There were some GREAT Horse Tales Literacy Project events this month. Hope you had a chance to be part of the fun. And for all the hard work from our incredible volunteers a BIG THANK YOU!! Check Out all the photos; HERE – http://horsetalesliteracy.phanfare.com/2013/
From Old town Tucson to the Wildwoods of Florida with all the cowboys and the mounted police, too! We have a fine time.
If you ever have a day, or even a minute, and want to join in — please send us an email : Horse Tales Literacy Project
Many youngsters, particularly boys, who struggle to read find that much of the reading material available is not interesting to them.
Organizers of “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!” a statewide reading initiative that runs from Jan. 23 to 27, are trying to keep that divide in mind. A kickoff event held at Sadler Elementary in Orange County earlier this month involved a visit by a race car themed with this year’s “Take the Lead and Read” motif.
And on Tuesday, the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater in Kissimmee will be hosting first-graders from Ivey Lane Elementary School in Orange County to meet the Black Stallion. (They’ll also get to see the ”Take the Lead and Read” race car).
As part of the Horse Tales Literacy Project, students got to meet a horse at their school before they started to read a book about horses. According to Lindsey Von Broembsen with Horse Tales Literacy, a nonprofit that uses horses to encourage reading, the Ivey Lane students have read “Little Black, A Pony” by Walter Farley.
The students will get to learn about horse care at the Arabian Nights event. They will meet four horses to learn about horseshoes, feed/hay, grooming and tack (saddles and bridles). The students also have the opportunity to read to a horse at each station.
“Letting them see them as real horses connects them to what they are reading and motivates them to read,” Von Broembsen said.
One of my favorite books about literacy, “Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys” by Michael Smith, makes the point that students, particularly boys and struggling readers, will make the effort to read if they connect with a book. Initiatives like this are perfectly aligned to get youngsters interested in reading.
It’s that wonderful time of year when sugar plums dance in our heads and warm fireplaces and hot chocolate. So much to do and so many people to see… maybe even sing a few songs, Hallelujah! This is when you give your friends that special gift to tell them how much you LOVE being their friend and this is especially true for your best paddock friends and favorite ponies.
At Horse Tales Literacy Project we give all we can, every day, all year long. There has been almost a million children that have had the excitement of meeting horses and reading classic stories. Can you help? Yes you can!
With thousands of volunteers involved with hay bales, trailers and curry combs there is a pitch fork and shovel that needs your extra hand to muck stalls – but, maybe, you’re too busy with your own chores? There is always room for tax deductible cash donations. One click and you can find out more. Make sure to visit HorseTales.org and be part of program!
This year we have added something new – a charitable Ebay selling store at Missionfish. If you ever sell anything on ebay, at any time, all you have to do is add a donation to Horse Tales Literacy Project which is listed in their registry. That puts a ribbon next to the listing and increases your chance for a higher selling price. You can choose any amount from your sale 10%, 50%, 100% and it doesn’t matter where you live – you too can help the horses!
Or, if you don’t sell on Ebay, but you have some special item that you don’t know what to do with, that used saddle (since you’ve been treated to a new one for Christmas), the old truck and trailer … or some dusty diamond earrings you hardly ever wear. Send them over to us! We have an Ebay store that shows all the donations so it’s easy to join in and help us buy some extra carrots! You can send any Item donations to: Horse Tales Literacy Project 3081 Arabian Nights Blvd. Kissimmee, FL 34747-4505
If you live in the mid – Florida area or anywhere near our program locations we can even arrange a pick up for lager items. Write me back at BlackStallionFan@aol.com if you have any questions and we’ll work it out.
Our Horse Tales Christmas wish list:
Pick up truck
Trailer
Airline miles
Travel points
Gas cards (for cowboys and school buses)
Restaurant gift cards (for all our great volunteers)
Phone cards (call home)
Store gift cards
Office supplies
Printing
and … anything you might donate for us to help bring more books, more horses to more children.
cars, boats, or ANYTHING of value that you are tired of storing.
Thanks for helping the horses and their handlers and the children that are reading the story all by themselves!!
A few months ago we started to make some changes to the Black Stallion Literacy Project which I co-founded with our old family friend Mark Miller, owner of Arabian Nights in Orlando Florida.
After the remarkable success of the literacy program over the last 11 years (and over a million books given away) we wanted to expand what we offer to students beyond “The Black Stallion” series. After much debate we decided the literacy program needed a new name of its very own, something about ALL horses and ALL stories, so we chose; HORSE TALES LITERACY PROJECT
(www.HorseTales.org)
The Black Stallion will hopefully always be a cornerstone of the program, but for us to have the resources to expand and include all grades, K-12, we need to be able to choose from the incredible wealth of equestrian literature available. From Misty to Smoky and Pegasus to Sea Biscuit there is a mountain of great books from all over the world!
What we want to know is;
What classic stories have made a difference to you? What have you read that you will never forget? Your opinions matter so … what do want to read next – or what story do you think everyone else really needs to read?
They have to be HORSE stories but beyond that your imagination is the limit.
Please write and let us know what you think!
Here’s a few of my choices;
Tim Farley Recommends; Books for Horse Tales Literacy Project
Pre – school
DK Horses
My Pony
First Grade
Little Black, a Pony
Little Black Goes to the Circus
Robert the Rose Horse
Second Grade
The Horse that Swam Away
Big Black Horse
Third Grade
Found One Orange Brown Horse
Little Black a Pony Races
Fourth Grade
Ride Like an Indian
Blaze
National Velvet – MOVIE
Fifth Grade
The Black Stallion – MOVIE
Black Beauty- MOVIE
Sixth Grade
Misty of Chincoteague – MOVIE
King of the Wind
Black Stallion Returns – MOVIE
Seventh Grade
Smoky the Cowhorse
Horse Tamer
A Girl and Five Brave Horses – MOVIE (Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken)
Eight Grade
A Horse’s Tale
The Red Pony – MOVIE (1949)
Ninth Grade
1001 Arabian Nights – MOVIE
Pegasus- MOVIE
Tenth Grade
Trojan Horse – MOVIE (Troy)
Bullfinches’ Mythology
Horse Whisperer – MOVIE
Eleventh Grade
Sea Biscuit – MOVIE
Secretariat – MOVIE
Twelfth Grade
All the Pretty Horses – MOVIE
Some Horses / Horses (McGuane)
Phar Lap – screenplay by David Williamson – MOVIE
Lonesome Dove – pulitzer Prize book – TV SERIES
Into the West – screenplay by Jim Sheridan – MOVIE
