(upbeat music) - Ugh.

Ugh.

Oh, hey.

Hi.

Welcome to Camp Read-A-Lot.

I'm Mrs. Hammack and I'm so excited that you're here with me at camp.

Camp is a great place for learning and having fun and at Camp Read-A-Lot we're gonna spend our days talking and singing and reading, learning and doing all kinds of activities that will help us become strong readers.

I'm so glad you're here.

Parents, set aside some time everyday for everyone to stop and read.

Turn off the TV, turn off the computers and sit down and make reading an event.

Maybe you want to read a book that's been turned into a movie.

And then when you're finished with the book, you can celebrate by popping popcorn or having some snacks and watching the movie together.

You can talk about how the movie and the book are the same and how they're different.

All of these things will help your child to be a great strong reader.

I hope you make reading part of your family routine everyday.

All right, campers, it's time for us to sing our hello song.

♪ Hello readers, hello writers, hello campers ♪ ♪ I'm glad you're here today ♪ ♪ Hello readers, hello writers, hello campers ♪ ♪ I'm glad you're here today ♪ And I am so glad you're here today.

You ready to do our pledge?

Let's do it.

Remember, repeat after me.

On my honor, I will do my best to be kind to everyone, to have a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

I am so glad to hear that.

All right.

Let's get ready, it's time to train our ears for sound with one of our fun games.

Today you are going to be a sound detective.

That's right.

You're gonna be listening to sounds and see if you can detect which sound in which word does not match.

Do you think you can do it?

I know you can.

Have you seen our helper?

Do you know where he is?

Scooter.

Oh, Scooter.

It's time for our game, the campers are here.

Oh no, ahhh.

Do you see him?

What are you doing?

It's not time for activities yet.

You are covered in craft paper.

Oh no, what, you are such a naughty little squirrel.

What am I going to do with you?

How did you get all of this stuck?

You're not supposed to be over here by yourself.

Oh my goodness.

What am I gonna?

Ugh, you got glue everywhere.

What am I gonna do with this guy?

Are you ready?

The campers are waiting for you to play our game.

What?

Oh, you were making a special present for me?

That's very nice of you.

Okay.

Let's, I'll let you finish it later.

Let's come and let's get ready, so that we can do our sound detective game.

Are you ready?

All right.

So, I'm going to tell you the pictures 'cause they're kind of hard to see and then you're gonna listen for the sounds.

Now, two of them have the same sound and one of them does not match.

Your job is to tell me which one does not match.

Are you ready?

Okay.

I have vine, vine, leaf, key.

Do you hear two that are the same and one that is different?

What do you think?

Vine, leaf, key.

Oh, that's tricky, did you hear it?

You did, what was it?

Very nice.

Vi-i-ine has the I sound, but le-e-eaf and ke-e-ey have the E sound.

Okay.

So now you've heard it and you've warmed up, let's do some more.

You ready?

No, no, no, no, no, I did not say s'more.

No, no, I didn't say s'more, I said some more.

We'll do s'mores later, but right now we're doing sound detective.

Stay focused.

Okay.

Car, corn, yarn.

Ooh, you better turn up those listening ears.

You got your listening ears?

Yup, turn them up.

Okay.

Car, corn, yarn.

Hmm, let's see.

Car-ar, car-ar-ar, cor-or-orn.

Okay.

Car and corn have different sounds.

So let's see what this one.

Yarn.

Does yarn sound like car or corn?

Is it a yorn?

No, it's a yarn.

Yar-ar-ar, like car-ar-ar.

That means corn doesn't match.

Ooh, this is kind of tricky, isn't it?

All right, let's try the next one.

Knot, comb, can you see them?

Goat.

Knot, comb, goat.

Oh, you got that one quickly because you heard that comb and goat both have the O. Co-o-omb, go-o-oat.

Good job.

But kno-o-ot has the ah sound.

Great job.

You did really well.

