Summer Read Fest: Carlsbad Caverns Park rangers will read at Halagueño Arts Park
Join us at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 for our last Summer Read Fest. The Carlsbad Cavern Park Rangers will be reading stories outside in the Halagueño Arts Park. They will be joined with Carl S. Bat. Have you ever wanted to meet their park mascot? This event will be the perfect chance. The whole family is invited to enjoy this event. Food, music, and stories will fill the hour to celebrate literacy and our state.
The theme of our event is the New Mexico edition. All of the books will be about New Mexico and celebrating our history. New Mexico is a beautiful state with a rich history, and we wanted to celebrate this. The Carlsbad Caverns are part of the incredible beauty that is located right on our doorstep. We are so blessed to have a national wonder so close to home. We are excited to be partnering with the Rangers again and working with them in the future.
Every person in attendance will get a book to keep to add to their home library.
Books in the home have lasting impacts. A child growing up in a home with at least 80 books will have greater literacy and numeracy in adulthood compared to someone who has less books. According to “Scholarly culture: How books in adolescence enhance adult literacy, numeracy and technology skills in 31 societies,” home libraries "boosts adult skills in these areas beyond the benefits accrued from parental education or own educational or occupational attainment.”
Why does living with a home library help? The study suggests that there are two factors at play. First is the impact of growing up in a pro-knowledge/learning social environment, since “adolescent exposure to books is an integral part of social practices that foster long term cognitive competencies.”
Second, reading often helps individuals develop related skills, and, as the study says, “Early exposure to books in [the] parental home matters because books are an integral part of routines and practices that enhance lifelong cognitive competencies.” Moreover, “These competencies facilitate educational and occupational attainment, but they also lay a foundation for life-long routine activities that enhance literacy and numeracy.”
We want to thank Carlsbad Caverns National Park for letting their park rangers take time to read stories and help us celebrate literacy, and for bringing Carl S. Bat. All of this was made possible by the Save the Children grant, Carlsbad Rotary Club, ConocoPhillips, and XTO. Thank you for your support.
Literacy is so important and we could not do it without you. Your hard work helps make our community a better place to live. We hope to continue event like this in the future. Make sure to come out to get your free book on Saturday, Aug. 27.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Summer Read Fest: Carlsbad Caverns Park rangers will read at Halagueño Arts Park
