Life with Dylan

Category: reading

  • A Love of Reading Non-Fiction and an Eagerness to Learn More

    Any day my son wants to read is a good day in my book. Reading is one of my favorite ways to learn, not to mention an opportunity to transport yourself to another place and time. Dylan has enjoyed reading since he was very young. Whether I was reading stories to him or he was making up his own stories to the pictures, the love of reading has always played a significant role in his life.

    Dylan has never been one for chapter books like most kids his age or for fictional books. His passion is reading non-fiction. He wants to learn when he reads. Although he has read Call of the Wild, Gulliver’s Travels, and most recently Small as an Elephant, he really does prefer the factual books. 
    I’m sure many of you have been in gift shops with your kids and they want some plastic toy that you know will break in a few days, or a stuffed animal that will get tossed aside in a week or two. So you can imagine my excitement when we walk into a gift shop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and he asks for a book. 
    Not just any book, but the book … the book he saw in the library when we toured the Beckman Center for Conservation Research. 
    The one and only LOST ANIMALS Extinction and the Photographic Record. 
    Now this book may not seem very interesting to you, but it ad Dylan grinning from ear to ear. Why you ask? Well, see that animal on the cover? That is a Thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian Tiger. Dylan has had lengthy conversations about this extinct animal with zookeepers and is truly fascinated with them.  
    So far he has learned about the Heath Hen, which became extinct in 1932. A devastating fire swept through the breeding grounds on Martha’s Vineyard and the remaining hens died from a mysterious disease, possibly the result of in-breeding. The last known Heath Hen was named ‘Booming Ben’
    One of the animals that Dylan spoke to Dr. Ryder about was the Quagga and he is anxious to read more about this fascinating animal. I love that he has an eagerness to learn more and can continue to nourish his passion for learning through reading books like this. 

  • Life is always filled with little surprises

    Imagine the surprise on our faces when we saw this last weekend at the San Diego Zoo Global booth. This made quite the conversation piece when people came by.

    Have you met Dylan? He raised $500 reading for wildlife.

    What will you do?

  • Reading for Wildlife update – An awesome journey

    It has been a little over a month since the last update, but if you have been following along on Facebook or Instagram then you know that on day 66 of the I READ for Wildlife challenge Dylan reached his goal of $500 in sponsors.

    This was a great day for Dylan because the hardest part was now done. He had reached his fundraising goal and from here on out all Dylan had to do was continue reading.

    Now on his third and final book – the end was in sight. The goal of reading 15 pages per day increased to 20 pages per day. The boy was on a mission and there was no slowing him down.

    Today is day 89 of the 100 day challenge and I am happy to report that Dylan has read all 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts.

    When I asked Dylan to describe this experience in one word he said … Awesome!

    Dylan was able to combine his love of reading with his love of animals and raise $500 for endangered wildlife across the globe.

    Dylan and I are so grateful that San Diego Zoo Global asked him to be part of this special team. Not only were we able to test and help improve a program that will launch to the public soon, but we made new friends and were able to share our journey with others. I truly believe that the new I _____ for Wildlife program will be a huge success.

    Doing something you love has got to be one of the most rewarding ways to raise awareness and in the end raise money for a wonderful cause. Be sure to check out the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy website and start your own journey … What will you do for wildlife?

    I would like to thank everyone who supported Dylan along the way. Whether you gave money and were a sponsor or were one of the many who commented/liked his videos and fascinating animal fact updates on Facebook … he couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!

    Visit our YouTube channel to see more of Dylan’s video clips from his Reading for Wildlife journey.

  • Reading for Wildlife update – Saving animals one page at a time

    Well, tomorrow will be day 50 of Dylan’s adventure – The half way point to reaching his goal of reading 1500 pages in 100 days to raise money and awareness for wildlife.

    If you follow us on Instagram or on Facebook, then you have seen the pictures, video clips, and tidbits of his journey that we have documented.

