The day was May 7, 2013, the first Tuesday in Child’s Month and a special day for children in Jamaica.  It was Read Across Jamaica Day 2013.

Twitter and Facebook were buzzing with anticipation leading up the day. Read Across Jamaica is one major day which forms part of activities by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) to celebrate Education Week from May 5 to 11 under the theme: ‘Advancing the Nation’s Human Capital Through Education’.

Crayons Count picked the Sunrays Educational Centre to host their second Read Across Jamaica Day. The Crayons Count team consisted of Deika Morrison, Shahri Miller and Jenelle Dowie. Happy faces and quick feet greeted the team as books and minds were open. The smiles were hard to miss and the children were more than ready to pose for the camera.

The first group was Kindergarten 4 with their book, ‘Oonga Boonga’. Silly words and beautiful photos were the order of the day as the children listened attentively to the story. There were smiles and sounds and new discoveries. In fact, the Crayons Count team were taught a few things themselves. High-fives went all around and by the end of the book, we were all best friends.

Kindergarten 3 and their book, ‘What Will The Weather Be like Today?’ was an instant hit as the brilliant sun outside could not match the smiles all around us. The Crayons Count team was even blessed with a little song about the sun and the clouds from the class. This was a class small enough to be kindergarteners but big enough to point out the ‘sun’, ‘kite’ and ‘dog’ in the pages.  At the end, Crayons Count had their arms full with hugs from every child who was just happy to hear a great story.

The last group was Kindergarten 5 with the exciting book, ‘The Day The Goose Got Loose’. A story filled with movement and action, the children all gathered around to get a closer look at the silly goose that was the star of the show. Crayons Count had no doubt that we had budding geniuses on our hands at the end. There were calls of ‘please come again’ which followed us as we left.

A donation of a supplemental kit to the centre was the icing on the metaphorical cake. The team left with hearts full. Crayons Count is always amazed at how accepting and trusting children are and how their minds race at full speed.

Read to a child today. A book today will ensure a wiser tomorrow.

Open a book and create smiling faces.

To see more photos, see our Facebook page Sunrays of Reading- Read Across Jamaica Day 2013