For so many of us, last year stretched us in ways we could not have imagined. There was great loss, turmoil, and so much change. Still, there was much to be grateful for—unexpected phone calls from loved ones, zoom meet ups with friends, time outdoors and the relief of fresh air. 

And books.

I am so grateful to have books to turn to for comfort, distraction, company. Books have always been a kind of friend to me. I spent a lot of time reading and imagining as a child. I loved walking to the North Portland Library in the summertime to roam the aisles. Books took me to faraway lands, made me laugh, taught me important lessons, and made me see myself in familiar and new ways. I especially gravitated to poetry and loved stealing away to read the words of Nikki Giovanni and Eloise Greenfield.   

I remember the first time I discovered "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. I was attending Vernon Elementary School and was chosen to recite the poem at a Black History Month assembly. The speaker in the poem sounded like my mom. I even think my mom had said some of those things before. She was always pushing her children, telling us to never give up no matter how hard life might be. When I first read Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, I felt powerful and proud of my ancestors. I was buoyed by their resilience. 

And so I fell in love with poetry. 

I loved the rhythm, I loved trying on different ways to say a phrase. I loved the line breaks, how each stanza would take me deeper and deeper into the meaning of the whole poem. I learned that poetry can be about anything. I could write odes to my neighborhood or favorite food, I could honor a loved one who had died, I could protest with my words and write poems that stood up against injustice. 

Over the years, poetry became the way I celebrated, mourned, raged. And so, when the pandemic swept over our nation and living in quarantine became the new normal, I found myself turning to poetry for comfort and peace. And then summer came and with it came a even more police brutality and violence against Black men and women. I was weary. I turned to the poets who raised me, the poets who lived through The Great Depression, Jim Crow, The Civil Rights Movement. They knew something about sorrow, about loss, about protest. They also knew about joy and love and how to hold on to hope. 

It’s a new year and still, we need comfort, we need inspiration. I’m still keeping poetry nearby and I offer these recently published books as a refuge, a guiding light, a healing balm. Some are novels-in-verse, some are traditional poetry collections. All of them are treasures and medicine for the soul.

It feels so good to get outside when the weather is nice!

Children thrive in the natural setting. But exposure to nature is good for all ages! It not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. Gardening is a great way to get into nature. And if you don’t have a garden space, you can try square foot or container gardening. Or find a community garden nearby. 

It is said that there are seven wonders of the natural world, but for little ones there are seven million wonders in the world right outside their door! Everything is fresh and new. The young child’s work is to play and to make constant discoveries about their environment. 

Gardening is a perfect way for the smallest child to explore and honor the earth. Of course, children learn by using their whole body — and all their senses. Children are naturally curious little scientists and love to experience the sights, scents, sounds and textures of the outdoors. As your little explorer follows you into the garden, you can talk to them about what they are seeing.

Give them the names of familiar plants. Describe the squelch of mud between their toes. Notice the texture of the leaves and how they dance in the breeze. Point out the variety of seeds in the fruits and vegetables you share. Gradually, you can introduce the planting of seeds.

And for older kids and teens, the benefits of gardening are just as valuable. 

Here are some ideas.

• Get Your Hands Dirty! Here are 10 Benefits of Gardening with Kids
• NAEYC – 7 Tips for Vegetable Gardening With Your Toddler
• Garden Activities and Crafts for Kids of All Ages

Gardening Activities for Toddlers

• Seed Jar Science Experiment for Spring STEM Activities with Kids
• Growing Grass In A Cup
• Planting Seeds In Eggshells

Fun Garden Activities for Little Ones

• Make a special fairy garden or dinosaur garden! Decorate with stones and flowers and twigs. 
• Water plants. Or toes!
• Paint stones. Toddlers are happy with a bucket of water and a paintbrush!
• Make mud pies. It’s okay to get your hands dirty! Learning involves all the senses.

And below you will find a booklist with even more stories, projects and ideas. Happy gardening!

This article was written for our Family Newsletter, brought to you by Home Learning Support and available in English and Spanish. Please sign up here and you can email us at learning@multcolib.org with any questions.

As a parent of three children with dyslexia, I have faced many of the challenges common to caregivers of a youth with dyslexia. 

One of the biggest challenges I faced was navigating school special education to provide access to a free education appropriate to my students’ learning style. All students have a right to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) through Federal Law.  My kids were not learning how to read in the classroom, and the school didn’t seem to be doing anything. Oregon legislation has changed since my kids first started school, and schools are required to do more to address dyslexia. But is it enough? You may have to advocate for the youth in your life. 

Things to consider...

Mental health:

• Research has shown that individuals with learning disabilities: 
  • may experience increased levels of anxiety.  
  • may be at greater risk for depression.  
  • experience higher levels of loneliness. 
  • may have a lower self-concept (self-esteem).  
  • are at greater risk for substance abuse. 
  • may be at greater risk for juvenile delinquency.
• 20 percent of children with dyslexia also suffer from depression and another 20 percent suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Incarceration Rates: 

• Percent of adults in custody with dyslexia: 48% 
• Percent of adolescents with learning disabilities that will be arrested three to five years out of high school: 31%

These facts are alarming. But there is good news … intervention helps! When modern, research based instruction is put into place in grades K-2, the reading disability rate drops.

Knowing where to go or who to talk to get an assessment for dyslexia can be difficult. Many states have passed legislation to identify dyslexia in children early on.  If you aren’t in school or you feel that your school is missing something, check out our Uncovering Dyslexia blog post, which points to places in Multnomah County who will privately assess for dyslexia. 

Resources for families affected by dyslexia: 

• FactOregon can be your biggest ally. They provide parent education through web training in English and in Spanish to help parents navigate the school’s special education system. 
• Decoding Dyslexia Oregon Chapter Resource List
• Online support groups for families: 
  • International Dyslexia Association Oregon Local Resource list
  • SEPTOP-Special Education PTO of Portland
• School districts' special education links: 
  • Centennial Public School District Special Education
  • Corbett School District Special Education
  • David Douglas Student Services Special Education
  • Gresham Barlow Assessment and Evaluation Team
  • Multnomah Education Service District Student Services: Special Education
  • Parkrose School District Special Education
  • Portland Public Schools Special Education
  • Reynolds Special Education Services
  • Riverdale Grade School Special Education
• Multnomah County Library's partnership with Bookshare. Free to patrons with print disabilities, one can customize their reading experience with audio, audio + highlighted text and other formats.

Looking for books to share with your family? Here are some fiction books for kids and teens featuring characters with dyslexia, and here are some nonfiction books on dyslexia written for kids. For more information on dyslexia, including some book recommendations for caregivers, please see our previous post on Uncovering Dyslexia.

- Desiree, Rockwood Branch Library Makerspace Program Specialist