Students holding pumpkins they received at Tikkun Farm

The family engagement literacy program at Mt. Healthy City School District, Blast Off to Reading, hosted the first event of this year at Tikkun Farm on October 20th.  Nine families consisting of 32 individuals attended the evening where they enjoyed a delicious crock pot meal, toured the farm to visit all the resident critters, roasted marshmallows for their own s'mores, and  engaged with our expert read aloud teachers. The children heard the story, Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip by Denia Lewis Hester. All of the children took home a pumpkin (generously provided by Meijer) and books (generously provided by our Learning Links grants) to help remember the night. “Tikkun Farms offered so much to our families while providing a peaceful location for our literacy event. Our teachers modeled engaging ways for parents to interact with their child as they read aloud.  Families were laughing and smiling together during the read aloud activity, as well as while they rotated through the different areas of the farm. This was a wonderful opportunity to expose families to methods that support literacy goals in their homes,” stated Jen Danner, CLSD Grant Coordinator.

The district holds a number of literacy events throughout the school year as a component of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant. They also provide opportunities to share examples of the Simple View of Reading with our families, while having fun.  Sharing with families the importance of reading, especially at early ages ties in with the district’s strategic plan and literacy mission, as well as the Ohio Department of Education’s Each Child, Our Future plan to raise literacy.