Booknic

“One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by”, Jeanette Walls.

Well-being week took place in Bishopstown Community School in early May. This was a fun active week of cycling, jumping, running and throwing. We put down the paperbacks and kindles to participate. However, once the races were won, the last welly was thrown, the bouncing castle deflated and the smoothies consumed, the book club began to wonder exactly what role books could play in wellbeing? As it turns out, quite an important one. “Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life”, Mortimer Adler.

The idea of book/ picnic was proposed and the phrase Booknic was coined! In brainstorming this idea, we knew a quiet spot was required, an area that allowed us to be close to the school at big lunch but also gave us freedom to either relax and read or chat and read aloud. The front of the school was decided. The tree by the front of the school was perfect for our whimsical idea and had enough grass, flowers and nature to help us unwind. We had the perfect weather to sit and read and think about how reading is important for well-being.

With exam preparation (for students and teachers) just around the corner, there is a natural air of planning and expectation. This is a part of school life. Photocopiers chug and students organise notes. It’s a hardback life!  The club realised that in getting ready for an exam, feeling good, positive and inhabiting a calm readiness might be just as important as study and exercise.

Booknic gave us an opportunity to breathe and take time out from a busy day. A little bit of relaxation and escapism in fiction is very important to well-being. Treat your shelf know the calming effects a quiet spot and good book can bring. We have experienced it throughout the year in the reading nook and in the school library. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed at times is inevitable but it can drift away in the pages of a good story and relax you for the next challenge or obstacle.

The club did a bit of brainstorming and the following was found. Research has shown that regular reading can decrease blood pressure, reduce stress and even improve sleep quality. It can help with problem solving skills and even 30 minutes of reading a day can change our mood and make us happy. Reading a book before bed is much better for you, than looking at a screen. It can prepare us for the exams by increasing our analytical skills and critical thinking abilities. Predicting what will happen next and what the character will do are all important skills needed for English exams. In chatting about books it improved our oral literacy skills. Reading gives us a sense of escapism and we all agreed in the club, a sense of comfort. “A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever”- Martin Tupper. It helps us to improve our emotional intelligence, personal growth and improve empathy as we engage with different perspectives. Reading is absolutely exercise for the brain, it improves concentration, focus, comprehension, inference, vocabulary, memory, writing skills and improves our knowledge and state of mind.

Some studies suggest that reading as a wellness activity can even have the same benefits as Yoga! I have seen that chair yoga in libraries is now combining books and yoga.  Relaxing on our picnic blankets would reduce muscle tension, give us plenty of vitamin D, inspire our creativity and promote calm in nature. The quiet meditative act of reading, by ourselves or in a group is definitely a sanctuary. A lunch time book retreat.  As food was shared and books passed around or discussed, we realised that reading and sharing a love of books is a form of self-care. The sense of connection and community that has developed this year within Treat your shelf has been important to every member. The meetings, the fun, the ideas, the creativity have all promoted well-being.

Therefore, we conclude that reading is just as important to well-being as physical activity. Our book theme for May is “Summer”. It is the last chapter of the club before the summer holidays and I want to thank all the students who make up Treat Your Shelf. They have all been main characters and each played an important role in making book events happen. 

Reading a book is a choice but make it part of your lifestyle .Over the summer we would like to keep reading.  Going to the beach? Grab a book to read and relax. A bike ride? Secure a book on to your bike, then take a break and read. A picnic? Well, why not make it a booknic. A concert? Read a musical autobiography. Like cooking? Read a cookbook and then make yourself a nice treat. Meeting friends? Why not swap books. Whatever you choose, know that reading is time well spent and benefiting you in ways you can’t even imagine. Grab a book this summer and Treat Your Shelf and most importantly yourself.

K.White