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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
"Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air."
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Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low
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Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
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More Blueberries! by Susan Musgrave
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One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano
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National Culinary Arts Month
Start to Cook by Abigail Wheatley
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Children's World Cookbook by Fiona Watt
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Stir, Crack, Whisk, Bake by Maddie Frost
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The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs by America's Test Kitchen Kids
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The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America's Test Kitchen Kids
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National Hot Dog Month
The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems
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Hello, Hot Dog! by Lily Murray
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Stan the Hot Dog Man by Ethel and Leonard Kessler
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National Ice Cream Month
Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons
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Wemberly's Ice-Cream Star by Kevin Henkes
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Curious George and the Ice Cream Surprise by Margret & H. A. Rey
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Curious George Goes to an Ice Cream Shop by Margret & H. A. Rey
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Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
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Did you know you can make your very own ice cream at home in a bag?
National Watermelon Month
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
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Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson
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Watermelon Party by Jasmine Cabanaw
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One Watermelon Seed by Celia Lottridge
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National Picnic Month
The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy
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One Hundred Hungry Ants by Elinor J. Pinczes
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Need help planning a picnic? Take a look at The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket by Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson. While intended for adults, this title is beautiful, witty and full of grand ideas for having the most splendid picnic imaginable.
7th: National Chocolate Day
Lily's Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes
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If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff
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Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory by Margret & H. A. Rey
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No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young
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Chocolate: The Consuming Passion by Sandra Boynton
While this title is intended for adults, it is filled with the kind of witty text and comical illustrations expected of the incomparable Sandra Boynton and is sure to bring delight to the chocolate enthusiasts of every age!
9th: National Sugar Cookie Day
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? by George Shannon
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Mo Willems‘ Elephant & Piggie Love Reading!: The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat
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The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems
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The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
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May I Please Have a Cookie? by Jennifer Morris
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11th: National Blueberry Muffin Day
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
3rd Sunday: National Ice Cream Day
-See the list above under National Ice Cream Month.
15th: National Gummi Worm Day
-Celebrate by reading your favorite book and munching on some delicious bookworms (the gummi variety, of course).
Happy reading!
-Kate @ BTBL
-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 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 2 and 8 months) 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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*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.
ABC’s and 123’s. The first lessons of childhood. In our experience it seems that children grasp the concept of numbers more quickly than letters. Perhaps it’s because when children are young, parents offer two cookies, one banana, or we get a dozen donuts at the apple orchard and visual counting is as easy as looking at their fingers. But it’s important to continue to develop these skills as number skills are just as valuable as learning to read.
The definition of a number is a mathematical object used to count, measure and label. Counting, measuring and labeling are things that are done almost on a daily basis making number skills very valuable. Math is a concept that builds on itself therefore a strong foundation is needed in order for children to make the necessary connections in order to succeed, so starting early with numbers; reading number books, playing number games and finding opportunities for using math concepts will ensure that your child will embrace numbers with ease.
Beginning math for youngsters starts with shapes, identifying and counting number of sides. Visual aids are best when teaching math skills for most children are visual learners. Use snacks as math manipulatives to keep children engaged and more eager to participate. Snacks can be used to count, sort, create patterns and learn about measurement, size and weight. For instance, think about the many ways you can use something as simple as a box of Fruit Loops cereal to teach math. Children can count, create shapes, and patterns, string them to measure length etc. Square crackers such as Cheez-it’s can be used for counting, multiplying and to teach area and perimeter; gum drops or marshmallows and toothpicks can create geometric shapes. Also consider playing with dice, cards or dominos and also using any manipulatives you can count like marbles, buttons, beads etc. Use a chalkboard or whiteboard so children can practice writing their numbers as well as showing them visually how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers getting them familiar with mathematical symbols.
To bring numbers into your daily life:
- Point out street signs with numbers when in the car.
- In the store, point out prices, weights and measures.
