The first of what is expected to be an annual literacy gym put primary school pupils through their reading paces this week.

Discovering that learning is fun on Reading with Rotary day.

Hosted at the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club, Year 5-6 pupils from the city's decile one schools took part in a series of activities designed to raise the profile of enthusiasm for literacy and books in general.

'There's no doubt that literacy levels as we have known them in the past are actually falling,” says event designer Otumoetai College deputy principal and Otumoetai Rotary president Bruce Farthing.

'That is nationally. It is not peculiar to the Western Bay of Plenty at all, and seriously this is an attempt to do something about it.

'It's an attempt to raise the profile of this issue. It's also an attempt to raise literacy in today's world across a much wider field.”

The students took part in a series of activities introducing ‘literacies' including digital literacy, Braille, and the concept of visual literacy through taking pictures.

'They were learning without really realising they were learning because it was such a fun environment,” says Bruce.

While ‘literacies' go across the broad spectrum, children still have to be able to access the written word if they are to be able to progress at school.

'I think in a way they are becoming less connected with books,” says Bruce.

'At the end of the day if they are going to progress in their education they have to be able to access the written word.

'If they are going to move into the realm of academia then they actually have to be able access the written word academically. You can't access it academically until you have accessed ordinary literacy, ordinary day-to-day language. That's the critical point and it is a growing problem.”

People can't expect a fix by sending their children to school for five hours a day because the damage is being done when they are not in school, says Bruce.

'And if they are not involved with literacy in that time, then in fact really they are going to go nowhere.”

Bruce's inspiration is a recently published book by Aric Sigman called ‘Remotely Controlled – how television is damaging our lives and what we can do about it'.

It's largely a series of medical journal articles put into layman's language. It's data that has not gotten into the day-to-day world.

'What it really shows is that if a child watches television, or is involved in front of the computer screen for more than two hours a day, then in fact you have a significant correlated increase to ADHD and ADD. They say if the child is watching in excess of four hours on a media screen in one day, it has the same effect on the developing mind as a hypnotist.”

The Reading with Rotary day reinforces work the Rotary club is already doing, says Bruce.

Club members are rostered for weekly visits to the city's decile one schools where they listen to students read.

'They are definitely on the job, but really it's just a matter of having the biggest armoury of tools that you can because it is a community issue.”