UNDERSTANDING DYSLEXIA

Below is an abridged compilation of the twitter chat on "Understanding Dyslexia and Overcoming its challenges". Please read and share.

Good afternoon everybody! Welcome to our chat session on #dyslexia.  For the next 2 hours, we will be shedding light on dyslexia and identifying ways through which the challenges could be overcomed. Maria Sambo, a reading partner of @magical_books1 will be educating us on #Dyslexia. We will like to hear from you before Maria Sambo proceeds. Please follow the tweets and chime in the convo using #Dyslexia #MBChat

Please let's know who is here with us. Introduce yourself and tell us why you are joining us for this chat! #MBChat #Dyslexia 

Que.1:  Have you ever met a dyslexic person? #Dyslexia #MBChat #dyslexiaAwarenessmonth

Ans. 1: Pernille Ripp ‏@pernilleripp  @magical_books1 Yes, I teach students with dyslexia

Que. 2: What kind of provision do you make for children with dyslexia in your classroom? #dyslexia #MBChat #dyslexiaAwarenessmonth 

Ans. 2:  Pernille Ripp @pernilleripp @magical_books1 extra time plus they often get support from other people

Que. 3: What do you know about dyslexia? #MBChat #Dyslexia #DyslexiaAwarenessmonth

Ans. 3: Adebimpe Adejuwon ‏@bimpejuwon  

@magical_books1 I know it's real and people that have it don't usually know. The society stigmatizes them as late bloomers, dull etc.

Nala Bawa was a bright child, adept with tasks given to her. She was good with tasks that involved little or no reading like painting, drawing and some science practicals. When it was time for reading, she performed badly. She felt discouraged wondering why this seemingly easy task was difficult. She eventually thought she was dull and stupid. She lost interest in school and managed to graduate high-school.  

Today, Nala is a successful artiste with a number of galleries showing her work. Nala eventually learnt she was dyslexic. She had a type of learning disability. Studies indicate that 1 in 5 students have dyslexia and other related learning disabilities. 

Dyslexia is a type of learning disability also known as a reading disability. Dyslexia is a condition that affects the way the brain receives and processes information. According to kidshealth.organisation, it is a condition one is born with, often inherited. Dyslexia happens because of the way the brain processes information, a different part of the brain is used here other than the usual part.

As dyslexia is a lifelong condition, it doesn't mean the dyslexic is stupid or dull. As a matter of fact, most dyslexic are as intelligent or even better than those without the ability. There are a number of people that are dyslexic, some of them like @richardbranson are successful despite the learning disability. @KatieHeigl @channingtatum are hollywood stars with the disability.  Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci are also said to be dyslexic. That does lay to rest the worry that a dyslexic is dull and or useless to society. 

Some signs of dyslexia are trouble learning nursery rhymes or identifying rhyming patterns.  Inability to associate a sound to an alphabet e.g A for Apple, explaining an illustration or picture instead of what's written in the book. Avoiding reading out loud, difficulty putting words together to communicate. Messy handwriting, deathly grip on writing material, use of imprecise words regularly. 

Some strengths of dyslexics are intelligence, talented, excellent thinking skills, exceptional empathy and high sense of justice. Overcoming the challenges of dyslexia has been made easier as a result of technology. Livescribe pen is an assistive technology aide that helps with note taking. Speech to Text is another assistive technology aide. Dyslexic people often suffer low self esteem. They need support and reinforced statements and attitudes of can do from parents or guardians. 

Let us keep sharing the knowledge. Dyslexia is real and shouldn't be spiritualised. Thank you so much for joining us today. We say a big thank you to Maria Sambo, our reading partner for sharing her knowledge on dyslexia. 

Join the "Let’s ‪#‎buildourlibraries‬ " campaign

"Literacy is a bridge between misery and hope..." - Kofi Annan

Magical Books started a game on International Literacy Day- encouraging people to share pictures of them reading to either themselves or others to show how much they valued literacy. This game has turned into a campaign that would span for a week starting from today to commemorate International Literacy Week.

In Nigeria, 35million adult illiterates exist and 10.5 million children are out of school ( Wike, 2013). These people are a helpless lot! Imagine if you couldn’t read, write or count. How would your life have been? Can you picture that? We can’t afford to have those numbers rise. If they do, Nigeria would be a bomb waiting to explode.

Everyone needs to have access to books and libraries. We need to invest in well stock community libraries because not everyone can afford to buy books from a store. Libraries can organise literacy programs for those who can’t read or write.

