What happens when future teachers, young readers, and an aquarium full of sea life come together? A day full of stories, crafts, and smiles as CEA Aspiring Educators (AEs) helped children celebrate Read Across Connecticut at Mystic Aquarium. The event gave AEs a chance to do what they love most—work with kids and spark excitement about reading.
“The Mystic Read Across Connecticut event has been the best experience through CEA that my chapter has been a part of,” says Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization President Lola Lombardi. “My chapter loves it and has been participating for years. Each year we come up with a different activity that relates to sea life, and this year we chose a book called Silence of the Clams to inspire our activity. It was a big hit.”
The Quinnipiac students had paper plates available for young attendees to cut into the shape of clams, and children could decorate them however they wanted.
“We try to keep the activities short and sweet for the kids so they have time to take part in our books and crafts while also experiencing the whole museum. We get all age ranges from two- to nine-year-olds,” Lombardi adds.
Rebecca Drazull, secretary for Eastern Connecticut State University’s Aspiring Educators chapter, says her club decided on a stingray craft that children could decorated to their liking with stickers and dot markers.
“The kids seemed to really enjoy the book we modeled our craft around, Luna the Stingray,” she notes. “They figured out on their own how to put their fingers into the stingray craft to move it.”
“We had a two-in-one activity at our station,” says Alondra Planas, co-president of CCSU’s Future Educators Club. “In the first part kids could build a puzzle that had to do with the aquatic animal of their choice and color it in, and then the second half was a memory game.”
CCSU students read Little Turtle and the Changing Sea to children who visited their station.
“We had so many kids take extra puzzles home, they were really excited. They really enjoyed the coloring portion—and many were competitive and enjoyed the game, which they played against siblings or our club members,” Planas says.
She adds, “It was my first time at the event. I loved it and definitely think it should continue. I saw how kids would brighten up with the fun activities, and it impacts their day for the better.”
CEA Educational Issues Specialist Elizabeth Sked said that AEs also enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with members from other university chapters in a relaxed setting.
“AE members love getting to engage with other chapter members outside of a meeting setting, and it’s also a great community engagement activity,” she explains. “AEs had many great conversations with parents and other members of the public about education and wanting to become teachers. Aquarium visitors were encouraging and told the AEs that we need good, passionate teachers like them in the classroom.”
After the books and crafts wrapped up for the day, the AEs had a chance to participate in a special behind-the-scenes tour at Mystic.
“We got to go into the infirmary and see all the sea life that is being rehabilitated to return to the ocean or to tanks at the aquarium. It was amazing to witness,” Lombardi says.
“It was incredible seeing turtles that were washed up near Cape Cod, and how aquarium staff are able to rehab turtles with hypothermia or damaged flippers so they’re able to go back out to the sea,” Planas says.
“Mystic is a wonderful event. It’s a day that truly brings chapters together,” shares Lombardi. “It lets chapter members get to know one another, and it’s an experience we all really look forward to.”
Looking for ways to interest your own students in reading?
The Connecticut Education Foundation has created a comprehensive Read Across Connecticut campaign centered around the theme “Reading Is a Llama Fun.” The Foundation has printable resources available for all grade levels to help educators plan crafts, games, reading logs, certificates, and more.
CEF is currently holding a contest for all Connecticut public school classrooms offering a chance to win one of four $500 classroom libraries. Educators can submit photos now through March 20 showing how their class made reading a llama fun during Read Across Connecticut week. To enter, visit readacrossct.org.
