Category: Early Literacy

It's National Family Literacy Month!

11/2/2020

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

Today marks the second day of National Family Literacy Month. This is a month that has been designated to bringing attention to getting the whole family involved in bringing literacy to the forefront. Study after study has shown that reading aloud is the most important activity that you can engage in with your children to prepare them for reading on their own and to raising a future reader, opening a plethora of future possibilities.

Reading aloud is best started right from the beginning with infants, giving them the opportunity to listen to your voice as you read stories and looking at illustrations but if you didn’t start reading to your child when they were an infant, there is no better time like the present to begin. Reading aloud to your child will help with vocabulary, writing skills, memory, attention span and builds background knowledge, giving them an understanding of their world and also teaching empathy. Don’t forget to read with feeling and excitement, using different voices when possible. Look at the illustrations together and see if they hold clues to the story, characters and subsequent outcome. Be sure to make it a fun experience that builds curiosity so that children will gain a fondness for books and don’t forget to share books from your childhood as well.

If you aren’t sure what to read, check with your local bookseller, library or check out ourbook lists. Some of our go-to read alouds include:

Nibbles: The Book Monster

Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster

Cordelia

The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears

Remember that National Family Literacy Month includes the entire family and that reading aloud is not enjoyable and beneficial for children alone. Adult children reading to their aging parents, adults reading to other adults and even beginning readers reading to others to gain confidence should all be included this month and beyond. Reading is a gift, meant to be shared.

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 2 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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Combat the Summer Slide with the ABCs!

6/6/2020

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*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

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.

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Swimming into Reading with The Pout-Pout Fish

5/10/2020

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

This week we have chosen to feature a series of books from a local Michigan author, Deborah Diesen. Diesen’s The Pout-Pout Fish was selected for the 2009 Michigan Reads! literacy program and the series has since blossomed to include board books, picture books, activity books, a sight word game and chapter books. With a four-year-old ready to embrace letters, rhyming and sight words, I am thrilled with the number of books and options available. In addition to the amazing illustrations, this Pouting fish and his stories flow in a rhythmic pattern and contain a signature repetitive phrase that lends itself well for interactive reading. Many of the titles in the series are excellent for helping children explore simple feelings making them a wonderful social/emotional learning resource. These books can also be used to open up a dialogue with your children discussing not only their emotions but recognizing the emotions of others as well as exploring different emotions and learning new ways to express themselves.

Read as many books from the series that you have on hand or find them in read alouds on YouTube. Look online for ideas and activities to do with the series and to further extend the fun and learning, you can:

Make the Pout-Pout fish out of construction paper. Your child can either just draw Pout-Pout or he can be made 3-D and stuffed. Besides construction paper, if available use material, felt or paper plates. Allow your child to use their imagination and be creative.

Explore emotions by taking paper plates, paint them fish blue and then paint various expressions on each plate and have children tell you how that fish is feeling. Perhaps create a story around that emotion and what situations would change that emotion.

Read the story The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark, then take a piece of black construction paper and a white crayon (or anything that shows up on black) and have your child draw what they imagine would be in the big-big dark. Perhaps talk about how to face and overcome fears.

Create a fun sensory experience for all ages with water beads or a DIY sensory bag (look for how tos online.)

Create an ocean themed sensory bin using outdoor items such as sea shells and rocks and pantry items such as Goldfish crackers and shell pasta or any sea themed items you find around the house or at the dollar store. Be creative. Place items in rice or sand and have children count them out as they find them or tell you what letter they start with.

Do a bit of research with your child to determine just what kind of fish Pout-Pout is (Pouting) and any information you can find about that particular type of fish. Great for older children or for various age groups to work together on.

Since summer is just around the corner, and hopefully we’ll be able to safely leave the house, a fantastic book for all ages to read is The Pout-Pout Fish Far, Far from Home. Anyone who has ever traveled can relate to the mishaps of detours and bumps in the road. Make sure to pay attention to the illustrations, which are full of humorous details and puns. For a fun activity, discuss where the family would want to go on vacation and then consult a map to see if this would be feasible. Even if it’s not feasible (my daughter insists we need to visit Paris,) perhaps see if there are travel guides available to order and order some. It’s always fun to receive mail. If the location is not doable, make alternative plans that you might actually be able to visit. Research the location and what it has to offer and then plan an itinerary, perhaps locating points of interest along the way. Then make a list of what will be needed and what you just want to bring along. If your child can’t write what they want to bring, have them make a list in pictures or stickers. There are so many possible activities for this title that can be both fun and educational. Think outside the box and remember that learning often occurs when you least expect it.

So, spend some time this summer exploring the series and let your child know that….

Oh, and be sure to keep an eye on our Instagram (@btbliteracy) to see photos of our Pout-Pout Fish inspired extended activities!

Happy reading and learning!

-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.

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Hap-pea Peas in a Pod

4/26/2020

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

The humble pea has never seemed to be a child’s vegetable of choice but when it comes to The Peas Series by Keith Baker, peas stand out in a big way and are adored, complete with rhythmic text and humorous illustrations filled with engaging details.

