4 Book Series for Beginning Readers
Sergio Ruzzier’s 4 books about two best friends, nonstop Chick and logical Fox — Up and Down; The Party; The Quiet Boat Ride; The Sleepover—are a perfect series for a beginning reader. Each book has 3 short Chapters that play on the title’s themes, filled with sight words, word blends, rhyming endings, basic punctuation marks.…
Read MoreWe’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
Come Along – Learn and Have Fun I was recently reminded of the classic story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt seeing a 4-year-old leaving a local bookstore with the book clutched in her hand and a big smile on her face. This prompted me to reread this fun early family ‘drama’ adventure that takes…
Read MoreHow to Start Building Math Confidence in Preschool
Teachers can get kids comfortable with math concepts by using numeracy-focused vocabulary in everyday classroom activities. Math has a terrible reputation. Many people are convinced that math is either boring or too difficult. Fortunately, young children aren’t jaded—yet! Math learning doesn’t start with numbers on a worksheet. The way we use and talk about numbers,…
Read MoreThe Case for Cursive Writing in Schools
24 states in the US now require cursive handwriting to be taught in schools. And hopefully more to come. Even abandoned ‘print-handwriting’ (connecting print letters) lessons have started again in some areas. Some educators claim it takes too much time to teach and isn’t useful in the 21st century. BUT the positive benefits for cursive…
Read MoreSchool – Be a Friend
It’s not always easy for young children starting in Preschool or Kindergarten to feel comfortable in a new setting. It is a big step leaving their own home territory, their parents, their toys. Parents can set the tone for what to expect – how to see it as an opportunity to make friends, engage in new activities, and become more independent. It can take time for some children to settle in.
Read MoreSwimming at Age One
It’s summer and time to swim. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends one-year-olds can start learning how to swim; they are old enough to lift their heads out of the water, but infants can also start learning with proper instruction and support. Babies one and younger haven’t learned to be afraid or traumatized by water-yet!
Read MoreChores are a GOOD Thing for Children
Parents know it is easier to just do the picking up, vacuuming, putting dishes in the dishwasher and emptying, washing dishes, setting the table, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning out the dog water bowl and refilling it with fresh water, food prep and lunch packing – themselves. It’s faster, easier, and usually with better results. BUT by not having your child routinely participate in these actions, you are essentially withholding emotional and life-skill benefits from your child. Seriously.
Read MoreMoon Rabbit
A couple months ago I joined a virtual one-book read aloud with the school that my grandchildren attend. I was assigned a chapter in Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon part of a trilogy. Minli hears her father’s stories of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon and sets off to somehow find good fortune for her family. She meets magical characters on her quest. Read all 3 companion books.
Read MoreKorean Historical Fiction for children: Author Linda Sue Park
4 months ago, I started knitting a throw blanket. It is completed and now fits a Queen size bed. I kept adding. Staying at home more has given me a chance to watch several TV series set in different countries – all subtitled – particularly Korean historical dramas and contemporary shows. Of course, this has prompted me to find children’s books set in Korea, both historical and modern.
Read MoreUP and DOWN Forests
Reading about trees brings me into forests. Just as trees come in a vast variety, so do forests. Here are books about two types of forests I’ve found to share with children ages 5-8 are: When Butterflies Cross the Sky by Sharon Cooper and Kelp (World’s Weirdest Plants Series) by Patricia Fletcher.
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