School is back in session, there is a chill in the air, pumpkin spice lattes are back and I even had a fire in the fireplace for the first time in over five months… Fall has arrived! As an educator and mom, I love the combination of reading books followed by an “extension activity”. Extension activities have lots of benefits such as getting children excited to read and teaching them how to connect a book to real life. Activities give a child a chance to use the language from the book in a new way and of course, you have more positive parent-child interaction! Extension activities take reading to a whole new and exciting level and don’t need to be time consuming or cost money. This summer I fell in love with Usborne books after a friend of mine introduced them to me. There are a unique comp...
Although we all know it is impossible that everyone has babies in October and April, why does it always seem that we are suddenly swamped with birthday parties then? There is festivity in the air now with the leaves changing colors, Halloween celebrations at school and more birthday cupcakes and sugar rushes than any of us would ever wish on a teacher. With that slew of birthdays comes the tricky navigation of birthday gifts: how much to spend, what girls like at that age if you are a parent of boys, is his mom going to shun me if I get her son a toy gun, a drum or a video game? Those are the easy questions. Go with your gut. Don’t overspend. These days, the tough ones are: • When the invitation says no gifts, what do you do? • When the invitation says, “Johnnie would prefer a donation to ...
Research shows that by three years old, the learning pathways of a child’s brain are 90% developed. This is why it is so important that from the time a baby is born, parents and caregivers are engaging them in simple activities so they are ready to learn and read even before preschool. There are so many things you can do with young children to help them enjoy language, books and reading. Remember, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. Here are some easy tips to integrate into your everyday life: READ: Read a book with your baby and describe the pictures. Play I-Spy with a letter or object while reading a book. Have your child repeat words and sounds and turn the pages while sharing a book. Also, read a book yourself, and show them your love of reading. SING: Sing the alpha...
In my previous post I talked about the importance of kids reading and engaging in literacy-rich activities over the summer and gave some tips on how to make it fun! While we always encourage kids to choose their own books to read, we find that providing suggested reading lists sometimes helps them along. Here are some books that the Denver Public Library recommends based on this year’s Summer of Reading state-wide themes: “Dig Into Reading” and “Beneath the Surface.” Many of these selections are new books, classics or from award-winning authors.
Twenty minutes a day. It’s the standard homework assignment. With good reason — practice makes “better.” Only, it’s not a happy time at my house. My daughter (A.) has not inherited my passion for books. Since I began reading, I have read for fun, pleasure, escape, and learning. A. not so much. And, the irritating thing is that I’ve done all the “right things” – read to her at bedtime, during the day, standing on my head, and all around town. We’ve made weekly library visits, checking out bags full of books. We have books everywhere — collected from yard sales, used book stores, and new book stores. I read myself – which is good modeling for her. Right? But, I digress. This post is about books – and a picture books to help kids like mine who struggle with reading, ...
Fancy, fussy food isn’t likely to be welcomed at the children’s table. But kid-friendly presentation, from colorful ingredients to playful plates, can ensure that nutritious meals are eaten, not artfully avoided. “If you present food in a playful way, kids are much more likely to try it,” said Shannon Payette Seip. She’s a mom and the co-author of a new cookbook, “Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun With Food” (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $14.99). Seip and business partner Kelly Parthen (a Colorado mom!) drew inspiration for the cookbook from their popular cafe and cooking school in Middleton, Wis. Bean Sprouts is a family- oriented spot that features fresh, healthful food in fun new ways. We’re not talking the old ants-on-a-log sna...