Caring about Reading

Caring about Reading is a County Council libraries based project which is aimed at improving reading skills in looked after children. The Project Coordinator approached the Community Heritage Initiative to run library based activities at Loughborough and Wigston libraries.  Two, two hour sessions based on the theme of insects and minibeasts which included a literacy element and a craft activity were organised.

These two sessions were then followed by visits to a country park arranged by Leicestershire County Council Rangers to see mini beasts in the wild.

Sessions began with a story about insects which involved the use of insect boards – pictures of insects on boards with names such as Danny Dragonfly.  Each of the children chose which insect they wanted to be and joined in with the story.   

Insects from the collection at the Collection Resources Centre, Barrow were then used to continue the theme of the story - adaptations and life cycles of insects.

Craft activities consisted of making dragonflies and mini beasts.  The young people also did picture poems - using an outline shape of an insect and filling it with words to make a poem.

Both events were successful with the display cases of insects and bugs being particularly popular, as many of the young people had not had a close up encounter with wildlife before!