Best ways to use the library

I have always loved to visit the library. I can remember my gradeschool library, and the great variety of books I checked out on a weekly basis. As a teacher I use the library to get out multiple copies of "hot books" to house in my classroom. In my 9 years of teaching I have only lost 1 book. I think that's a pretty good run.

My library allows me to check out 100 books at a time. Yes, you read that right 100 books. I've never had out 100, but I have taken out close to 60 books. This summer I am trying to physically visit the libary once each week. I will admit, I am not totally comfortable bringing two kids into the library, but I will get over my fear that they will make a scene!

My library also allows its members to browse the card catalog online and request books. This is an answer to prayer for busy moms everywhere! Don't have time to search the shelves? Have the library do it for you! Once you are a member at the library, you can request items (either from your library or a neighboring library) the librarians will pull the books for you and put them on the "Hold" shelf with your name on it. Once your books are available they send an email and all you have to do is pick up your books!

Do librarians scare you? Don't want to talk while you are in the library? Then you will be thrilled to find out there are automatic check out stations. You don't have to talk to anyone when using self-checkout (or feel embarassed that you only returned half of your books!)

Last library tip of the day - audiobooks! Yes, you can go to the library and check out an audiobook, but there is also an online platform set up so you can download audiobooks to your iPod. No visits to the library, and no fear that you will forget to return it. (after the lending period it automatically disappears from iTunes) My husband has a long commute and loves to listen to audiobooks while he drives. I have never tried an audiobook with the kids, but maybe when they are older we will get some chapter books for longer car rides.

Your challenge - Get a library card! Visit the library either for yourself or your child. Take advantage of all the free opportunities in your neighborhood library!

An After Dinner Book

I took home many books from my classroom library this summer to work on more effective mini lessons. The pile of books is sitting on my kitchen table, which offers me a wealth of books to choose from as a nightly read with my children. Books can be used on so many levels. Last night I read Cornelius by Leo Lionni. I thought it was fitting because we spent the day at the zoo. Cornelius is a special crocodile because he stands on two legs instead of crawling on all fours. After the first page I asked Patrick, "Do crocodiles stand on 2 legs on crawl on all four?" He answered, "Crawl, Mommy." I was a little surprised he knew the answer. As we went on with the book every time I turned the page he begged to see the pictures. And, Shannon even made a noise like she wanted to see the pictures too. At one point in the story a monkey teaches Cornelius how to hang by his tail. Patrick thought this part was hilarious, and, as you know, laughter is contagious. All three of us were belly laughing at the silly crocodile hanging from the tree. Once we settled down, I asked Patrick if he had a tail. Then, I asked if he could hang from a tree. He answered no to both. This was a really fun story to read together. Both kids loved the pictures, and thought it was funny to see the things Cornelius could do.

Your challenge - Read a funny book with your child. Enjoy laughing together at parts he/she thinks are funny.

7 Things to with your voice to keep your child engaged...Thanks Mem Fox!

I highly recommend the book Reading Magic by Mem Fox. This is taken from her book.

"We can do at least seven things with our voices to keep our listeners engaged. Six of these seven vocal gymnastics are contrasts: loud and soft, fast and slow, and high and low. And we can p-a-u-s-e. The words on the page will tell use which of these to choose. We don't need speech trainining. We simply need to pay close attention." (p.42 Reading Magic Mem Fox)

I remember reading this quote in the spring and I decided to give it a try with Patrick. I was very aware of my voice when I pulled out The Little Engine that Could  by Watty Piper. This was a great book to try out slow to fast (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can) It was almost like the words were gaining momentum just like the little engine. Then I used the pause when the train finally made it over the mountain. Pauses are dramatic in reading. Pauses allow your children to stop with you and get excited about what's to come.

Your challenge today - Read a book and try one of the 7 vocal gymnastics as you read. Let me know how it goes!

What Books Should We Read?

I am truly amazed by the selection of books available to children today. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the newest books, but I try my best to get my hands on the latest and greatest books, as well as the classics. Below is a link to the Top 100 Children's Books of all time. As I glanced at the list I have read 75 of these books in the last 3 years. (I know I have an advantage as I am a classroom teacher!) How many have you read? Even though I don't agree completely with this list, at least it offers a good jumping point to help you begin to grow your home library, or which books to borrow from your local library.
Top 100 Children's Books

Some other quick tips about this list...
As I've mentioned before, I love board books for younger children. They are more durable. They are also easier to pack when you go on vacation, or to throw in your diaper bag.
I noticed in many of the reviews next to the books they mention if the book has rhythm or rhyme in it. Kids automatically love rythym and rhyme, so try these books (Dr. Seuss, Bill Martin Jr., Sandra Boynton)

Your challenge - Read a book off this list today. Let me know what you read and what you thought!

