Everyone is still talking about Storia, Scholastic’s free ereading app for kids and classrooms. Today we have Laura Murray, a fourth grade teacher from Paramus, New Jersey, who’s using Storia in her classroom for her second year running. (Neat!) However, today she’s here to talk about how she uses Storia at home with her daughter. Take a look:

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but you need to stop reading, turn off the light, and go to bed.”

I’m sure this is what most, if not all, parents would love to be saying to their children every night instead of struggling with them to get their nightly reading done for homework.  Some children love to read, but some would rather eat their lima beans than pick up a book and read.  Getting children to love reading and enjoy books are two of the most important goals in every home and in every classroom.  I know that because not only am I a mom of a three year old, but I am also a fourth grade teacher.  I have spent my days for the past ten years trying to devise ways to ignite the love of books and reading in my students, and outside of the classroom I try different ways to get my daughter to love books and reading as well.  I have had experiences in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, and I know that kids who love to read do it well, and those who do not love it so much aren’t as great at it.  One of those two situations might sound familiar to you as a parent.

At a time in our not-so-distant past, reading was a widely enjoyed pastime.  Video games didn’t exist, cable television was a luxury, and iPads and iPhones were but a figment of Steve Jobs’ imagination.  Reading a book was an opportunity to have an adventure, solve a mystery, or learn about the galaxy or the fishes in the sea.  But a relentless tide of technological advancement has come at the expense of our children’s interest in books.  Luckily, there is a solution to this problem…Storia!

With Storia, simply having the novelty of reading an electronic book like mom or dad may be enough to get them interested.  Then add to that the ability to listen to some books, and have fun with the story using the enriched activities such as games, puzzles, quizzes, and short videos all relating to the book, and they just might be hooked.  And if they are hooked, there are multitudes of other ways that Storia enhances reading, making it more fun and productive.

Through this blog, I am going to share with you my experiences with Storia, how I use it in the classroom and at home with my daughter, and tips on how you can use it in your home with your child to continue growing and enhancing their reading experiences.  I’ll give you some “insider tips” that will hopefully get your child so wrapped up in a book that they won’t even want to shut off the light and go to bed! (or eat their lima beans!) So stay tuned!

Storia is the new free eReading app from Scholastic. Learn more about Storia and download it (for free!) to get 5 FREE ebooks. If you already have Storia and want to grow your eLibrary just visit their eBook store to shop for more books.

Happy eReading!