On Friday, May 29th, a group of Book Bears volunteer readers held a Virtual Story Time Event with Mrs. Allen's (teacher, Olinda Elementary School) kindergarten students over Zoom. Each volunteer read a picture book of their choosing and then led a brief discussion about the topics covered in the book.
"We wanted to find a way to have story time while social distancing," said Daisy Noh (co-president of Book Bears). "Doing a virtual reading event seemed like the perfect way for everyone to engage in reading, feel more connected, and have fun sharing stories together."
Smiles and laughter filled every student's Zoom screen with the excitement of seeing friends and reading a new story. However, the students were not the only ones having a good time.
"My favorite part of volunteering at this event was reading to the children and seeing their happy faces!" Kaydee Tani (volunteer, Bert Lynn Middle School) shared fondly.
Being able to make memories and laugh together warmed the hearts of all our volunteer readers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I really wanted to make the children smile during this tough time," said Avery Mizrahi (projects manager of Book Bears). "They have not gotten many chances to interact with older kids and enjoy a book, [something] I loved when I was their age."
The Virtual Story Time Event was apart of the latest Book Bears initiative called Project Binding Us Together, which aims to not only promote literacy but also helps the community feel more connected while everyone is staying at home. Alexis Lee (volunteer, Bert Lynn Middle School) saw this event as the excellent opportunity to continue her love of working with kids while being quarantined.
"I would always volunteer at the elementary school, so it felt so nice to be able to communicate with [kids] again," said Alexis.
The success of this event has inspired Book Bears to continue organizing Virtual Story Time Events in the future, aimed to keep promoting reading and strengthen our community.
"We hope to have sparked an interest for reading within these children that will improve both their reading and writing skills... This is a stepping stone for bigger projects to improve literacy within our community," Isabelle Tran (co-president of Book Bears) comments.
On behalf of Book Bears, both Isabelle and Daisy would like to thank everyone who made this event possible: Mrs. Allen, her kindergarten students, and all our wonderful volunteer readers. This was truly a wonderful experience, and they look forward to bringing more virtual story times in the future.
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