Recently, Bestselling author, James Patterson vowed to donate 25,000 copies of his illustrated children’s books to Baltimore. According to AP Entertainment, Patterson had donated millions of dollars to bookstores and libraries in the U.S. In Nigeria, we pride ourselves on having produced quite a number of multi billionaires and multimillionaires when a sizeable amount of citizens can’t even read and write! Can someone tell us how they are giving back to the society?

We certainly need to bridge the gap between misery and hope by investing in literacy. We are starting the #buildourlibraries campaign because we want to get the attention of major stakeholders who can help build ultramodern libraries and maintain them. We want libraries that are aesthetically designed that would get the attention of children just like the cinemas and play areas they like to visit. We want those libraries filled with colourful, contemporary, and recent books for children, teenagers and adults. We want each community library to be at least 30 minutes’ walk from every home. We know that this is possible. If religious organisations can set this target and achieve them, we also can. It is possible if you and I believe it and spread this campaign.

How to join?

Share a picture of you reading or reading to your friends and family with us via facebook, twitter, or email (magicalbooks4all@gmail.com). This is to reiterate that you value literacy, you can read and you want others who can’t to be able to.

Twitter: When sharing this picture, please tweet @magical_books1, use the hashtags - #buildourlibraries ‪#‎Nigeria‬ ‪#‎ILW‬ and include a personal message. For example, “I value literacy and I want to see community libraries in Nigeria”.

Facebook: Kindly share this picture with Magical Books. https://www.facebook.com/magicalbooksinitiative
When sharing this picture, please include the hashtags  #buildourlibraries #Nigeria #ILW #Magicalbooksnigeria and in addition to your personal message, kindly include this: “You too can join in this campaign by sharing a picture of you reading to yourself or friends and family. Make sure you include the hash tags so others can join in. By joining in, you are making everyone know how much you value literacy. You are also drawing the attention of major stakeholders to #buildourlibraries

Email: Just send this picture to us and include your name and message.

At the end of the International Literacy Week, we hope to have received 50,000 pictures to get the attention of 5,000 wealthy Nigerians who can help build our libraries. Do you value literacy? Would you want our nation to sustain itself? Then join this campaign NOW!

Happy International Literacy Day!

Dear friends,

We at Magical Books wish you a Happy International Literacy Day. This year's theme is Literacy and Sustainable Societies.

September 8th was declared International Literacy Day by UNESCO in November 17, 1965. By November 2015, it would be the 50th year International Literacy Day was proclaimed in order to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. However, the growing number of illiterates and alliterates in Nigeria is mind-boggling. As at 2013, the then Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike said Nigerian adult illiterates were 35 million and over 10.5 million children were out of school.

At Magical Books, we value literacy because we know that it is a powerful tool that can help people make informed choices about issues that are important to them. Literate individuals have the power to change social vices in our country like poverty, injustice, corruption, discrimination and violence.

How are we celebrating literacy today and how can you participate?

We want everyone to know how much people value literacy. We want to draw the attention of major stakeholders into doing something about the increase in the number of illiterates in Nigeria and around the world. We also want to create an awareness that societies can only be sustainable through literacy.

Kindly share a picture of yourself reading or reading to friends and family via our face book page https://www.facebook.com/magicalbooksinitiative?fref=ts

Please use the hashtags #ILD #LiteracyDay #toanilliteratefreenation #MagicalBooksnetwork. Let your friends and family know about this picture and like it.

The person who is able to attract the highest number of likes by the end of today (12 midnight Nigerian time), gets a special book from Magical Books. If there is a tie, we will raffle the numbers.

Join the game now!

CREATING FUN AROUND READING

"There is no substitute for books in the life of a child" - May Ellen Chase

The world is fast evolving and various technological devices are being released daily. The impact of this changing world is that many aren't reading anymore. Sir Richard Steele once said and I quote "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body". If many aren't reading, then we have less critical thinkers and more lazy minds in our society. 

Reading has myriad of benefits apart from keeping the mind sharp and agile. It also has the power to keep one relaxed, widen horizon, change perception, encourage positive thinking, improve  knowledge base, enhance writing and speaking skills and many more. I can keep going on about the benefits of reading.

It will be an injustice to deny children the love of reading. Parents have a key role to play in making their children lovers or haters of books. Emilie Buchwald emphasizes parental involvement in building the love for reading in her quote "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents".

This Summer holiday, every Nigerian parent has the opportunity to bond with their children and boost the love for reading and books through the Magical Books Summer Reading Challenge. 

