Books Alive 2009 Feedback Report

1.

Books Alive - DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

Books Alive is designed to give parents the skills and techniques to make them confident and
engaging readers and storytellers.
It is a 7.5 hour course of training for unaccompanied parents, spread out over five weekly sessions
of 1.5 hours.
Participants learn how to use sound, voice, gestures, story sacks, homemade puppets and musical
instruments to bring the stories to life.
Parents also develop their own literacy skill by learning how to draw on their own lives to create a
story and write it as a book for their children.
Books Alive promotes ongoing learning and development by including a local library tour to
facilitate new/renewed memberships and a visit from the Learning Trust Education Office to inform
users of educational and training opportunities.

2. FEEDBACK
In September/October 2009 we ran three groups of the Books Alive course at the Morningside
Childrens and Parents Centre. We successfully recruited a large contingency of Caribbean, West
African, Turkish, ESL and under 25 year old parents as participants.
There were a total of 33 participants who had 43 children between them. (NB. Children were not
present at the sessions but were in the crche.)
2.1

Immediate

(End of Course)

At the end of the four weeks of training workshops:

There were 14 new library memberships - eight adult and five children.
There were eight 1-to-1 sessions with the Learning Trust Education advisor Crystal Butler.
95% said they had got what they wanted and would recommend it to other parents.
80% said reading had become more important to them and their children.
90% said they had used the ideas at home.
2.2

Intermediate

(One month later)

Two mothers were regularly reading stories at their childrens nursery.

One parent started a literacy class.
One parent joined the learning Trust Personal Best volunteering course.
One parent had applied to take a Childcare course.
Two had received in depth advice and guidance sessions through the Learning Trust.
Morningside Childrens Centre had created a 1000 mini library.

2.3
Long Term (Four months later)
In January 2010, four months after the course, we contacted 20 parents by phone to gather the following
long term feedback.
2.3.1 Reasons why users had signed up for the course:

Parental Training - To improve themselves as a parent. Some felt inadequate as parents due to
lack of education, being young or lacking family support.

Help with Creativity They were looking for ideas on how to make book reading more interesting
for both them and their children.

To Interest Their Children in Reading - Some parents found lack of interest subsequent poor
behaviour meant it was difficult to spend more than a few minutes on reading every day.

Improve Reading and Writing Skills - To improve their own reading and writing skills.

Communication - To develop their communication skills and confidence in spoken English.

Continued on next page

2.3.2 New skills:

The 20 mothers who were contactable said the course gave them the ideas and confidence to be
creative. These parents were now enthusiastic and regular readers with the skills to engage and
maintain their childrens interest.
Their regular reading and storytelling skills included using:
Sound - different voices; making noises; making sound effects.
Animation - making funny faces; using body language and hand gestures.
Drama - Dramatising a story with their children after reading it by either play-acting or making
simple puppets or
Music - making shakers from rice in balloons, plastic and glass containers.
Interaction - asking questions; children following the story with sequencing puppets.
2.3.3 Benefits to children:
Children were able to sit for longer periods of time and concentrate on the reading.
Children were reading to their younger siblings, imitating the new techniques of their mother.
Children are participating more interactively in reading by asking questions, using puppets and
suggesting new games or activities related to the reading.
Book borrowing and reading had become a regular habit and part of life.
Children were enjoying more quality time with their parents.
2.3.4 Life-long Learning and Development:
Despite the fact it has been Christmas and winter since the course ended:
13 are now active library users - eight of whom were not previously library members.
One lady said the course gave her the confidence to successfully apply for a job as classroom
support teacher..
One grandparent has been inspired to write his life story.
10 are currently taking computing, ESOL, budgeting and/or nutrition courses.
Many are borrowing more books from school and childrens centres and also buying more books.
Many said they would like to go back to further education once their children had entered school.

3. ONGOING BENEFITS
The Before and After reading rates show a marked** improvement in reading habits - some have
doubled and others have quadrupled. All remarked on better quality reading.
Parent
Before
After
No.
Name
No. of
Duration
Frequency
Duration
Frequency
children
(in mins)
(days per
(in mins)
(days per
month)
month)
1 **
Kirsty
1
10
12
60
31 (Daily)
2 **

Johanne

10

10-15

24

3 **

Nada

15

30

16

Saleha

31 (Daily)

10

31 (Daily)

5 **

Nkiru

10-15

31 (Daily)

Ullu

10

31 (Daily)

Same but better quality.

Paola

30

Same but better quality.

8 **

Lisa

15-20

31 (Daily)

60+

31 (Daily)

9 **

Pandora

15-20

16

10 **

Gloria

10-20

31 (Daily)

Joy

20

Same but better quality.

12 **

Aminat

10

20

31 (Daily)

13 **

Michelle

60

12

14 **

Derya

20

15 **

Francisca

45

12

16 **

Lydia

10

30

31 (Daily)

17

Georgina

10-20

16

Same but better quality.

18

Cathy

45

16

Same but better quality.

11

19 **

Dionne

15

31 (Daily)

20

Sharon

5-10

15

40

31 (Daily)

Same but better quality.