If you know my daughter at all, you know that she absolutely loves books! She has for as long as she has been alive. If you ever aren't sure where Raegan is, you'll probably find her reading a book. Whether it's in the top of tree, sitting in her room, riding in the car, or even walking around a store, any place is a good place to read a book, if you're asking her opinion.
Of course, in Uganda most children have no access to books except whatever is available at school. Reading is a big difficulty for students and it isn't hard to imagine why since they don't get much practice. Last fall, we were blessed to receive a tub full of books from folks in the US, and we have put them to use.
Every other Sunday, Raegan and I carry our tub of books to one of the classrooms and lay the books out on the desks. Raegan has a composition book that she uses as the library log. The first week, we opened only to the highest three classes, P4-P6. Each child was allowed to choose 2 books. We explained how it works and that you can't get books wet and other simple rules for taking care of them.
The children walked around looking at the books until they made their choice. When they were ready, they went to Raegan where they wrote their name and Raegan wrote down the book titles. After two weeks, we set up the library again. They line up outside with their books in hand and I let about 12 kids in at time. They check their books in with Raegan and then start looking for 2 more books to repeat the process. If they didn't bring their books back, and in good condition, then they can't check out new ones.
The second time, we did not limit the books to the older kids. All the young ones were just as excited to get books.
Now, the only problem we have is a limited supply of books. We only have enough for the boarding kids we have now. We'd love to have a small selection in every classroom for the children to access when they've finished work or the teachers want to make use of them. This would also give access to our day students.
If you have children who've outgrown their books, we'd love for you to set them aside for us. If you enjoy garage sales or thrift stores, we'd love for you to keep your eye out for children's books at low prices. The children really like pictures, even the older kids, and their English is still somewhat limited, so anything from baby books up to maybe 2nd grade. They can be fiction or fun learning books. They certainly can be used or new. The dollar store has a good selection. Even the board books are great because of the conditions here. Basically, what I'm saying is that we're not picky!!
The teachers can even use things like a children's atlas, science books, children's dictionaries, or anything else that you come across that makes sense for showing kids things they've never seen before. I'm even interested in a set of encyclopedias. The old hard book style may be some what out of use in the US, but here in the bush of Uganda, they would be a tremendous blessing!
So, if you come across some books or have your own that you no longer use, just let me know. When we come to the US, I'll arrange to get them from you. If you need them out of your hair, I can probably find a place for them to be held for me.
Of course, in Uganda most children have no access to books except whatever is available at school. Reading is a big difficulty for students and it isn't hard to imagine why since they don't get much practice. Last fall, we were blessed to receive a tub full of books from folks in the US, and we have put them to use.
Every other Sunday, Raegan and I carry our tub of books to one of the classrooms and lay the books out on the desks. Raegan has a composition book that she uses as the library log. The first week, we opened only to the highest three classes, P4-P6. Each child was allowed to choose 2 books. We explained how it works and that you can't get books wet and other simple rules for taking care of them.
The children walked around looking at the books until they made their choice. When they were ready, they went to Raegan where they wrote their name and Raegan wrote down the book titles. After two weeks, we set up the library again. They line up outside with their books in hand and I let about 12 kids in at time. They check their books in with Raegan and then start looking for 2 more books to repeat the process. If they didn't bring their books back, and in good condition, then they can't check out new ones.
The second time, we did not limit the books to the older kids. All the young ones were just as excited to get books.
Now, the only problem we have is a limited supply of books. We only have enough for the boarding kids we have now. We'd love to have a small selection in every classroom for the children to access when they've finished work or the teachers want to make use of them. This would also give access to our day students.
If you have children who've outgrown their books, we'd love for you to set them aside for us. If you enjoy garage sales or thrift stores, we'd love for you to keep your eye out for children's books at low prices. The children really like pictures, even the older kids, and their English is still somewhat limited, so anything from baby books up to maybe 2nd grade. They can be fiction or fun learning books. They certainly can be used or new. The dollar store has a good selection. Even the board books are great because of the conditions here. Basically, what I'm saying is that we're not picky!!
The teachers can even use things like a children's atlas, science books, children's dictionaries, or anything else that you come across that makes sense for showing kids things they've never seen before. I'm even interested in a set of encyclopedias. The old hard book style may be some what out of use in the US, but here in the bush of Uganda, they would be a tremendous blessing!
So, if you come across some books or have your own that you no longer use, just let me know. When we come to the US, I'll arrange to get them from you. If you need them out of your hair, I can probably find a place for them to be held for me.
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