Every Library Reports Link Between Low Literacy and Negative Health Outcomes

March 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Low health literacy levels account for hundreds of billions of dollars spent each year on health care that would otherwise be unnecessary, with recent estimates settling around $236 billion. Unfortunately, low health literacy is common, difficult to spot, and negatively impacts health outcomes.
Libraries can be a front-line in the fight against low health literacy. In order to fund and utilize libraries and librarians in realizing health literacy goals, new policies must be created. That is why EveryLibrary Institute has commissioned a report on the effects of Low Health Literacy. The EveryLibrary Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Institute gifts fund our research, data, training, and public education efforts.
Authors Ellen Thieme and Christina Pryor review current issues with understanding and delivering health literacy services and make recommendations for changes to systems for better outcomes.
Why is the report important?
Studies show that a patient’s level of health literacy impacts their ability to:
Carry out their treatment plan
Fill out forms
Find providers and services
Share relevant health history
Understand risk and probability
As a result, those with low or no health literacy are more likely to:
Require emergency care or be hospitalized
Return to the emergency department after 2 weeks
Struggle to manage a chronic illness or disability
Miss needed tests and screenings
Underuse preventive health care
“Nearly 40% of the population suffers from low health literacy rates,” said John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary Institute. “Our report shows that this problem frequently goes unnoticed. Now more than ever, our communities need their libraries to provide literacy services that will provide valuable assistance in access to healthcare.”
Libraries are particularly situated in communities and schools to help identify and support people at risk. Thieme and Pryor observe that “dedicated funding to libraries for literacy programs aiming to increase print, information, and health literacies is vital. Within these programs, curricula could be subject-focused – as opposed to the more general education sometimes seen in adult language and literacy initiatives – to most readily target the appropriate literacy in adult learners while respecting the demands of the bandwidth of adult learners.”
How can you access the report?
Policy makers, voters, and interested individuals can access EveryLibrary’s report through their website: https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/literacy_health_outcomes_report_2022
“This report has taken on a new relevance to our society, because of the ongoing COVID crisis,” said Chrastka. “Access to healthcare means the difference between life and death.”
The EveryLibrary Institute is a national 501c3 non-profit with a mission to support libraries and librarians in the United States and abroad. We partner with allied organizations including foundations, philanthropic organizations, associations, non-profits, and academic institutions to enhance the perception of libraries and librarianship through direct engagement with the public.
Filed Under: education Tagged With: , ,

5 Reasons Why eLearning is Valuable

September 15, 2021 by Leave a Comment

With the boost of online education, eLearning awards students valuable learning opportunities anytime and anywhere. Here are five reasons why eLearning is valuable.

  1. Supports Personal Learning Styles

eLearning supports personal learning environments, whether in a classroom or online at home. It accommodates different learning styles since students can choose eLearning platforms and tools that suit their learning style. eLearning supports opportunities for self-paced education. Some students may want to re-watch parts of a video, or read several examples, where others may need less time to a topic if they already have deep understanding. Students also have fun learning how to use a new educational platform intuitively which increases engagement in learning. 

  1. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration

eLearning experiences allows students to explore a multitude of platforms for learning. Students can seek new ideas and insights about topics and enhance learning through communication and collaboration. They can choose from several multimedia tools to present their research and views, discuss challenging questions, and problem solve. Groups of students can meet asynchronously or synchronously, providing more options for learning. eLearning also opens the opportunity for students to have global exchange of ideas and views, and collaboration with other students across the world.    

  1. Learning is Accessible 24/7

As mobile learning trends, students’ learning experiences are no longer confined to school hours or within brick and mortar learning facilities. In the modern digital times, students no longer need to wait for a teacher or tutor to answer their questions. Instead, online platforms allow students to find online learning lessons, videos, tutorials, and examples to help them understand content they are learning in class, or new information from questions that sparked their interest from their learning experiences. Round the clock access to content allows students to pursue answers to their own questions or catch up with topics that are unclear.

  1. Access to an Abundant Supply of Resources

eLearning platforms provide an abundance of material for all students. Many sites offer online libraries to search, example problems and practice problems, and quizzes or tests. There are even diagnosis assessments where students can assess their knowledge and identify areas for improving their studies. Students can also have access to online assessments that they can complete multiple times, allowing for more practice and time to become proficient in the content. Repeating similar assignments or exams is generally not an option with traditional paper-pencil test in schools. 

  1. Encourages Exploration and Learner-Centric

Students engaged in eLearning can explore new topics or questions as they arise, using time productively and increasing knowledge in topics that spark their interests. They can easily seek out courses and multimedia that interest them which can help the direction of future studies and goal setting. eLearning offers students choices in their learning which is empowering and leads to positive educational experiences. The multimedia tools within eLearning platforms provide fun opportunities to engage students through their interactions within the apps. They offer a tactile experience where students can be digitally hands-on with their learning. Some platforms include digital simulations where students can experiment with different settings, reset and try again, to explore various outcomes. Students develop inquisitiveness about their learning which builds meaning and ownership to their educational experience.

