beanie

Day, Mitten Day, Scarf Day,

Boots Day, and Coat Day on which each child wore the appropriate article of clothing. Art and craft activities were aligned with books that were read in class by parent guest readers. On an assigned day, students from each class chose their favorite books in the distribution room. Look at our happy faces! We'll have time to read over Holiday Break.

Albion Jaguars are Nuts about Reading

In November, Albion Street Elementary School was magically transformed into a forest of reading. Five 3-dimensional trees were created by parent volunteers to prepare for the week long motivational event. Albion’s celebration of reading began with “It’s Book Time” which featured a visit from Ronald McDonald. Ronald motivated the students to read on a daily basis and to fill in the reading logs provided by their teachers. The library sported a beautiful poster declaring that “Albion Jaguars are Nuts about Reading.” During the week, the trees sprouted acorns with each child’s name. The Acorns read “I’m nuts about reading because….” Squirrels with the names of participating teachers found homes in the trees.

The week ended with a celebration called “Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving” with teachers reading to the children. Each student then self-selected a brand new, beautiful book to take home, read, and treasure.

Albion continues to encourage reading for Fun and information. They participate in the L. A. Kings’ Royal Readers Program.

Minie Mouse Visits Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena

Children at Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena were delighted with a visit from Minnie Mouse. Their Motivational Reading Event included having stories read to them, food, frolicking, a coloring contest, and face painting, but the very best part was choosing a book of their very own to take home, read, and keep forever!

Winnie Visits Carson-Gore

Our beloved Winnie the Pooh visited the children at Carson-Gore Elementary School recently. He told us that they are very enthusiastic about their new books. They hope RIF comes again and again to bring them wonderful, new books!

Cleveland Elementary – Japanese-American History and Culture

In May we held a Japanese-American themed motivational reading event at Cleveland Elementary School in Pasadena. Because Cleveland is in an area that was once predominantly Japanese-American, we thought it would be a unique opportunity to teach the children about the history of their own neighborhood. Hal Keimi, a volunteer of the Japanese American National Museum, gave a presentation about his experience of being Japanese-American during WWII and his memories of Wyoming’s Heart Mountain Relocation Camp. Veronica Ota, the 2015 Miss Pasadena representing the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute, also presented on her Japanese-American heritage and led the children in arts and crafts activities. Thanks to Keiko Kawashima, Cleveland students received a special Origami Crane Box decorated by children in Hiroshima, and in turn decorated their own thank you letters to be sent back to Japan. It was an extremely special and meaningful event that we hope to share with more schools in the future.

Parkview Elementary - What are you “Grateful For?”

This event was held immediately before the Thanksgiving break, making it very meaningful.

Children were asked to think about and share what they were most grateful for – their responses were thoughtful, varied and most interesting! Each child then wrote the one thing they were most “grateful for” on a leaf. Parents then assembled all of the leaves into one large “giving tree.”

The children then watched a PowerPoint and video presentation of the book The Giving Tree. The event ended with each child selecting a book of choice.

To give the parents an overview of the Motivational Reading Event so they could support their children, The Giving Tree PowerPoint was shared with the parent group during one of their meetings.

Horace Mann - Reading is a Gift

The theme of the Motivational Reading Event was “the positive impact gifts you receive can have on your life.” The local Kiwanis Club, who often support the events at Horace Mann, read You are the Best Present by Jane Bingham to the K - 3 children. They then led a discussion about how each child was a gift to their parents, families, teachers and school. The children all chanted “I am a gift to my parents etc…” They then talked about how each child was receiving the gift of a book, and that when they choose to do positive things like reading, they are wrapping their gift in extra special “gift wrap paper.”

Topaz Elem – The Love of Reading

This simple but fun event was held close to Valentine’s Day - thus the topic “the love of reading.” The children decorated special bookmarks with hearts and books, and then completed this sentence, written on the bookmarks, in their own words: I love to read because…

The volunteers helped the youngest children with their writing.

The event ended with excited children choosing their new book.