That was tricky, wasn't it?

We'll keep working on it.

So, if that was hard for you, don't worry.

Remember, we just keep practicing because it will get easier and easier.

All right, I have a joke for you, I have been waiting to share with you.

Are you ready?

All right, what did the traffic light say to the cars?

What did the traffic light say to the cars?

He said, "Don't look, I'm changing."

(Mrs. Hammack laughing) Get it?

He's changing, like from red to green.

Don't look, I'm changing and like he's changing clothes.

Isn't that funny.

Oh, that's such a good one.

Oh, gosh.

Hey, are you ready for our catch of the day?

Yes.

Yes, I know you still have, yeah, here, I know.

Ooh, ooh, you, ooh, you even have it on your nose.

Oh my goodness, I can't wait to see what you were making me.

All right, you ready to sit down?

Okay.

Have a seat.

I'm going to get our catch of the day words.

And here they are.

Woo.

All right, we have three today.

This one is pasture, pasture.

A pasture is an outdoor space where some animals eat, like horses are sometimes out in a pasture.

It's like a great big field-like area.

All right, how about this one?

Village.

Village.

A village is like a really small little town out in the country, okay?

And plump.

Plump.

If you keep eating s'mores, you're going to get more plump.

That means full and round.

All right.

So, yesterday we read a story about Yun and she came from Korea.

Do you remember?

Today we're gonna learn about another part of the world.

This story is about a child from Kenya.

Have you heard of that country before?

Kenya?

Do you know where it is?

It is on the continent of Africa.

We live in California, we live in North America.

And this story is all the way across the ocean in Africa.

And you, we're gonna learn a little bit about that.

Now, this is a fiction story, that means it's not a true story, but remember, like we've said, sometimes in fiction stories, there are still some things that we can learn about something that are true.

So, some of the things that we're gonna see and hear about are really true about Kenya.

And so, we can learn a little bit about another part of the world.

I love books because it's like you can go on a travel vacation right in your own living room just by reading a story to learn about somewhere else.

And then maybe if we're super lucky, we'll get to actually visit there in person.

Wouldn't that be fun?

Wow.

I would love that.

All right, let's see.

Let me get my reading tools for my eyes.

Remember, if you need reading tools, make sure you use them.

We all have different ways that we need to use tools and yours might be like mine.

This story is called "For You Are A Kenyan Child" by Kelly Cunnane and art by Ana Juan.

Isn't that pretty?

Look how beautiful.

That's the front cover.

And here's the back cover.

It says, "What's it like to live in a place where monkeys scurry past and a tasty snack is a bug plucked from the sky?"

What?

Ahhh.

A bug.

Oh.

Oh, I don't know about that.

Let's find out some more about this story.

Remember, we've been talking yesterday about belonging.

That feeling like you fit in and that you're liked and you're part of a group.

Remember, Yun did not feel like she belonged at her new school, but then she got to know people and she felt like she belonged.

So let's see how belonging ties into our story today.

Are you ready?

Okay.

Let's jump in.

Ooh, look at that.

That's some kind of animal, isn't it?

Kind of looks like a cow.

All right, here is our title page.

It tells us the title and our author and illustrator again.

Oh, wow.

When I look at this picture, I can see right away that Kenya is very different than the United States.

Can you tell that from the picture?

Yes.

Roosters crow and you wake one morning in the green hills of Africa.

Sun, lemon bright over eucalyptus trees full of doves.

Do you know what that kind of animal is called?

That's a real, there's really an animal that looks similar to that.

That's called a bush baby.

You might be able to find books about those.

They're pretty incredible.

Hodi?

Anybody home?

Karibu.

Welcome.

Enter Mama's hut that smells of earth and smoke.

On a small stool by her fire, sip maize porridge to begin the day, for you are Kenyan child.

"Take Grandfather's cows to pasture, my son," Mama says, "Watch them carefully."

