Photos courtesy of Botetourt Kiwanis Club
Can an old-school printed dictionary really enrich a child’s learning in today’s digital world? The Kiwanis Club of Botetourt believes it can. For over 20 years, the Kiwanis Club has provided every third grader in Botetourt’s seven elementary schools with their own hard copy dictionary. When a child steps away from their digital devices to look up a word in a physical dictionary, unique learning stimulation occurs. This exercise enhances skills in alphabetization, spelling, context analysis, and exploring alternative word choices.
Historically, the club has distributed these free dictionaries early in the school year. This year, more than 350 third graders received their own personal dictionary. For children at this age level, using a dictionary complements their phonetic awareness and word decoding development.
The club received thank you notes from several of the elementary classes. Reading these notes is always a special treat for the Kiwanians. One inquisitive student discovered and shared a quote from their new dictionary: “The limits of your language are the limits of your world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Donations collected at the designated Kiwanis parking lot (at the corner of Tinker Mill Road) during LBHS home football games help support this service project. Additionally, the Verizon Pioneers have been long-time financial supporters of this initiative.
A primary focus of the local Kiwanis Club is to address the child literacy needs of the community through service projects like the dictionaries and Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Individuals or groups interested in contributing or joining a Kiwanis service project can contact Cindy Bailey, club president, through the club’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/botetourtkiwanis/.
~ Kiwanis Club of Botetourt
