Downtown La Grande was swarming with animals, hobbits, wizards, and cartoon characters on Monday. It was Halloween, after all, and children were costumed and in pursuit of candy. Although La Grande Rotary and Mountain Valleys Reading Council had candy at their booth, they also had different treats to hand out: Children’s books and a READ TOGETHER! Bookmark. The bookmark had printed QR codes that link to videos that model how adults can read with children from infants through preschool age. Featured above is Connie Slater showing a parent how to access the two-minute videos that encourage reading in the home.  As an example of the videos, see:  https://vimeo.com/722779094

Click on the URL below to watch a 2 minute video showing a parent reading to their preschool child. These helpful videos demonstrate simple methods for reading with children. Read Together! videos were produced by a collaborative project of the La Grande Rotary, the Mountain Valleys Reading Council, Brent Clapp Media, and OTEC.  https://vimeo.com/722779094

This last Tuesday, David Melville, Executive Director of GO-STEM at EOU, gave a presentation about efforts to encourage and support STEM education in the seven east most counties of Oregon. The GO-STEM Hub offers professional development, resources and materials to teachers, and a network of services to schools. One of the most recent initiatives offered is the Mobile Maker Lab.  A van and trailer are being outfitted with industrial tools and materials to teach students maker and manufacturing processes. The Mobile Lab comes with a skilled mentor prepared to travel the schools of eastern Oregon to help our students learn how various tools are used and how related careers might follow.  For more information about all of GO-STEM’s programs, see GO-STEM.org