The Magical Books Summer Reading Challenge is just one of the ways through which parents can inspire their children to read and have fun whilst doing it. It is a program that is also packaged to boost writing, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

This edition is for the Nigerian audience. It is not bound by time or space. Children will be reading in the confines of their homes with or without supervision from their parents during the stipulated time frame. Children also have the opportunity to choose books they love and want to read.

For more details on how to get your children involved, kindly send an email to us at magicalbooks4all@gmail.com. 

Thank you.

QUALIFY FOR A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK "PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE" by Rick Warren

Hello friends,

How have you been? We hope fine.

Are you yet to order your copy of the books “Be anxious for nothing” and “Purpose driven life”. Kindly get your copy soon enough so you can follow us as we start reviewing the books.

The first book we will be discussing is “Be anxious for nothing” by Joyce Meyer. If you have gotten your copy, please ponder on the following questions as you read the chapters.

You can also send us your answers.The first person to send us the right answers using the book as a guide will get a free copy of the book “Purpose Driven Life”. Deadline for the receipt of answers is 12/04/2015.

WEEK 1 – BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING by Joyce Meyer

We are thinking beings. Daily, we deal with so many things that threaten our joy and peace. Some of us find it difficult to control the fear, anxiety, worry that lodges in our heart.

In chapter 1, we have the following questions to ponder on.

QUESTIONS FROM CHAPTER 1 (JESUS AND PEACE)
1. Who gives us peace?

2. What kind of peace can swallow our anxiety, fear, turmoil, worry and frustration?

3. Do we get to a point in our lives when we are rid of problems that threaten to steal our peace?

4. When we are faced with issues that threaten our peace, how should we deal with them?

5. How do we enter into the joy and peace of God’s kingdom?

QUESTIONS FROM CHAPTER 2 – It’s ok to lighten up!

6. How would you describe anxiety?

7. What does anxiety do to us?

8. What steps can we take to curb anxiety?

9. How does Joyce Meyer describe the kind of anxiety she once felt?

10. What is the impact of being upset over little things?

11. Why does the devil try to make us tense, get us tied up in knots, upset, disturbed, worried, disquieted and distracted?

12. What is the one way we can develop spiritual maturity in the midst of trying circumstances?

13. How can we live in the fullness of the Lord’s joy?

14. How can we respond when the devil brings anxiety to us?

15. What are the three (3) categories of anxiety?

QUESTIONS FROM CHAPTER 3 – The arm of the flesh

16. The bible speaks of two (2) vastly different arms. What are they?

17. How does the arm of the flesh affect our lives?

18. What is the best way to overcome the devil and his demons?

19. How does the arm of the spirit affect us?

20. How would you relate the story of Ishmael and Isaac to the arm of the flesh and the arm of the spirit?

21. At different point in our lives, we all go through situations that test us. What is the purpose of the “testing ground”?

22. How would we succeed despite our adversaries and their devices?

23. What happens when we do not wait for the Lord to work out his plans in our lives?

24. In page 44, what kind of the arm of flesh does the author say can hinder us from experiencing joy and peace? How can we overcome it?

25. In page 45, what are we encouraged to let God build? According to page 52, what three (3) areas are we to let God build?

26. God would like to perfect us until we get to what point?

27. What standard does God measure us with as described in page 47?

28. God wants to build us up. How can we allow God achieve this in our lives?

29. We need to lean all of ourselves on God, believing only He has the ability to do for us what needs to be done in us. Our only job is to do what?

30. What are God’s instructions to us for finding peace and joy?

Please send your answers to magicalbooks4all@gmail.com

Thank you.

MAKE THE MOST OF APRIL

"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family". - Kofi Annan.

Hello dear friend,

We welcome you into the month of April. We hope that this month marks a positive and significant change in your life. We also pray for you, that God will continually keep, guide and lead you.


BOOK OF THE MONTH
In the month of April, we will be reading two books:

1. "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.

This book is more than just words. "It's a guide to a 40-day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture-------how all the pieces of your life fit together.


Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most important, prepare you for eternity". (p. 9)


2. "Be anxious for nothing" by Joyce Meyer

Difficult times, trials, and tribulation are part of living in this world. However, God has provided a way for us to enjoy peace as a part of daily life.



We can choose either to allow ourselves to be burdened with worry and anxiety or to live in the peace and joy the Father intended. Find out in this book how to really draw on the peace of God in the midst of negative circumstances.

Would you like to join us as we read these books? Then order your copies from us now and we will deliver it to you within 3 working days. (Terms and conditions apply). We will be sharing snippets from the books with you too. If you are joining us in reading, you can also share your favorite parts from the books with us.

