Reading aloud at Din Loc in Loc

This afternoon was story time at Din Loc in Loc. Brandi Bates has established a children's library in her home. Every week she brings crates of books to the Impact Center where the Impact club meets and reads aloud to kids. The summer reading program rewards kids for the pages read. Different page numbers are represented by different fruits. For example an apple represents 50 pages, an orange equals 100 pages and so on.  After story time the kids cut out fruit images according to he number of pages read and glue them in their baskets.

The kids gathered shortly after 2 p.m.  It began with just a few kids but the room filled rapidly and soon the chairs were filled and the floor was filled with kids waiting to hear a story.

This afternoon the guest storyteller was none other than Peter Smick all the way from America. He read The Spiffiest Giant.  He read in English and Graciella read in Romanian. It was a masterful performance and the kids were spellbound. 

After the reading the kids glued their fruit pictures in their baskets. There will be prizes at the end of the summer for the highest totals. Then it was time to check books out. Kids returned the books they read and left with more. Even the parents took out books. 

After the crowd thinned we had good conversations. Although most of the group stayed on the ropes course and finished the projects, Katie came with us, and made a new Romanian friend.  

In the evening we joined the Bates for dinner.  

Dana has been away so this was a great chance to hear him talk about the origins of New Horizons Foundation, its current projects and his vision for the future.