January's Environmental Super Hero Project - Book Swap!

Our January Environmental Super Hero Project - the First Annual Book Swap - was a big success. I think all were in agreement that this event should become a regular thing. The children had such thoughtful responses when asked why they thought having book swaps/exchanges may be a better idea than simply going to the store each time you wanted to get a new book to read. They also recognized that some books were special and sentimental - and these books you might want to keep on your shelves forever, or pass them down to family members.

We started the event by reading a short selection from Matilda, by Roald Dahl. We picked this piece just because she is such a lover of books, and we know these children are all book lovers too. We wanted this to not only be a "green" activity, but a celebration of our shared love of the written word.

Then children got to browse through all books brought in and picked out as many books as they brought in. Recommendations were made, discussions were had. And then most children asked, "Can I start reading now?" (The answer was "Yes!") Many children also wanted to make special bookmarks for their new selections, so materials were supplied for that as well.