Reading bonds relationships

While on vacation last week, I noticed a huge stack of board books in my sister-in-law's room. She has a 3.5 month old, and reading is already part of the bedtime routine. I am not surprised as my dear SIL is also an educator and amazing, natural mother. She claims that reading soothes her baby to sleep. She said she only reads 1-2 books a night, but the main purpose of the reading at this point is the soothing! Smart Mommy!!!

Throughout the week I noticed that Patrick gravitated toward the newborn and his mommy. One night while I was cooking dinner Patrick "disappeared" into their room. I could hear faint voices and laughter, and after about 15 minutes I peeked my head in to see Patrick "reading" to the 3.5 month old baby. While I was in the room they were reading a Phillies Baseball book. In just a few short years instead of reading about baseball they will be outside playing it together. But for now, what a perfect bonding experience for Patrick and his new baby cousin. Books can bring people together. Books lead to conversations. Schools are encouraging students to discuss books through book clubs, conferences, and partner reading. Why not start at an even younger age and have siblings or cousins read to each other? Step back and watch the dialogue unfold.

Your challenge - Find your child a reading partner...a sibling, cousin, friend. Encourage them to read a favorite book to one another. Just this morning Patrick & Shannon read The Little Engine that Could together. Shannon pointed to objects, Patrick named them. I read the entire story to both of them. 

Wrapping books

Back on the saddle tomorrow for the 35 day literacy challenge. Our vacation was lovely...I chose to spend time with my family instead of writing. I hope you understand! Anyway, I sat down tonight and began wrapping books for the "25 days of Christmas" idea that I posted about earlier. 6 books ready to go - have you thought any more about this idea?

Never take a vacation from reading!

We are on vacation this week. I didn't have the chance to post yesterday, but will try to post daily. Our Internet connection is a little spotty. Packing for vacation can be overwelming, but I have to admit I was grateful to do all the work beforehand to make our vacation go smoothly (I brought down a full grocery order and packed kids outfits by day) We brought lots of books with us on vacation! I made sure to pack some of Patrick and Shannon's favorite books for bedtime, and also some others for the common area. Books don't take up too much room, and provide tons of entertainment. It is also fun for the kids to share their favorite books with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Your challenge - next time you are with other people encourage one of them to read with your child. It is great to hear someone else's interpretation of a book!

Draw. Write. Now

I found these books when I was teaching 2nd and 3rd grade, and it was love at first sight. I am not an artist, but I wish with all of my heart that I was taught some of these simple drawings in elementary school. As a teacher - THANK GOODNESS FOR SMARTBOARDS, and the instant ability to search images instead of drawing!
Anyway, back to the books. Writing is a critical piece of developing literacy with your children. Patrick & Shannon both come home with projects from daycare that show they are working on writing and drawing. It is never too early to start. So, these books teach you step by step how to draw hundreds of pictures. They also have a writing component, but I am not using it with my kids...yet!

So, how do I use these books with my kids? When we are drawing on paper or magna doodle, Patrick will ask me to draw something (usually a horse!) I use the book to learn how to make a better drawing for him. Then, he can color in my drawing or he tries to draw on his own. My husband is a much better artist than me, and Patrick knows it. In fact he knows if he wants a horse drawn to ask Daddy instead of me. These books give me a little boost of confidence with my drawing skills.
http://www.drawyourworld.com/ - The website is filled with great ideas
Once the drawing is complete, make it come to life. Patrick usually asks for a barn for the horse, or if we draw a car he wants a road. Make up a story about your drawing together.

Your challenge - Draw with your child today. Make up a story about your drawing. Be sure to display your drawing in your house! Or, send it to grandparents.

One more tip

I have been taking photos of the art projects that Patrick and Shannon have made. Rather than keep the actual project, I plan to make a shutterfly album or their artwork every year.

Board Book Sets

Short and Sweet tonight! Do you have any board book sets? We have a couple...Disney princesses, Cars, and Transportation. They are great for a quick read, and also kids love to take them out and put them back in the box.

Your challenge - Get your hands on some Board Book Sets. They are a great addition to your diaper bag so you have books where ever you go!

