*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts. Thank you.*
Once again summer is upon us. The first day of summer hasn’t actually arrived yet but somehow we always equate summer beginning with the end of the school year. Hopefully your children had a more normal school year than the last one, but if you have been paying attention to news articles, it seems that reading scores and literacy rates are falling even lower here in Michigan. Everyone will tell you that the solution is to read over the summer. Simple right? Not necessarily. Forcing kids to read is not the answer and you know that telling them that something is good for them will just make them balk. The answer? Combine reading with fun activities that will also build background knowledge.
So grab some sunglasses and SPF and head for the outdoors, leaving that screen behind.
Nature Trails
Take a hike and see what you see. Fill a backpack with water, binoculars, a magnifying glass, a compass, flashlight and any other essentials you think you might need (a snack perhaps?) Also include a notebook and pen to jot down what you see or even bring a camera (or your phone) to take photos, which you can later use to create a scrapbook.
Some of our favorite books to encourage a love of nature:
Bird Watching:
For that budding ornithologist, grab some binoculars, a notebook and a pen and listen for the songs from our fine feathered friends to locate birds in your backyard, in the forest or just at the park. Something that can also be done from a bedroom window. Have children build a feeder or a birdhouse as a summer project. And make sure to read all about birds as well!
If these don’t appeal to your child, think about including other outdoor activities such as gardening (both veggies and flowers), camping, studying plants, trees, bugs, animals, rocks, lakes and oceans. Read both fiction and non-fiction books and head outside to explore the nature around you whenever you get the chance.
Looking for more titles about nature and gardening?
Browse through our book lists:
Happy reading and adventuring!
-Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 6) for Kate, and two sons (now 4 and 2) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
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On January 24, 2017, Fiona the Hippo was born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The first Nile Hippo to be born at the zoo in 75 years, Fiona arrived six weeks premature and weighed only 29 pounds. That's about 25 pounds lighter than the smallest Nile Hippo on record! Little Fiona faced many challenges, but with the dedicated, around-the-clock care of zoo staff and the assistance of medical staff from Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Fiona thrived! And now she will be turning 5 years old!
Fiona's story caught the attention of the world and she became a bit of a celebrity, which led to her being the star of a series of books illustrated by Richard Cowdrey :
In one of the newest Fiona stories, Fiona Helps a Friend, the adorable little hippo goes visiting her animal friends around the zoo, and as she does, she notices the zoo is rather quiet. She realizes she hasn’t heard Matilda the Kookaburra’s laughter all day, a fact that Fiona finds quite concerning. After learning that Matilda has been feeling a bit blue, Fiona knows just what she needs to do. In true Fiona fashion, with all her animal friends in tow, the plucky little hippo sets out to cheer Matilda up, but even their silliest antics and funniest moves don’t make the kookaburra even crack a smile. It seems Matilda has lost her laugh! Fiona and the other animals are determined to help their friend. A search throughout the zoo yields nothing, until they stumble upon a Lost and Found box and an impromptu dress up party commences, giving the spunky hippo an idea of how they can help their dear friend find her laugh. Longtime fans of Fiona the Hippo and new will not be disappointed with this story about the importance of friendship and helping others and the power of laughter.
*You can see Thane Maynard, Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, reading Fiona Helps a Friend to Fiona the Hippo herself in this YouTube video. 
And then you can get all the facts about Fiona's miraculous story of perseverance and survival in Maynard's book, Saving Fiona: The Story of the World's Most Famous Baby Hippo.
Fiona's spunky, positive attitude is inspiring and contagious and makes for a memorable, engaging storytime! After reading about Fiona, consider planning a family trip to go see her in the flesh in Hippo Cove at the Cincinnati Zoo. You won't regret it!
Happy reading!
-Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 6) for Kate, and two sons (now 4 and 2) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
November is National Picture Book Month,
a celebration of the enduring importance of the picture book to literacy, imagination, and discovery. 
Choosing the right picture book is important because it’s often the spark that gets children interested in books and reading and is also what can create a bond between a child and an adult as they sit together and share a book.
Picture books are often the first crucial piece in reading comprehension. They are visually stimulating building critical thinking skills as children look to see how the words and illustrations combine to create the story. Many picture books expose children to a vocabulary that is higher than their reading level with complex stories and vivid illustrations often exposing them to other cultures and ideas. This is why picture books are not only for the youngest child but should also be shared with both older children and adults. Looking at a picture book or listening to one being read aloud brings joy, stirs the imagination and allows a person to dream of possibilities, not only the listener, but the reader as well.
If you have been following our blogs you know that we continually extol the virtues of the picture book and reading aloud and so don’t want to turn into the parent telling you to eat your vegetables for they are good for you, but truly, there is nothing more satisfying than a good picture book.
So once again, picture books...
