Reading at Children’s Hospital
One of my favorite classes that I am taking this semester is a class on Children’s Literature, which is offered through Peabody. Aside from being able to embrace my inner 5 year old by reading and examining books from my childhood, one of the best parts of this class is that we get to read to patients at the Children’s Hospital!
Each of us in the class sign up to read at the hospital a total of three times over the semester for one hour each time. I chose to go on Friday mornings, which is the one time during the week I don’t have class. At first, I was nervous that the children wouldn’t want to read with me, but I was quickly proven wrong! Children actually approached me and asked me to read to them, which was so awesome.
For this activity we read to children in several different waiting rooms. It proved to be a nice break for parents and also fun for the kids so they didn’t have to just sit and do nothing while they waited for their appointment. This activity also allowed me to explore Peabody Library, since I had to pick a variety of books to bring with me that would appeal to all ages and types of children. Peabody Library has an amazing room that is full of every childrens book you can imagine, which proved to be very helpful!
Overall I would say that reading to children at the Children’s Hospital has been one of my favorite experiences this semester. It is a nice way to give back, and also to brighten the day of children who are in the hospital, which is usually not a fun place for kids to be. I hope to continue to volunteer at the Children’s Hospital next semester!
