As a retired teacher and grandparent, I have many thoughts about missed opportunities to make closer connections with children, but I also have some easy ideas for how to engage children in very positive ways. For example: a friend recently told me that in addition to enjoying a splash in the pool with her grandchild, they had spent time making LEGO boat designs to test and see which ones would float.

Whether it’s finding an inexpensive world or U.S. map to display on a wall or going on a rock hunt, in this column, I’d like to connect you to books and activities that add that “extra something” that makes time spent with youngsters more engaging.

We all know it’s important to read to toddlers and preschoolers. But research shows us numerous reasons to continue reading to our youngsters right up to high school! Some of the benefits:

• Builds vocabulary and increases comprehension.

• Provides opportunities to discuss concerns and build a sense of the world.

• Encourages children to read the rest of the series on their own.

• Gives children the chance to listen to and respond to text that’s

 above their reading level.

• Improves listening skills.

• Helps to bond with children.

• Provides positive modeling and analysis of a story.

• Provides a way to introduce the classics.

These are just a few reasons to motivate you to fi nd new ways to connect. This could be through the use of an article in Bear Essential News  or the local newspaper, a book or a local venue you might visit together.

Each month this column will offer a general topic with book suggestions as well as places to delve into the topic a bit more.

So let’s begin! This month’s topic: GEOLOGY

Book suggestions:

 1. “Everybody Needs a Rock”  by Byrd Baylor, an Arizona author (K–3)

2. “Let’s Go Rock Collecting”  by Roma Gans (2nd–5th)

Activities you might do after reading a book or two on geology with the kids:

• Make a list of things people could collect.

• Go for a walk and fi nd your very own special rock. Try to determine if

 the rock is igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. Why or why not?

• Bring a rock home to paint. Larger fl at rocks work best.

 • Create a rock garden.

• Visit Kartchner Caverns, Colossal Cave or the new museum in

Tucson dedicated to Tucson’s big Gem and Mineral Show.

 • In Phoenix, visit Desert Botanical Garden and nearby Papago Park,

including the well-known Hole in the Rock.

• In Mesa, visit the Arizona Museum of Natural History. (Its rock collection

isn’t on display but is available to see by appointment.)