Blog Archives

Spring Into Reading!

2/25/2019

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

The March saying, “in like a lion, out like a lamb” makes us wonder what the month will bring after an already interesting winter here in Michigan. March is also designated as National Reading Month and March 2 is the birthday of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss, as well as Read Across America Day. We at BTBL enjoy Dr. Seuss books filled with silly words and rhymes and are saddened when we read about groups wishing to ban some of his books. We don’t agree with banning any books but instead to discuss concerns with your children before and after you read the book. You also have to take into account the historical context of any book and the world climate, the author’s background and what was taking place at the time it was written. You cannot alter history and we feel that challenged books make for an excellent learning opportunity.

"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory."
- Dr. Seuss

Regardless, whether you choose to include Dr. Seuss titles or not, we hope that you will fill the month with books. Use this month to:

Read aloud to your child(ren) every day and hopefully it will become a habit if it isn’t already.
Share a favorite book from your childhood.
Extend a story with an activity to make it memorable (follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for additional ideas not found on our blog)
Create or join a book club or just get together with other parents and children to read a book and do a craft. Turn it into a readers theatre.
Encourage your child(ren) to read to a pet or to a favorite plush book buddy. Research has shown that reading to a pet or book buddy helps struggling readers gain confidence because they don’t feel so self-conscious or judged.
Visit your local library to participate in the many activities offered during National Reading month.
Visit a local bookstore to look at their displays and peruse new titles. Choose a store you haven’t been to before. Don’t forget about used bookstores too. You never know what books you'll find when browsing at a used bookstore or sale.

Special Days in March

March is a month filled with nods to literacy. In addition to March being National Reading Month, the 14th is Pi Day as well as Albert Einstein’s birthday, the Ides of March on the 15th, the 17th St. Patrick’s Day and author/illustrator Kate Greenaway's birthday, the 21st World Poetry Day and the 22nd illustrator Randolph Caldecott’s birthday. All of these occasions offer wonderful opportunities for reading and learning.

14th: Pi Day – Celebrate the never-ending number with Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander or grab a slice of pie and read a pie book with your little ones. Refer back to our blog Celebrate National Pie Day with a slice of pie and a storybook to see a list of books all about pie!

Albert Einstein’s Birthday – “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” – Albert Einstein.
There is no argument that Albert Einstein was intelligent. He along with many others recognize the value in reading fairy tales. Celebrate the day by reading your favorite fairy tale. If you don’t have a favorite, check out our Fables, Folktales & Fairy Tales list for some recommended titles. Also, learn about Einstein’s life by sharing a picture book biography such as On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne and/or I Am Albert Einstein by Brad Meltzer.

15th: Ides of March - The soothsayer’s warning to “beware the Ides of March” opens up an opportunity for you to learn about Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s play as well. Consider reading the Who Was? series or History for Kids. Plays are fun to read aloud as, by nature, character reading is done with more feeling and inflection, which aids in fluency and comprehension. Try Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar for Kids by Brendan P. Kelso.

17th: St. Patrick’s Day – Celebrate the foremost patron saint of Ireland by going a little bit green. One of our favorite stories to read aloud in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day is The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing. Check your local library or book store for St. Patrick’s Day displays and more book suggestions.

Kate Greenaway’s Birthday – The Kate Greenaway Medal, established in 1955, honors the legacy of the British author and illustrator it is named for and is awarded annually to a UK illustrator of children’s books. Paving the way for authors and illustrators such as Beatrix Potter, Greenaway is most famous for her children’s book illustrations of Victorian children wearing her version of late 18th century and Regency fashions.

20th: Vernal Equinox (First Day of Spring) - Celebrate the time of transition from blustery cold, gray days to warm sunshine filled ones. Spring is considered to be a time of rebirth with flowers pushing up through the earth and the new buds waiting to blossom on trees. Some of our favorite books to share at this time of year are Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler, Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray, A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee.

21st: World Poetry Day – “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom” – Robert Frost
A time to appreciate and support poets and poetry! One of our favorite picture book poems to read aloud is All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon. Share your favorite poems and discover new ones. Take a look at our Poetry & Nursery Rhymes list for anthology recommendations and read our previous blog From Words to Poetry to learn about the benefits of reading poetry.

