“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder” |
There is no need to “teach” or “instruct” but rather allow the natural learning process to unfold. For example, I recently gave my three-year-old daughter a felt cookie jar filled with felt cookies. My mother and I were busy on our computers one day when my daughter took them out to play and I just started chanting “Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?” She quickly caught on and it became a spontaneous moment of fun between my daughter, myself and my mother. Later I chanted it with her again adding the hand gestures and now every time she gets that cookie jar out, she starts the chant and hand gestures, which she has committed to memory. I did not “teach” her and I did not stop and show her each movement, I just did it and she watched and followed and naturally picked it up.
|
(Child's name) stole the cookies from the cookie jar.
Who me?
Yes you!
Couldn’t be!
Then who?
(repeat with name of next person)
Happy rhyming!
-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 editions, a daughter for Kate (now 3) and a son for Amanda (now 1.) 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.
Picture Books
Chapter Books
Happy baking and reading!
"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom."
-Robert Frost-
Pointless, too scholarly or just plain boring is what has been said by some about reading poetry but perhaps they just haven’t been introduced to poetry that speaks to them. Poetry can be narrative, dramatic or lyrical. It can be serious or it can be humorous. There are many types of poetry and so many poets, both classic and modern that in honor of April being Poetry Month, we are asking you to afford poetry a bit of time in your daily life. Explore and share some poetry, for reading poetry truly does enhance one’s life.
- Poetry can be a quick read when time is short or listeners have short attention spans. Ideas and emotions can be conveyed within a few lines and when children wish to express their own emotions in writing, they can do so in a few lines of poetry.
- Young children are instinctively drawn to rhymes and the rhythmic pattern of language in poetry and when children learn and recite poems, they are learning vocabulary, spelling, grammar and phonemic awareness.
- Vocabulary improves with reading and writing poetry. Words need to fit into the rhythm and flow of the poem and those words may not always be the ones that are generally used in everyday conversation, so new words are learned from reading or sought out in writing poetry.
- Memorization skills are developed naturally through listening to and reciting poetry and rhymes. As nursery rhymes, poems and verses are repeated to a child they will learn them by heart or commit them to memory and be able to recall them with ease. Memorization strengthens the power of the mind and exercises the brain. It will help an individual to build up and store a wealth of knowledge that can be called upon later in life.
“Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture
and if possible, speak a few sensible words.”
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe-
*Note: this post contains Amazon affiliate links. Each purchase made via the links provided helps support our literacy efforts!
James’s latest holiday title is quite possibly his most humorous and fun yet! When Tiny the Elephant discovers the Easter Bunny stuck in a log he decides he must help in any way he can. The most obvious way to lend assistance? Take on the role of Easter Bunny himself, of course! You and your little bunny will be entranced by the flow of the rhyming text and whimsical illustrations as Tiny the Elephant learns that being a bunny is not so easy after all. Have even more fun with the story when you read a region specific edition for the area you live in, for example Tiny the Michigan Easter Bunny.
Following the cumulative, building structure of The House That Jack Built and using rhyming text, this title explains the religious origins of the Easter holiday in an understandable. approachable way for young listeners. The repetitive text paired with the bright, detailed illustrations will have the whole family engaged.
We picked up a copy of this book at a library used book sale over a year ago and it is still one of my little bunny’s all-time favorites, regardless of the time of year. Peter Cottontail and his staff are preparing all of the eggs, goodies and baskets for the children of Sunnyside. Lift-the-flap elements on every page keep little listeners engaged in the story as they discover opposites, shapes, numbers and hidden treats!
Is any holiday complete without reading one of Wing’s The Night Before… books? This take on a classic holiday poem features the Easter Bunny as the bringer of goodies this time around and faithfully follows the rhythm and tone of the original poem, The Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas) by Clement C. Moore.
Author
We 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
June 2022
January 2022
November 2021
September 2021
July 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
July 2017
April 2017
September 2016
August 2016
Categories
All
ABC Books
Alphabet Books
Arbor Day
Autumn/Fall
Background Knowledge
Back To School
Ballet Books
Banned Books Week
Board Books
Book Advent Calendar
Book Finds
Book Quotes
Books
Book Sales
Bookworm Bakers
Boredom
BTBL Rocks
Bugs/Insects
Calendars
Censorship
Children's Book Week
Christmas
Coloring
Cooking
Creativity
Dewey Decimal System
Dr. Seuss
Early Literacy
Earth Day
Easter
Environmental Print
Extended Activities
Fairy Gardens
Fairy Tales
Family Literacy Month
Farmers Markets
Flowers
Gardening
Get Caught Reading Month
Gratefulness
Halloween
Hands-On
Hanukkah
Holidays
Homeschooling
Imaginative Play
Inspiration
Intellectual Freedom
Kids In The Kitchen
Kindergarten
Kindness
Kindness Rocks Project
Language
Learning
Libraries
Library Card Sign-up Month
Magnets
Manners & Etiquette
Math
Natural Playgrounds
Natural Reader
Nature
New Year Resolutions
Number Books
Nursery Rhymes
Outdoor Play
Picture Books
Play
Poetry
Puzzles
Read Across America
Reading
Reading Aloud
Reading Comprehension
Reading Month
Repetition
School Libraries
Screen Free Week
Spring
STEM
Storytelling
Storytime
Summer
Summer Slide
Teaching
Tell A Fairy Tale Day
Thanksgiving
Toys
Unplug
Used Books
Valentine's Day
Vocabulary
Winter
Winter Books
Words & Word Play
World Read Aloud Day