Do you have books in mind that you think we should include in our "to read" list? Kindly share them with us.

Please follow us in the subsequent weeks as we learn and grow together. Do not forget to get your own copies.

Thank you.

CELEBRATING NIGERIA'S INDEPENDENCE

"Nigeria has no business with poverty. With our human and material resource, we shall strive to eradicate poverty from our country" - Olusegun Obasanjo.

 Today, Nigeria celebrates 54 years of independence. Today, we are reminded as a country of where we used to be, where we should have been if we had made the right choices, where we are now and where we hope to be. Our dream is to see a Nigeria filled with peace, brotherly love, respect for human life, selflessness and genuine patriotism amongst the citizenry.

We celebrate Nigeria's independence with this lovely poem from our team member (Olamide Oti).

We hope that you enjoy it.

I am She

Olamide 

I was doomed from the beginning.

Before I got a chance to know my family,

I was sold into slavery.

My father was royalty,

but when my new parents came,

He sold me off like a bale of cotton.

So, I became one of them.

Dressed like them,

Talked like them.

Ate, what they ate and quickly, I forgot my roots.

I was perfect at birth they said,

Ten fingers and toes all wonderfully made,

A headful of coarse black hair.

And no identity.

Throughout adolescence,

I was at war within myself.

I had many vices;

The love of money,

Of all things glittery and sweet

Of murder, drunkenness, and pride.

Many have died for me,

“For you”, they said, all for you.

I had an inheritance, but they took it all away, and called it theirs.

They named my streets after their sons while my father looked on unable to stop them.

My lands, my people, my crops…All gone!

My oil was my nemesis

It bubbled from within me

And came forth black, sweet and pleasant.

For a moment, it was my salvation,

Now, it seems it will be the death of me.

It is all I have left,

Until there is nothing left of me.

Today, I am coming of age

I weep for my sons, who have squandered it all,

For my daughters, who are struggling to rebuild me.

There is much to be grateful for,

For peace, however fragile,

For the seasons and for time,

For time, heals all wounds

I am in labour, while the world looks on

Each birth pang piercing through my core.

The world awaits a generation who will rejoice in my heritage,

Who will take back all that I have lost,

Who will reclaim my lost glory,

A generation that would not be ashamed to call me ‘mama’.

I am of many cultures woven loosely together.

Beautiful on the outside

Broken on the inside

Many wars rage on in my heart,

Those caused by beliefs, tribes and tongues that never agree.

The odds are against me, it would seem.

But, I am Nigeria,

I will thrive.

For more of Olamide's posts, kindly visit http://gabriellalove.wordpress.com.

Thank you.

MAGICAL BOOKS AT IFLA CONFERENCE.

“At the moment of vision, the eyes see nothing.”  - William Golding, The Spire.

Magical Books, a Nigerian social enterprise involved in reading advocacy was selected to, and did present an innovative poster at the just concluded 80th edition of the International Federation of Library Associations – World Library International Congress held in Lyon, France from the 16^th -22^nd of August, 2014.

The World Library International Congress organised by IFLA is a yearly event that brings together actors of knowledge from all over the world to discuss, share and disseminate knowledge. This year’s theme was tagged “Libraries, Citizens, and Societies: Confluence for Knowledge”. There were several programmes which included open sessions, workshops, pre and post congress satellite meetings and poster sessions with several interesting sub-themes.

At the poster session, Magical Books had the opportunity of presenting her poster titled “Magical Books: A Reading Advocacy Project” at stand 121 in the midst of about two hundred (200) poster stands. These stands were available to approximately three thousand and Five Hundred (3500) participants for viewing, networking and partnerships.

The poster created by the C.E.O/Program Coordinator, Mrs Seun Aina and presented by Mrs Adetoun Oyelude of the Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan, an active member of the Magical Books Network detailed the organization's active role in promoting healthy reading habits and lifelong learning attitudes amongst children, teenagers and adults in Nigeria. The photographs on the poster highlighted their activities in the area of reading advocacy in the media, schools and organisations.

It also showed other activities which include organising of reading clubs for children, book clubs for adults and seminars and workshops that build life skills in children and adults.

Just recently, Magical Books and Global Youth Leadership and Girl Child Foundation (GYLGF) concluded a three week Summer Reading Club  from the 11^th - 30^th  of August, 2014. This year’s edition was coordinated by Dr Adepeju Oti, founder of GYLGF.

The edition included loud session story times, book talks, craft, educative games, excursions among others.