Pointing to Familiar Faces

The refrigerator is a great place for new standers to play. I tried to keep a clean fridge front, but then I realized the kids could play in front of the fridge while I cooked, so I have since filled my fridge with pictures. Soon I will be putting the magnetic letters up, but for now I really like my idea of pictures. Shannon (1) was playing and pointing to all the pictures on the fridge and I had an idea. I asked her - Where's Daddy? And she pointed to him. Where's Patrick? She pointed to him. Where's Fergus (the dog?) She pointed to him. Then I remembered....receptive language develops at a faster rate than expressive language. Shannon knows who all of the important people in her life are even if she can't say their names yet. This led to another idea...I got one of our kid friendly photo albums, and put in more recent pictures of Mommy, Daddy, Patrick, and Fergus. Now Shannon can look at the pictures of her favorite people both on the fridge and in her very own photo album.
Another great idea for the fridge...this is taken from a good friend's house - a choice board. When her child wants a drink he goes to the fridge and points to the milk, water, or juice choice. This really helps children express what they want when they don't have the words to do it yet.

Your challenge - Use your fridge as a place to help your child learn new faces. Make is go beyond Mom, Dad, and siblings. How about grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, teachers...

Peek-A-Boo and Board Book Wrapped Into One!

Oftentimes I am reading to both my 2 year-old and 1 year-old at the same time. We were reading this book this morning, and I thought I'd write about how they both interacted with the book in such different ways, yet they were able to enjoy it together.

This book is called Guess Who Farm Friends. Each animal hides behind a certain body part that you move to reveal the animal and repetitive language - "Peekaboo! I'm a ______." The right side of the page has clues to read about the animal. The last page has all the animals in the book pop up all together.
So, when Shannon gets ahold of this book she plays with the part of the book that opens and closes. As she is opening and closing I am repeating, "Peekaboo!" which makes her then cover her eyes to play peekaboo. Then, Patrick usually says something like, "Look Shannon it's a sheep." Shannon continues to play with the open close part of the book while Patrick begins to explore the rest of the page. Look at the sheep. They are far away. Then I might say, Patrick which sheep is the most far away? And he points to it. We will look at the flowers and identify colors. We will notice the sheep is holding a flower. We will make sheep sounds. We will look at the sheep's ears. Today Patrick even spotted the words and said "What's that?" I told him it said peekaboo. I held his pointer finger and we traced underneath the word as we said Peekaboo together. Anytime we said peekaboo, Shannon covered her eyes and wanted to play with us. We laughed as we  interacted with the book.  At the end of the book we sang Old McDonald. Now, this just happens to be a favorite of Shannon's so it just made her day. When we got to the line "And on his farm he had a..." I would put to an animal and Patrick would scream the name. This book kept us entertained for at least 15 minutes this morning.

So, to sum it up here are 10 things we did with this book, and the reason why we did it.
1. Read the clues (fluent reading)
2. Identify animals (build vocabulary)
3. Make animal sounds (build vocabulary by putting animal name and sound together)
4. Lift flap to reveal animal (fine motor skills)
5. Point to objects in book. (build vocabulary)
6. Notice colors in book (build vocabulary)
7. Near/Far (build vocabulary, direction words)
8. Point to words (begin to realize books have words, words tell a story)
9. Play Peekaboo (object permanence, social interaction)
10. Sing Old McDonald (social interaction, singing, language development)

Your challenge - Choose a book and try to think of 5 things to do with the book as you read today.

A Christmas Idea!

Thanks to Tara for posting this in pinterest!

24 Books of Christmas...

Gather together 24 books that you plan to read during the Christmas season. Wrap them. (they don't have to be new books!) Have your child choose a new book to read before bed each night.

I think I've mentioned before that I try to introduce a new book everyday. Lately I've been reading the new book after dinner. Both kids are captivated in their high chairs as I read, and almost every night Patrick asks me to reread the book. It is so much fun to rediscover some of my old favorites, and read brand new books.

I am going to try this idea for the Christmas season, but I plan to only do about 10 books. Off the top of my head here are the ones I will include.

Polar Express - Chris Van Allsburg
Gingerbread Baby - Jan Brett
Gingerbread Friends - Jan Brett
Home for Christmas - Jan Brett
The Night Before Christmas - (I have a Jan Brett version)
Room for a Little One - Martin Waddell
The Spirit of Christmas - Nancy Tillman
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad - Mercer Meyer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr. Seuss
Llama Llama Holiday Drama - Ann Dewdney
Where Is Baby's Christmas present? - Karen Katz

Your challenge - What are some of your faorite books that you plan to share with your child? Make a list, go to the library and check them out!