- Read number books. There are many great ones available so choose a few to share or read one a day along with an alphabet book.
- Take a nature walk and count trees, rocks, plants, birds, bugs etc.
- Play restaurant or store complete with menus and play money.
- Cook or bake with your child. Both involve numbers in measuring, weighing etc. Double a recipe or half a recipe turning it into a math problem.
- Teach fractions with a pizza, either a real one or make one with construction paper or felt.
- Family game night. Most board games involve counting. My 4-year-old’s favorite is all forms of Monopoly and it sure has helped her with addition and subtraction.
- Look for toys that teach numbers such as those from Learning Resources so children can learn while they play.
- Offer dot-to-dot and color by number workbooks and pages.
Opportunities to engage with numbers are everywhere, you just need to seize the moment. Count the seeds as you plant them in the dirt, count the pepperoni as you put it on the pizza, count the number of people at the dinner table and figure out how to divide the pie. If you plan on taking a summer vacation, help children to figure out how many miles to go and how long it will take to get there. Life is filled with numbers. Use them to learn them!
Some number books we love:
Count the Monsters! by Books for Little Ones
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Count the Mermaids! by Books for Little Ones
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Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
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100 Bugs!: A Counting Book by Kate Narita
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Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
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Doggies by Sandra Boynton
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Bears Counts by Karma Wilson
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How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? by Jane Yolen
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7 Ate 9 by Tara Lazar
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123s of Art by Sabrina Hahn
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David Carter's 100: Lift the Flaps and Learn to Count!
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1-2-3 Peas by Keith Baker
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Goodnight Numbers by Danica McKellar
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Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar
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Bathtime Mathtime by Danica McKellar
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Bathtime Mathtime: Shapes by Danica McKellar
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For more number and math related books, take a look at our Number Books list!
Usborne Books & More
1, 2, 3... By the Sea by Dianne Moritz
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Counting Through the Day by Margaret Hamilton
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Count With Me!
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I Can Count
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Nibbles Numbers by Emma Yarlett
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Big Book of Numbers
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Lift-the-Flap Numbers
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Lift-the-Flap First Math
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Lift-the-Flap Sizes and Measuring
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Dotty and Dash's 123: A Pop-up Counting Book
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Lift-the-Flap Adding & Subtracting
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Lift-the-Flap Fractions and Decimals
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Lift-the-Flap Multiplying & Dividing
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Wipe-Clean First Numbers
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Wipe-Clean First Math
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*You could earn these UBAM books for FREE by hosting a book party! Think of it as a Tupperware or Pampered Chef party...but for books! Learn more here.*
Happy counting and reading!
-Kate @ BTBL
-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 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) 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.
That quote says it all. A garden, whether it be a flower garden or a vegetable garden, is an amazing place to sit and read a book surrounded by the sounds of nature, especially if you and your child were the ones to plant and care for said garden. We previously discussed the joy of flower gardens and now we wish to move on to the joy and educational benefits of planting a vegetable garden and partaking of the fruits of your labors.
Research has shown that when children participate in growing edible plants, they are more apt to try not only the fruits and vegetables they grow but also other fruits and vegetables. Helping to plan, plant and tend a garden not only develops life skills but also helps foster responsibility, independence, leadership, caring, teamwork and problem solving. Most children today, especially city dwellers, are unaware of where their food comes from or what it takes to grow food. Visiting your local farmers market is a start but actually growing the food you will serve will cultivate a relationship to the natural world, which in turn will help your child to wisely make future decisions that could impact nature, becoming a wise steward.
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The benefits of gardening include:
- Engaging all the senses. Hearing the sounds of nature while working outside, smelling the flowers and leaves, seeing their various colors, feeling the dirt, tasting the fruits of your labors; gardening successfully engages all of the senses. Be sure to include free time to incorporate sensory play in the dirt, water and mud. Remember...children are washable!
- Developing fine motor skills from picking up small seeds to digging in the dirt and pulling weeds.
