Back to Basics Literacy

Words to Remember: Poetry Books for Kids

3/29/2021

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”
Robert Frost

Often the first words read to a young child come in the form of a nursery rhyme, poem or some sort of verse. Young children are instinctively drawn to rhymes and the rhythmic pattern of language found in poetry. Reading poetry to your little one also has the added benefit of aiding in the development of literacy skills. With April being National Poetry Month, now is the perfect time to share your favorite poems with your child or find some new favorites together.

As a child, I’m sure that you heard many different nursery rhymes but now as an adult, your brain has made room for more important things, like trying to remember the last time you got eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Never fear! To the rescue is the book Humpty Who? A Crash Course in 80 Nursery Rhymes for Clueless Moms and Dads by Jennifer Griffin. Each nursery rhyme comes with a bit of background information and the book comes equipped with a 35-song sing-along CD. The Australian author and educationalist Mem Fox, who specializes in literacy stated in her book Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, that “experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.” This does not mean you need to drill poems into your child each day but as you continually repeat nursery rhymes, poems and verses with your child, they will learn them by heart or commit them to memory and be able to recall them with ease. Most children enjoy learning and reciting poems by heart. By memorizing a poem, they are learning vocabulary, as well as spelling and grammar; all important reading skills.

Though reading skills are important, remember to look for poems that speak to you and your child. Poetry can speak to a person in ways that a story might not so don’t look for poems to instruct but for poems to enhance your life, be they humorous, thought-provoking or comforting. You can learn more about the benefits of reading and writing poetry in our previous blog, From Words to Poetry, and browse our list of Nursery Rhymes & Poetry books for additional recommendations.

Happy Poetry 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 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.

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A Storybook Trail during Maple Syrup Season

3/25/2021

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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

Have you ever found that you scout out a destination, pile the kids into the car and spend the better part of the day driving to your activity only to come home and then find out that you had one practically in your backyard? Well that’s what recently happened to me. As you probably know by now, I absolutely love books and I also love nature and combining the two is a win-win situation and so, I love storybook walks. I had found a couple in Ohio and then scanning through the Metro Parent magazine one day, I found that there is one right in Chelsea. The Chelsea District Library, in partnership with Washtenaw County parks, puts up a Storybook Trail in Baker Woods Preserve. Because I am homeschooling right now, I thought a storybook trail would make an awesome field trip and get us out in nature, while still learning, and the story being featured just happened to align perfectly with our current subject focus: maple syrup!

Since the beginning of March is when the sap really gets flowing and maple madness begins, my daughter and I visited the maple syrup farm, H&H Sugarbush, in Chelsea during their Michigan Maple weekend to learn firsthand all the ins and outs of tapping trees, boiling sap and making pure maple goodness. We got to walk through the woods to see the taps and lines and then visited the sugarhouse itself to see the huge evaporator. Oh, what a smell! We left with two kinds of syrup (one amber and one dark), maple cream and maple candy and went directly home and made some pancakes.

Then the next day we visited the Storybook Trail mentioned above and they happened to be featuring a book on maple syrup called Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton. In the story you get to join a family as they go about making maple syrup step-by-step, from placing the taps to boiling down the sap. This was a great compliment and finish to our own experience at H&H Surgarbush, as we were able to reflect on all that we had seen as we read the story and explored the trail.

I truly believe that the best way for children, and really anyone, to learn is through first-hand experience and that is what our fieldtrip to H&H Sugarbush Farm provided and the Storybook Trail reinforced all that she saw and learned in a great setting. So look for seasonal goings-on in your area and pair them with a story book for a unique learning opportunity.

Happy learning!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Read Your Way To A Good Meal Together

3/18/2021

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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

As we sat down to a meal of corned beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes and soda bread on Wednesday, I thought of how food plays such a central part in not only identifying who we are but in teaching us about life. We aren’t Irish but still enjoy the holiday with good food, stories, music and shamrocks. In our house, we tend to go from holiday to holiday planning early for what we will cook, searching for new recipes, creating a menu and looking for storybooks to teach about, compliment or enhance the holiday experience.