The Land of Make Believe

When I was little I remember watching Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. I remember waiting and waiting until finally the "Land of Make Believe" would be on. I loved this part - I'm not sure if it was the striped tiger, or purple panda, or King Friday, or even the mix of real people and puppets, but this was the best part of the show. I loved how the trolley took us on a magical ride to the land of make believe, and as a child, I thought I was really leaving Mr. Roger's house and entering a whole new world.

I think as we get older we forget about the Land of Make Believe and all it has to offer us - an escape from reality. Luckily, our kids learn very early how to play in the land of make believe. This offers them opportunity to recreate television shows, stories, and create new stories all on their own. It is important to foster this creativity in our children. Pretend play is a break from structure, routine, and the known. It allows children to work on their language and begin to create their own stories and situations.

I have been noticing what Pat has done in his own world of make believe this week.

• pushed the shopping cart over to window, took out all the food items and created a store. Then used the shopping cart to "buy" things from the store. This also allowed Shannon to practice standing at the window and transfer items to and from the shopping cart.
• "click-clock, click-clock, click-clock" is often heard when Patrick is pretending to be a horse. He also sings a song that he learned from a youtube video and practices the line "He walks, He trots, He runs, He gallops and gallops and gallops."
• drives his car to various places (Mimi's house, Grammie's house, the store to get ice cream, etc.)
• sets up train and has different people, dinosaurs, and animals get on and off. As I write this he is pretending to look for King, the dinosaur (recreating an episode from Dinosaur Train)

Your challenge - Allow your children extra time to play in the land of make believe and observe them. Watch how he/she creates a dialogue, notice how the different toys are used in new and different ways and don't interupt them!

I'll Read to You

Well, friends, it has happened! Patrick can read. Yup, he can read. He read to me last night!

Ok, not really read, but he wanted to read to me last night. Now that I'm thinking about it, he read to Shannon last week. I guess my job as a reading teacher/mother is complete! Just kidding...It was interesting when Patrick picked up a book yesterday and said, "I read to you, Mommy." And, I let him. It was a book all about farm animals. I meant to steal it out of his room to take a picture to put up here because I love the book, but I forgot. I will post it later. So, his reading consisted of pointing to pictures and asking me questions like - What color is the duck? What does the duck say? Where is the tractor going? His reading was asking me questions, just like when I read him the same exact book I ask him similar questions.
Nationwide schools are trying to bolster their nonfiction libraries. Boys tend to love nonfiction, and there is rarely enough in the classrooms. I have found even at age 2 Patrick prefers nonfiction books about animals, farms, towns etc. He likes to learn and these books create experiences for him. `
Shannon also likes nonfiction books - while she can not communicate as efficiently as Patrick yet, she can point to animals. In fact, in the doctor's office today we were reading a book about sea creatures together. Shannon was pointing to animals, I was naming the animal (dolphin, fish), and Patrick was giving a description (This one is blue, look at the water, I see 2 fisheees, Wow look at this) Shannon is making so much progress just by focusing on a page longer, or pointing to a picture. Nonfiction books are great for 1 year olds because there are many different pictures on a page, which allows her to point to plenty of objects and learn about them.

Your challenge - Read some nonfiction with your child today. Notice the drastic differences between a fiction and nonfiction story. Point out the differences to your child, and ask questions as you read. Then, let your child "read" to you!

Purposeful Vocabulary

Quick post...hopefully I will find some time to research tonight to find the exact quotes that I want to use.
Before I go on with this post, I just have to say, this is a challenge to post every weekday. I am embracing the freedom of summer, and so are my kids! We have been to the mountains, both sets of grandparents houses, and 2 weddings. We are looking forward to 2 weeks down the shore with our families. In the beginning of the summer my intention was to write during nap time...this seldom happens! Anyway, back to today's post...

Janet Allen wrote a great book called Words, Words, Words which I used while teaching in middle school and high school. Basically, she challenges teachers to begin using certain words 2 weeks before formally assigning the words. I think this strategy can be used with our children. I love to watch Patrick's vocabulary grow, and I notice that when I use certain words or phrases he begins to use them after a while. (For example, I use the expression freak out a lot. I never knew I used it until Patrick said it to me. He used it in the right context - right before bed, right before I was going to leave his room and he would begin to cry. He said, "I'm gonna freak out Mommy.")

