fridayphotofiesta_600Aah, the lazy days of summer. We don’t know about you, but summer always makes us think of lots of free time to get lost in books. Since local libraries are starting their summer reading programs this month, we wanted to share with you some of the things we love about reading in Guatemala for this edition of Friday Photo Fiesta!

Boys reading at El Caman

You can read literally anywhere – just flip a desk over, and pull up a pillow and enjoy!

Minor reading to his students.

Many teachers in Guatemala are amazed to see what happens when they get the kids out of their desks and gather them in close for story time.

Girls sounding it out together.

Reading with friends is a great way to learn and perfect your skills.

Word wall

Books teach us new words. Our students internalize their new vocabulary by putting new-to-them words up on a “word wall.”

Lost in books

Through CORP, kids learn to relish the simple pleasure of immersing themselves in a good story.

Reading is family time.

Reading is a family affair; in one community, some parents even enrolled in an evening class so that they could learn to read alongside their children!

How a seed grows.

In Guatemala, knowing how to read means being able to access the information that will improve the livelihood of your family—like this book about growing seeds.

Reading with tour participants

Reading bridges cultural and generational divides. You could be 70+ years and a language apart, but a shared reading experience is enough to make a meaningful connection.

Readers become authors.

Our students are thrilled to see their own names in print on the cover of a book they put together, and dreams of becoming authors are born.

Reading smiles.

Really, what’s not to love about reading when it puts a huge smile on these faces?

If you enjoy Friday Photo Fiesta – link up by posting your own 5 photos for the week on your blog and linking back to this post!

 How did reading figure into your lazy summer days as a kid?