{"id":687,"date":"2018-04-04T15:04:22","date_gmt":"2018-04-04T19:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/?p=687"},"modified":"2018-04-04T15:04:22","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T19:04:22","slug":"building-community-through-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/04\/building-community-through-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Community through Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nby Alex Chiu<\/p>\n

Some of our MCA parents are currently participating in MCA\u2019s Parent Book Club meetings at our Morristown and Short Hills campuses. They are reading The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness<\/em> by Edward Hallowell and discussing the five key elements that maintain the joy of childhood for children in today\u2019s world, which ultimately help them develop into happier adults. The Parent Book Club meetings are a special time for parent participants and the MCA teachers who facilitate the groups to come together to discuss their reactions to the selected book, share personal experiences, ask questions, and form a special community.<\/p>\n

The idea of the \u2018book club\u2019 likely started hundreds of year ago, with Puritan Bible study groups, Paris salons, Benjamin Franklin\u2019s Junto literary society, and lyceum, where people came together to discuss topics of personal importance and current political and social events. In more recent times, the current book club boom likely was launched with the help of Oprah\u2019s book picks, as local libraries and book stores quickly created meetings for community members to discuss her latest book choice. Regardless of how they came about, book clubs are a great way for people to share in the joys of reading with others. And just like adults, children (even young children) can benefit by participating in book discussion, as well.<\/p>\n

So, how do you get your children interested in reading and discussing good books? Let\u2019s take a look at a few ways to celebrate the joy of reading and help your child see that reading can build a bridge to community, to boot:<\/p>\n

1. Saturate your child with reading material.<\/strong> Even the youngest children can learn to appreciate language and literature simply by having an abundance of things to read readily available. Keep a basket of board books for babies that they can pick up, a child-sized sturdy bookshelf for preschoolers, and a place for mom\u2019s, dad\u2019s, and older children\u2019s books and magazines too! Public libraries sometimes hold used book sales, which are a great opportunity to stock up on new titles for the whole family.
\n2. Schedule regular family reading times.<\/strong> Many families engage in the familiar bedtime story ritual, but have you considered a time when everyone in the family is reading his or her own book at the same time during another part of the day? Even instituting a short 15-minute reading break on Saturday or Sunday afternoons can help to create a habit of reading for enjoyment, and you get a few minutes to read your most recently recommended book as well!
\n3. Discuss books together at home.<\/strong> Consider choosing one book that all family members read (either together or separately). Even with young children, everyone being familiar with the same book can open doors to interesting conversations about characters, settings, and connections to school, family, and other areas. For example, even the classic Goodnight Moon<\/em> could lead to a discussion about each family member\u2019s favorite things that are found in his or her bedroom or what rituals help people relax at night after a busy day. Have family members take turns choosing a book to discuss each month.
\n4. Institute a \u2018book date\u2019 for your child with a special adult.<\/strong> A grandparent, aunt or uncle, or close neighbor could be the perfect companion to share a story with as a special occasion. Be sure the adult knows the purpose of the \u2018book date\u2019 is to share thoughts about a book each has read, and also to simply enjoy one another\u2019s company!
\n5. Consider starting an informal children\u2019s book club<\/strong> with a few of your child\u2019s friends and their parents. Together, generate a reading list of books across a variety of genres and themes at the appropriate age level. Be sure to include both fiction and non-fiction titles on the list. Schedule the dates for your meetings, perhaps once every other month. Rotate homes or meet in the children\u2019s section of your local library and remember to provide some snacks for the book club session. An adult may need to lead the discussions at first, so be prepared to have some open-ended questions ready for your participants. Questions might include things like: Which character did you like best and why? What surprised you in the story? If you were the main character, what would you have done? What is similar\/different about the setting of the story and where you live? Would you recommend this book to a friend and why or why not? Include a game or craft that relates to the book in some way, and keep the length of the meetings appropriate for the children\u2019s ages and stages of development – it\u2019s always better to leave them wanting more than dragging out a book club meeting and risking losing the children\u2019s interest!<\/p>\n

Sharing in the joy of reading with family and friends allows everyone to take fantastic journeys together through the pages of wonderful books and helps to build a community of readers young and old.<\/p>\n

\n

For more information about the history of book clubs, you might enjoy reading the following articles which were used as a reference:<\/p>\n