    Dylan has finished two of his selected books and started his third book today. So far he has read a total of 750 pages – Right on schedule. He has been very good about reading at least 15 pages a day, or if he has a lot of homework, he makes up for days missed by reading more on the weekends.

    Dylan reads in bed …

    Dylan reads on the treadmill …
    So far Dylan has raised $290 from sponsors, but he still needs $210 to reach his goal of $500. 
    It only costs $5 to sponsor one day of reading – the price of a fancy cup of coffee. 
    If you can, and if you would like to help Dylan on his journey of Reading for Wildlife, please visit http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/goto/DylanFryer where you can sponsor him with your tax-deductible donation. 
    This is Dylan’s latest video from yesterday. You can see more video clips on the YouTube channel. 

  • Reading for Wildlife to help save endangered animals

    So last summer when my son was raising money for the tigers he did just about everything he could to raise money. He recycled, he helped clean out his grandparents garage, he washed cars, and of course gave up birthday presents in lieu of donations.

    So in November when he was asked by the San Diego Zoo to be a tester for a new program that would launched later this year he was more than happy to help. (Basically, he’s a human guinea pig to test the new program and help make improvements before it goes live.) He jumped at the chance -Anything for wildlife!

    Either way, he was so excited to be a part of this and personally,  I was honored that the San Diego Zoo asked him to be one of the 8 team members.

    The new program is I ______ for Wildlife. The idea is that you can pick any activity you want and raise money for endangered wildlife through donations made on your personal fundraising page.
    Since Dylan loves to read and learn everything he possibly can about animals, he will be reading for wildlife.

    Dylan has pledged to read 1500 pages of fascinating animal facts in 100 days.

    I have created an album on the Life with Dylan Facebook page to document his progress and will be posting some video clips there as well. Dylan has a goal of raising $500 and so far he has raised $175 – If you would like to help Dylan reach his goal, please visit his personal fundraising page http://donate.sandiegozoo.org/goto/DylanFryer Any size donation is appreciated and all donations are tax deductible.

    What wouldn’t this kid do for wildlife?
    He is truly an inspiration and his passion shines through in everything he does. Go Dylan go!

  • Always more to learn about helping endangered species

    One of my favorite places to learn more about helping endangered species is the public library. I started taking Dylan to the library when he was just a toddler and he always went right to the animal books. As he has grown, his love for animals continued to grow too and now the library is a place we visit on a regular basis.

    Sure, there is plenty of information at my fingertips on the internet, but I love the way a library smells. The books that line the shelves for as far as the eye can see and the quiet atmosphere.

    The more I read about helping endangered species, the more I want to learn. A friend once told my son, never stop learning. Keep learning more and you will be one step ahead of the others. This advice was given in a conversation about going to college and becoming a zookeeper, but it can be applied to almost anything.

    Whether you want to learn more about your job, your hobby, or just go sit someplace quiet – the public library is the perfect spot. Sometimes just sitting there I can feel the knowledge calling to me. Sounds weird I know, but it’s true. Sometimes just walking up and down the rows of books and looking at the subjects will spark a new interest.

    Our last visit to the library was right after a visit to the San Diego Zoo. On this visit, Dylan had spent almost an hour talking with one of the volunteers at the orangutan exhibit. He wanted to learn more about the New World and Old World monkeys, so that is what he did. He pulled books on chimps, orangutans, and gorillas. Learning all he can about the animals and soaking up the data like a sponge soaks up water.

    He has also recently taken an interest in photography, so he checked out a book on photography.

    I may be too old to start a new career as a zookeeper, but I can always learn more about helping endangered species. The more I learn, the more I can help and the more I can share with my readers. These are the books that I chose to take home.

    As Rick Schwartz says, “Always explore, Always learn more”

    What do you want to learn more about?

    When was the last time you visited the public library?