22nd: Randolph Caldecott’s Birthday – The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of British artist and illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Choose a Caldecott Medal winner from 1938 to present to share with your child. Look for the gold Caldecott medal on the cover of books when browsing at your local library or book store or take a look at this list of medal winners from the American Library Association. Interesting fact...Caldecott and Greenaway (mentioned above) were both born in March of 1846 and worked as illustrators during the Victorian era.

Enjoy this month in celebration of reading but continue throughout the year to place reading at the forefront and instill in your children the value of books. Most of all, just bond with your children and read, read, READ! These times when they are young are all too precious and end all too soon, so cherish the reading aloud snuggles while they last.

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 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.

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Pizza, Pizza!

2/11/2019

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As parents, we know that weekends can be hectic so we hope that you were able to take advantage of the many pizza deals this past Saturday in honor of National Pizza Day to give you a break from cooking. We at BTBL love the idea of pizza as both an enjoyable meal to prepare with children as well as a fun learning experience.

     As a meal, you really can’t go wrong with pizza. Pizza allows for so many crust options to choose from as well as seemingly endless toppings so you can please even the pickiest of eaters and sneak in some healthy veggies. Pizza is also fun to prepare and all ages can participate by kneading the dough or placing toppings. The best part is that pizza can be turned into a learning experience without it seeming like a lesson.

     We love the whole dough experience when we make pizza though you could opt for a quicker easier crust (which is great for lunches) such as prepared dough, a pre-made crust, naan, lawash or pita bread, flour tortillas, English muffins, bagels or anything else that can be turned into a crust.

     If you too want the full dough experience, you can use our favorite basic dough recipe or any other you like. We choose not to use a mixer, enjoying instead mixing it by hand. Do what works best for you.

Basic Dough – If you need dough, here you go!
This dough be used for rolls, pizza or even cinnamon rolls. Alter to suit your needs and taste even adding garlic or other spices for a more savory crust.

1 cup milk or water
1/3 cup butter or oil
2 packets yeast
1/4 cup sugar (optional for pizza crust)
1 ½ tsps. salt
1 egg
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (for a chewier crust use bread flour)

Proof yeast in a small bowl by dissolving it in 1 tsp. sugar and 1/4 cup warm water. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until frothy. Place milk and butter in a sauce pan and heat until butter is melted. Do not boil. Let cool. In a large bowl combine the milk and butter, yeast, sugar, salt and egg. Add the flour and knead until well incorporated. Add additional flour if needed and knead until dough is no longer sticky and is soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place, for approximately 1 hour. When dough is ready, punch down and roll out on a floured surface to desired shape and size and top with marinara sauce or oil, then various cheeses, meats and vegetables to suit individual taste. Bake in a 400° oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Include your child when making dough, to measure and count the cups of flour. For more dough, double the recipe, which can be a great math lesson as well. Kneading the dough is also a wonderful tactile experience. For the littlest ones, give them a bit of their own dough to work. My three-year-old loves to play with dough, but will work it until it is so stiff that it really can’t be used for baking anymore, though it was a good hands-on experience and kept her happy and busy.

Continue building your pizza using the toppings for covert learning. Use toppings for:

Counting – count the number of each topping that is placed. You can start with one topping and then reduce each topping by 2 or whatever number you choose. Make it a fun.
Shapes – identify the shapes of toppings.
Size – which topping is the largest and which is the smallest?
Color – discuss all the colors on your pizza.
Sequencing – tell your child which topping to put on first, second, next, last and so on. Following directions and sequencing is a necessary skill that should be developed and this is a fun way in which to do it.

Math, especially fractions, ratios, and percentages can be discussed as you cut and consume your pizza. Cut the pizza into the requisite number of pieces and as it gets eaten, you can ask how much of the pizza has been consumed etc. or for the younger ones keep it simple and just ask how many pieces have been eaten and how many are now left. You can make it as simple or complex as you wish. There are many lessons on-line using pizza to teach math. Look for what is appropriate for your child’s age.

