Undersea adventure lures kids to explore books

Right to Read Week runs through today.

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

Right to Read Robinwood Elementary

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BOARDMAN — First-grader Jarius Foster peered out through his construction paper snorkeling mask, reading a book about snakes.

“I love snakes,” the 7-year-old Robinwood Lane Elementary School pupil said. “I want to see one eat a real worm.”

The mask and the books were part of the school’s Right to Read Week, which runs through today. The week boasted an aquatic theme, and the children learned about whales, created miniature aquariums and made the paper masks to get into the spirit.

“It’s an underwater mask,” Jarius said, explaining his craftsmanship. “You use it to go underwater. If you put it upside down, it looks like a candy cane.”

Pam Tabak, the school’s reading center coordinator, created the props and developed the activities for the reading-focused week.

She used sheets with an underwater scene and plastic sheeting to make a bubble that was kept inflated by constantly blowing fans. Inside, children listened to whale sounds and learned about other sea creatures.

“I worked on it for three nights after school on my hands and knees,” Tabak said, laughing.

Tabak has been the center’s coordinator for the last four years and worked teaching fourth grade before that.

First-grader Hebron Cole, 7, read a book about fish and another about cats. She’s an animal lover.

“I love all animals except I don’t like snakes and lizards,” Hebron said.

Olivia Madigan, 8, a third-grader, prepared Thursday morning to assemble a miniature aquarium in a bottle using sand and rubber fish.

Earlier this week, she and her classmates sat in the giant bubble and learned about whale sounds, she said.

To mark the week, Olivia read a Geronimo Stilton book and started reading Louisa May Alcott’s classic, “Little Women.”

Second-grader Zach Larrier, 7, loves to read.

“I’ve read like 15 books so far,” he said.

He listed books about Betsy Ross, Clara Barton and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Madison Perez, 8, who is also in second grade, likes “The Berenstain Bears: The Trouble with Pets,” “Fresh Cat” and “Now You See It, Now You Don’t.”

“That’s a good book,” Zach said, referring to the latter.

The aquarium-in-the-bottle Madison made is now part of the decor at her home.

“I’m keeping it downstairs so everyone can see it when they walk in,” she said.

Third-graders Tommy Russo, 9, and Danielle Maughan, 8, sat in the underwater bubble learning about different kinds of whales and reading messages in a bottle composed by other pupils.

“The whole school wrote the messages like they were stranded on an island, telling about themselves, how they got there, the food they were eating and the books they read,” Tabak said.

Danielle’s message told about how her boat hit a big rock and how her diet consisted of coconuts and bananas.

“I hit an iceberg,” Tommy said of his story.

denise_dick@vindy.com