This weekend, the 4th and 5th of October, will be the annual Church Gate Collection in aid of Solas Family Resource Centre. Our
funding has been cut by 15%, so in order to continue our
programs like Affordable Counselling Service, Drop-in information and leaflets,
free or discounted education, Meals on Wheels, rural transport, Men’s Shed, support for loan
parents, and many others, we are forced now to begin fund raising. If you’ve
ever dropped by Solas and appreciated a cup of tea and a chat, a 10 cent copy
of your passport, or any of the services listed above, now’s the time to show
your support. Supporting Solas helps support your community. So, on your way
into church this weekend, show the Love, Headford!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
When it comes to choosing between playing an Xbox game or reading
a book, which would most kids pick? Well, that’s a no-brainer. The Xbox game,
of course. But that’s the problem. It’s pretty much a no-brainer. While
technology skills are important, and you don’t want your kid to be on the wrong
side of the great digital divide (those who have technology skills vs. those
who don’t), there’s a lot to be said for the antiquated custom of reading a
book. Especially reading a book in good company.
There are several reasons why book clubs have become
fashionable. Oprah’s Book Club led the way and films like The Jane Austen Book Club, as well as countless online book clubs
have encouraged reading in groups. Everyone knows that reading expands your horizons, but book clubs can do a lot
more. In-depth discussions and an exchange of viewpoints all contribute to
increasing your knowledge and appreciation of the world around you, while
simultaneously offering a great social forum.
Here in
Headford, the Library is home to two different book clubs. There’s one for
adults, which meets the first Wednesday of each month. You can read about that
on the Solas post at this link:
The other is
a group for children from 8 to 13 years (the age range is flexible, as long as
the child can read confidently). The kids meet once a month at 4 pm in the
Headford Library and there’s not an Xbox in sight. Yet, they do seem to have
fun.
That might
be due in part to the creative ideas of the person who started this club.
Bobbie Sparrow used to read to toddlers at ‘Storytime’ in the Headford Library,
but then her kids grew older. As a result, she stopped ‘Storytime’ and started
a children’s book club instead.
 |
| Bobbie Sparrow |
‘Each month the children get a copy of a book, and at the next meeting—the following month—we discuss it.’ Bobbie says. ‘The emphasis is on fun, ideas, chat . . . it’s definitely not formal.’
Bobbie, who is a psychotherapist by trade, says she has ‘a great
love of literature. I even did my mini-thesis on children’s literature.’
‘I originally worked in social care with children and when I
did that I used to read an awful lot to the children and found that it had a
great benefit.’
The kids are encouraged to bring in their favourite book and
everyone talks about it. Sometimes they discuss and define different terms,
like ‘What is an author? An editor? A publisher? ‘But it’s not about teaching,’
Bobbie insists. ‘It’s about stimulating and illuminating.’
These meetings aren’t just about reading. The kids play a
lot of games too. Like ‘Silly Sentences,’ where each child writes a sentence—any
sentence they want—on a piece of paper, then they fold over the top of the page
so no one else can see what they’ve written. The process is repeated until an
entire A4 page is folded up. Then the sentences are read aloud, like a story. ‘But,
of course, it doesn’t make any sense and causes a lot of giggles,’ Bobbie says.
The kids have now cut and pasted one such story into a book of their own.
On Roald Dahl’s birthday, they read one of his stories, ate
chocolate cake and sang happy birthday to Dahl. Sometimes they each come up
with a great first line for a book and write it down. And, most of the time,
they head to the playground after the meeting.
‘I wouldn’t recommend that a child come just once,’ Bobbie
says. She thinks it’s important to be patient in the beginning, get to know
people and settle in. ‘But there’s no pressure,’ she assures. ‘You don’t have
to read the whole book if you don’t like it. Just say a little bit about why
they didn’t want to finish it at the next meeting.’
There are obviously no hard and fast rule to this group. In fact,
as Bobbie puts it, ‘If you stood outside the door, all you’d hear is a lot of
noise and laughing.’
So the next time a child tells you their Xbox is way more
fun than any book could ever be, you might want to suggest the Headford
Children’s Book Club.
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