These are not identical peas in a pod. No, these little green peas are unique and have diverse interests, hobbies and jobs. Their distinctness is highlighted in a colorful animated way as they roll through the alphabet. Not only do they take a child on a fun exploration of the ABC’s in LMNO Peas, they are also featured in a book of numbers (1-2-3 Peas), colors (Little Green Peas) and months (Hap-pea All Year). LMNO Pea-quel finds the little green peas bouncing through the lowercase letters with new jobs, activities, hobbies and roles. Though the series is simple and appeals to the younger crowd, older children might find their humor appealing and the books can be used to further build and expand skills. Again, if you don’t have the books, check on YouTube for a read aloud.

When we looked up LMNO Peas activities online, the first entry was worksheets. Not an activity we wanted to start with so we came up with our own. Here is a list of some of our ideas to use with Baker’s books to have fun and build skills:

Letter Jar – Get a glass jar and fill it with dried peas and letter beads. Have your child shake it up and identify the letters they see and then think of a word that starts with that letter or have them look around the house for objects that start with that letter. For older kids you can have them write down words that start with that letter or change it up and have them write down words that end with that letter.

Pea Pod – Have your child paint a paper plate green and then fold it in half to make a pea pod. You can either staple it or to work on small motor skills, punch a few holes at the ends and have your child sew it shut with yarn and a plastic yarn needle and tie it off. Then find an ABC letter chart and print it off on card stock (we used green.) Have your child cut the letters out and place them in their pod. Have your child then pull letters out of their pod for identification and then you can continue with the theme of the book and have your child come up with jobs, interests or descriptive adjectives. Add extra letters for a pea-gram spelling game ala Bananagrams.

Counting Carton – Take a cardboard egg carton and have your child paint it green. Place numbers in the bottom of each cup and then have your child count out marbles, beads, peas or anything green for each. Use it for simple math by asking if you combined the 2 cup with the 3 cup, how many would you have altogether? Using a manipulative helps children learn math because it gives them a visual.

Color Wheel – Take a paper plate, section it off like a pie and have your child color in each section with markers, crayons or colored pencils using the colors from the book. Use a round head fastener or a paper clip to create a spinner and have your child spin to see what color it will land on. Identify the color and then come up with all the things they can think of that are that color. You can even have them think of what foods from the farm or garden are that color. Turn it into an I Spy game looking around the house for objects in that color.

Celebrate the Months & Seasons – Print off a blank calendar page for each month and help your child to fill in the days. Then use colored pencils, markers, crayons or stickers to decorate each month for events, holidays and seasons. Refer to the book for additional creative ideas and see if your child can find the pea of the month (holding the number of the month) on each page. Mark off the day each morning, helping to teach your child the days of the week, and discuss the month and the season, perhaps including the weather.

With literacy and math scores being such a concern, especially in Michigan, and with the coronavirus making the school year so short, it never hurts to play letter and number games, making their learning fun. The more you work with something, the better it will be absorbed and working with letters and their sounds will only enhance literacy skills. Reading books aloud to your child leads to better concentration, an increased attention span, greater empathy, increased vocabulary and background knowledge that can be drawn upon when needed. A total win-win situation. So, get out those magnetic letters, foamy letters and letter tiles or make them yourself and see how many imaginative ways you can use them to increase your child’s literacy skills.

Happy reading and learning!

-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.

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If You Give a Child a Book...

4/12/2020

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

We’re back with a week filled with yummy book suggestions and ideas. This week we are featuring the works of Laura Numeroff. You may not recognize her name right off but we are sure that you will know her books or at least their titles. This week we are specifically featuring:

There are several more fantastic books in this series. We have chosen to focus on certain of the food related titles as part of our Bookworm Bakers division.

**If you don’t have the actual book at home, read alouds can be found on YouTube**

These books are always a fun read and what we like to do with them is to actually make the food that the book features. Books and baking seem to go together and getting kids in the kitchen is not only educational but also builds life skills. Cooking with young children aids in hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Cooking can also be used for patterning, sequencing and basic math skills. Children who help with cooking and baking also gain confidence, a sense of pride and accomplishment and learn about responsibility, not to mention the social and creative aspect of cooking together. If you aren’t prepared or into cooking and baking, have kids make the featured food from paper, felt or other craft supplies. You can also include math skills by having your child(ren) count out chocolate chips, sprinkles etc., double or half a real recipe or figure out how many cookies, cupcakes etc. each member of your family will get to make it even.

To make things even easier on yourself and to offer more fun options to your child, visit Mouse’s website. There you can be introduced to all the characters, see a list of all the books and find related activities and games. You can even watch the animated series on Amazon Prime Video, which my daughter absolutely fell in love with since she is already familiar with the characters. Read the books or watch a read aloud online and then check out the animated series. It will be a fun addition to the books.

Other titles in the series:

Happy reading and baking!

-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.

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It's National Family Literacy Month!

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Combat the Summer Slide with the ABCs!

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Swimming into Reading with The Pout-Pout Fish

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Hap-pea Peas in a Pod

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If You Give a Child a Book...

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