‘Storytime’ program brings books to TV
Published 9:36 pm Tuesday, November 18, 2008
It’s not often a child can turn on the TV and see something educational.
But several Suffolk Public Schools personnel recently teamed up to make sure that children in Suffolk can tune in to books.
“It’s something that particularly our videographer has been wanting to do for a number of years,” said Bethanne Bradshaw, the public information officer for Suffolk Public Schools.
Bradshaw and Warren Agey, the school division’s videographer, approached Kim Richardson, librarian at Creekside Elementary School, with their idea. They wanted to have school personnel read and act out books on camera and broadcast the program on the school division’s educational access channel, Charter channel 6.
The “Storytime” program will debut at 7 p.m. Nov. 24, with “Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives.”
“It’s an opportunity to bring good books into the house,” Bradshaw said. “Some kids don’t even have books in their home to read.”
Bradshaw and Agey didn’t have to do much talking for Richardson to see the value.
“One of the things I enjoy doing is getting dressed up (while reading)” she said. “It really makes a difference when you put a lot of emphasis on acting it out and being silly.”
Richardson selected most of the books for the programs. She chose a wide range of books, fiction and non-fiction, and covering a variety of subject areas.
“I just picked books that were not real long,” she said.
Of course, the best way for young children to learn vocabulary, inflection and enunciation is to be read to, Richardson said. However, if parents are too busy to read to their children or if they want to supplement their daily reading time, the story time program is perfect, Richardson said.
“We want children to hear people read,” she said.
“We want to have a very special time for kids. Somebody’s going to make them laugh, somebody’s going to make them think.”
Tune in to WSPS-Charter Cable 6, the school division’s educational access channel, beginning the week of Thanksgiving for the first two “Storytime” programs. “Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives” will be presented at 7 p.m. Nov. 24, 26 and 28. “Fancy Nancy” will be broadcast at 2 p.m. Nov. 25, 27 and 29. Other stories to be presented throughout the school year include: “Gotta Go! Gotta Go!” “Officer Buckle and Gloria,” “Rollercoaster,” “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,” “Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians,” “Manuelo the Playing Mantis,” “Epossumondas,” “Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds,” “The Dog Who Cried Wolf,” “Amazing Grace,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Regina’s Big Mistake,” and “If You Give a Pig a Pancake.”
For more information, contact Bethanne Bradshaw, public information officer, at 925-6752.