Is Read-Along Technology Helping Our Kids Learn How to Read?

January 6, 2012

Read-Along technology is a phenomenon that is truly beginning to change how our children are acquiring language, learning to read, and experiencing story telling. Read-Along Technology has developed as a significant function in guided reading groups as well as with independent reading tasks in many schools. When students are in small groups with a teacher, technology in the classroom can ensure that they are also present during their important independent practice. It can also provide time for students to build and solidify their skills. Read-along ebooks, like the ones found at MeeGenius.com, can extend the skills and guidance that teachers are able to offer to their readers beyond what the small group sessions provide. The importance of read-aloud time for all children is critical for literacy learning.  Unfortunately, many children are deprived of daily read-aloud time at home, and this places them at considerable disadvantage in the classroom.

Friendships: Why making friends can be hard for your kids

December 9, 2011

Every day I teach young children how being friends can mean so many things. Kids are developing the ability to share and take turns well into the 6, 7, 8th and even 10th years of life and this can reflect in their inability to navigate the challenges of friendship.

So when do kids begin to make friends? Very young children, usually 3 and under, still function often in parallel play where they are next to other children but not associating with them. The children I teach are beginning to associate with others, with the ability to take turns using concrete objects and trying out the notion of sharing.

Giving Thanks At School!

November 25, 2011

Tis the season for thinking of others! In my preschool classroom we are always taking time to think about each other and how we feel together. We are developing our listening skills and learning how to take on other people’s feelings, and it is hard work!

There are all kinds of crafty projects that have to do with turkeys, early settlers, and food but teaching children how to be thankful through artistic expression is another challenge. To start, I like to ask children what they know about being thankful or what it means to be thankful for what you have. This opens up conversation and allows me to get an idea for what children already know.

From there, we use our ideas to teach each other about what we are thankful for and what it means to give thanks. We can use our words in a thankful poem, write them down on individual cards for our families and let them inspire us to create open ended art for our loved ones. When children truly begin to take on the feelings of others and think about the important people in their lives,  their artistic expression can become a beautiful thing!

Here are some open ended art ideas we like to do in our class:

• Paint at the easel while talking about someone we love. have a grown-up write down the child’s dictated words and attach them to the painting.
• Make friendship necklaces or bracelets using a variety of stringing materials(beads, buttons, cardboard pieces, straws) have the children choose colors or materials that someone else would truly love!
• Make a friendship fruit salad! Each child gets to choose (or bring in from home) a fruit they enjoy. Everyone helps to cut and prepare the salad together and it makes for a very special snack!

Enjoy this time for celebrating what we have together at school and let us know the things you like to do to show that you care!

Being Thankful: How we can teach Empathy to our children

November 25, 2011

Thinking about being thankful for what you have can be an abstract concept for kids. So, as grown-ups, it’s our job to help children take on the feelings of others by leading from our example. How can we teach empathy to our kids? Do we have to create mini philanthropists in order for them to understand what being thankful is all about? Let’s first focus on showing our feelings to them they way we’d like them to show theirs to others.

I wrote a story called “Thank You for Thanksgiving” for our growing collection of holiday books that Mee Genius provides our readers. It’s my hope that this story inspires parents to talk with their children about what being thankful is all about.

Empathy starts at home and is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children, because it helps them see the good in those around them. If we work hard to raise empathetic children, they’ll develop a sense of inner strength that will protect them against outside influences beckoning them away from the proper choices.

Self-directed empathetic children who rely on their own inner voices rather than outside influences, make the right choices concerning those around them rather than make choices tainted by their need for approval and acceptance. They develop this strong sense of empathy for other people by being taught how empathy works.

In general, I teach children that “if it feels wrong, it won’t work for anyone.” Kids need to be able to listen to the right choices in their hearts and their minds to keep their motives sincere. We can also help them analyze the motives behind their own acts towards others by helping them know if these motives allow them to only help themselves or if they are, in fact, helping others.

We can also lead by example when it comes to helping others. Handing out food or blankets to homeless people in need or helping an older neighbor with their lawn or their mail are ways we can show our kids how to think of others. By performing acts of compassion, whether at school, in the family or in the community, our children can’t help but think about the misfortune of those they help. When they do, they’re sure to think about how it would feel to be in those other shoes.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and let us know how you helped out someone in need this holiday season!