Use Books to Help with Change

If you don't have a llama llama book - go get one! My personal favorite is Lama Llama Misses Mama. It was given to Patrick just before I went back to school in the fall. On my first read, I cried.  How was I ever going to leave my two babies this year? There is a page in the book that reads, "Mama Llama you came back!" it's a 2 page spread of Llama llama running to hug his Mama - to me this picture is worth a thousand words (and emotions). Books can certainly help us get through changes - new house, new baby, potty training, you name it there's a book for it.

You challenge for the day - Get a Llama Llama book! Or, if you dont' want to buy one or head to the library choose another household favorite and read together.
Expecting a new baby? Check out these books!

A good old standby...everyone loves the Berenstain Bears and this story does not disappoint!

All Froggy books are great! But, in this book Froggy is getting ready for his baby sister, Polly. He is frustrated because she can't do anything, but eventually he learns to love her and teach her things. We always called Shannon Polly while I was pregnant, so it was perfect story for us!

We received this one as a gift. It is a super story about a boy who wanted a baby brother, but got a sister. Find out if he ever comes to terms with having a baby sister...

Posting tomorrow

New rules...I'm taking weekends off of this challenge. Well, at least this weekend and next weekend.

Missed a day

Good morning...I am sorry yesterday was too busy for us. I had to pack, travel to my parents, and attend a "sprinkle" for my dear cousin who is having her first girl. My intention was to post when I got home, but, Patrick was up, and I haven't downloaded to post from my phone! Excuses, excuses... So 2 posts today to make up for it. I mentioned before how I love board books. A favorite is "the town book" there is no story in this book, but there are great pictures which help introduce animals and objects. This book allows you to see the outside of a place (school, farm, fire house, market) then turn the big flap to reveal the inside. Shannon loves to point, and when she points I tell her the name of the object...eventually she will be able to point to objects as I say names, then she will put the name with the object, then we'll start making phrases to go along with the pictures. Language builds in this way. Receptive language is usually more advanced than expressive language. Just when you think your child does not understand what you are saying he/she comes out with it.

Where Do You Keep Your Books?

I admit it, I am not a neat nik. My house is lived in - there is wash on the couch, and toys strewn from my front door to my back door. Sometimes I feel bad about this, then I feel grateful that my house is worn in and cozy. Yes, we have lots of toys, but we also have lots of books. There are books everywhere, and I am proud of that.
Books should be kept in a place that is convenient for your kids. We have baskets of books in each of the kids rooms, 2 shelves of books in the family room, books in the diaper bag, books in the car, books down the basement, heck, I'm even thinking I should keep some books in the bathroom for the kids! (Well, maybe when the potty training starts...)
I try to keep board books accessible for the kids. Shannon puts everything in her mouth, and I don't feel bad that she is ruining books when she puts the board books in her mouth. She also recently started pointing at everything in the books. She laughs as she points and we talk about what it is. Slowly she is becoming a book lover!
Patrick has started to "read" books to Shannon. He has seen us say to Shannon, "Look Shannon it's an owl, or Wow! Look there is a monkey." And, he uses our phrasing to "read" to Shannon.
Last year, after I had Shannon we stayed with my parents. One thing my mom started to do with Patrick, which I thought was brilliant, was read a poem to him after lunch. He was already in his high chair, and she would pull out the poetry book and read a poem or two with him. Now, when we are at Mimi's house he asks for "the cow poem" I love this idea, and wish that I did it more often.

The Cow

by Robert Louis Stevenson

THE FRIENDLY cow all red and white
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple-tart.
She wanders lowing here and there,	5
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;
And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,	10
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers. (taken from a Child's Garden of Verses)

So, the challenge for today - Find a poetry book and put it in your kitchen. If you can't find a poetry book, use the cow poem. Pull it out after breakfast, or lunch, or dinner and share it with your child. Maybe this will help the child who won't stay still long enough for a book.
Challenge part 2 - Make sure your books are in a convenient place for your children!

The Magic of Row, Row, Row Your Boat

The Christmas before Patrick was born I received a special gift. Both my parents said to me, "Rose, it's time. You are going to be a mom and it's time to go back." Without any more conversation I knew exactly what they meant. It was time to get back into playing the piano. And, since I have the best parents in the world, a beautiful, sleek, electric piano was delivered to me! Sitting down on the bench and allowing my fingers to become reacquainted with the ivory and black keys was simply amazing. Just like riding a bike, my fingers just knew the right keys to press to make it come alive.

Early in Patrick's life the piano became a necessity to soothe him - I would put it on auto play and walk around my dining room table endlessly shushing and hoping he would go to sleep. I knew every song by heart. Then, I bought a children's song book, which contained all the classics. From time to time we sit together and play some of our favorites, and I have to say, both of my kids LOVE Row, Row, Row your boat.

