Less is More
When your local public library branch closes. When tape on the floor in the supermarket tells you to keep your distance from others. When your son has his first Zoom-call with grandparents/auntie from the States and The Netherlands to celebrate his sixth birthday. When you’re not seeing your best friends on the other side of town because you are avoiding public transport. When all of these things happen, you know that the new corona virus affects us all. Even a young, healthy family like ours.
Every day, I am thankful for our health, and for the health of our dearest and nearest. I hope you can start your day feeling grateful as well. If you can’t, my thoughts go out to you. I hope that, whoever it is you are worried about, will be healthy and strong soon. We all do the best we can to keep each other safe.
With all of the uncertainty, worry and a whole range of feelings you may feel (anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness), with all of that also comes a strange sense of simplicity. There’s a range of things you should not do, maybe even are not allowed to do. Visit friends, travel, go to stores, eat out, etc. So what is left? Walking in the forest or a park, playing games with the people you live with, reading, getting to know your neighbors (from a two meters distance, though), and I am sure you can add other things to my short list.
So there is still a lot of things we can do. Alone, together, for each other. If you add to that the overwhelming amount of suggestions and possibilities in our virtual reality you could stay at home forever. Which we don’t want, of course. But you could.
I know this is a bit cliche, but I think there is a lot to say for simplifying your life. For really living and feeling the moment you are in. With the people you are sharing this moment with. It is painfully sad and horrible that it has to come at such high cost. That it is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s not pretend that we were all waiting for this forced opportunity for spiritual growth. But it is an opportunity, and it’s yours if you want it.
With this in mind (simplifying our lives), we turn to our school library. In the spirit of Mr Morris Lessmore’s (fictional) life, we are now posting online library learning content on Mondays only. So weekly posts, instead of daily. You will recognize the structure of the post: READ ALOUD, SPARK, DO and REASONS TO READ. We will include read alouds for all grades, and everything else will be applicable (with your creative modification, if necessary) to all students. Pick and choose what your child is interested in. Because really, the goal is that our students, your child(ren), are reading for fun! That they are reading what they are excited by, interested in. Books that they want to talk about, to share, are puzzled by, want to read over and over again. That is what a school library (and its library people) are for, that is our goal; that students pick up a book because they want to. And you don’t need five hundred thousand different ways to be reminded of that. I think.
If you don’t have access to books (in English), contact the public library to set up e-book loaning, or look at our updated “online library resources” tab where you can find many referrals to online read aloud sessions and story connected activities, including a brand-new fact book for children about the corona virus.
ISGR Easter Egg Hunt
Now for the fun part! We are super excited to announce the first virtual literary ISGR Easter Egg Hunt! Simply download the pdf, and follow the instructions there. The idea is simple: find the egg, and follow its link to a… surprise!
Happy Hunting!
(And… Happy Reading, Listening, Coloring, Laughing, Writing, …!)
Your book-loving library teacher,
Fleur
ISGRGuldLibrary 