Black Stallion Literacy Program Update
Destiny reads Little Black, A Pony to Amurrah, an Arabian filly, and will bring all of her first grade class in Mountain View, Ark., to read to Amurrah in May, as children participate in the Black Stallion Literacy Program.
Destiny has the attention of Amurrah, an Arabian who is enjoying being read to from a first grader participating in the Black Stallion Literacy Program. The joys of reading through the magic of live horses, giving each child books to keep forever are the goals of the Black Stallion Literacy Program. This is the tenth anniversary of the introduction of the Program, the fifth year of being available to Arkansas children, with over 10,000 children enrolled this year. All first and fourth graders are invited to participate in this literacy program taught in schools and presented with the help of tireless and dedicated volunteers.
This program is for first and fourth grades. In the first grade program the children are introduced to a horse or pony by volunteers who take a horse, the character in the book, to school. The children are encouraged to touch (pet) the horse and are then given their first hard cover book by Walter Farley, Little Black, A Pony. The books are the children's to keep forever. The teachers are given the curriculum to teach the program and in about a month the children are taken on a field trip to a horse facility. Children learn to care for a horse, visiting booths where they continue to read. Then the finale, the children get to read their new book by Walter Farley, Little Black,A Pony, to a horse! They have one on one time with the horses to inspire them to read their very best!!
The fourth grade program the children are each given a hard cover copy of Walter Farley's The Black Stallion. The children read the book and get to attend a performance by the Arabian Nights from Kissimmee, Fla. The performance includes trick riding, Roman riding, rope tricks and so much more. The culmination of the program is bringing the book to life by a princess and a genie! The children see the shipwrecked boy meet The Black Stallion and ride him without a bridle! The Arabian Nights will perform two shows in Little Rock on Monday, April 18, with all profits going towards Arkansas children receiving books next year. On April 20 and 21 the program will be offered in Jonesboro, and on April 22 in Bentonville. Two shows will be offered on April 25 in Fayetteville, and in Ft. Smith the show will be held on April 26. You are invited to attend.
Last year over 14,000 Arkansas children participated in this motivational program. There is opportunity for even more participation this year as the program grows to a new area, South Arkansas.
The Black Stallion Literacy Foundation began serving children in 2000. Since then, more than 400,000 children across the United States have participated in the reading programs.
BSLF is presently composed of both school-based and community programs, in which activities are developed around Walter Farley's classic books. The community programs are similarly curriculum-based literacy programs, but are turnkey embedded programs for after school and summer camp programs.
With the success in Arkansas, the program is now available to children in every state for first graders and in Ariz., Miss., La., Fla., Ky., Texas and Ark. for children in the fourth and fifth grades.
Please visit our web site www.bslf-online.org for additional information. The goal is to give each child a book to keep forever, to spark the imagination of first grade students so they will want to learn to read, and to motivate students so they will experience the joy of reading!
Your help is needed in many areas including handling horses, calling and computer help, fund raising, and escorting children. There is a need for your help no matter your background, we need you! If you care about children or horses, please let that caring make a difference.
You are invited to share the magic of horses with children. For more information about how you might become involved in the best kept secret, please contact Laura or Gene Graves, laura.graves@bslf-online.org, or call (870)746-4500.
The magic of horses inspiring imagination and the love of reading!
