What’s the story behind Creative Reading Adventures? Who is Kim Creigh?
My story begins as a young child who would max out her library card at the public library every week. (Trust me, this is leading to the story behind Creative Reading Adventures!). You could say my love for reading started early. In my small town in Rhode Island, you were only allowed to take out 17 books for a two week period, which the sweet librarian soon upped to 25 just for me. However, I still needed to “borrow” some of my mom’s library count and take out books on her card. As you can see, I was already working on some creative reading strategies from this young age 😉
I always had my nose in a book…
My love for reading became problematic when I started to drive and had no idea where to go since I was always reading in the car! To this day, I still blame my lack of directional skills on my reading wherever we traveled.
I still love to learn and love to read! I truly believe if a child loves to read at an early age, they will become lifelong readers and learners! It’s easy to see why my mission is to spread a love of reading in your home.
The Story Behind “I didn’t learn that in college…”
I became frustrated as a new fourth grade teacher straight out of college when I could not help my struggling readers. Even though I had a 4 year degree in Elementary Eduction, I had no background in the science of reading.
Because of this, I decided to take matters into my own hands and get my Masters in Reading Education from the University of Virginia. After each class, I would immediately sit down and try different strategies with my reading groups or one-on-one with my third graders.
As I started to share reading tips and ideas with any of my colleagues that would listen, I would hear similar things. Most teachers would say, “I never knew that!” or “Why didn’t I learn that in college?”
Then, I started sharing these different reading strategies with parents at parent-teacher conferences or whenever I was asked how they could help at home. I would hear, “No one ever told me that. Of course we’ll read and try that at home!” Sound familiar?!
Now, when I speak to mom’s groups or present at conferences, I still hear these same questions. “Why isn’t my school district sharing this with us?” or “This would have been great to know when my child was learning to read.”
To be clear, I don’t think this is intentional. I honestly think many do not know how to tell you to help at home or have the time. My mission with Creative Reading Adventures is to change that!
Meet Kim Creigh, owner of Creative Reading Adventures
- Avid reader.
- Former teacher.
- Lover of coffee, crafting, and great friends.
Ten things about me you don’t necessarily need to know, but you may be wondering:
1. I live in Northern Virginia.
2. I am a mom to two amazing boys and a toddler girl!
3. I love to travel.
4. I am obsessed with my Peloton.
5. I have a Westie who loves to snuggle!
6. I grew up in Rhode Island~ smallest state with the longest name!
7. I pretend I’m a runner and randomly train for half marathons. One of my biggest goals is to run the princess half in Disney (one day!).
8. I absolutely LOVE black olives.
9. Even though I’m petrified of heights, I went zip-lining with my best friend in Costa Rica!
10. I use exclamation points excessively, but it really is because I’m THAT excited about what I do!!
Let’s take a reading adventure together…
What type of reader do YOU have? The best way to start our adventure together is to know whether you have a Beginning Reader Ben, Reluctant Reader Rosie, Transitional Reader Taylor, or Fluent Reader Freddie. Click here to take the quiz and let me know what type of reader you have!
The Story Behind My Favorite Books:
I’m always asked what my favorite book is, and honestly I cannot answer this question! It changes depending on what mood I’m in, what book you’re looking for, and the book’s purpose. First, I can tell you I just finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, and I’m currently reading Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. The Harry Potter and Twilight series are always enjoyable to reread, and enjoy most teen fiction books! I love To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale.
I’m drawn to easy reads like The Happy Ever After Playlist and Keira Cass’s Selection series. I also love reading books before they become a movie (because the book is always better, right?!) so that can make me pick up a book that I wouldn’t normally pick up to read. As an avid reader and a part of a few book clubs, I love that these book clubs help expand my reading repertoire!
The Story Behind My Favorite Kids’ Books:
As for kids’ books, I cannot even begin to name my favorites! Because of the amazing children’s books out there, I will share lots of book options with you on this blog and over in my free Facebook group, Creative Reading Adventures. If you want a book list tailored to your reader, take the quiz for book ideas and strategies to work on with your reader!
For the Love of Reading:
So, the story behind Creative Reading Adventures leads to creating and fostering that love of reading. It is my mission to share reading research with you and ways to help your readers at home. Above all, my hope is to spread that joy of reading through book selections and fun activities!
Let me know your favorite book in the comments!
