Children need stimulating activities because they help form a foundation for education. They encourage children to look outward for information about how peop le work, play and relate to one another. Children use this information in making choices about their own lives. The importance of reading cannot be understated. Early in children's school career it determines class placement.
Books provide a wa y for children to learn about the past and think about the future.
In studies, reading for pleasure was one of the assets that most communities had in short supply. Here in Maine, schools and community groups work hard to get books into the homes of all o f Maine's children. We all can help children cultivate this asset. As the weather gets warmer, it is a good time to plan for a spring filled with positive asset development. Families can do research on starting a garden, plan a trip to a historic state park, or go to the ocean and write a poem about it.