Baking a pizza is not required for learning but instead make pizzas with your child from paper plates, construction paper, felt or other materials. Don’t forget the toppings! After enjoying our pizza lunch we got busy making pizzas out of paper plates that became a puzzle and number activity. My daughter colored two paper plates to resemble pizzas. Next we drew lines on the paper plates to create slices. One plate we left intact and the other we cut. Then we added numbers to the slices of both plates that corresponded to each other, so my daughter was able to practice her numbers by matching the cut slices to the spaces on the whole pizza. We also traced ten circles onto a red piece of construction paper to make pepperonis, cut them out and numbered each one for another way to practice number recognition and counting.

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

The pizza fun continued on when my daughter got out her felt pizza set and set up her own pizzeria in her play kitchen. She would take my order, make up the pizza and then deliver it to me. Upon delivery she would inform me how much the pizza cost and I would pay her with the felt money from her set, thus turning the game into a mini lesson on money as well.

When all the baking and play was done we wound down our day by snuggling up and sharing a pizza story. We enjoyed Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone (a story from my own childhood) and The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomen Sturges, but there are so many delectable pizza picture books to choose from. Below we have put together a list of some of our personal favorites.

Pizza for the Queen by Nancy Castaldo

Pizza Counting by Christina Dobson

Pizza Day by Melissa Iwai

Pizza Party! by Grace Maccarone

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philemon Sturges

Pizza in Pienza by Susan Fillion

Pizza-Pie Snowman by Valeri Gorbachev

Curious George and the Pizza by Margret & H. A. Rey

Curious George and the Pizza Party by Margret & H. A. Rey

"HI, Pizza Man!" by Virginia Walter

Pizza at Sally's by Monica Wellington

Pizza!: An Interactive Recipe Book (Cook in a Book) by Lotta Nieminen

Pizza...such a simple and delicious meal that inspired an entire day of screen-free play, hands-on experiences and bonding! We were even able to make cinnamon rolls in the evening with the dough that was leftover after making three personal sized pizzas.

Happy baking and 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 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.

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Ice Day = Valentine's Baking Day

2/6/2019

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

Quick quiz: it’s the beginning of February, a winter storm blew through during the night coating everything in a layer of ice and you’re stuck indoors with a rambunctious three-year-old…

WHAT DO YOU DO?!

You get busy in the kitchen baking Valentine’s Day cookies, of course! And then you enjoy your delectable desserts while poring over a Valentine's storybook. Baking and books...a positively perfect combination!

With nowhere to go and Valentine’s Day fast approaching we spent the day trying out two new cookie recipes: soft sugar cookies and red velvet cookies made from a cake mix. Yes, that’s right, we used a box cake mix to make cookies and it worked out better than we anticipated. The recipe came from a Tasty video: Cake Mix Cookies 9 Ways.

Since the sugar cookies were a roll-out cookie, we started our baking bonanza by preparing the dough for those so that it could chill while we worked on our red velvet cookies, which were a simple drop cookie. An essential part of helping in the kitchen is learning how to prioritize tasks and manage time wisely, thus talking about which cookies we were going to start working on first and why was an excellent introduction to those vital life skills for my daughter. We made The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies from All Recipes.com and actually cut the recipe in half, which led to a little lesson about fractions as we measured out the ingredients. The great thing about getting kids in the kitchen is that they are learning so many new things without even realizing it and you're also creating lasting memories.

At three years old most children, my daughter included, can assist with (or even accomplish on their own with proper supervision) cooking tasks:

Reading basic quantities on a recipe - for example: when pointed out, my daughter can tell me how many eggs or how many cups of flour we need in a recipe.
Measuring and pouring
Cracking eggs
Mixing
Rolling out dough
Cutting out shapes with a cookie cutter
Decorating
Knowing the proper tools by name

Remember that children are far more capable than we often give them credit for. Let your child not only assist you but try new things on their own. This helps build confidence and self-esteem. Don't be afraid of the messes that might happen, these can always be cleaned up and also teaches your child that they need to clean up after themselves. I am always amazed at what my daughter can do and spending time together in the kitchen gives us an additional opportunity to bond especially when we pair the time with a book or an additional extended activity, which in this case was valentine coloring pages and making our own valentines.

Once all of our baking was complete and we had sampled our confections, we snuggled up with some Valentine's books. Below is a list of some of our favorite picture books all about love.