Filed Under: education Tagged With: , ,

5 Strategies to Motivate your Child to learn

July 27, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Young children actually love to learn, unfortunately, this desire often fades as they grow older. Of course, learning is essential to life, not just at school but in everyday situations. Constant learning keeps your mind sharp and allows you to seize any opportunity that you encounter. 

That’s why it’s important to take steps to encourage your child to learn.

Early Learning Education

An obvious place to start is a reputable center for early learning Bendigo, or wherever you live. Simply going to the place every day creates a habit. This is accompanied by a mixture of play and dedicated learning sessions, all of which reinforce the idea of learning being both essential and fun.

The sooner your child starts early learning the better for their future. Simply having the ability to sit in a classroom and listen is a huge step toward being good at learning.

Read Together

Although the world is increasingly digital, curling up with your child and a good book still remains an important part of any learning habit. Books are essential to glean new facts and encourage the use of the imagination.

Reading together is a great way to instill the motivation of learning, over time this will progress to them reading to you and, eventually, to themselves.

In fact, letting your child lead these sessions as much as possible will help to motivate them to learn. It’s simply a matter of enjoying the experience.

Communicate

You can lead by example. All you have to do is talk to your child at the end of the day about what you’ve done that day and what you’ve learned. Even better, you can explain how you learned the new information. 

If you wish you can follow it with an open-ended question to encourage communication. However, simply telling your child about your day will illustrate that you never stop learning, you will inspire them even if they don’t realize it.

Consider Their Interests

The best way to build the habit of learning is to encourage your child to share what interests them. You can then focus on learning about that subject with them.  For example, if they like dinosaurs find some dinosaur books and go through them with your child. They’ll appreciate it.

Play Games

Games are an excellent way of doing some family bonding and learning. This is especially true if the game is new and you’re trying to figure out how to play it. They will concentrate completely on the game, learning the necessary techniques. Without realizing it they’ll be building a habit of learning and a motivation to keep learning.

Learning Over Performance

The key to motivating your child to learn is to focus on what they are learning. Get them to tell you about it and share what they liked most about it. You don’t need to see their grade or how well they are doing in a particular subject. This adds pressure which destroys the fun and motivation of learning. 

Keep the activity focused on your child and they will do well.

Filed Under: education Tagged With: ,

Edushape Ladybug Sorter Makes Learning Fun

May 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Being a mom of four on a limited budget I have picked up on a few hidden secrets that only mothers know. The most important one is that the best kind of toys are the ones that offer a wide variety of skills and uses. Edushape Ladybug Sorter does just that! This post is a sponsored post, but all opinions, stories, and my experience are all personal and true (like always)!

About:

Equally comfortable on the table, floor, bed or bath, the cute Ladybug Sorter provides educational and developmental play. The Ladybug Sorter can float on its firm Edu-Foam lily pad bottom and include six unique shapes to for sorting fun, water play and learning.

My Thoughts:

The beauty behind this toy is that it can be used just about anywhere. It can be used on the floor, on the table, in the bathtub, or in the kiddie pool. Outside of the ability to be used on multiple surfaces it also has multiply education values. It is perfect for practicing fine and gross motor skills. It works on their logic, reasoning, and hand-eye coordination skills. While doing this all it also helps improve their visual sensory development. This toy is a dream come true for us mommies. It’s educational and has multiple purposes.

The question is does it pass the kid test? Short answer is yes. My six year old and my one year old both love playing with it. Carly tends to play with it mostly in the bathtub while Lee Lee tend to plays with in on the floor. I can truly test to the fact that this ladybug is one that is built to last. It has held up through many tosses from Lee Lee. There is not a scratch or dent on it.

This fun learning toy is a great gift idea as well as a way to encourage hands on problem solving in a colorful way. My kids have had a ton of fun with it, so I am sure any little one in your life will love it too!

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Great Gifts For Your Kids

December 6, 2015 by 2 Comments

The cold and eventful festive days are coming up quickly, which means lots of fun events for adults but long stuffy days indoors for kids! Being stuck inside during holidays can be boring, making your little ones cranky.

Let me introduce to you some creative solutions to beat the hard-to-cure holiday cabin fever! Cooper and Kid–creatively curated kits designed especially for kids to have fun while learning. Squirrel King–craft kits that transform a child’s reality into an imaginative world of colorful squirrels and the homes they live in. And last but not least, Zoonicorns–the unique combination of unicorns and zebras into adventurous plush toys, with a creative children’s book to bring the characters to life.

STEM learning kits

Cooper and Kid is all about making dad cool again and doing what matters most–bonding with the kids! Cooper & Kid has everything a dad needs in the winter for educational fun (think STEM) with his kids! Each Cooper Kit is fun-in-a-box with endless hours of amusement…no more mindless TV shows! Each kit contains a huge box of fun, with themed projects, toys, books and ideas that dads and kids will truly enjoy. Together they can build rocket ships, take off with sky lanterns or explore the world of butterflies — there is so much to create and discover!