Halloween Math In the Classroom!

October 13, 2011

What’s a better time of year for fun math activities than Halloween? Costumes, candy and jack o’ lanterns are all fun things to think about, so why not use them to keep math interesting in your classroom! Math games, themed worksheets and graphing activities are all ways to connect the popular Halloween theme into your math program.

Here are some great math activities to do with young children during this fun fall season:

Candy Corn Math – Have your kids: count candy corn by 2′s, 5′s, or 10′s. After they group the candy they can eat some too!

Pumpkin Seed Estimation- How many seeds are inside the pumpkin? Estimate, scoop, dry the seeds and toast them for a delicious snack! Then count the actual amount before you eat them. Graph the estimations and compare with the actual number!

Bag of Critters Math Game- Fill a paper bag to the halfway mark with different colored plastic spiders. Try to have at least four different colors for this game. Taking turns, have the kids pick spiders out one by one, graphing how many of each color they get after they have picked ten. After the activity, children can compare their graphs to see who got the most of each color. Recording sheets can be prepared ahead of time.

This preschool number activity could also work with different colored gummy worms. In this case, the kids might enjoy the yucky feel of the worms as they reach into the bag. If the candy sticks together, try adding a small sprinkle of flour before the game begins.

Let us know some of the fun things you are doing in your classrooms as Halloween approaches!

How to Keep Reading in Your Child’s Homework

September 30, 2011

For years I’ve been teaching young children and watching the homework load increase as each fall semester goes by. Kindergarten children are now coming home with hours of worksheets and rote based work books. This has not yet equated to an increase in achievement rates or higher test scores, so why are we requiring it?

Many school districts have convinced teachers and parents that habits of homework in young children build skills necessary for the older grades when the expectations for heavy homework  kicks in. However, I still believe that young  children benefit from true down time after school and that instilling a love for reading during this time would benefit all children after long days in school.

In order to support your child’s success in school a key component is providing a structured routine for homework. Every family has their own schedules that work best for them, but the best time to complete your homework could be shortly after school has finished. That way your child is not too tired or hungry, and the day’s lessons are still fresh in their mind. Use your after school programs, if available, to help your child complete most of their assignments.

Once your child has completed their assignments, that’s when reading can help to create the down time you all need! Read together and independently and take time to chat about what you read. Take books to bed with you and keep reading to support your child’s work at home!

Back To School: 5 Ways To Promote Literacy In the Classroom

September 3, 2011 — 1 Comment

It’s that time again, Back to School for the teachers! With so much to do and lots of things to think about, it’s sometimes overwhelming to focus on decorating your classroom with respect to literacy. The good news is, it’s not that hard! Promoting literacy and language learning can come from the kids! Here’s a few ways you can lay the groundwork for your literacy program by using your students and self-designing your program.

Create Your Classroom Rules Together! Find out from your students what they know about respecting each other and their classroom. Post the rules you all create in a creative way using clear print and even photos of the children doing respectful things!

On-Going Word Walls and Literacy Centers are great language learning resources for students. Take your time to introduce your literacy center, and allow children to explore the space. A word wall is a wonderful way to help children feel success when facing the challenge of writing!

Create A School Community or Neighborhood Map! By identifying with the neighboring community you can promote authentic connections to people and places around your school. You can make a map of the school or the neighborhood and have the children draw and write about the important places that they know! This ongoing activity can help to fuel your social studies curriculum throughout the year.

Create Your Own Notebooks! Instead of giving your students plan notebooks or folders to store their writing samples, have them decorate their own! This type of creativity inspires ideas for writing and promotes ownership over their important work!

Write Your Own Class Newsletter! Have the students help to report about their learning in and out of the classroom through a newsletter to parents. When students feel that their learning is important they will be excited about sharing it with others! A class newsletter is a great way to get everyone involved in writing about the class curriculum!

Enjoy this time of new beginnings and let us know how you promote literacy learning at the start of school!

5 Ways to Instill A Love of Reading

July 22, 2011

Reading helps all of us in many areas of our lives. It helps people become successful in school and later in their careers. Avid reading allows us to grow as individuals by teaching us new information and by staying connected to our local and global communities.Reading can also help us become more compassionate and empathetic to others, as well as give us pure enjoyment and relaxation.