- Understanding the science of how plants grow and what is needed to nurture them. To help you along, consider using Gardening Lab for Kids by Renata Brown.
- Increase math skills when needing to figure out how large the garden should be, how many vegetable plants can fit in one area and how far apart they should be planted for optimal growth.
- Teaching patience while waiting for plants to grow, as well as responsibility to ensure their well-being.
- Collaboration. Gardening can be done alone but it is best done as a whole family who work together to figure out what to plant, where to plant it and when to plant it. A good read might be We are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines.
Before beginning a garden, involve your child(ren) in the planning, such as where the garden will be located, how large it will be and what you will grow. If you have more than one child and they are old enough to handle chores on their own, either assign tasks, write them on cards and draw them out of a watering can or make a spinning wheel where children spin for their task. For younger children, work side-by-side to model proper technique and let them assist with the planting, weeding, watering etc. A great book to share might be Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy.
Though this is important work and will help to feed the family, keep it fun. Plan raised garden beds in different shapes and sizes. Have children use their math and building skills to measure out and build planter boxes. Another idea is to plant a pizza garden in the shape of a wheel where each slice has a different pizza ingredient planted, such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, spinach or even herbs. If you don‘t have space for a large garden, use planters on a patio or deck to grow a salad or grow herbs indoors and use them when cooking meals. Throughout the season, have children help harvest the vegetables and also help decide what to do with all the produce. Ideas can include pickling, canning, freezing, fresh salsas and using them in baked goods.
Growing a garden, both flowers and fruits & vegetables is an excellent way to incorporate educational lessons without your children feeling like they are doing work that will be tested at the end. We have found that when children understand why they are doing something and then are given the responsibility to complete the task, they will surprise you and step up to the plate. Remember to have age appropriate expectations but there is nothing wrong with offering more difficult tasks and working together to complete them.
To read more about the benefits of gardening with kids and see lists of our favorite gardening books, refer back to our previous blogs:
Why get kids in the garden?
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The Power of a Garden
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Happy gardening and reading!
-Kate @ BTBL
-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 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) 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.
Now is approximately the time of year when most schools would be releasing students for summer break, but this year, many students have been home since about March, which may make this year’s “summer slide” a bit more slippery. Not that we feel that parents can’t be good teachers, in fact the opposite is true, and that is why we want to remind you that instead of stressing, keep it simple this summer by playing with letters and reading alphabet books. With the plethora of alphabet books available, keeping literacy at the forefront is a breeze while also encouraging reading for both the youngest child as well as the middle schooler.
The alphabet book is an excellent teaching tool starting with the youngest child on up through the middle school aged child. In an alphabet book, the 26 letters are addressed in a manner created by the author and illustrator. The simplest ones use common symbols to match each letter with an object, such as A is for Apple, B is for Ball etc. Objects are selected to match the true sound of the letter making not only a visual connection to the word but also the beginning sound that letter makes, building phonemic awareness. Other alphabet books go a step further exploring various topics and themes often with a rhyming verse, rich language, unique vocabulary and some with a humorous bent. These books are excellent for the budding reader and can reach a level of sophistication that even the middle school child will appreciate.
As children get older, alphabet books can still be appreciated though on a different level and interest. Instead of the basic, look for those that encourage higher level thinking, challenging children to think about letters differently. Check out your local library or YouTube for a copy of Tomorrow’s Alphabet by George Shannon where “A is for seed, tomorrow’s apple and B is for eggs, tomorrow’s birds.” You might even try placing a blank sheet of paper over the right side of the book before revealing what the letter stands for, giving children an opportunity to work on making inferences, an important skill for reading comprehension. You might even work with older children to make their own similar alphabet book challenging them to put on their thinking caps and think outside the box, using imagination and creativity.
