Remember Learning doesn’t have to take place in a classroom. It can happen right in your own living room!
Get ready, get set and learn!
November 4, 2005
Word Power!
Four of the most critical skills for young children are reading, writing, speaking and listening. It’s very important for parents to help children expand their vocabularies. Even the youngest of children can write their own book if they have word power! How is this possible? We’re sure you’ve heard of police detectives, correct? Well, parents and children can become sound detectives. And, sound detectives get to know a lot of words!
To become a sound detective, pick a place to go for a walk with your child – maybe the park, a grocery store, the post office. Encourage your child to listen to all of the sounds they hear along the way and then – help your child name each sound. This part of the activity will help your child with listening and speaking skills. As your child announces what sound they hear, write the name of the sound down. If the child is old enough, help him or her write the word themselves. Next, read the list together and imitate the sounds. This part of the activity will help strengthen your child’s reading and writing skills.
Imagine how fun it might be to take all of the sounds you hear on various walks and create a "Sounds in my Neighborhood" book! To help your child get ready for this fun activity, read Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown. Remember that learning doesn’t have to take place just in a classroom. It can happen right in your own home. All you have to do is get ready, get set and learn!
Book Selection
Arthur Writes a Story (Arthur Adventure Series) (Paperback)
by Marc Brown
November 11, 2005
Counting Fun!
To help your children develop strong mathematical skills, start working with them from a very early age. These two activities can work with the youngest of children.
Food Count:
You’ll need:
An empty egg carton
A pen or a marker
A variety of small food items (raisins, cereal, chocolate chips, candies)
Write the numbers 1 to 12 on the individual sections of an egg carton. Have your child count out each number using small food items. Then have her fill the numbered section with the correct number of items. Once the sections are filled, have her work in reverse – subtracting objects from each section of the egg carton.
Playing Cards and Counting
Gather a deck of playing cards. Pull one red card and one black card out of the deck of playing cards, and place them on your table or your floor. Give your child a small stack of cards and have her practice sorting them into either the red pile or black pile. You can also help her develop counting skills by putting the cards in numerical order. You can also do this with each of the four suits on the cards.
Remember that learning doesn’t have to take place only in a classroom. It can happen right in your very own home. All you have to do is get ready, get set and learn!
Book Selection
Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creaative Games & ActivitiesTo Occupy 3-6 Year Olds (Paperback)
by Trish Kuffner
Feast for 10 (Paperback)
by Cathryn Falwell
November 18, 2005
Making Reading Together a Special Time
When we read to children, they develop a love of books and are eager to explore ways to “read” to themselves, write about what they see, and create their own stories. They learn new words and concepts and understand that written words communicate ideas and information. They are able to see the connection between the sounds they hear and the words and pictures they see. Books provide children with a sense of wonder and power as they learn that they can explore vast worlds filled with interesting places, ideas, people, and things just by turning a page.
The way you read a book may vary, depending on your goals. You may pause to give children a chance to practice problem-solving or ask questions and other times read without stopping so children can hear the rhythm and rhyme of the words. No matter what your coal you can increase attention and enjoyment by actively involving the listeners.
Introduce the book by showing the front and back and reading the title, author and illustrator. Ask the children what they think the book might be about. Hold the book so that everyone can see and show each page long enough for them to notice the detail in the pictures.
Be expressive. Make the characters come alive by using different voices, body language and facial expressions.
Extend book time with other activities. Invite children to draw pictures about the story, collect objects that were in the story or role-play scenes from the story. Help them connect the story to their own experiences or videos they have seen and expand thinking and verbal skills by asking open-ended questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer.
For more suggestions on ways to make reading together a special time, visit Sesame Workshop at http://www.sesameworkshop.com. This week’s book selection is a great book to use to practice reading with your child. Every child has had a cold at some time, so using a book about a common occurrence can make this activity easy to do with your child.
Book Selection
Elmo Says Achoo!
Written by Sarah Albee Illustrated by Tom Brannon
November 25, 2005
Choosing Books for Children
Building a book collection with lots of variety will make reading with children enjoyable and will open their eyes to new ideas about the world around them. When choosing books for children here are some ideas that can help you select a variety of different types of books that will enhance children’s learning and make reading fun and educational. Though not every feature needs to be included in every book, asking the questions below can help you find high-quality educational books – whether you buy the books in a store or loan them from a library.
Is the print large enough for children to follow along as you read?
Does the book use language that children can understand and does it introduce new experiences?
Does the book celebrate sounds of language by using rhymes, catchy phrases or silly sounds?
Will illustrations or photographs grab the child’s attention and encourage them to read the book?
Does your book collection include a wide range of books – rhyming and non-rhyming, poetry, folk tales, picture books, fairy tales and informational books?
Use the five-finger method when selecting books. Have your child pick out a book that looks interesting to him or her. Ask the child to pick a page and begin to read aloud to you. If the child stumbles on a word, raise one finger on your hand. If they stumble on another word, raise another finger. If you get to five fingers by the end of a page of the book, that indicates the book is at too high of a reading level for your child. Put the book back on the shelf and try to locate another that is within your child’s reading range.
Book Selection
Bearobics: A Hip-Hop Counting Story (Hardcover)
by Victoria Parker, Vic Parker, Emily Bolam (Illustrator)
Do Your Ears Hang Low? A Love Story (Paperback)
by Caroline Jayne Church, Caroline Jayne Church (Illustrator)
The Velveteen Rabbit (Paperback)
by Margery Williams, William Nicholson (Illustrator)
Get ready, get set and learn!
