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Fostering a Love of Reading
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Summer Reading and Writing: Make It A Challenge!
May 21, 2011 — 2 Comments
As the summer months come closer, kids in school are getting excited about the freedoms from school schedules! Parents across the country are looking into camps and extra curricular activities to keep their youngsters busy, but there are also fun ways to encourage their literacy learning at home!
Make your child’s reading and writing success a challenge over the summer. Encourage their success by offering points for every book/article/magazine they read and added bonus points for any writing response they do. Make sure you require them to do at least 1 to 3 writing responses a week ensuring that they are stretching their comprehension and keeping up with their spelling and writing skills. After they acquire a certain number of points (20-50) they can cash them in for rewards.
Some fun ideas for rewards are:
- Watch the movie version of the story your child read. Curl up together (probably with a yummy bowl of popcorn) and enjoy! Discuss the book&movie similarities/differences when it’s over.
- Sweet treats are always nice: ice cream, popsicles or even watermelon wedges are all fun to have on a hot day!
- New books! For every 10 books your child reads, they can take a trip to the book store to get another one. What a great way to encourage their reading interest!
Keep us posted on your fun family challenges, and check with your local libraries for reading challenges in your community!!
End of the Year at School: Moving Up and Moving On!
May 18, 2011
The end of the school year is near and wow how we have grown! In these last couple months, it’s a good idea to reflect on the growth of the children. Youngsters experience a range of emotions at the end of the school year–from excitement about a long-awaited vacation to nervous anticipation about the next grade. Set the stage for a discussion about these feelings by reading aloud A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle. Explain to students that they have something in common with the crab–they are growing up. Just like the crab who outgrows one home and moves into another, students are nearing the end of this school year and will soon be ready for a new one. Give each child an opportunity to share one fond memory of this school year and one hope for the coming year. Be sure to tell about your memories and hopes, too!
There are many ways to celebrate the end of a year. Some teachers do “moving up” days or ceremonies, while others have graduations for children moving on to bigger places. Whatever you choose to do, make sure children are reassured and feel secure about this change. Involve parents and caregivers in this important process while taking time to discuss and write about the accomplishments of the year as well as the feelings about the unknown future.
Let us know how you celebrate the end of the year at your school!
Fun With Summer Reading!
May 15, 2011
It’s already time to start thinking about all the fun things you can do with literacy activities over your summer vacation! During these months there are many books to read, activities to do and literacy skills to build on. It’s a fact that many children regress with their skills over the summer months. To keep up with their literacy learning, reading and comprehension activities are key to their success! There are tons of engaging ways to keep your kids busy and learning as well as resources you can use in your own community. Here are some simple yet important things to keep in mind:
- READ! I know we say it always but books and stories of fact and fiction make great summer and travel companions. Both children and adults can learn from sharing their e-books, books on CD, traditional stories and love for reading. Bring your books with you and share them at home, on vacation, in the car, on a plane or a boat. Bring your books here and there and everywhere!
- Play Games: board games, memory games, made up games and comprehension games all help with literacy learning! Kids today spend a lot of time playing games on the computer, which can help with skill retention. However, games with a hands-on experience provide children of all ages the opportunity to problem solve and learn from one another!
- WRITE! Don’t forget to keep writing! Allow your kids to dictate, use story starters to create their own tales, and review their books to share with others. Staying in touch with writing skills is also key in maintaining their literacy learning.
Have fun organizing your summer reading and literacy activities! Keep us posted on any summer reading success!
The Toddler and the App
February 23, 2011
One of the great things about the iPhone and iPad is how easy it is to use. You can give it to a 2.5-year-old or a 100-year-old, and they can pick up the features and nuances almost immediately. The iPhone and iPad have become the go-to toy for toddlers!
At MeeGenius, we are always looking for new opportunities to make education fun and entertaining. We have recently partnered with So Smart! to publish their Baby’s First-Word Stories. These books not only read to your children but provide them with beautiful illustrations that are simple yet share with them the details of everyday tasks in their lives. In addition to MeeGenius, there are some awesome apps out there to entertain your toddler.
While we love the iPhone and iPad, we must also consider toddlers’ exposure to these devices. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under the age of two should not be exposed to television and other screens as their brains are sensitive to color and sound. For toddlers over the age of two, it is recommended not to expose them for over 2 hours per day.
Enjoy So Smart! and let us know what apps you enjoy!
Valentine’s Day for Kids
February 8, 2011
Next Monday is Valentine’s Day. And to get you in the spirit, here’s a round up of our favorite craft ideas for the holiday. In addition to these great ideas, you can use Valentine’s Day to inspire kids to write poems and their own stories about LOVE!
-Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Learn some history to enhance the Day of Love.
-Don’t want your classroom to be too luvey-duvey? We love these monster cards. Put a little bit of edge into Valentine’s Day!
- I have never heard of an “inchie,” but this project came out really well and is adorable. It is also a great way for kids to get to know each other in the classroom.
-Not in the mood to make a card, Shiny Brite has some wonderful options for creative cards on the market.
-We love cookies! Here’s a great recipe to get them at the tummy!
For more ideas, follow us on Twitter!
Sing Your Way To Reading Success!
February 2, 2011
Does singing simple songs boost linguistic intelligence or language development?
