This School Came Up With The Idea Of A Book Vending Machine And Kids Are Loving It
According to Literacy New York Buffalo Niagara, around 30 percent of adults from Buffalo, New York qualify as “functionally illiterate,” which is 10 percent higher than the national average. Therefore, one elementary school in the city decided to address the issue by encouraging children to read. Sharon Belton-Cottman, a Buffalo School Board member, said that “One of the biggest issues we have in this district is literacy rate. If our children can read, they can survive.”
Late November, Arthur O. Eve School 61 had installed their first vending machine for books
Image credits: Dee Romito
Assistant Principal Dr. Unseld Robinson came to the Arthur O. Eve School three years ago from Long Island. He saw the idea of book vending machines in another school and was eager to introduce the concept to School 61. “Many children in Buffalo are not reading as much as they should,” Robinson remarked, “so the thought was to have them look to the children’s’ books vending machine for inspiration.” Critics say that the school could just encourage kids to go to the library, but the vending machine, according to Robinson, adds to the novelty and builds excitement.
The machine dispenses books for free when a special coin is inserted into the slot
Image credits: WBFO
The school held a ribbon-cutting to show off the novelty. Students were given special coins to insert into the slot and pick out a free book of their choice. A video captured by WBFO news shows one girl putting a coin into the machine, pressing A6, and then pulling out a copy of “The Best School Year Ever.” She proudly showed off her new book while photographers were snapping pictures.
The children are encouraged to take books which they then get to keep for themselves
Image credits: WBFO
Assistant Principal Dr. Unseld Robinson contacted Global Vending Group in Amherst to see if the company could customize one of its vending machines for books. He also collaborated with Scholastic to find the right books for kids with appropriate sizes and titles. Neither of the companies had done anything like this before. The Community Action Organization purchased the vending machine for $2,000, another $1,000 was spent on books, which will be continuously restocked thanks to the Teacher’s Desk, a non-profit school supply store. The project took about a year and a half to plan and came to fruition this November.
“We wanted to make literacy exciting and fun,” said Principal Parette Walker, “because learning and reading should be fun”
Image credits: WBFO
“We’re not basing it on behavior,” she added. “We’re not basing it on attendance so that everyone will have a chance to receive a book. There will be a monthly rotation of all students.” Buffalo School Board member Sharon Belton-Cottman hopes that this vending machine will encourage parents to “focus on reading.”
Twitter soon exploded with comments about the great idea and even authors chimed in, offering their books
Image credits: writeforapples
Image credits: scottsigler
Image credits: gregpak
Image credits: JenniferDegenh1
Image credits: ToryGates
Image credits: KoachAlexander
Image credits: stevebram
10Kviews
Share on Facebook
Great Idea! Instead of taking in sugars and fats from the usual food inside of vending machines, you take in new vocabulary and reading skills! :)
Reading as a reward instead of a chore. Brilliant.
Load More Replies...
This is cool but they need more classics. The only classic I could see was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Matilda and James and the Giant Peach would be good, as well as The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, ect...
The secret world of Og, Jacob and the Hooded Fang, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Bridge to Terabithia, Number the Stars, Beezus and Ramona, Ramona the Pest, Railroad to Canada, A Wind in the Door, Nurse Mathilda
Load More Replies...
Wait. What do you mean the school came up with that idea. Book vending machines have been around for years in Japan!
That isn't a surprise to hear...we are all like 300 years behind Japan...
Load More Replies...
I find this is so exciting. It is a rare thing nowadays to find youngsters who love to read.
Great idea! I wonder how they got their machine to accept special tokens. Anyone know? We just purchased a vending machine for this purpose in my k-3 school!
Yeah! Puck you Librarians! Let's replace everyone with a robot, what could go wrong! (Sorry, but I'm a neo-luddite).
They are not replacing the librarians... I'm sure they still have a library, but with libraries, you have to return the book. This promotes good behavior to earn tokens for a book they get to keep forever.
Load More Replies...
Here are some differences, yes they can go to a library and take a book of a shelf, check it out, but guess what... they have to return it. These kids look like Elementary level, that earn tokens, I'm sure with good behavior, and they get to get a book to keep forever, to them the machine is like a prize box. Any kid at that age, who gets to put tokens in something and get a prize out gets happy about it. And it promotes whatever behaviors are required to earn the tokens. And instead of toys or candy the prices get to be books.
Load More Replies... Great Idea! Instead of taking in sugars and fats from the usual food inside of vending machines, you take in new vocabulary and reading skills! :)
Reading as a reward instead of a chore. Brilliant.
Load More Replies... This is cool but they need more classics. The only classic I could see was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Matilda and James and the Giant Peach would be good, as well as The Wizard of Oz, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, ect...
The secret world of Og, Jacob and the Hooded Fang, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Bridge to Terabithia, Number the Stars, Beezus and Ramona, Ramona the Pest, Railroad to Canada, A Wind in the Door, Nurse Mathilda
Load More Replies... Wait. What do you mean the school came up with that idea. Book vending machines have been around for years in Japan!
That isn't a surprise to hear...we are all like 300 years behind Japan...
Load More Replies... I find this is so exciting. It is a rare thing nowadays to find youngsters who love to read.
Great idea! I wonder how they got their machine to accept special tokens. Anyone know? We just purchased a vending machine for this purpose in my k-3 school!
Yeah! Puck you Librarians! Let's replace everyone with a robot, what could go wrong! (Sorry, but I'm a neo-luddite).
They are not replacing the librarians... I'm sure they still have a library, but with libraries, you have to return the book. This promotes good behavior to earn tokens for a book they get to keep forever.
Load More Replies... Here are some differences, yes they can go to a library and take a book of a shelf, check it out, but guess what... they have to return it. These kids look like Elementary level, that earn tokens, I'm sure with good behavior, and they get to get a book to keep forever, to them the machine is like a prize box. Any kid at that age, who gets to put tokens in something and get a prize out gets happy about it. And it promotes whatever behaviors are required to earn the tokens. And instead of toys or candy the prices get to be books.
Load More Replies...
160
26