Hawthorn Academy families stepped back in time for a “prehistoric” adventure during the school’s annual literacy night, which was filled with fun, learning and family engagement.

“We decided to do a dinosaur theme and it’s been fun for the kids,” Bev Griffiths said, Hawthorn Academy’s literacy coordinator. “I like seeing families come and enjoy activities, and the parents are learning the literacy skills we’re teaching so they’re becoming more familiar with them.”

Students and parents explored stations throughout the school where reading, writing and STEM came together in creative ways, such as rhyme time mystery pictures, singing about dinosaurs, vocabulary bracelets, drawing dinosaurs, word games and writing activities and even a fossil find, where students matched lowercase and uppercase letters on plastic dinosaurs hidden in sand. Other students followed clues to solve dinosaur mysteries and constructed and spun a word wheel, which students could also take home.

“We added singing, so they have to read the words, and art, where they need to follow directions, to the activities tonight, which all relate to literacy, and many are STEM-based,” Griffiths said, who had read Jane Yolen’s “How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read” to kindergarten, first-grade and special education classes to build excitement for the event. 

Second-grade teacher Gretchen Parker said the event connected classroom learning with creativity.

“They are following step by step how to draw dinosaurs, so as a STEM school, they’ll read and learn about these dinosaurs in other activities tonight,” Parker said. “I like seeing the creativity from the kids.”

Families enjoyed the variety of hands-on learning. 

Hunter Hamilton, and his son Holden, a first-grader, were constructing a word wheel. 

“We thought this was a fun thing to do where we could learn about dinosaurs and practice reading words,” Hamilton said.

Holden’s favorite book is “The Pigeon HAS to Go to School” by Mo Willems because it’s “funny.”

Another first grader, Landon Rust, just finished putting dinosaur names in alphabetical order.

“I like the new dinosaur, D. rex,” he said, referring to the Distortus rex in the newest Jurassic World movie.

His mom, Sam, said her son’s excitement for dinosaurs fuels his love for reading.

“He loves dinosaurs and he enjoys reading,” she said. “I hope he continues growing with it.”

As families completed the different activities, students collected dinosaur stickers. Once they had five, they could visit the library to choose two books and enter a raffle for prizes, including dinosaur books and school supplies, many donated by the local Walmart.

Alongside the literacy activities, families were encouraged to bring food donations for the school pantry — showing Hawthorn’s literacy night was about both learning and community.