Read Instead

Join Screen-Free Week
May 2-8, 2016

How do you get your kids unplugged?

• Lead by example. 
• Substitute screen time with face time. 
• Plan a family activity.

Years ago we discovered the fun (and benefits) of reading out loud.

Thanks to Margaret Mary Kimmel and Elizabeth Segel,* we built irreplaceable family memories around a bowl of popcorn and The Wizard of Oz. Next came Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and A Bear Called Paddington by firelight. And nothing can replace the summer we drove to the shore with a copy of  The Ghost in the Noonday Sun. We started it on the drive, but finished it in rocking chairs overlooking the ocean. I still recommend a family gathering around Sarah, Plain and Tall. Start your own traditions this week and see where your bookish adventures lead you.

Sarah, Plain and Tall,
By Patricia MacLachlan

The Ghost in the Noonday Sun,
By Sid Fleischman

Try a few of these titles from your local library. They make great read-alouds.

Celebrate Screen-Free Week

*For more information and recommendations, check out For Reading Out Loud!: A Guide to Sharing Books With Children.