Staten Island Reading Association presents 'Fuel Your Mind... Read and Get Green', 11/6

The Staten Island Reading Association will bring the importance of family literacy to the forefront on Saturday, November 6, 2010 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Staten Island Children's Museum located on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens, Livingston. This third annual Family Literacy Celebration, "Fuel Your Mind...Read and Get Green!" will focus on the importance of our fragile environment through ongoing story readings, the Cell Motion Bio Bus, ecologically friendly arts and crafts, music and free book giveaways. The Staten Island Reading Association will be joining thousands of literacy and educational organizations and communities across the nation in celebrating National Family Literacy Month by focusing on special activities that focus on the importance of family literacy.

Diane Matteo, President of the Staten Island Reading Association says, "A family literacy approach to reading offers families educational opportunities. Based on the belief that that families and children learn best when learning together, the Reading Association has designed a program to encourage all families to read together. Since the home is the
child's first school and the parent is the child's first teacher, family literacy programs cultivate and encourage the importance of reading in the home. In turn children are prepared for success."

The goal of the Family Literacy event is to build a more literate and prosperous community. This year's ecological theme encourages reading together as a family while becoming more in tune to our fragile planet. Featured this year is the award winning Cell Motion Bio Bus. Dr. Ben Dubin-Thaler will drive his high tech laboratory on wheels to the grounds of the Children's Museum for the festivities. Boasting an array of scientific but child friendly and entertaining equipment, Dr. Ben and his crew of scientists will have families exploring the immediate, microscopic world around them in an inquiry based, hands on setting on the high tech, carbon-neutral, full size city bus. The Bio Bus operates by solar power, wind turbine, and an engine that runs on waste vegetable oil.
Special guest reader, Jason Elias will be on hand to read his entertaining book, "And Sometimes Y." Also on hand to read, will be Tyler Shegerian, founder of Greenager.com, a social network web site geared towards encouraging the younger generation to be more ecologically conscious. Clay Wollney, the Staten Island Advance Mr. Discovery columnist, will demonstrate the importance of recycling and will conduct an environmentally friendly activity with all participants. Families will discover the importance of recycling as part of responsible family living. Book giveaways, story readings, music and ecologically friendly literacy based activities and crafts, will be ongoing throughout the day. The event is free with museum admission.

The Staten Island Reading Association is a not for profit professional organization dedicated to promoting literacy. The Association has provided workshops, support, networking and events for children, families and teachers throughout Staten Island for more than fifty years. Family Literacy Day is a free event with museum admission and is open to all families. For additional information call 718-273-2060