Jeff Brazier

Reading for kids -how important is it?

- TracyB 14 Comments

Reading for kids -how important is it?

reading for kids

 

I have a love of books and reading.

I don’t know where that came from as it’s hard to remember if as a child I was read to or not. However, as a teenager I definitely remember reading a lot( mainly Stephen King and the like!). Thankfully, that love of reading is still as strong today.

When both my boys were tiny it was part of the bedtime routine to have a story. When they started reading at school it was religiously done everyday.

All of that has paid off as now at the grand old ages of 11 and 13 years they are both avid readers in their own right. My youngest actually got a Kindle for his Christmas present.

However, I do know families where the kids are totally uninterested in reading and no matter what they have tried along the way, it hasn’t worked.

So does it matter whether you start early or not? Does it matter if the parents are avid readers?

Does it matter if you don’t have lots of books at home?

Top tips on how to get your children reading

Watch our video with Jeff Brazier where he gives his top tips on making story time fun

 

For some parents, a seemingly simple task like reading your children bedtime stories can send them into a nervous panic. But, it’s never too soon or too late to get your children reading and needn’t be a stressful experience. 

 

That’s why celebrity dad Jeff Brazier has joined forces with the National Literacy Trust today to launch a new campaign to try and help the four million children in Britain who don’t own a book to start reading.

 

Almost a fifth of children who don’t read say there are no books in their homes, which is why the National Literacy Trust is backing the campaign from  McDonald’s UK and Harper Collins for a new partnership to help get kids reading.

 

McDonald’s UK is to hand out around nine million popular children’s books with its Happy Meals, as part of a new partnership with publishing house Harper Collins. The promotion aims to get books into the hands of families and support mums and dads in reading with their children.

 

Watch our video with Jeff Brazier and Jack Sallabank from the National Literacy Trust where they give their top tips to get your children reading. From funny voices to involving your children with finger puppets, watch our video for Jeff’s great tips which is sure to be a success with any child.

So what strategies have you tried to get your children interested in books?

What age group where they when they started showing an interest?

Do you buy books or rely on your local library?

What do Ghoul School, Woolworths and Jeff Brazier have in common?

- TracyB 6 Comments

What do Ghoul School, Woolworths and Jeff Brazier have in common?

Jeff Brazier has been recruited by Woolworths.co.uk to become the Head Teacher of a Halloween venture called Ghoul School to find the scariest kids in the UK!!

Kids from all over the UK are being asked to don their best Halloween outfits including their ‘scariest faces’ and ‘monster attitudes’ for the new online event to find a ‘Head boy and girl’ through a series of tasks at the Ghoul School. Head Teacher Jeff with be helped by his monster team ‘The Woolies’ to help him on the day!

So how do I know all this?

Well I had the opportunity to interview Jeff about this venture in conjunction with Woolworths.

I have never interviewed anyone before, so to say I was a bit nervous was a huge understatement! But I thought that I would take note of all the ‘self help’ style jargon and ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’!

However, I needn’t have worried in the slightest as he was an absolute pleasure to chat to. In fact he made the job easy for me as I had finally met someone who could talk as much as me. He was really down to earth talking about the new venture with Woolworths. How he enjoys celebrating Halloween with his boys and how he tries to ‘recycle’ some of their sweets they get Trick or Treating and save them from rotting teeth!

Anyway I thought I would share a few of the questions with you and then I have been brave enough to include the audio of the interview with you

However, there are rules………………………

 

1. Don’t be too critical as it was my first ever interview!

2. No laughing at the comedy Irish accent……….that’s mine not his!

3. No leaving comments telling me I sound like one of the kids off ‘Why Don’t You’ (those readers of a certain age will remember the programme)

Here are a few of the questions I managed to ask……….

 

Do you dress up and try and scare away the kids Trick or Treating at your door?

No, I dress up and go out with the kids and everyone knows that it’s me where I live, if you get what I mean, and my door is probably busier than most. So I think they assume that because I work on television that I’ve got a shed load of sweets and a shed load of money, and neither of those statements are actually true. But no I really do need to stock up and I know where I will be going to get the sweets as well.

For the kids who want to get involved with the event what exactly do they have to do?

Ok, so what it is, is a one off event actually run by Woolworths.co.uk the Ghoul School is their creation and we’ve basically found a wonderful manor house, a Tudor mansion up in Liverpool called Speke hall, and we would like 10 finalists to join us where on the day we’ll play lots of challenges, play games and basically try our very best to find our Head Boy and Head Girl.
Kids have until Sunday to get their entries in. What they need to do to prove that they are the scariest kid in the UK, they need to dress up and get their face paint on, and they need to be as scary looking as possible and parents need to send their picture by email to Woolworths@thebrooklandsbrotherspr.com with 140 words explaining why the kids think they are the scariest in the UK.

Are you going to be a ‘wicked’ Head Teacher or are you going to try and be nice to the children?

No, I’m going to get rid of Jeff Brazier for the day. I’m going to be the Head Teacher of the Ghoul School, I’ve yet to think of a name, my alias. I’m going to make it my personal mission in life to scare them all the time and really put them to the test!

But to hear the interview in full just click on the link below to download and listen. He talks about all things Halloween, his kids and sweets!!!!

 

 

Jeff is currently working with Woolworths.co.uk to find the nation’s scariest children to attend the world’s first ever Ghoul School which Jeff is head teacher of. Ghoul School will be held at Speke Hall, Liverpool on 8th October 2011 where Jeff will help Woolworths.co.uk name a Head Boy and Head Girl of Ghoul School.
 
Visit Woolworths.co.uk for further details and to meet The Woolies.
 

**REMEMBER CHILDREN ONLY HAVE UNTIL SUNDAY TO ENTER**