We here at BTBL always encourage families to bond through cooking and books. Reading through and choosing recipes, going to the store to search for ingredients, and then cooking and baking together...these activities foster stronger bonds and create lasting memories. Look for storybooks that go along with upcoming holidays or books that celebrate both cooking and reading, such as The Storybook Cookbook by Carol MacGregor, Cooking with Mother Goose: Nursery Rhymes and the Recipes they Inspire by Lacey J. Mauritz, Fairytale Baking: Delicious Treats Inspired by Hansel & Gretel, Snow White and other Classic Stories by Christin Geweke, Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen and Cook Me a Story or Cook Me a Rhyme by Brian Kozlowski.

Use holidays to learn something new about other people and their culture and then celebrate the time together with a book. Browse through our Baking, Cooking, Gardening & Food Related books list for additional title suggestions.

Happy reading and cooking together!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Oh, the places you'll go when you read!

2/27/2021

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Celebrating National Read Across America Day!

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t heard of a Dr. Suess character such as The Grinch, The Cat in the Hat and The Lorax or wondered, can I really make green eggs and ham? Each year Dr. Seuss’ birthday is celebrated in conjunction with National Read Across America Day, a day that was established by the National Education Association in 1998 to get kids excited about reading. This year with so many children learning at home, the task will fall to parents to get their children excited about reading.

So how does a parent get a child excited about reading? One way is to read to them. Reading aloud to a child allows them to hear stories that they themselves may not be able to read on their own yet. Remember, a child’s listening comprehension exceeds their reading comprehension because listening skills appear first and so a child is able to comprehend the spoken word before they are able to read it on their own. Reading to a child increases their vocabulary, attention span and focus.

Recently it seems that Dr. Seuss books have come under great scrutiny and are being challenged. What we would like to remind parents is to take into consideration the year and time in history when any book is written. In the time that Dr. Seuss books were written, the world was a very different place socially and politically. History is not always pretty and PC but it’s what has made us who we are today. We feel it’s important to help children learn about and understand our history, warts and all. In order to move forward, we have to understand where we have been so don’t ignore our history and don’t alter it. Embrace all books and use them as an opportunity for open discussion and to impart your values. Take the time to conduct further research into that period of our history and look for non-fiction books as well to further understand and teach. Remember that today is going to be your children’s and their children’s history.

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Reading can give us joy, teach, impart wisdom and build background knowledge. Help your child discover what their passion is and then find books to feed that passion. Finding books on what they like helps to get them excited about reading or find some fun books and then just READ!

Happy reading throughout March and all year long!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Learning at Home: States and Capitals

2/4/2021

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In one of my recent posts, I talked about the challenges of homeschooling and how to find the unexpected learning opportunities and then voila, one came our way.

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

My daughter receives Highlights magazines and the last one included state stickers. She didn’t really care at first until we sat down and I read each sticker with her and we discussed why they chose the picture they did to represent each state. She might be a weird child, but she totally embraced this activity and insisted on reading them several times over, so I thought, hey, I can use this.

To transform this simple activity into a full blown lesson, I found a free printable, blank map of the states online. Together we placed each state sticker in it’s appropriate place (or as close to) with the help of a giant atlas.

Upon completing the map, we read the book Hello Kitty Hello USA!: A Celebration of All Fifty States by Higashi Glaser and looked at each state, learning what they are known for, their motto, state bird etc. A truly fun book to explore.

Have you ever noticed that when you start something new, suddenly you find it everywhere? That’s what happened here. The next day I went to TJ Maxx and there in the toy department was a Match It States and Capitals puzzle, as well as a floor puzzle.

So this week my daughter has been immersed in geography and she actually loves doing it and it has led to further exploration and songs about states on YouTube. I’m sure the excitement will eventually fade but learning has occurred and knowledge gained and that’s all a parent can hope for.

Happy learning!

-Kate @ BTBL

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Back to Basics

Words to Remember: Poetry Books for Kids

“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”
Robert Frost

Author

A Storybook Trail during Maple Syrup Season

Author

Read Your Way To A Good Meal Together

Author

Oh, the places you'll go when you read!

Celebrating National Read Across America Day!

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

Learning at Home: States and Capitals

Author

Author

Archives

Categories

Back to Basics

Words to Remember: Poetry Books for Kids

“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”Robert Frost

Author

A Storybook Trail during Maple Syrup Season

Author

Read Your Way To A Good Meal Together

Author

Oh, the places you'll go when you read!

Celebrating National Read Across America Day!

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”-Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

Learning at Home: States and Capitals

Author

Author

Archives

Categories

“A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.”
Robert Frost

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.