TheGoodMuse Volunteer Journal #99 – Reading to Kids

Guest Blog by Raegan Payne, Creator of TheGoodMuse and Keynote Speaker for Maryland Nonprofits’ 2014 Annual Conference “Connecting for Impact”

Join Maryland Nonprofits’ 2014 Annual Conference “Connecting for Impact!” November 5th at the Universities of Shady Grove in Rockville, MD. 

Read the original blog here.

I worked with Reading to Kids last Saturday, a group trying get underserved children to love reading. I love reading so much it’s got to be contagious. Sold.

I checked into Magnolia Elementary, one of the more inhospitable buildings I’ve been in in a while, and was handed a rather ambitious 3rd grade book. It told the story of a girl who starts a lemonade stand to help her friend buy a new wheelchair, and the ripple effect of goodness that follows.
After the reading we were suppose to discuss ripple effect with the kids, and then do a related art project.

I asked the little ones, “Does anyone know what a ripple effect is?”

Shy 3rd graders stared blankly back. One picked their nose.

Okay. Rephrase. “Who do you want to help?”

More staring.

“Like me,” I offered, “I would like to help animals.”

Little faces broke into smiles and they chimed in.

“I would like to help my dog.”

“I would like to help my mom cook dinner.”

They all answered. No matter how small or grand the idea, they all wanted to help.

To celebrate their new chattiness we made lemonade stands out of construction paper, and wrote who we were raising money for on the signs.

The story reminded me of the Brownie Story I was told as a tiny Brownie Scout.  It was about a helpful little magical creature named a brownie who did not, unfortunately, bring chocolate everywhere.

It’s interesting the seeds of magic a story can plant in a child.

So the question of the day is, “Who would you like to help?”

Now realize that you can always help someone.

 

 

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