So take this month to celebrate the picture book, but please, continue to celebrate the picture book throughout the year. Picture books read aloud make great bonding moments and build memories. They also make great gifts for both young and old. Think baby shower gifts (high contrast for newborn, On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman or Someday by Alison McGhee), birthdays and holidays, wedding (we love I’m Sticking with You by Smriti Prasadam-Halls), graduation (Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss, What Do You Do With An Idea? By Kobi Yama) and even to celebrate an older adult’s birthday (You’re Only Old Once! By Dr. Seuss). Don’t forget to include a special message inside the cover. Books not only make great gifts but they encourage reading and open up worlds. Take time to celebrate the picture book now and throughout the year.
Happy reading this Picture Book Month!
-Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 6) for Kate, and two sons (now 3 and 2) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children. 
*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
A new, simple, hands-on toy. Curiosity piqued. Imagination ignited.
You can either seize the opportunity and extend the learning or let it pass by. I chose to grab hold of the curiosity and ran with it and boy did we have fun!
My daughter loves to build with PicassoTiles Magnet Building Tiles, so when my mother found a PicassoTiles Magnetic Drawing Board, she decided to get it as a special surprise. I thought, sure, sit and create a few pictures and the fun will wane, but to my surprise she absolutely loved it and it fueled such a curiosity about magnets that she went and gathered up all the magnets we have in the house, including some magnetic hematite stones. She proceeded to test and compare the power and strength of each magnet, discovered which magnets could bring up more balls from the drawing board at once and what other objects she could pick up using the magnets. She learned about the magnetic poles and that the magnets didn’t need to actually touch to attract. She then went around the house to see what the magnets would stick to (under strict orders not to go near any electronics) and if she could use her magnets to attract and move paperclips through paper and other materials.
Since she spent hours completely engrossed with this activity, and was so excited to show her grandfather what she had learned about magnets, I got onto our local library's website and found books on magnets, some informative and some just fun like The Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin. Remember that if you’re here in Michigan, you can request books through MeLCat, giving you access to a larger number of titles from across the state.
Magnet Books
Click on the cover image to learn more about each title.
This fascination with magnetism actually lasted for several days and I have actively encouraged it for as long as it would last, offering to sit and read one of the books about magnets to her as she explores and so on. Thinking about it, I realized that my daughter was actually using the scientific method without even realizing it. By experimenting with magnets, she:
Conclusion: learning doesn’t need to be formal, sit-down, or a boring lecture. Learning can be child directed, spontaneous, fun and active, so look for those moments when your child takes an interest and then expand the learning through hands-on experimentation and books.
Added bonus, more magnet news! While taking a walk in Dexter along their boardwalk, we saw three boys “magnet fishing.” They were dropping in various sized magnets attached to ropes into the river to see what treasures they could come up with. “A lot of railroad spikes” one boy informed us, “a piece of rebar and an assortment of other small metal pieces” another said. Another learning experience for my daughter and a great way to clean up the river!
Happy exploring and reading!
-Kate @ BTBL AuthorWe are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 6) for Kate, and two sons (now 3 and almost 2) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children. 
*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
You may have noticed a bit of radio silence here on our blog over the last few months. While I’ve been feeling a bit guilty that I haven’t shared any nuggets of wisdom or provided any tips or reading inspiration recently via this blog (I’ve been much better about keeping up with our Facebook page…are you following that??), I do not regret for a single moment the experiences my daughter and I have shared nor the memories we have made. Who ever said that the learning stops the minute the school year ends? In my opinion, summertime offers more opportunities for expanding a child’s background knowledge as the weather (generally speaking) affords a plethora of chances to connect with nature and a multitudinous variety of activities to partake in.
The weather warmed up relatively early here in Michigan this year, allowing us even more time than usual to enjoy the great outdoors and oh, what an incredible time it has been! The hiking, the swimming, the berry picking, the outdoor storytimes… For us, spending quality time together, being completely present in the moment rather than worrying about capturing photos to share later, has been so incredibly rewarding and opened our eyes to the wonders and beauty surrounding us.
The additional quality time spent with my daughter has also allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of her interests, what topics ignite her curiosity and put that sparkle of amazement in her eyes. Her excitement and wonder is contagious and has inspired me over these last few months to seek out books that compliment what we have been doing, seeing and experiencing. How have I been getting stacks and stacks of new books into our home? Believe it or not, I have not spent a single dime on books. No, seriously, not even a penny! Rather than make frequent trips to the bookstore or place a bunch of Amazon orders, I’ve been taking full advantage of our interlibrary loan system, the Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat).
I have been requesting titles through the MeLCat system that pertain to the activities we’ve been engaging in, the things we have been watching and talking about and the places we have visited:
So, I encourage you to take full advantage of the interlibrary loan system in your area to help your child make connections and build their background knowledge. And not just during the summer months! There are books out there to compliment almost every activity, event, happening, holiday…and your interlibrary loan system is there to help you get those books all year long!
Happy reading! -Kate @ BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 5) for Kate, and two sons (now 3 and 1) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children. |
AuthorWe are mom Sandra and daughters Amanda and Kate, all with backgrounds in literacy and education, who want to share our philosophy of taking the basics of life; books, simple toys that encourage play, imagination and creativity, and using cooking and baking to teach math and real life skills to raise happy, inquisitive children. Join us in exploring the old and the new and sifting through the myriad of research to consider what is best for our children. Archives
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