Have you ever read an ice cream menu that was not in a real language? That’s what about 20 kids and their parents had to do during a lesson for people who cannot read. This event took place on August 1 at Central Library, where many families came together for a program called “Reading is for Everyone.”
Now back to that ice cream menu. If you were to look at this menu, you would really struggle to understand what it was saying. It was in a strange font, and the letters were all jumbled up. How would you feel if you wanted ice cream, but you couldn’t even read the menu?
The purpose of this activity was to have empathy for others who could not read. But that’s just an example; there could be other things they couldn’t understand, like books and prescription or food labels.
Slide to read a comic about kid reporter Caden’s experience at Seeds of Caring.
The kids at the event were very curious, and they asked a lot of questions. Sammy Mislan, 6, came with her brother Zeke, and their parents, Alex and Chris.
“It’s really confusing how I can’t read this menu,” Sammy said. Sammy also shared that her favorite book is “Shiloh.”
This program was led by the Seeds of Caring directors, who organized all the activities. During the event, the kids made bookmarks to give to kids and families through Listen to Our Future and sorted books to donate to the library’s summer reading program.
The purpose of Seeds of Caring is to “help kids understand community needs and build empathy for neighbors who might be struggling,” said Sarah Diaz, the Indianapolis site director. “We want to provide kids an opportunity to take action.”
Diaz, who is a mom, said she joined Seeds of Caring because “I wanted to raise kids who understood the world around them.”
Diaz took patience in answering all the kids’ questions during the program. She also read them a special book with a lesson about empathy. It was called “The Book Hog,” and it was about a hog that did not know how to read. When Diaz read the book to the kids, she carefully explained the book’s lesson.
Tyler, a 12 year old, said, “I have struggled with reading before. I used to not be able to read that well. I have dyslexia.”
Tyler said his mom and his tutor helped him when he struggled with his dyslexia. “I like helping people find books,” he said. Tyler’s favorite book is “Dog Man” by Dave Pilkey.
An opportunity to go help out Seeds of Caring is October 16. They will be packing healthy breakfast kits for students at St. Mary’s Early Childhood Center.
Go to https://www.seedsofcaring.org/locations/indianapolis to see more. It would be much appreciated!
Evie is a Mirror Indy kid correspondent. You can see more of her work here.
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