Trading Cards
Spirit and the Kindergarteners at Holy Name School
2023

Spirit does Reading Dog with the Kindergarteners at Holy Name School every Thursday morning during the school year.  At first I read to the kids and they cuddle with Spirit as they listen.  In only a few weeks, though, they begin reading to Spirit on their own.

Every time a child reads to Spirit, I give him or her one of Spirit’s trading cards, created especially to use for Reading Dog at Holy Name and at Tongue River Elementary in Ranchester, where we spend Monday mornings.

See Spirit’s trading cards 

Once the children begin to learn to write, they begin to write to Spirit.  Spirit replies on her own special stationery and encloses one of her trading cards.

Each spring I take both group and individual photos of the kids with Spirit. I add any other photos (such as those of Spirit in her Halloween costume and her birthday celebration) we have and create a set of trading cards for that class. 

This year I had the brainstorm to create “Reading Pups,” stuffed GSDs wearing a heart therapy dog tag (like Spirit’s official badge she wears every time she does any therapy dog visits).  The kids take turns taking them home in the evening and reading to them, like they do to Spirit on Thursday mornings.  They were a huge hit with the kindergarteners – and their parents.

Each child gets their own set of trading cards, which is a BIG hit.