Jackie French: Senior Australian Of The year.

[the_great_she_elephant]

Jackie is one amazing lady, and I thought you might like to watch this video. It contains a powerful message for all of us who either have children, work with children or care about children. 

http://vimeopro.com/brokenyellow/aoty-sugar-glider

[lurker172602]

Thanks she_ele. That was lovely and oh so true. I have admired Jackie for a long time.

[youcandoityoucandoityoucandoit]

Thanks she-ele, she is awesome! 

Love her library as well.

[polksaladallie]

Thanks, Elephant.  You are talking to the converted here.

IMO reading to children should start a short while after the baby arrives home from hospital. 

Having cared for babies and children for ever, I have had parents amazed to see their babies watching the pages of the book I was reading to them.  I am talking about babies of 3 or 4 months.  Some households had no books at all in the house, for them or for their chilldren.  Every child who I ever read to loved the experience.  I used to take up to ten books with me and they chose which ones they wanted that night.

My daughter and her eldest child both had reading ages of 12 in Grade 3.   The others probably the same.

Books as gifts are far more important than plastic or fluffy toys which do nothing and serve no purpose.

[lloydslights]

I was fortunate to grow up around books, observing parents, grandparents, aunt all reading.

Pa used to read the works of Henry Lawson to me as a 4 year old sitting on his lap.  Dad reading his big books, while I sat beside "reading" with him.  Aunt used to gather all 6 of us around and read us beautiful stories with enunciation and tones invested in the telling.  Books given as gifts every birthday.

My own children observing their father and me reading.  They started really reading with Little Golden Books (remember they used to be near the checkout at the grocery stores?)  They had had plastic books, thick cardboard books, all sitting in a row along the lounge acting grownup by reading.  

But what I find nowadays is the importance of WRITING.  Write a journal of your day, observations.  With fractured families abounding, an individuals writings can extend a family history.  Not just the people.  But the personality, the preferences, the dislikes, describing an grandfather and his sister laughing when you didn't think "old people" could laugh.

DEB

[polksaladallie]

I will intrude into this thread to tell you that Harper Lee is writing another book, a sequel to "To Kill a Mockingbird", with Scout as an adult. 

I missed the name of the book.  Will be a good read.

[lurker172602]

Go Set a Watchman

Thats funny polks, I just read about that on my FB page.  Apparently written first, then rewritten on her editors advice as To Kill a Mocking Bird.  I'll be looking out for it.

[polksaladallie]

Due on the bookshelves in July.

[lind9650]

The husband of one of my granddaughters started reading and singing to the babies while they were still in the womb. We thought he was overly clucky, but he had his reasons to communicate with the unborn. Today they have two wonderful, well adjusted, talented and intelligent Schoolchildren to be proud of.

Erica

[polksaladallie]

---

@lind9650 wrote:

The husband of one of my granddaughters started reading and singing to the babies while they were still in the womb. We thought he was overly clucky, but he had his reasons to communicate with the unborn. Today they have two wonderful, well adjusted, talented and intelligent Schoolchildren to be proud of.

Erica

---

There is a lot of white noise going on in there, but they do hear music and voices, (including shouting and fights). 

When someone holds them to read at a very early age, they feel the heartbeat which they have heard for nine months, and they feel and hear the resonance of the voice. 

I have a feeling that your great grandbabies would have had those qualities anyway.