As a preschool teacher for many years and a new mom singing my days away, I truly believe that, yes, singing and language skills are interconnected. The patterns of words, rhymes, rhythms and tonal qualities inherent in songs are incorporated easily and naturally by children as they learn to speak and, eventually, to read.
Singing together provides a joyful way to expand your child’s spoken vocabulary and creates a strong bond. One of the greatest ways to encourage literacy is simply to talk to your kids, singing takes this to the next level.
Songs and books are both sequences of events, and so singing provides fundamental skills kids use in school. As your child starts to explore sounds and put them in order, she is engaged in a developmental behavior critical not only in musical development but also in pre-reading skills.
Here are some tips on how to use songs and singing in everyday life, making music a joyful part of emerging literacy:
- Make up silly songs about everyday activities, like brushing teeth, getting dressed, or cleaning up. Use a familiar melody or invent your own.
- Explore your family’s roots and traditions when looking for songs to sing.
- Go to the library to find books based on songs (e.g. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Baby Beluga, Old McDonald), and/or music CD’s based on books — then go home and sing them together.
- Have grandma or grandpa make a recording using our personalized option at MeeGenius.com of a favorite book to read to your child. Preschoolers are fascinated by the sound of their voices, and this provides a memorable connection around music!
In Memory of Jack LaLanne
January 25, 2011
Yesterday, a pioneer of American fitness passed away. Jack LaLanne was 96.
As his life is remembered in the coming days, it can give us reason to reflect on ourselves and how we perceive exercise and what we pass on to the future generation. As a child, the highlight of our year in gym was The President’s Challenge. I watched a lot of TV as a kid, so this was not my favorite activity. However, it was the one time during the year where I pushed myself and got to see how strong I really was. Learning about our bodies is a great way to think about our minds. We can always work harder than we think we can!
If the President’ Challenge is not in your child’s school there are some ways you can teach your child that exercise is important. You can take a cue from First Lady Michelle Obama, and get moving with your child. You can also find videos and group sports in your neighborhood that will make it fun for your child to get active. Another idea is to read. Yes, read. While reading will not work your myocardium , books about exercise, dance or any activity can pass on healthy values to your children, as well as spark conversation about what it means to be fit.
(For an extra kick, check out vintage Jack LaLanne videos!)
What’s In A Name?
January 22, 2011
There’s a good chance that a child’s first experience with reading and learning to look at print has to do with the child’s own name. Children who are connecting print to themselves begin to notice print in their environment.
As a preschool teacher for many years, I often have parents come and ask me if I have taught the children how to write their names or how to read letters. My usual response is, “We have their name printed in as many places as we can, that way the children can use their name as an important resource in learning to read.“
Most young children build a sort of network of understanding around their names that help them figure out words, sequencing of letters, meaning of words, the direction of written word, that other words start or end like their name and even that words can be put together to make a message.
Make your child’s experience with learning letters authentic by connecting written language to his or her name. Print their name in a large block letter font on a name card or half a sheet of 8.5×11 paper and include a photograph of the child. You can use this name card for many pre-literacy activities including letter/sound recognition practice and writing skills and the more you use it in the child’s environment, the more they will recognize the same letters in new places!
Reacting to the Tragedy in Arizona
January 10, 2011
By now, everyone has heard about the tragedy in Arizona, the alleged assassination attempt on Rep. Giffords and the deaths of innocent people, including a child. But how do we overcome such sadness? How do we explain this horror to children?
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day coming up, it is very appropriate to ask these questions. How can we turn ideas and actions of hate into a time of learning love for others, no matter how different. Here are some ideas:
-The official title for MLK Day is the MLK Day of Service. Take your children to volunteer anywhere in the community. Give them a sense of a world bigger than their own. The official government site has ideas on how to achieve this as well as on how to join a project.
-Other activities include coloring sheets and crossword puzzles for kids to learn about MLK Jr.
-And don’t forget reading is a great way to connect with your children and share stories. To add to the sharing, encourage your children to write their own stories about when they were nice to a friend, sibling or anyone. If they are not writing yet, they can color pictures to tell their story.
With sadness comes an opportunity for growth. Please share any of your ideas for celebrating MLK Jr. Day and helping in spreading respect and tolerance around this country.
Know Your Reader
January 4, 2011
Listen to your children read aloud. Do you often wonder what stage your child is experiencing in the reading process? What level is your child currently reading? These are good questions to ask yourself when thinking about how to help your child develop the appropriate skills for reading fluently.
There are ways to determine whether or not your child is an emergent reader, an early reader, a transitional reader or a fluent reader. Emergent readers need books that reflect their oral language, contain a strong match of pictures to text and relate to experiences they have had or subjects they can relate to.
Early readers use a variety of strategies for words they don’t know how to read, like sounding out letters or reading past a word to then come back to try again. Early readers still use pictures to help confirm what the text says and they enjoy reading stories over and over.
Transitional readers like to read a lot of series books. Through their shared characters, settings and events, these books support a child’s development just as the repetitive language and structure of text supported them when they were beginning to learn how to read.
Finally, fluent readers have acquired the basic skills needed for reading and spend their time developing their proficiency and higher levels of comprehension through challenging text, research skills, and organization skills applied to their strategies.
A fun way to track your child’s progress with reading is to keep a log. Record the books they have read and when they completed them. You can even write down their thoughts and ideas about the story to help further their comprehension skills!
