Lee-Ann Spalding, an instructor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Leadership, took several of her students to the Sanford center for the first time, where they explored an original 1902 classroom, a pioneer room with a ¾-size log cabin, Native American “villageâ€� and other resources. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ this past summer leased Seminole County Public Schools’ former school building and Student Museum for the History Department to hold classes, workshops and other community history projects.

Ashley Wilt, project coordinator at the center, lead the tour at the history center, and Spalding said she now plans to regularly include a visit to the facility as part of her classroom assignments.

“I love how completely hands-on ‘Grandma’s attic’ was, and how it really painted a picture of what living was like in the early 1900s in Florida,� said student Jessica Rich. “Every student could find something to interest them in this room…churning butter to be tasted later, grinding wheat, grinding coffee beans, doing laundry with a washboard and ringer, playing with authentic wooden toys and making yarn dolls.�

Spalding said the students’ favorite exhibit may have been the classroom with wooden desks, blackboards and photo of President Theodore Roosevelt.

“It was so cool to be able to see and hear about how a classroom was structured and ran in 1902,� said Denise Gourley. “It was interesting to hear that the classroom typically ranged from 1st to 12th grade in one room – and covered all subjects.�

Spalding said she expects the students to use their experiences from the Public History Center when they spend the next two semesters as interns.

As student Kimberly Merrow said: “There was a quote I noticed around the whole museum that I really loved. It said, ‘Tell me and I forget, Show me and I remember, Involve me and I understand.’ It really put my role as a teacher into perspective for me. I definitely want that quote displayed in my classroom.�

Children all over the world put on their pajamas and participated in Read for the Record, sponsored by Jumpstart and the Pearson Foundation, to raise awareness about the importance of reading in early education.

Knightro welcomed and energized the children at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Read for the Record event, held in the Morgridge International Reading Center.

Then sixty-seven pre-schoolers read along as “Llama Llama Red Pajama� by Ann Dewdney was shared digitally on the computer to the group.  Sharing the book digitally automatically made a donation of 67 books to children who would not otherwise have access to books of their own, thanks to the non-profit We Give Books.

“This event was designed to impress the importance of reading on children and remind them that reading is awesome,� said Lee-Anne Spalding, event coordinator and a College of Education instructor.

“It was a great learning experience for our students to not only read the book, but also hear it read out loud, as they develop their reading skills,â€� added Kim Campese, associate director at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Creative School for Children. “The children love working with the students from the College of Education and it is important for them to interact with future teachers,â€�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Elementary Education majors, all enrolled in a Children’s Literature classes, worked with the 3- and 4-year-olds and practiced read aloud skills they learned in class.

After helping children read the book, students made sock puppets and enjoyed milk and cookies with the pre-schoolers.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us, as students, to encourage children that reading is a fun activity and make an impression on them so they will want to read more books outside of school,� said Chenise Bell, a junior Elementary Education major.

The children who attended the event at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ were counted as part of the more than 2 million people who participated in Read for the Record worldwide. For every child who heard the book read aloud, the Pearson Foundation will donate a book to a child in need.