Instilling a love of reading at an early age not only allows children to grow their vocabulary skills, but also to improve cognitive development and creativity. As part of an effort to spark students’ interest in reading and foster life-long learning, Sunway International Schools (SIS) has recently hosted the Elementary Book Week from 9 to 13 October.
The week-long event was packed with exciting activities including bonfire night, Teddy Bear picnic, readathon, daily reading session, student costume parade, book scavenger hunt and many more.
One of the biggest highlights of the event was the bonfire night, which had students all cuddled up in warm blankets with snacks enjoying a fun story-telling session whilst singing along. On top of that, the school organised a Teddy Bear Picnic, inviting all elementary students to have an extraordinary lunch with their favourite snacks and soft toys. These activities created a fun ‘outside of the classroom’ environment which allowed students to fully relax and enjoy their reading time.
To add a sprinkle of magic, SIS Principal, Mr. Brett Syer Brett and Vice Principal Mr. Michael Owen made a surprise visit during the event, appearing as Thing One and Thing Two from Dr. Seuss. The fun-filled adventure was accompanied by a story-telling session from Thing One and Thing Two Students, where students had the opportunity to pick the story of their choice.
In addition, SIS adopted the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) concept from the Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, who wrote the Ramona series. The DEAR concept encourages individuals to set aside some time and drop all distractions to enjoy reading. This is important to build a healthy reading habit amongst students.
The Elementary Book Week wrapped up with a colourful parade featuring students in their favourite costumes.
