MILWAUKEE — A good book can take you places, teach you things and let your imagination run free. Danette Justus, as an educator, has always stressed the importance of childhood reading and said reading is always important especially during the summer months.
"My hope is that they fall in love with reading. I want to build a culture of reading, not only at schools but in the homes," said Danette.
According to the US Department of Education, during the summer months, reading is critical because when kids are out of school, children often experience learning loss called "the summer slide."
"They’re not reading during those three months of vacation when they come back to school... there’s been some knowledge loss and so we want to give kids experiences. We want those opportunities so they come back to school ready to hit the ground," said Danette.
So with a cell phone, a tripod and a fun book, Danette records a weekly read-aloud session and posts the videos on her YouTube page called Just Us and Books.
"My hope is truly that it’s building a culture of reading with children they’re falling in love with reading and they want to pick up a book and enjoy a good book and the video," said Danette.
A page that started a few years ago has now grown to more than two thousand followers. Danette has posted about 200 videos reading books with a different topic every week, from loving yourself to diversity and how to deal with challenges.
"I try to especially during the summer go to various locations within the city to highlight businesses or to highlight local landmarks so I try to connect... literacy to the locations in Milwaukee. Kind of give the kids a virtual read-aloud or virtual field trip if you will," said Danette.
Watch: Milwaukee educator hopes to inspire an early love of reading.
And with the Olympics this week, she is focusing on a story about winning, but also being OK with losing. It's a message that even adults can learn from.
"I try to pick topics that transcend all age levels," said Danette.
Danette hopes by incorporating fun with reading, she will inspire kids and families to read together all year long.
"My hope is that with Just Us and Books kids can just get a little bit of literacy and maybe say wow that was a great book... let's go to the library and maybe get some more books by the author," said Danette
To learn more about Just Us and Books,click here.
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