Your challenge - Think of some words or phrases  you want to teach your child. Be aware of when you use the words in conversation with your child, and try to use it as often as possible. Notice when he/she begins to use the word or phrase!

Reading Routine

"Alhough a read-aloud session can happen anytime, it's important also to have a ritual about reading aloud every night, in the same place, at the same time, with the same cushions or pillows, ths same stuffed animals, and the same books. Accodring to Maragaret Mead, the noted anthropologist, children not only appreciate the safety of a predictable life, they actually need regular routines to feel secure in the world. So while read-aloud sessions can happen any time, they must happen at bedtime." (Mem Fox, Reading Magic p.35-36)

Both of my children read before bed at night. Sometimes, both my husband and I get in bed and read before turning out the lights. Though I will admit most of the time I fall asleep on the couch downstairs.

Reading is a staple in both of my kids bedtimes routines. With Shannon, we cuddle in the rocking chair and read a board book. Some of our favorites are Llama Llama Nighty Night, 15 Animals, and Kiss Kiss. Shannon is usually so tired that she only gets through one book before her thumb goes in her mouth and she is ready to be alone. But, when we read together at night she points to different things. I name things as we read - ball, bed, pajamas, hippo. Sometimes I read the entire story, but other times I make up my own story. The point of this routine is that she is on my lap and we are sharing something together. Shannon is slowly building her nest of favorite and familiar books. I know this will help her with language development and fostering a love of reading.

Patrick's routine is a bit different. Being the manipulative 2 year old that he is, he has talked us into a "downstairs" book as well as an "upstairs" book. He chooses the books he wants to read at night. He has many favorite books, and I think he picks different books depending on who is reading to him (Mommy or Daddy). He always asks for one more book, and I'm pretty sure he would read all night long if we gave him the opportunity.

What 'cha readin' Mommy?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. My house is chock full of books. Not just children's books, but recipe books, baby books, professional books, self-help books, prayer books, magazines, and more! Sometimes when the kids are both playing with toys I try to sneak in a few pages of the latest book I am reading. It never fails that one of them will come over to check out what I'm doing. So, it was no surprise when Patrick crept over and said, "What 'cha doin' Mommy?" when I was reading a book on my kindle. I showed him my kindle and he played with the buttons. I explained there were words, but no pictures, and he still wanted to watch it change as we pressed the button.
Kids are curious and inquisitive. They ask questions and want to learn as much as the possibly can. As annoying as it can be sometimes (when you are in the middle of a thriller on your kindle, or cooking a recipe and you lose your spot in the book and your hands are covered...) embrace these opportunities. Try to answer questions with the best answer you can give, and if you don't know tell them you don't know, but you will find out.

Your challenge -  Share your books with your kids. Invite them into your reading world, just like you are a part of theirs. What do they notice about your books?

iBooks

Holidays usually mean long car rides for my family. Today we drove from the mountains to my parents house in Warrington, Pa. I have used the iPad to entertain Pat in the past, but today I set up some iBooks to read. iBooks are fantastic. Books can be read aloud and pages turn automatically. It was a lifesaver on our car ride today. I know, short post today...enjoy the 4th and if you find yourself on a long ride check out some free iBooks for your children. They remind me of the little red cassette tapes we had that had a book to read along with it.

Observing a family of readers

I always love when we get together with other kids for two reasons. One, its fun to watch our kids interact. Two, it's great to chat with parents about the challenges and successes of parenthood.  Yes, there are parents as crazy as my husband and I. Parents who discuss the characters in the shows and books that our children watch. Parents who wonder why Goofy can talk and Pluto can not. A couple months ago we found ourselves deep in conversation about Llama llama. We've discussed Llama Llama - have you read them yet?  We laughed as my friend put on his best Llama Llama voice, and we all quoted our favorite parts. Later in the day, I watched as my friends' family gathered to read together. Of course, they chose a Llama Llama book. Husband, wife, and child were engaged and entertained. Husband and wife went back and forth using a variety of voices to make the story come alive for their 8 month old child. It was clear to me this was a normal part of their lives. Your challenge - enjoy a book as a family today.