With the support and partnership of thousands of people in their network, Magical Books is getting closer to achieving its vision of seeing a Nigeria where both young and old see reading as a lifelong activity, a tool for personal growth, social change and national development.

To know more about this organisation, visit and like their Facebook page at Magical Books Nigeria and follow on Twitter @magical_books1.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PEACE

 "Happiness, true happiness, is an inner quality. It is a state of mind. If your mind is at peace, you are happy. If your mind is at peace, but you have nothing else, you can be happy. If you have everything the world can give- pleasure, possessions, power - but lack peace of mind, you can never be happy." - Dada Vaswani

Peace of mind is a virtue given to man by God. Life will not always be easy on you. The tougher it gets, the tougher it makes you. Through it all, one needs absolute peace.

 To find peace about who you are (understanding that you are beautiful/handsome from within and who you are is not found in anybody's description of you).

To find peace about what you do (that you do what you do because you love it or you do it because its leading you to something greater than yourself and you are contributing to lives positively).

 To find peace about the choices you have made ( understanding that you felt those choices were the best when you made them, that those choices have made you better, stronger and made it easier for you to decide on new choices that will be better and that there is a greater force somewhat involved in using those choices to mould and prepare you for a bigger task).

To find peace about the people in your life ( understanding that you will need to live with some people for the rest of your life and no matter what happens, you will need to live in peace with them as much as it lies with you and that you can also stay away from others who will do anything to destroy your peace of mind). 

Peace is really not found in the world or in humans because it is difficult to be at peace in a tumultuous world. Peace is something we need to work towards everyday. Its something we need to seek God for. He has said my peace I give to you not as the world gives but as he gives.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING

"Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship." - Kofi Annan

Learning is a lifetime journey and it is important that children are supported very early in life with their learning. Learning can be formal or informal but the focus of this article is on supporting children age 5 and above with their learning. Therefore, I will be focusing on supporting their learning with subjects such as Mathematics (Numeracy), English (Literacy), Science and other formally taught subjects.

Depending on where you live, the curriculum used to teach your child will be unique to that geographical location/country. However, the following suggestions can be useful in supporting your child with their learning. The list is not exhaustive.

·         Mathematics/Numeracy support – Right from an early age, it is good to play number games with your child. This can be done while taking a walk, when driving with them in the car or on the bus. You can count how many people you can see and so on and so forth. You can also play matching games with your child to teach them about shapes and sizes. Your child can be supported to copy patterns and colour them. Using visual aids can also help your child in learning mathematical vocabulary. Investing in number charts and magnetic shapes is a very good idea. Your child will be able to see the numbers and arrange them on a magnetic board or on the fridge.

·         English/Literacy- This involves listening, speaking and reading. Therefore, every parent should ensure they read to their child at a very early age and encourage the child to listen and respond to stories, songs and rhymes. The art of comprehension should be encouraged. This means after reading to your child, ask them questions and let them respond so you can be sure they have understood what you have read to them. Their response also helps you to support their speaking skills and also extends their vocabulary. Through their speaking they learn the art of interaction. It is very important that children see us read as they pick up on what we do. You should read with your child and pause occasionally to discuss the book and explain to the child who an author is, the plot and the characters in the book etc. Another good idea is to take your child to the library or book store and let the child select a book he/she wants to read.

·         Writing- While I was growing up, my mother used to say to me, ‘reading makes a ready man and writing a perfect man’. As soon as your child can hold a pencil safely, give the child a blank piece of paper and a pencil and let the child attempt to write whatever he/she can on the piece of paper. A lot of patience is needed. Once the child is able to hold the pencil effectively, teach the child to write his/her name. You can progress to giving the child the opportunity to write your shopping list when you need to go shopping or when they get to the age of making many requests of what they need, around age 5 to 7, tell them to write you a list of their needs.

Science and other subjects – It is a very good idea to introduce your child to reading non-fiction books at a very early age. This will give the child the opportunity to learn more about the world we live in and introduce them to subjects like Geography, Science, Art and Design, Music and Physical Education etc.

The best legacy you can leave your child is the gift of good education all round. Expose your child to learning. Be interested in their education, support them and if you are the busy parent due to the nature of your work, engage the service of a good professional who can support them. Be wary of those who just collect your money but do not help your children to improve in their learning.

About the writer

Felicia Yetunde Onilogbo is an educationist who loves teaching children and training adults. She has a passion for developing children and women and supporting them to realise their potentials. She is happily married with three lovely children.She has written a book titled 'You Are A Person of Influence'