The information this week was interesting. It described the flag, how it began, the significance of its stripes and then it ended with the words to the “Star Spangled Banner.”
A puzzle on the page was a seek-and-find for symbols of our nation. It was a good example of helping children learn through creative participation with jokes, puzzles and challenges. It is a great item to keep children busy in a positive way, but it also is informative for adults as well.
Reading the Mini Page prompted me to think about my childhood and how important the daily newspaper was to me.
I could hardly wait each day for Dad to arrive home from work with the daily newspaper under his arm. I was taught early on to enjoy reading and particularly the newspaper.
Today, it’s part of my daily routine and many days I read three or more a day. With the advent of the Internet, I now read some out-of-town papers, i.e., Knoxville and Nashville, online to keep up with things of interest. But nothing takes the place of the printed papers I read daily.
Needless to say, the Cleveland Daily Banner is a “must read” in my home. I am often amazed when I find people who do not take time to read newspapers and stay informed on local issues that affect them and their families.
I started reading newspapers at an early age. Naturally, I liked the comics and still do!
But I began reading newspapers to find out what was happening. Keep in mind, we only had newspaper and radio at that time.
The Mini Page is a great way to pique children’s interest in reading newspapers. Another program, begun back in the 1950s, is an international program to use newspapers in the schools — in hopes of improving reading, spelling and writing abilities. Thanks to the Banner’s efforts, Newspapers in Education is active in this community by providing daily newspapers to our city and county schools.
Through the years, it has been proven that using newspapers in schools contributes to students’ reading skills, writing skills and current events knowledge.
The effects are dramatic — and it has also been proven to help prevent illiteracy at a time when young people have a support system of educators in place.
In my youth, newspapers truly opened the world to me and kept me curious about world events and well informed.
It probably contributes greatly to where I am today in my life and career.
Whether in the home or in the classroom, newspapers are no doubt the most up-to-date and inexpensive textbook available to your children.
We each need to set an example and encourage our children to read — and newspapers give them the advantage of being a part of history by reading what is happening in the world as it happens. Textbooks will not reflect today’s events until later. Newspapers are now.
When my grandchildren are visiting, they still gather and share the newspapers when I am reading. Of course, grandchildren are all different. One only likes the “funnies,” as he calls them. Another is a sports enthusiast, so that’s the first page he retrieves. Another in college is looking to a career in political science and law so current affairs around the world pique his interest.
Encourage your children to read and introduce them to the adventure of reading newspapers. You’ll be contributing to their knowledge and perhaps their futures by keeping them informed in the “now” by reading daily news.