  • Reading the Classics – and Loving every minute

    Gone are the days of reading Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss before bed. Part of me is thankful that Dylan can read to himself because it gives me time to do other important things like wash dishes and pack lunches. However, there is a big part of me that misses laying next to him and reading aloud – the Mommy part.

    Dylan has quite a fascination or should I say complete love of reading encyclopedia type books. Anything that he can read and memorize some fact or figure is what he thrives on. Do I want to read about facts and statistics before bed? No.

    I can’t even begin to guess the number of animal books or reference books this child has in his room. Even as a toddler, he wanted reference books – not some story about a bear who lived in the woods with other animals.Trust me – I tried and finally gave in to his desires.

    Now that he is in the 3rd grade and reading more, his teacher has actually banned him from reading ‘animal-reference books’ as part of his weekly reading. Oh, the horror for him was unimaginable! That was until I came across some books in the $1 bin at Target.

    Classics. Books I knew he would enjoy because they were about animals – but not a reference book. These books would take him to far off lands and give him a new love of reading. I love that he wants to learn something when he reads, but I also want him to know the pure joy of reading a story that has a beginning, middle, and end. Maybe even a moral to it.

    The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and  Moby Dick – these are now on the same shelf with his encyclopedias.

    I never read these books growing up, so reading them together is even more enjoyable. I want to find out what happens when I turn the page as much as he does. Last night we finished our first classic novel together and Buck will forever hold a special place in our hearts – just as he did for John Thornton.

    As for the next book on our reading list, well, that’s up to Dylan. I have a feeling it will be White Fang. Whatever book he chooses, I am just happy that I get my ‘mommy time’ back at night and that he is finding a whole new love for reading.

    Of course he still loves his animal encyclopedias. Somehow they still end up in his bed at night.

    Do you read to your children at bedtime? 

  • The Amazing Adventures of Captain Don!

    I don’t know about you, but I love reading stories to my son. Even though he can read to himself, it’s still fun to read aloud and get lost in the story with him.

    Last week I saw a post on twitter about a great book for kids on whale watching from Dana Wharf. The first 10 people to reply would get a free copy of the book. I never reply – because I never win – but this time I did, and I got a copy of the book.

    Knowing nothing about the book, I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be age appropriate for my son?

    Was it just a book advertising whale watching trips at Dana Wharf? To my surprise, this turned out to be the cutest book I’ve seen for kids on what to expect on a whale watching trip. For this reason, I had to share it with you.

    The Amazing Adventures of Captain Don! is written and illustrated for kids of all ages. Everyone from a toddler to a 10 year-old will love this book. I love this book.

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  • Do Your Kids Play?

    A new school year has begun and we are finally getting back in the swing of things. Homework, packing lunches, nightly reading, and so on. And as this school year begins, I once again find myself contemplating how I can make this year better than last year.

    The emails and papers coming home from Dylan’s school about various after-school clubs and sports are well … to be honest, a little overwhelming.

    They all sound wonderful, but come with a price. Yes, the clubs and sports programs will cost me money – money that isn’t really in my budget – but the other cost is much greater in my opinion.

    The cost of my son’s childhood.

    He loves Cub Scouts and the after-school science program. He joined the science program last year and really got something out of it. I don’t mind paying for this. The program meets right after school one day a week and lasts only one hour. It ends just in time for me to pick him up after I get off work.

    So what about soccer, tennis, Spanish, keyboard, chess, art, music, and swimming? These are all excellent programs for children, but do children really need to participate in all of them? Many parents will sign their children up for multiple after-school programs. Who makes this decision?

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  • The OC Children’s Book Festival is Back!

    If your kids love books, then you need to attend the Orange County Children’s Book Festival this Sunday, October 2nd  … I have taken Dylan every year for the past 3 years and he absolutely loves it!

    There is something about a new book when you first open it and you feel the spine loosen a bit. The smell of the pages. The beautifully illustrated pages. Children’s books are the best!

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