Do you have a book on your bedside table?  For many of us, reading is a great pastime, perhaps even a luxury. Reading for pleasure can be a great distraction from the flotsam and jetsam of life. 

This week is Book Week and today we held the Book Parade. Dressing as book characters creates great excitement for children and brings many smiles and some memories of stories to the faces of adults. Even our closest neigbour, Ignatius Park College, joined this celebration of literacy. Year 12 students arrived in costumes to read to our youngest students.

Research indicates there are many benefits for those who read regularly. Many articles state that reading reduces stress, increases brain power, improves memory and  increases the imagination just to name a few. 

According to one article from CAE (Centre for Adult Education), Melbourne,  “Reading makes us better thinkers by improving our critical thinking and problem-solving skills, boosting our general and specific knowledge and developing our social and communication skills. Tech billionaire Elon Musk learned how to build rockets by reading books and would spend more than 10 hours a day reading science fiction novels”.

At the core of our catholic schools are gospel values central such as reconciliation, inclusion, justice, compassion. These values are derived from the teachings of Jesus in the Bible.

Reading can take us to places and times that are otherwise inaccessible, especially given the current constraints of travel. In a recent novel, I discovered some facts about the area where my grandparents lived. Through reading, what appeared to me to be a family myth about a bushranger, now has a little more credibility.

The growing and increasing concern of the mental health of children is just one reason to instil in young people a love of reading. A study by the University of Sussex demonstrated that six minutes of silent reading can reduce stress levels by 68 per cent. Reading, like any habit, needs to be practised until it becomes commonplace.

Some tips to help children become readers are:

• Set a good example - be caught in the act of reading
• Make sure your child has a bedside table and lamp  
• Have a book (rather than a phone or device) handy for any time your child needs to wait.

For further tips go to Parents’ Guide to Reading and Writing at Home 

Did you know when we read, we escape into another world or another person and enter into an altered state of consciousness, which alleviates tension in the muscles and heart? I read that fact and I do hope it is from a trustworthy article!

Our librarian, Judy Prinsen, has placed a trolley of pre-loved books outside the library for  parents to borrow.  If any parents would like to establish a Holy Spirit Book Club please let me know. This could be a relaxed sharing of books rather than analysing the plot. We have the space and we can provide the cuppa!

Happy reading! God bless

Geraldine