\uf0d8 A History of Radical Thinking: How Women Created Book Clubs<\/em> (Kristin Hunt, 2016) broadly.vice.com\/en_us\/article\/nejbvk\/a-history-of-radical-thinking-how-women-created-book-clubs
\n\uf0d8 The Evolution of American Book Clubs: A Timeline<\/em> (Otto, 2009) www.minnpost.com\/books\/2009\/09\/evolution-american-book-clubs-timeline<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in starting a book club for your children, the following articles provide some additional helpful hints to get your book club off the ground:<\/p>\n

\uf0d8 How to Start a Book Club for Kids<\/em>
\nwww.pbs.org\/parents\/education\/reading-language\/reading-tips\/how-to-start-a-book-club-for-kids\/
\n\uf0d8 20 Ideas for Starting a Book Club for Kids<\/em> (Marie, 2017)
\nbookriot.com\/2017\/08\/18\/book-club-for-kids\/<\/p>\n

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by Alex Chiu Some of our MCA parents are currently participating in MCA\u2019s Parent Book Club meetings at our Morristown and Short Hills campuses. They are reading The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness by Edward Hallowell and discussing the five key elements that maintain the joy of childhood for children in today\u2019s world, which ultimately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[28,224,69,87,1],"tags":[26,17,7,71,47,73,144,54,213,145,147,9,8],"coauthors":[13],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7icff-b5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":849,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/10\/the-mca-parent-book-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":0},"title":"The MCA Parent Book Club","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"April 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alex Chiu with Jacqueline Pisciotto and Imelda McShane \u00a0 MCA is delighted to be hosting its 4th Annual Parent Book Club at two of our campuses this spring. This year\u2019s featured book is Raising Resilient Children by Dr. Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein. The book, selected by MCA\u2019s Director\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori in your Home"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori in your Home","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-in-your-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Raising-Resilient-Children-Book-Cover-203x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":603,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/14\/reflections-at-the-montessori-childrens-academy\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":1},"title":"Reflections at The Montessori Children’s Academy","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"January 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As we enter this new year, we thought we\u2019d take a look back at just some of the MCA special events and highlights from September through December. 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Reflecting upon the fall\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/FIREFIGHTER-VISIT-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/14\/a-word-of-welcome-from-mca\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":2},"title":"A Word of Welcome from MCA","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"March 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By: Alex Chiu and Hannah Ferris \u201cMontessori Education\u201d\u00a0 For some, those two words might not mean very much.\u00a0\u00a0For others however, they bring about many misconceptions of discipline, pedagogy, or purpose.\u00a0But for those who have become familiar with the Montessori Method and have seen the beauty of its effectiveness as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Montessori Childrens Academy NJ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1100.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":581,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/01\/the-gifts-of-a-montessori-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":3},"title":"The Gifts of a Montessori Education","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alex Chiu During this busy holiday season, many people find themselves frantically searching for \u2018that perfect gift\u2019. They are looking for the right size, color, and fit. Or they are trying to find something unique and one-of-a-kind. Some parents have their children write out wish lists of items they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Early Child Education"","block_context":{"text":"Early Child Education","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/early-child-education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":742,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/04\/creating-a-montessori-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":4},"title":"Creating a Montessori Community","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"October 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"By Alex Chiu Parents who choose Montessori for their children\u2019s education hopefully find themselves embarking on an educational journey that goes beyond what their children learn within their classroom walls. An equally important aspect to Montessori education is creating a community among the children, parents, teachers, and administrators, and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"benefits of Montessori\"","block_context":{"text":"benefits of Montessori","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/tag\/benefits-of-montessori\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/acorns-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":223,"url":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/11\/mca-book-club-inspires-summer-reading-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":687,"position":5},"title":"MCA Book Club Inspires Summer Reading List","author":"Alex Chiu","date":"July 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By: Alex Chiu In the fall of this past school year, The Montessori Children\u2019s Academy (MCA) was proud to host Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore as a guest speaker for a Speaker Series event.\u00a0 Dr. Kennedy-Moore shared her professional insights on a variety of parenting topics, balanced with her own honest experiences\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Montessori Philosophy"","block_context":{"text":"Montessori Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/category\/montessori-philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":697,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions\/697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themontessorichildrensacademy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}