“My grandson is so smart,” one lola said proudly. “He’s only two years old and already, he could count from one to 100!”
One hundred is a great number to children. I remember when I was small, I could not imagine how it was to have 100 pesos! Or 100 pairs of shoes! Or 100 clothes! Or 100 of my favorite toys! Or 100 of my favorite books!
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The number 100 is special and something to smile about for me today. Why? Well, what you are reading this very minute is the 100th Big Little People.
That means, I have been writing my column 100 times. And that, to me, is significant.
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The number 100 is also quite important in many areas.
In the Fahrenheit temperature scale, the temperatures of zero to 100 represent the extremes that are typical of the climate of Europe, where zero is about as cold as it gets, and 100 is about as hot as it gets.
In the Celcius scale, it’s far more precise. Zero is the freezing temperature of water, and 100 degrees is the boiling point of water.
ooo
In history, 100 is also significant in terms of centuries, or periods of time. People then understood as we do now that 100 years mark a milestone.
Remember how the whole world celebrated the year 2000, the beginning of the millennium?
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In many schools, the highest grade one can get is 100! Meaning, it is the perfect score.
In government, after a new president is elected, the media (TV, radio, newspaper) wait for 100 days before they start criticizing the new leader. The 100 days is supposed to be the time needed for the new president to put all his programs and plans in place.
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For me, 100 is a time of remembering my very first column and thinking why I wrote it.
“One Very Special Interest” was the title of the first Big Little People. It was all about love for reading. I chose the topic because, first, reading is one activity I look forward to every day—since I was a little girl.
Second, as an author of children’s book, I want to encourage every child to read, to spend a large part of his day reading.
ooo
In this era when TV and computer are getting more and more time in the home, we need to review the advantages of reading.
According to some studies conducted in the US, children who spend more time watching television, instead of reading, are less creative. They also have less ability to think for themselves.
Long hours of TV viewing and playing computer games correlate with lowered performance in school, especially reading scores.
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How does one improve his reading habits? Here are four steps you can take.
1. Choose a small book to read.
2. Read at least one page a day.
3. As soon as you’re through, discuss it with your mom or a friend.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3.
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E-mail me when you’re finished with your 100th book! gdchong@gmail.com or visit my website: http://leavesofgrace.blogspot.com