We were singing row row over the weekend and my husband and I both noticed Shannon sitting on the floor legs out in front of her, moving her body back and forth like a boat. At less than 1 year old, she is able to remember a song and sing along! We even thought we heard her babbling along while we sang.
During that very same moment, Patrick was in a plastic crate (his boat) singing along. After singing to him for over 2 years, it is so fulfilling to hear him finally singing the words along with me, and even singing the song on his own.

Songs are fun to sing anytime! Some of our favorites are Row, Row, Row Your Boat, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old MacDonald, Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee, Wheels on the Bus, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Hot Dog Song, and 3 Little Birds.

Load some kids songs on your iPod, buy a children's cd, search on youtube for some songs that your child might like to hear.
Sesame Street rewrites songs by well known artists, which is quite entertaining.


Challenge Today - Be active while singing with your child today. Notice his/her movement and mood. I'd love to hear some of your favorites!

30 Million Words

A study was published in 1995 from Betty Hart and Todd Risley - Meaningful Differences in the Everday Experience of You American Children. The study produced a shocking statistic...
"In four years...an average child in a professional family would have accumlated expereince with almost 45 million words, an average child in a working-class family would have accumlated experience with 26 million words, and an average child in a welfare family would have accumlulated experience with 13 million words. (p198 of Hart and Risley's study) taken from Sharon Taberski's book Comprehension from the Ground Up p.91
The difference in the top and bottom groups is 30 MILLION, yes, MILLION words.

I think about this often mainly because I work in a school where over half of the population receives free or reduced lunch. When I'm at school I constatnly try to engage students in conversations and try to build background knowledge and vocabulary. So, of course, this spills over to home as well.

I try to be a mom of routine. Therefore, dinner is almost always served at 5:00. While I wish we could have a sitdown meal as a family of 4 every night, it is not possible (we would not be able to eat until 7 or 7:30!). So, dinner is usually the kids and me. During the school year I literally walk in the door, put the kids in their chairs and begin to throw food on their trays.  Once both kids have full trays I always sit on my chair and talk to the kids.

We talk about food - what color is your food? What other foods are that color? What else do you want to eat?
We talk about their day - who did you play with? I usually share a story about my day with them.
Usually I ask how do you like the food? And, it is during this time that I created the synonym game...instead of I like it or I don't like it I try to boost vocabulary by introducing new phrases - This is delicious, I love (name the food), (name of food) is scrumptious, tasty, spicy, salty, sweet...The dinner table is a great time to introduce new words and build!
Patrick and I laugh while we try out new phrases, and Shannon laughs too! While she only has syllables at this point she still understands the tones of our voice and laughs at the appropriate times.

Challenge - Have fun at your dinner table tonight. Play the synonym game and share the best phrase you taught your child tonight!

http://www.squidoo.com/food-vocabulary

Reading promotes conversation

"Reading aloud to children early in life also rapidly develops their speaking skills. They don't learn to talk - they can't learn to talk - unless they're spoken to, which is why psychologists and speech pathologists tell us we need to have loving, laughing, deep and meaning ful conversations with our kids long before they turn three." (Mem Fox, Reading Magic p.15)

This morning we ventured out for our first summer trip to the library. It was a quick trip that involved picking up 7 new picture books and 2 new Elmo movies. Last night was the first time my son ever sat through an entire movie, and when we were done he asked for an Elmo movie, so that's why we picked up some today!

So, before nap today Patrick & I read "Where is the Green Sheep?" by Mem Fox. I purposefully chose this book because at the end the green sheep is asleep and I was coaxing him up to take a nap, and thought this would help. But, the conversations we had during this read were fantastic. It took us about 7 minutes to read this book, and converse about it. Conversations should naturally happen when you are reading together. So, here's a look into our conversation while reading this book.

On this page the text reads "And some are red sheep."
Patrick: Look at that dancing sheep.
Mom: Where is he dancing?
Patrick: He's going to dance in the bath tub with the bubbles. Look he's going to jump in..
Mom: That sounds like fun (I touched the red sheep and made him "jump in the bath tub."
Patrick: I want to jump in.
Mom: Go ahead
Patrick: I jump in and I want to throw the bubbles

I thought it was neat how he wanted to make the sheep come to life and do something new. This allowed us to have a conversation about bubble baths and throwing bubbles. We pretended to throw bubbles around the room and watch them float. Then, Patrick wanted to pick the flowers. We blew the flowers to make them fly.

Challenge for the day - Sit with your child and have a conversation about a book. See how much fun it can be and how the conversation goes. If you want, comment about your conversation!

Keep reading!

Ready for a Challenge?

As the end of the school year draws near both teachers and students share their excitement for a break. Even though we take a break from the classroom setting, summer is the perfect time to build more background knowledge, explore new places, catch up with old friends, and enjoy great books.
I am challenging you to come with me on a 35 Day Literacy Challenge. I will post a new idea for the next 35 days that you can do with your children (any age) or by yourself. I encourage you to share you thoughts on this experience. So, here's to a literacy challenge! Will you join me for 35 exciting literacy experiences?