MOOSE JAW — Students at Sunningdale School who want a comfortable spot to read either by themselves or with a friend can now do so by climbing into the cuddly “paws” of a grizzly bear.
The school recently installed two “grizzly reading cubby holes” near the front entrance, which feature carpeted seating areas inset into the wall with large wood-cut grizzly-bear paws giving the cubby holes some artistic flair.
“We had some space at the front of the school here, so we, of course, want to make reading fun,” said principal Dave Oberg. “We want to make it exciting and we wanted to provide a cool space for kids to come and cuddle up with a good book.”
The school worked with Prairie South School Division’s buildings manager, who developed the idea and helped see it through, the principal continued. With the cubby holes now completed, students can read there whenever they want — but only after their teacher has permitted them.
There have been many happy kids who have used the reading-focused cubby holes since the project finished, with some students jumping into them once school finishes for the day, even though their parents were waiting to pick them up, Oberg said.
“It’s a pretty popular place right now. Anytime we can get kids excited to read, I think that’s a great thing,” he continued.
“It adds to what our school is all about, and when you walk into the school and see these gigantic bear paws with kids cuddled up with reading books, that’s awesome (and) we loved it,” Oberg added.
The cubby holes are “fantastic,” while the division office has pictures of students reading in them as part of a slide show on a TV, said Jennifer Prokopetz, superintendent of school operations.
The reading nooks are a great repurpose of space, considering the school initially used them as spaces for guests to hang their coats when attending events, she continued. However, guests usually take their coats with them, so the coatracks remained unused.
As for how the cubby holes will affect students’ literacy activities, Prokopetz said, “Anything that gets kids more excited about reading, we’re all in. There’s nothing better than getting cozy with a book … .
“It’s just an additional space for them to hole up in and really focus on their book and focus on their reading and get lost in their story or their reading,” she continued.
The school superintendent hadn’t heard of other schools in the division creating anything similar, but thought Sunningdale’s project might inspire some to enhance their reading spaces. Meanwhile, the new Coteau Hills Elementary School on South Hill will have reading nooks in the library under the presentation stairs.
“Schools already are creating their own little nooks and finding creative ways ot find little spaces for kids to read and work and learn,” Prokopetz added. “So it’s probably a good opportunity for us to start showcasing those too.”