Look at that.

She's cooking right here in the middle of her house.

Is she using a stove?

No, right?

It's different than how we cook.

You see the smoke going up?

Yeah.

Into the wild morning wind, you herd the sleepy cows to the meadow where they graze.

Then, just for a moment, you slip away to see who else is awake.

Hodi?

Karibu.

Bashir is opening the tea shop, red and yellow beanie on his long loopy hair.

He shakes your hand and you shake his, for this is hello for a Kenyan child.

He lets you look at him cook.

"Una taka chapati?"

he asks.

Do you want a pancake?

And he gives you the first hot one of the day.

But wait, what's that out the doorway?

Oh, what is that?

Do you see it?

It looks like a tail, doesn't it?

Ooh, look at his face.

A great black monkey hurries by.

Run from the shop to look, chase after it, you want to see.

But the monkey leaps up high to its home in the tops of the trees.

Wow.

Can you imagine living in a place where you're just visiting with someone at their shop and a monkey just strolls by?

That seems amazing to me.

You're not watching Grandfather's cows on the hill, but you haven't been gone so long, have you?

Hodi?

Karibu.

Inside a little wood shop you peek and you greet the village chief respectfully.

"Jambo, Mzee."

Hello, respected one.

Oh, look what he's doing.

Do you see the shavings of wood and there's an animal.

He's carving things from wood.

I should've remembered to bring to camp my carving that I got from my friend who visited Uganda, which is not the same as Kenya, but they have some of the same things.

Mzee was once an African warrior who hunted lion and carried a spear.

He says, "Una taka shika rungu?"

Do you want to hold the chief stick?

"Ndio."

Yes, you cry, and you march proudly around him lifting it up high.

Grandfather's cows are waiting, thirsty from their grassy breakfast.

They want someone to take them to the stream for a drink.

But look who's putting tin dishes on her hedge to dry.

Hodi?

Karibu.

Grandmother, plump as a hen, smiles and asks, "Una taka maziwa lala?"

Do you want sleeping milk, sweetened with crushed charcoal, fresh from the gourd?

As you drink, Grandmother's knowing eyes remind you of something you should do.

What could it be?

Oh no, Grandfather's cows.

Tell Grandmother you are very busy with your chores and hurry away to the cows.

Remember, his mother told him to keep a close eye on the cows, right?

And when he got them to the pasture, what did he do?

Right, he left them there and went to sight-see and see who else was awake.

But whose garden of green onions is this?

Whose hut under the noonday sun?

Hodi?

Karibu.

Hodi means anybody home?

Wini, skinny with soft hair, is laughing, baby brother tied in a cloth on her back.

"Una taka ndudu?"

Do you want a bug?

And from the sky she offers you one because they are so sweet.

"Mm," you say, for you are a Kenyan child.

The two of you push gently with your toes a dung beetle rolling dung from his home.

Hodi?

Karibu.

Kiptoo, your friend, the same age as you, kicks a rag ball in the African dust.

"Una taka kucheza?"

"Do you want to play?"

he asks.

"Kabisa."

"Of course," you shout and run without thinking of anything else in the world you have to do, but to kick the ball with your friend.

While you catch your breath, look to the hillside where Grandfather's cows always graze.

Are you remembering what he's supposed to be doing?

The cows, they're gone.

Run to the meadow, you should not have left.

Run as fast as you can, bare feet over the red road, past women washing clothes, skinny dogs barking, run faster.

The cows must be crashing someone's garden or standing in the road, lost at the schoolhouse or gone over a cliff.

Why did you wander?

Why didn't you stay to do the job Mama gave you today?

Uh oh.

There's Grandfather where you should be, on the path with his cows, going home for evening tea.

Grandfather looks at you, you look down.

Then he says, "Twende nyumbani sasa."

Let's go home now.

And he puts your cow switch back in your hand.

Do you think he's upset?

