I am super excited to be joining Champions for Kids in their mission to mobilize MILLIONS of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond. Their goal is to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020. In September they are motivating people across the country to bring awareness about the importance of early literacy and the fact that many children do not have books through an amazing project: the Nickelodeon Big Help Book Drive! #NickCFK
Many families in the United States speak a language other than English at home and finding books in the child’s home language can be difficult and more expensive. Contrary to the common belief that learning the home language could interfere with their children’s ability to learn English, which is a misconception shared by many parents, teachers and other education professionals, the opposite is actually true. Reading to a child in his or her home language will build the child’s early literacy skills, which he will easily transfer to a second language once he begins to read in English at school. It is extremely important to foster the child’s home language not only because research widely supports that bilingual children have many advantages over monolingual children, but also because it is important for children to communicate and be read to by their parents in the language their parents feel more comfortable with.
I am very passionate about bringing awareness regarding the importance of supporting the home language and children’s culture and heritage. This is a wonderful opportunity to inspire friends, family and coworkers to help improve the opportunities for dual language learners to acquire early literacy skills by donating new and gently used bilingual books, books in Spanish (or any other language) or books in English that reflect different cultures and heritage to families who do not have the opportunity to provide books for their children. Reading to children at home is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity and memory. Reading to a child in their home language sets the foundation for them to grow to be bilingual and biliterate. Children who learn and maintain their home language have a better communication and relationship with their parents and their extended family, they have pride in their heritage and are more tolerant and understanding of other cultures and races. Children who are bilingual will not only benefit from having more learning and career opportunities; research supports that bilingual children have higher scores in intelligence tests, faster response time, an easier time focusing, are in greater control over literacy skills, have improved cognitive skills, heighten creativity and an easier time transitioning from one task to another.
I will be donating the books from my Nickelodeon Big Help Book Drive! to the Dual Language Learners Workgroup of Florida, a group helping families of children who are dual language learners acquire early language and literacy skills by providing them with bilingual books or books in their home language.
To start me off on my journey to help Latino children Nickelodeon gave me $25 so I could buy some books at Walmart. My quest to find the Dora The Gymnast book took me and my children to two Walmart supercenters with no luck. Both my kids love Dora and I really like both the Dora and Diego characters because they always include words in Spanish and Dora also teaches kids about the Latino culture so we bought some other Dora books. Ariane and Sebastian picked the books for the book drive and also picked a couple of books for themselves. You can see the rest of our shopping trip HERE on my Google+ album.
HELP us get books to the children who need them! You can make a donation of new or gently used books, even better if these books are bilingual or in another language! Or you can make a monetary donation, even $5 help! Send books and donations to Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz 4132 SW 9th Pl, Cape Coral FL 33914. If you make a monetary donation you will receive a list and picture of the books that have been purchased with your money! For more information contact Paula at [email protected].
You can also make a difference! You can help improve the chances of reading success for children in your community by participate in the Big Book Drive Help Them Read SIMPLE Service Project in your neighborhood and by reporting it on the Champions for Kids website. Be one of millions to help CFK meet their goal of 20 million people by 2020. Start a book drive today!!
Like Champions for Kids on Facebook and follow Champions for Kids on Twitter and like Nickelodeon on Facebook and follow Nickelodeon on twitter.
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids. #NickCFK #CBias. However, all opinions are my own.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
- Guatemalan Dulce de Chilacayote Recipe (Crystalized Chilacayote Candy) - February 26, 2024
- Guatemalan Naranjas en Miel Recipe (Candied Oranges Recipe) - February 25, 2024
- Traditional Guatemalan Candy - February 25, 2024
I love that you are not only promoting literacy, but dual literacy, with this Big Help Book Drive! People need to embrace their own culture/heritage and that of the one in which they live. Being bilingual is such a plus these days and supporting and promoting this is awesome! I can’t wait to see your final donation!