ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – You may have heard of Read Across America Day. Atlanta likes to put its own spin on things.
Students at Finch Elementary School celebrated Read Across Atlanta Day.
To MARTA streetcar riders Friday, they were readers, dreamers — whether they knew it or not.
“It’s so exciting to see the light bulb go off that they understand. Reading is everywhere. It's all around us. It's reading a stop sign, it's reading instructions. It’s not just inside a classroom but outside a classroom,” said Fefe Handy of Page Turners Make Great Learners.
The fourth graders came from Atlanta Public Schools.
“In January we held a competition to see which school could log the most minutes. Finch Elementary School in southwest Atlanta logged the most minutes. This specific class of fourth graders spent the most time at their school,” said Jennifer Saunders of Atlanta Public Schools Library Multimedia Services.
The little ones on the adventure had a treat: a stroll through downtown Atlanta with actors from the Synchronicity Theater.
“Our passions align, many of our family series are based on children's books and really promote literacy for children and families on stage,” said Rachel May of Synchronicity Theatre.
The whole adventure was structured around books that these kids love to read.
“I'm excited because I got to meet the person who made Pete the Cat's music,” said one child on the trip.
This is the fourth year that literacy organization Page Turners Make Great Learners has partnered with MARTA for the Storybus. The children board the bus and the world of reading opens up to them as they travel around the city.
“It means a lot to me to be able to show children that reading is not a boring, lonely activity. It’s a life skill, that reading can be fun. It's not boring. And we do it creatively,” Handy said.
The event was created to inspire children to think of all the places and imagine all the worlds that reading can take them.
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