Reading camp: Literacy Night gives children a book to take home during event

Students enjoyed camping-themed fun and took a book home from Jefferson Elementary School’s first-ever Literacy Night on Tuesday evening.

Families of students from kindergarten through second grade were invited to the event, said Jefferson principal Rae Anne Alpers, and almost 30 parents attended the parent-teacher organization meeting and presentation on supporting home literacy.

In the cafeteria, kindergarten teachers Allie Balsman and Katie Karnes gave a presentation on literacy support, asking parents for their assistance in helping students make connections between letters and sounds.

Balsman said she was happy at how the evening turned out.

Balsman and Karnes had given the presentation last year, Balsman said, “and now, it’s a whole event this year.”

Edward Calvin reads with his son Edward Calvin III the book "My Dog is a Hero" in a tent during the first Literacy Night at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

In the gym, five booths were set up with activities to promote literacy, and tents were pitched for students to go inside and read the free book they received at the end of the activity tour.

Nurse Lori Collier said the teachers had come down during their breaks Tuesday to get the booths ready to go.

Collier watched over a photo booth set up to look like a campsite, where students could pose for pictures.

Casey Schamburg, a kindergarten teacher at Jefferson, wore hip waders and a jacket, both of which she said she’d worn on a fishing trip last weekend, to keep with the theme of her booth.

Students could “fish” with magnetic poles and pick up a cardboard fish to reveal a sight word or simple math problem on the underside.

Sara Baker, center, reads "Pete the Cat" to Samantha Baker, 3, left, and Chloe King, 5, during Literacy Night on Tuesday, at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

Schamburg said several teachers and Alpers collaborated on the event.

“We were brainstorming camping ideas and how literacy relates, and it blossomed into this,” Schamburg said, gesturing at the gym full of laughing and playing children.

Nikki Crosnoe, who teaches first grade at Jefferson, said the station she was working allowed students to do a STEM activity — that is, related to science, technology, engineering or math — and build a boat out of a sheet of aluminum foil and two straws.

The boat then was floated in a tub of water and magnetic letters dropped into it to see how many it could take on before sinking.

One boat got to 23 letters, while another had more than 50 and still was floating, Crosnoe said.

Students at another station could color a paper bookmark to take home.

One booth held ingredients for s’mores: mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and graham cracker cereal.

Students could fill their bags and take the snack to eat.

The last stop was a table full of books donated to the school so each student who came through could choose a book to take home.

Kindergarten teacher Leasa Maxfield said the books were a great way for children to take a book home and enjoy it after the event.

Alpers said the evening was a success, and she was excited at the turnout.

“This is huge for us,” she said.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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