Take the cows home with Grandfather, do not stray, for you are a Kenyan child and have been everywhere and seen everything in this African village today.

Oh, look who's waiting for him.

Cows sleeping, rooster quiet, friends home, too.

Curl up in your little hut near Mama's and listen closely.

You might hear among the tall trees a great black monkey telling her child the story of being chased by a boy until they fall asleep.

Back to where we started.

What did you think?

Did you learn some things about Kenya and what it might be like to live there?

He must live out in the country, right?

In the village.

But he traveled into a bigger town to see all the different things.

What did you think about that?

Can you remember who were the people that the boy talked with in the story?

Do you remember who some of those people were?

Do you remember?

What was, who was the first person he talked with?

Do you remember that?

Who told him to take the cows?

Right, his mom.

And then where did he go?

To the shopkeeper, right.

He went to the man that made the pancake for him.

Yup.

And then he saw, do you remember he saw his friend and she offered him a bug.

Can you imagine having a bug as a snack?

That's not something that we normally do, right?

That would be different.

Would you be willing to try it?

Ooh, I don't know if I would.

I'm not sure.

I, I, ooh, I don't know if I could do that.

So, what does the boy's mother ask him to do?

What was his job for the day?

So, here are all of our questions.

The five W's.

Who?

We said who.

What does he?

He's supposed to watch the cows.

Right?

They're going, he's taking them out to the pasture and his job is to watch them and make sure that they don't go where they're not supposed to go.

Maybe the cows should've been watching him, right?

Because he kind of went everywhere.

Isn't that crazy?

All right, let's look here.

It says when?

When does the boy take the cows to the meadow?

Well, let's think about that.

Can you tell when that was?

It was in the morning, you're right.

He took them in the morning.

And where does the boy get the pancake?

Oh, we already kind of talked about that, right?

He visited a shopkeeper.

So he got that from there.

And why do the people say karibu to the boy?

What do you think that means?

Maybe welcome or hi or how are you doing?

Hmm, I think that's a good thought.

I like how you're thinking about that.

Well, it's almost time for us to wrap this up and so, since we don't have quite enough time to finish, we might be able to do that another time, but I have a joke for you.

Are you ready?

Come up here so I can tell you my joke.

It's a really good one.

Okay.

What did one plate say to the other plate?

Do you know?

I know, well, I know that plates don't really talk, but we're pretending, right?

We're using our imagination.

So, what did one plate say to the other plate?

Dinner's on me.

(Mrs. Hammack laughing) You get it?

Dinner's on me.

Yeah, like, he's a plate and dinner's gonna, okay, nevermind.

It's not that funny if you have to explain it.

Let's go over to our activity table and we're going to learn about where Kenya is and maybe some details and facts about Kenya.

Should we do that?

Okay, let's go.

Come on.

Come with me.

All right, you're, you need to get in your spot.

No more glue for you, mister.

I'm still got craft paper that you had stuck all over you.

All right, Kenya is found in the continent of Africa.

So, here we are, we live in North America in the United States of America.

And look where Africa is.

Way over here.

And then, I took another picture and made Africa, so that you could see exactly where Kenya is located on the continent of Africa.

So, here is our little picture and here's our big picture.

So, you can see this horn right here and Kenya is right down here underneath this, like, it looks like a little horn that's sticking out and it's right there.

Isn't that cool?

And it's a lot different than where we live.

Did you know that the big five animals live there?

Lions, giraffes, tigers, all kinds of animals live there that we don't get to see in the wild.

When you go to the mountains, when you come to camp, we don't have giraffes, do we?

But that would be pretty cool.

It's time for us to go, will you sing with me?

♪ Skinna marinka dinka dink ♪ ♪ Skinna marinka doo ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you in the morning and in the afternoon ♪ ♪ I love you in the evening and underneath the moon ♪ ♪ Owww ♪ I hope I see you again.

Bye bye.

(upbeat music)