Share a Story 2010 Day 2: Literacy My Way, Literacy Your Way

It may still be Day 1 here in the Western Hemisphere, but it's already Day 2 in Australia, where Susan Stephenson (the Book Chook) lives, so ...

Welcome to Day 2 of Share a Story ~ Shape a Future. If you're just joining us, then double welcome! We're glad you've found us and can't wait to hear your stories and ideas. (image credit: It Takes a Village logo created by Susan Stephenson at ToonDoo.com)

When we started brainstorming about the idea of a literacy blog tour way back in the Aughts (08 to be exact), we knew early on that we wanted to create a venue that showed how reading is relevant to a child's development, but also to offer literacy ideas in ways that were accessible to everyone.

Well, today's host, Susan Stephenson of The Book Chook, has taken that idea to a whole new level (and another continent)! She and her guests are talking about everything from "low-tech" storytelling and singing to letting kids create stop-motion videos. So let's get started ...

We hear stories before we read them, so it only seems natural that Susan opens the day with a pair of interviews with storytellers. Join her for her chats with two extraordinary storytellers, Francie Dillon and Helen Evans, at the Book Chook. Then *hear* some more stories ...

• At Saints and Spinners, Farida Dowler shares ideas for Stories in the Bathtub: Practical Aspects of Storytelling.
• At Dulemba.com, illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba talks about the future of reading in an article called Beyond the Printed Page.
• Last November, Rebecca Taylor talked about sharing family stories and Family Stories Month at Lost in Books.
• Franki Sibberson talks about digital storytelling in a pair of posts at A Year of Reading. First up, her February post Discovering the Possibilities of Stopmotion in Grades 2-5. She also talks about making Tricky Videos with Klutz.
• Dawn Morris helps us understand that literacy is more than just reading and writing. Head over to Moms Inspire Learning for Circles of Literacy, Part 1.
• At Chatel Village, Kim Chatel shares more about Storytelling in a Multimedia World.
• Susan Stephenson talks about Sharing Stories Using an Online Editor.

Sometimes we have to be a little creative when it comes to getting kids interested in activities related to reading. If you're looking for ways to sneak in some literacy ...

• Join Joyce Grant at Getting Kids Reading to get ideas on ways to Get Active Kids Reading.
• Pull out all stops. Amy Mascott shares some of her tips for getting a little sneaky with literacy at Teach Mama.
• Think pictures. Rebecca Taylor talks about Combining Art with Literacy in the Early Childhood Environment at I'm Lost in Books.
• Grab a puzzle. Jen Funk Weber offers an off-the-beaten path way to literacy in her discussion of puzzles as a literacy tool at Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy.
• Get sticky! At There's a Book, Danielle Smith (aka The First Daughter) makes the case for using activity and sticker books to promote literacy.
• Stacey Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers talks about Linking Reading and Writing with Letters to the Author.
• S-I-N-G! Catherine Oehlman (the "Squiggle Mom") shares why good little singers become good little readers in through her topic Learn to Sing - Sing to Learn.
• Add to the story. Valerie Baartz explores Simple Story Extensions for Preschoolers at her site The Almost Librarian.
• Go to the Video! Melissa Taylor presents Video Games and Learning at Imagination Soup.  

Susan's collection of ideas has inspired other bloggers to add contributions of their own ... check out

Marge Loch-Weuters has Books + Theater = Literacy Excitement at Tiny Tips for Library Fun.

We are going to stick with the Eastern Time Zone for our Writing about Reading feature, so check back "tomorrow" later for our three questions.

As has been our practice, we will update the direct links to the individual posts as they go live. You can also follow the discussions on Twitter. We're using the #SAS2010 hashtag.