Instilling a love of reading in your child is one of the best gifts you can give them in their life. Here are 5 ways to do just that.

1. Read to them regularly, with expression and in different voices and then model reading in your daily life. Let your child see you read often. It can be cookbooks, magazines, the newspaper, novels or non-fiction.
2. Talk about the books or articles you have been reading. This is a great thing to do at dinner time or for 20 to 30 minutes after dinner. Share the excitement or intrigue you have experienced and enjoy how contagious this enthusiasm can be!
3. Find books that come with a CD either in bookstores or the library so your child can listen and follow along. This is also a fantastic way to encourage reluctant readers or to keep the motivation high for those children who are struggling with learning how to read.
4. Always give books as at least one part of a birthday, or holiday gift.
5. Take your child to the library regularly. It could be to participate in a library program or just to hang out and read. What about making every second Sunday your family’s library day and follow it up with a hot chocolate so you can all talk about the books you read?

Indoor and Outdoor Museums Promote Literacy Learning!

July 8, 2011

Summer is the time for extra curricular activities and what’s better then visiting your local museums? When you visit a museum, it’s important to spend time looking at the art, artifacts, animals or architecture!  By encouraging children to analyze what they see, you help them develop their imagination, critical thinking skills, and powers of observation. You also broaden their horizons and can inspire them to create masterpieces of their own. By making a museum trip an artistic adventure, it even gives you an opportunity to build children’s literacy skills.

Here are some easy ways to keep your children engaged in the museum experience:

• In an art museum, talk descriptively about what the artist created.
• Discuss the people, places, and things you see in the art, exhibits or hands-on science discoveries.
• Ask children to tell you what is happening or what is depicted in the work of art, diorama, or science discovery.
• Prompt children to discuss what they like or dislike and how they feel about what they’ve seen.
• Encourage children to bring a notebook to sketch or jot down their observations.
• Have children write a response to a particularly memorable work of art or experience when they get home.
• Encourage children to check out books from the library on an artist, animal, or topic in which they demonstrated the most interest.
• Like any school trip or family outing, museum adventures can engage children in a part of the world that they may have known little or nothing about. These experiences can inspire them to read about what they saw so they can learn more!

Let us know about your museum experiences this summer!

Summer Fun: Indoor Crafts and Outdoor Treasure Hunt!

July 3, 2011

Stay busy as the days warm up! Take time in the cooler hours both in the morning and the later afternoon to enjoy the outdoors, but when the heat or the summer rains come through, stay inside and get creative!

Here’s some fun and easy craft ideas and outdoor activities to keep your kids busy for hours:

Sand Sculptures: Use a sand dough and found objects to create your own sand sculpture! You can make your own shape or use a cookie cutter to create a mold for your creation. Use beads, sticks, twigs or sea shells to decorate the top of your sculpture!

Marbled Clay Beads: Use no-bake modeling clay, wooden skewers or tooth picks, and solid string or crafting laces to make your own beads! Mix and swirl your own colors into small medium or large balls, then carefully poke holes through the beads. Set them to dry overnight, then lace them the next day. This is a fun multi-step activity that can take two days to create!!

Treasure Map and Hunt: Create your own treasure map of your back yard, beach house or camp site! Stake out your site to get a good idea of where your hunt will be. Look for good places to hide your treasures and take note if you need to!

To make your map you can use a large piece of paper, distressed by crumpling and/or painted brown, crayons or pencils. Make sure you mark red or pink X’s on your map where the treasures are hiding!

Then, go and hide your treasures. Some ideas for treasures might include a small stuffed toy, a plastic fork, a stick with a scrap of material tied to it, and so on (don’t use food unless it is packaged and/or you will be finding it quickly…you don’t want unwanted animals in your treasure hunt!

To play the game, use a list of the treasures that need to be found and any other fun instructions (like: fill a bucket full of water and dump it on the garden!) you can either tell the player what they are looking for or give them a list. Hand them the map and paper bag. They are to use the pink or red X’s to find their treasures. Start the stopwatch and end it when they return with all the treasures. The player with the best time wins!

Have fun crafting and let us know if you succeed with a treasure hunt!