The MS Readathon team is excited to announce the launch of the inaugural MS Readathon one day event – ‘60 MinuteS for MS’

This year we are proud to be partnering with the National Year of Reading, a project initiated by Australian libraries and library associations, whose primary message for 2012 is “share a book with your child/students for 10 minutes a day, an hour a week”.

To coincide with this exciting project and offer schools a new way to read and fundraise for MS Australia, we are launching our one day event ’60 MinuteS for MS’, which will take place on 24 August, preceding the National Year of Reading’s ‘Reading Hour’ on 25 August.

Any school can participate, even if you are already taking part in the month-long MS Readathon program. Getting involved in this new event is a fantastic way to round off your month of reading and celebrate your fundraising success!

Taking part in ’60 MinuteS for MS’ is as easy as A, B C. All you need to do is:

• Register for ‘60 MinuteS for MS’ by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button on this page
• Create your school fundraising page
• Hold reading activities on August 24th
• Collect fundraising and return to MS Readathon
• HAVE FUN!

There will be some great competitions happening throughout the year for the schools involved and the opportunity for one lucky school to receive a visit from a Penguin author.

’60 MinuteS for MS’ can be as big or small as you like and involve anything from students reading in a small group to the entire school taking part and getting really creative! The only limit is your imagination!

If you think this event is something that your school would like to get involved in, but can’t think of what activity to hold here are a few ideas, to get you excited:

• Ask your students to come to school dressed as their favourite story book character.
• Create a ‘reading chair’ in the classroom (the children could decorate it). The students could then take turns in sitting in the chair to read on the 24th.
• Students wear red for the day, spray their hair red (appropriate spray that washes out of course!)
• Students bring a parent/grandparent into school to read with them.
• Students bring in their favourite book and create a ‘flash mob’ in the classroom/playground by spontaneously sitting and reading for a short time.
• Ask students to share with the class who their ‘Reading Super Hero’ is.
• Share the magic of story telling by holding your very own story telling party.