CheeReader Blog

Mark Twain

Mark Twain's birthday was yesterday, November 30. If he would still be alive today, he would be 176 years old. In celebration of his birthday, we wanted to share with you some of his best sellers.

It was hard to narrow it down, but here are his top 5 books:

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• The Prince and the Pauper
• The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

 

In his lifetime he wrote over 40 books! Click here to see a list of all of them.

Fun Facts about Mark Twain:

• Many people didn't know that Mark Twain wasn't his birth name, it was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
• Prior to adopting Mark Twain as his pen name, Clemens wrote under the pen name Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass.
• Haley's Comet was visible in the sky both on the night Mark Twain was born and on the night he passed away.
  

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Giving Back
11/3/11

November is here and with that brings shorter days and colder nights. While you're stuck inside, why not spend that time reading with your loved ones!

November is also about giving back. How can your squad give back? Visit an elementary school and read to the children. If the teachers are busy trying to fit in all of their lesson's before Thanksgiving break, see if that elementary school has an after school program and read to them then.

With the holiday’s right around the corner, we know that you might be on a tight budget. So buying books to read to the children might be out of the question, but that shouldn’t stop your cheer team from reading to children. Don’t forget you can always visit your local library. Libraries across the country are filled with thousands of stories waiting to be read!

Thanksgiving is the month for giving back. What is your squad doing to give back? Let us know on our Facebook Page!

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Halloween
10/2111

Reading to kids “stimulates the development of the brain, language and a closer emotional relationship with a child,” say’s the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Having trouble deciding what books to read to your children this month? Try to pick book’s that are in conjunction with what is going on. Like this month is October and almost every kid knows what holiday is in October… HALLOWEEN! To most kids Halloween means three things; costumes, candy and scary movies. So why not celebrate the month by reading Halloween books?

If you or your cheer squad is planning a visit to an Elementary school in October, here are some Halloween books we suggest reading:

• Mommy by Maurice Sendak
• Thirteen Nights of Halloween by Lisa Silverman
• Halloween Night by Arden Druce
• Big Pumpkin by Ericka Silverman
• Five Little Pumpkins by Iris Van Rynbach

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The Benifits of Reading to Children
11/5/11

America’s new past time is sitting around and watching TV, but this needs to change. Children, especially at a young age should be keeping their minds active. Children should be thinking, solving problems and comprehend things, instead of watching TV which puts children and adults into a passive state of mind.

The Children’s Reading Foundation says “Just 20 minutes a day of reading aloud with young children strengthens relationships, encourages listening and language skills, promotes attention and curiosity and establishes a strong reading foundation.”

What can your cheer team do to help? Visit a local elementary school and spend part of the day reading a book to a child. Don’t worry if your whole squad can’t make it, five people reading to children is better than none!