Cold Spring students storm Sir Read-a-Lot’s Castle at Family Literacy Night

STANFORDVILLE — By day, the Cold Spring Early Learning Center (ELC) stands as a place where Pine Plains students can start their journey as lifelong learners. On Thursday, March 20, students and their families were invited to embrace the joys of reading by taking a tour of Sir Read-a-Lot’s Castle, at the school’s fourth annual Family Literacy Night.

Given the event’s popularity with students and their families every year, Janine Babcock, a reading specialist in the Pine Plains Central School District, said Family Literacy Night is down to a formula with a snack to make, an obstacle course to explore, a writing activity and a grand finale in the library — all of which is designed to match the night’s theme. 

Sponsored by the Pine Plains Elementary PTA and the Pine Plains Federation of Educators, this year’s Family Literacy Night at Sir Read-a-Lot’s Castle was open to all students in pre-K through sixth grade and their parents. An estimated 80 students and family members attended, many dressed as princesses, wizards, dragons and more. Cold Spring teachers joined in the fun by dressing up as kings, queens, archers and princesses as did the Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School students who volunteered at the event.

Greeted at the door by a pair of Stissing Mountain High School students who serenaded them with recorders, students stopped by the registration table to check in for the event. Each student received a crown and a map of the evening’s Royal Quest that would ultimately lead them to Sir Read-a-Lot’s Castle in the library where they would turn in their maps and pick out a brand new book as a prize. They were also invited to take a free book from the PTA’s Book Swap Table in the school lobby.

Throughout the school, hallways were adorned with fire-breathing dragons, castles, knights on bended knee and warriors with the initials of the three school buildings cut out of their armor. The Pine Plains Free Library and the Stanford Free Library shared a table as they offered a free raffle for students. Colorful paper banners hung over the heads of students as they journeyed down the hallways to each spot on the map.

From Dragon Tale Writing to Jousting Course, each station ushered students in for an activity that engaged their creativity while nurturing their love of reading. In the King’s Court, students auditioned as court jesters and read jokes aloud in an attempt to make the court’s king, queen, princess and knight laugh. At the Royal Banquet station, they were invited to read and follow a recipe to make turkey legs out of paper bags, a paper bone and popcorn. In the Catapult Launch station, students constructed catapults out of ice cream sticks, spoons and rubber bands and launched gummy bears through the air. After reading the story of “The Three Little Pigs,” they learned how to build houses out of marshmallows and toothpicks.

As she showed students how to launch their catapults, Cold Spring teacher Pam Benziger found it rewarding to see all of the students working together and spending quality time with their parents.

“It’s nice when children see their parents reading,” Benziger added. “It’s good to promote reading at an early age.”

“There are a lot of things competing for our kids’ attention, so this is an activity families can do to promote literacy,” Babcock said. “It really is just a rewarding thing as an educator to see the kids come and get excited about reading. They start young and they’ll keep going as they get older.”