Family Book Club in Burnet opens door to reading and adventure
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
BURNET — While Mom, and even Dad, might have a book club, there’s a chance the kids might be missing out on the benefits and fun of reading with one.
Darlene Denton, parent-volunteer coordinator at the Burnet Parent Resource Center, is trying to change that. On Oct. 21, she and the center are hosting the first meeting of the Family Book Club for the 2013-2014 academic school year.
“Basically, this is a way to promote families reading together,” she said. “There are a lot of statistics and research out there that shows when parents read to or with children, it makes a tremendous difference in the child’s education and own reading.”
She points out mothers do most of the reading; additional studies show that fathers getting involved bumps up the impact even more.
“So, our hope is to get families reading together,” Denton said.
This is the second year the resource center, 202 E. Brier St., has promoted the Family Book Club.
And like similar reading clubs, the format is rather simple.
“We typically meet three times a year,” Denton said. “During the meeting, I’ll have some book selected for families to read. Then, everybody takes them home, reads them and then we get back together at the next meeting and discuss the books.”
While Denton selects books, she added the families don’t have to chose those titles. The parents and children simply need to read one together and come back to discuss it.
The Family Book Club meets about every three months. By spreading out the meetings, families have enough time to tackle longer chapter books for older elementary students. Denton said parents and kids can set aside time each night to read a chapter.
Families with younger children can select several easier books and read them numerous times.
“I just want them to read together and spend some time discussing the book,” Denton said.
She also schedules two meetings on the selected day so families can chose which time better fits their schedule. The first Family Book Club meetings are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 21.
During the first meeting, Denton will go over the program and explain to parents and children the benefits of reading as a family. There also will be light snacks available.
In addition, during the 6 p.m. meeting, Melissa Tolliver will give tips to parents about sharing stories from and about their childhoods with their kids.
Often parents and children can connect through these types of stories or even through books. Last year, one of the selections Denton encouraged parents to consider was reading a book they read as a child.
“I think doing something like that, sharing a book you enjoyed as a child with your child, really brings you together,” she said. “And, it’s just fun.”
Call Denton at (512) 715-3668 for more information on the Family Book Club or the Parent Resource Center.
daniel@thepicayune.com