An activity book guides dads through the theme and the contents of the box for hours of fun. Plus, the shipping box turns into a toy too! Sign up for the Cooper & Kid subscription online and every three months a Cooper kit is delivered to dad at home. The subscription price is $65 per quarter.

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The fun, unique and ingenious Squirrel King kits are a swirl of intellect, engineering and creativity delivered with a hands-on approach that inspires a thirst for knowledge. Designed for ages 8 and up, the Build with Stickers kits combine two things kids love — stickers and building. Each colorful kit includes novel stickering techniques — no glue involved — and all the materials for children to build, create and explore, making awesome toys in the process…and making those rainy days educational and fun! With Build with Stickers kits, STEM (science, technology, education and math) principles are explored in an age-appropriate manner.

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The new Build with Stickers Kits are available on the Squirrel King Craft website and at select retail stores, priced from $5.99 to $7.99. The original Squirrel King Craft kit is also available on the website and in over 200 stores across the country, and in a range of choices for $9.99 to $69.99.
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Zoonicorns are enriching youth with life adventures™ and creating wonderful imaginative worlds.  My son really enjoyed the book and the plush zoonicorn- something to cuddle and a friend to take to bed later and give him good dreams, just like the young animal in the story.  He thought that was fun.  As my child often has bad dreams, this was comforting to him.   The book was cute, with an easy to follow story and adorable illustrations.  I would recommend this to any parents with young children of either gender.

Fairy-tale Zoonicorns are enchanting creatures that pop up in the dreams of young zoo animals. Zoonicorns are unique, plush toys for children that a combine an exotic animal (zebra) and a mythical creature (unicorn). The Zoonicorn herd is ready for adventure in the enchanting world of your youngster’s imagination and keep them occupied for hours on end.

Super-soft Valeo is the leader of the Zoonicorn pack, who likes to pal around with animal friends like African giraffes. Shy and gentle Promithea is a good friend who can be trusted to keep your little one’s secrets. Playful Ene likes to catch forty winks before bouncing to life to rumble and tumble with. Outgoing Aliel loves to speed around and will challenge any kid to keep up with her.

Each Zoonicorn is $9.99 or you can get the entire family plus children’s book for $49.91

Filed Under: book review, crafts, education, Holiday Gift Guide, Holiday Gift Guide 2015, review, toys Tagged With: , , , , ,

WordGirl VS The Energy Monster, PBS Kids

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

We love PBS shows in this house, so full of fun filled interesting programs and the Word Girl is one of them that is a new winner in this house. I’m delighted to share a movie that my girls completely fell in love with this past week, brought to you by PBS a new animated series from Scholastic Media ( a division of scholastic. )

The movie- WordGirl VS The Energy Monster. This 50 minute movie is packed with three different learning adventures where WordGirl and her side kick named Captain Huggy Face go after bad vocabulary. Yes, that’s right, The Good guys attack villains trying to get away with bad vocabulary.

It’s a new fun and upbeat way to get kids involved into the lesson. Throughout each adventures the kids are engaged in reading comprehension, word meanings, and general vocabulary skills.

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There are also some special features which the kids enjoyed, including interactive games, video shorts and coloring pages.

The first adventure with WordGirl was broken up into two shorts parts called Dinner or Consequences [Read more…]

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Watch It – Teaching Kids to Tell Time (and count money)

September 21, 2012 by 7 Comments

Time is a difficult concept to wrap your mind around. You can measure it but not with a ruler, you can lose it but will never find it. Oh, and it makes your hair grey 😛

When you are having fun it flies, but when you are not it drags on by- and of course it will continue on until…. well…. the end of time. Let’s get all the little guys and gals involved in all the ticking fun with Watch It! The elapsed time clock. This clock will help kids thinking hours and minutes instead of 5 minutes, 5 minutes. The clock itself is big and tough for little kids to play with. It is also well built and easy to use. The stopwatch in the middle tells the difference between the two clock on either side of the apparatus. Both clocks display the clock on both their faces and the numerical display below. This [Read more…]

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Tick-Tock’s Toy Clock- Learning To Tell Time

September 15, 2012 by 4 Comments

Telling time with an analog clock can be one of the more difficult activities your child could learn this year in school. Not only is this difficult for kids, but as kids become adults, they can still have a hard time with this. This is only second to splitting the bill after dinner in difficulty for adults. 😛

Whats a good way to get your children interested in keeping time? A cute play clock of course, lol. Take a look at Tick-Tock ‘s Talking Toy Clock. It is a bright, colorful clock adorned with the blue penguin. With Tick-Tock ‘s help, your child will be able to tell time before you know it. This is perfect for those kids who are always asking when to do something or what time it is or how long will this take. (So….all of them.) Within a few play/learning sessions with Tick-Tock, time will be a breeze with your little ones. Just be careful when you say, “give me five minutes”, because they will return in five minutes- unless it is five minutes until bed.

The clock itself works in a very simple manner. You can move the hands of the [Read more…]

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