Books, Bears, and Blankets: Windows and Mirrors in Kindergarten

September in the Lower School is punctuated by several events focused on supporting our students in thinking of themselves as readers. One of these is Kindergarten’s Books, Bears, and Blankets!

This year’s Books, Bears, and Blankets theme was “Windows and Mirrors.” Students were invited to think about a book that has a character similar to them (reflecting who they are like a mirror) and a book that has a character different from them (allowing them to see into another person’s life like a window). Once they selected their “window” and “mirror” books with their grown-ups at home to read together along with titles from our classroom libraries, students got cozy with stuffed animals and blankets and settled into reading in their homerooms. 

Parents and children also enjoyed a light breakfast and drew portraits of themselves using mirrors. One parent reflected, “‘Books, Bears, and Blankets’ theme for Kindergarten this year was mirrors and windows. After reading books with a mirror into how our daughter sees herself and a window into someone else’s life, she drew her self portrait. And after rushing home to host a global Q&A for thousands of employees, I had the unwavering feeling that this was the most important moment of my day.”

To learn more about the windows and mirrors concept, click here to see a TED Talk by author Grace Lin and here to see an interview with author Rudine Sims Bishop on this subject.