November 4, 2005
Word Power!
Four of the most critical skills for young children are reading, writing, speaking and listening. It’s very important for parents to help children expand their vocabularies. Even the youngest of children can write their own book if they have word power! How is this possible? We’re sure you’ve heard of police detectives, correct? Well, parents and children can become sound detectives. And, sound detectives get to know a lot of words!
To become a sound detective, pick a place to go for a walk with your child – maybe the park, a grocery store, the post office. Encourage your child to listen to all of the sounds they hear along the way and then – help your child name each sound. This part of the activity will help your child with listening and speaking skills. As your child announces what sound they hear, write the name of the sound down. If the child is old enough, help him or her write the word themselves. Next, read the list together and imitate the sounds. This part of the activity will help strengthen your child’s reading and writing skills.
Imagine how fun it might be to take all of the sounds you hear on various walks and create a "Sounds in my Neighborhood" book! To help your child get ready for this fun activity, read Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown. Remember that learning doesn’t have to take place just in a classroom. It can happen right in your own home. All you have to do is get ready, get set and learn!
Book Selection
Arthur Writes a Story (Arthur Adventure Series) (Paperback)
by Marc Brown
November 11, 2005
Counting Fun!
To help your children develop strong mathematical skills, start working with them from a very early age. These two activities can work with the youngest of children.
Food Count:
You’ll need:
An empty egg carton
A pen or a marker
A variety of small food items (raisins, cereal, chocolate chips, candies)
Write the numbers 1 to 12 on the individual sections of an egg carton. Have your child count out each number using small food items. Then have her fill the numbered section with the correct number of items. Once the sections are filled, have her work in reverse – subtracting objects from each section of the egg carton.
Playing Cards and Counting
Gather a deck of playing cards. Pull one red card and one black card out of the deck of playing cards, and place them on your table or your floor. Give your child a small stack of cards and have her practice sorting them into either the red pile or black pile. You can also help her develop counting skills by putting the cards in numerical order. You can also do this with each of the four suits on the cards.
Remember that learning doesn’t have to take place only in a classroom. It can happen right in your very own home. All you have to do is get ready, get set and learn!
Book Selection
Preschooler's Busy Book: 365 Creaative Games & ActivitiesTo Occupy 3-6 Year Olds (Paperback)
by Trish Kuffner
Feast for 10 (Paperback)
by Cathryn Falwell
November 18, 2005
Making Reading Together a Special Time
When we read to children, they develop a love of books and are eager to explore ways to “read” to themselves, write about what they see, and create their own stories. They learn new words and concepts and understand that written words communicate ideas and information. They are able to see the connection between the sounds they hear and the words and pictures they see. Books provide children with a sense of wonder and power as they learn that they can explore vast worlds filled with interesting places, ideas, people, and things just by turning a page.
The way you read a book may vary, depending on your goals. You may pause to give children a chance to practice problem-solving or ask questions and other times read without stopping so children can hear the rhythm and rhyme of the words. No matter what your coal you can increase attention and enjoyment by actively involving the listeners.
Introduce the book by showing the front and back and reading the title, author and illustrator. Ask the children what they think the book might be about. Hold the book so that everyone can see and show each page long enough for them to notice the detail in the pictures.
Be expressive. Make the characters come alive by using different voices, body language and facial expressions.
Extend book time with other activities. Invite children to draw pictures about the story, collect objects that were in the story or role-play scenes from the story. Help them connect the story to their own experiences or videos they have seen and expand thinking and verbal skills by asking open-ended questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer.
For more suggestions on ways to make reading together a special time, visit Sesame Workshop at http://www.sesameworkshop.com. This week’s book selection is a great book to use to practice reading with your child. Every child has had a cold at some time, so using a book about a common occurrence can make this activity easy to do with your child.
Book Selection
Elmo Says Achoo!
Written by Sarah Albee Illustrated by Tom Brannon
November 25, 2005
Choosing Books for Children
Building a book collection with lots of variety will make reading with children enjoyable and will open their eyes to new ideas about the world around them. When choosing books for children here are some ideas that can help you select a variety of different types of books that will enhance children’s learning and make reading fun and educational. Though not every feature needs to be included in every book, asking the questions below can help you find high-quality educational books – whether you buy the books in a store or loan them from a library.
Is the print large enough for children to follow along as you read?
Does the book use language that children can understand and does it introduce new experiences?
Does the book celebrate sounds of language by using rhymes, catchy phrases or silly sounds?
Will illustrations or photographs grab the child’s attention and encourage them to read the book?
Does your book collection include a wide range of books – rhyming and non-rhyming, poetry, folk tales, picture books, fairy tales and informational books?
Use the five-finger method when selecting books. Have your child pick out a book that looks interesting to him or her. Ask the child to pick a page and begin to read aloud to you. If the child stumbles on a word, raise one finger on your hand. If they stumble on another word, raise another finger. If you get to five fingers by the end of a page of the book, that indicates the book is at too high of a reading level for your child. Put the book back on the shelf and try to locate another that is within your child’s reading range.
Book Selection
Bearobics: A Hip-Hop Counting Story (Hardcover)
by Victoria Parker, Vic Parker, Emily Bolam (Illustrator)
Do Your Ears Hang Low? A Love Story (Paperback)
by Caroline Jayne Church, Caroline Jayne Church (Illustrator)
The Velveteen Rabbit (Paperback)
by Margery Williams, William Nicholson (Illustrator)
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