Another way to utilize alphabet books is through your child’s own interests, using them as a first resource for research. Many alphabet books provide a wealth of information in a focused and easily digestible way for early learners yet don’t talk down to the middle grade child, working well for multiple age children. If you are reading aloud to a child, much of it might depend on your own willingness to ask and answer questions and engage in a discussion, offering a richer learning experience. Remember that you don’t have to have all the answers. That’s what Google is for! Also, encourage your child to engage in further research either through books specific to that subject or online. Excellent interest-based alphabet books to consider might include C is for Caboose: Riding the Rails from A to Z by Traci N. Todd, A is for Aviation: The ABC’s of airplanes, spaceships, rockets and more! by J. Heitsch and don’t forget to include one of the 22 titles by Jerry Pallotta and be sure to check out some of the 75 alphabet books from Sleeping Bear Press that grow with a child as each book contains illustrations, a poem to represent each letter for the young reader and an informative sidebar for the older reader. The Sleeping Bear Press website helpfully offers teacher’s guides and activities for their books. For the child that loves to do research, offer a Venn Diagram where they can compare and contrast information or ideas. This will be an invaluable future skill for school.
Don’t forget to feed the creative genius that might lurk within and include art as a theme offering Museum ABC by The NY Metropolitan Museum of Art,ABC’s of Art by Sabrina Hahn and for fun The Steampunk Alphabet by Nathanael Iwafa.
Consult our Alphabet Books list for additional titles to explore!
As you read alphabet books, be sure to include time to play with letters in fun and creative ways. Ideas might include:
- Use letter shaped cookie cutters with playdough or real cookie dough.
- Have a letter scavenger hunt. Some ideas might include:
- Take cut-out letters or foam letters and hide them around the house or outside. Take it a step further and have them find something that starts with the letter they found or tell you something that starts with that letter.
- Use sticky notes with letters on them and have kids place them on objects that start with each letter. Use simple site words as well.
- Look for letter shapes in nature as you take a walk.
- Give your child an index card with the alphabet and then take a nature walk and see how many letters they can match up with items found on your walk.
- Look for letters and/or words in environmental print when in the car.
- Look for specific letters or words in the pantry or while at the grocery store.
- Play games that involve letters such as Bananagrams, Scrabble Junior (and traditional Scrabble), Alphabet Bingo, Alphabet Go Fish or Alphabet Match-It memory game. Also, look for different alphabet puzzles.
- Offer toys such as those from Learning Resources where a child learns their letters through play.
- Create a letter or word wall. Magnetic letters on the fridge or white board, letters or words from food packaging, magazines, newspapers, junk mail etc. on poster board, including pictures. Play with words and letters and be creative.
- Make a “My Favorite Things” ABC book or use one of their interests. For older children you can even have them think of ABC careers, getting them to think of their future and what they might do.
- Create a sticker ABC book. We used large, colored index cards secured on a ring. My daughter and I sat down together one afternoon and went through her collection of stickers, searching for things that begin with each letter.
- For older children, offer anagrams, word searches or crossword puzzles or play hangman. Even younger children like guessing letters.
Knowing the names of the letters of the alphabet, recognizing individual sounds or phonemes,
learning how books work and the relationship between text and illustrations, and understanding the stories that are read aloud are all building blocks of early literacy leading to phonemic awareness, fluency and reading comprehension. Manipulating letters through games and puzzles, hearing stories read aloud and looking at and/or reading books this summer will aid in literacy acquisition or further the development of already existing skills. Letters and words are all around us. Find unique and creative ways to use them.
Happy reading!
-Kate @ BTBL
learning how books work and the relationship between text and illustrations, and understanding the stories that are read aloud are all building blocks of early literacy leading to phonemic awareness, fluency and reading comprehension. Manipulating letters through games and puzzles, hearing stories read aloud and looking at and/or reading books this summer will aid in literacy acquisition or further the development of already existing skills. Letters and words are all around us. Find unique and creative ways to use them.
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 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) 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.
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.
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