by Trish Adkins
March is National Reading Month! All month long, students, teachers, and families celebrate reading and the magic of books. At Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, we have many fun, unique ways you can celebrate National Reading Month and help children battling cancer!
Reading with children (whether yours or the ones you teach) sparks their imagination, expands their vocabulary, supports the development of critical thinking skills and opens their minds to a world of possibilities.
Our Foundation’s history begins with a story — the story of an amazing little girl named Alex who wanted to help her friends feel better. Alex Scott and her lemonade stand started what has become a national movement to find cures for all children!
Want to read more? Here are five great ways you can celebrate National Reading Month and help ALSF find cures for childhood cancer:
1. Order and read Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand!
Educators are eligible for a complimentary copy of the book. The book, written by Alex’s parents, tells the story of Alex Scott and how she turned her illness into hope for a cure for all children. Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand is a children’s book with a theme that students everywhere can latch onto — that people of all ages can make a difference. Request your copy here. Or if you are not a teacher, order a copy from the ALSF shop!
2. Download ALSF discussion guides.
Available for ages K-6, the ALSF discussion guides helps students think critically about what they read. Each of the two versions of the discussion guides provides ideas for before, during and after reading. The discussion guide includes conversation starters, vocabulary builders and other great ways to get your class engaged in reading. The guides are tailored for Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand; however, the discussion questions could work for any books you read with children!
3. Join The Great Lemonade War.
Join schools across the country and compete in the annual ALSF Great Lemonade War! Inspired by the book The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, the contest inspires schools to compete to raise the most money for ALSF. Schools who compete receive a copy of the book and the winning school receives a visit from the author, Jacqueline Davies! Read the book with your class! Use the ALSF lesson plans to further lessons in literacy, critical thinking, math, and business. The 2017 Great Lemonade War ends April 7. Join now or plan for next year!
4. Plan a reading-themed fundraiser.
Use this month to encourage your students to read more books and raise money for ALSF. Have students donate a penny (or a dime or a quarter) for every book they read on their reading log. Set reading and corresponding fundraising goals with your class. Reward students with the most books read and most donations at the end of the month. Request Change Childhood
Cancer coin banks for your students to make the collection easy and fun!
5. Celebrate the month with lemonade!
Celebrate all your reading and fundraising accomplishments with a lemonade stand! Plan a school-wide lemonade stand and incorporate a special story time featuring Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand into your fundraiser. Ask students to plan, promote and share the event with their family and friends.
Are you ready? Learn more about our founder (Alex’s favorite books were Junie B. Jones!), check out our great lesson plans or register your school’s lemonade stand here.
Trish Adkins is the web content writer for ALSF. She is also a Hero Mom to her daughter Lily, an ependymoma survivor.
