The foundation for learning to read begins way earlier than most people realize. It's not just learning the ABC song, and it's not just learning to recognize letters. It starts way back when you hold your baby on your lap and read the first little board book out loud. Babies learn that books have pages that turn, and pictures that are different on each page, and that when you use this book, you always hear this story, but when you hear that book, you hear that story. Next comes print awareness, knowing that print has meaning, and the same print always has the same meaning. They may recognize the word "McDonald's" even though they don't understand how to sound out the letters.
I think many children can begin to read on their own well before kindergarten. Of course, it's also like learning to ride a bike - for some it just clicks way before others. But there's no need to wait for kindergarten to start teaching your child the basics, just like you don't need to wait 'til the magic age of five, or six to try to teach your child to ride a bike.
One of the best ways (in my phonics-biased opinion) is to get a very simple alphabet book, one that shows just the letter, a picture, and maybe the word. And make sure the word represents the main sound of the letter, not something like "owl" for "O". (My one big complaint about my blue alphabet rugs.) Read the book aloud by saying "A says a like apple. B says b like ball. C says c like cow." Read it over and over and over. I found a great alphabet book like that when Lauren was about 15 months old. She fixated on that book, and I didn't really understand why until I saw her looking at a book (not the alphabet book) and pointing at a word, saying "f". I looked at her book, and sure enough, she was pointing at the letter f. I quizzed her and she knew lots of letters. She knew the whole alphabet by the time she was 17 months old, and I definitely credit that alphabet book. Something just clicked with her, like a child learning to ride a bike at 4. I do believe, though, that kids are capable of getting started way before kindergarten, even before preschool. You are your child's first and best teacher!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Cruisin' Sherwood
I hope to see my friends at Cruisin' Sherwood next Saturday. I'll be in the kids' area from 2:30 to 4:00 reading stories about cars and transportation. Come say hi and listen to a few good books!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
This Week at the Rainy Library
Today I visited my garden and was surprised to see peonies, roses and some budding lilies. Then I remembered, Oh yeah, it's June! Mentally, I'm stuck in early April because of this CRUMMY WEATHER!
So we'll just gather at the library and have fun there!
Preschool Storytime
This week we read stories about birds.
Pepito the Brave, by Scott Beck. Pepito is afraid of heights, so to get to his new home, he runs, hops, swims, burrows and climbs. His brothers and sisters are so impressed, they know he must be brave enough to fly. So he does!
Pelican, by Brian Wildsmith. Paul hatches a pelican egg and must try to teach it how to fish before his father loses his patience. The alternating half-pages make this book particularly visually appealing. In the end we discover the secret the pelican had known all along. He was a girl!
Beaks, by Sneed Collard. This nonfiction book has great illustrations about how and why birds' beaks have different shapes.
Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester. Most of the kids didn't believe penguins were birds! I LOVE telling this story! The sweetness of Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect. The silliness of Tacky - CANNONBALL!! And the rough and tough hunters. So much fun!
I told the flannelboard story of Inch by Inch, by Leo Leonni. After measuring lots of different birds, the poor inchworm has to figure out how to measure the nightingale's song before he gets eaten for breakfast!
Toddler Time
I love how there's something new and surprising with our little ones every week. The last week or so one little boy has decided to throw himself on the floor in despair every time I finish a book and put it away. Another little boy makes a beeline for his friend every time his mom lets go of him so he can body slam him to the carpet. Do we know what's going through their minds? No. But I hope it doesn't bother you, because it doesn't bother me. It's just part of being a toddler. We teach, we remove, we remind and remind again, and we tell ourselves, "This too shall pass." It's only a phase. I've never seen a ten-year-old cry over the ending of a book. And I don't think the body slamming will be going on six months from now (wait for the teenage years for that to start up again).
Our books this week were:
Machines at Work, by Byron Barton. This is a great book to challenge your child's reasoning. When the workers knock down a building and bulldoze a tree, ask "Why did they do that?" Wait for your child's reponse. Let them think a while.
Little Gorilla, by Ruth Bornstein. Little gorilla is still loved by everyone, even after he grows up.
Baby Time
Today we had quite a few older siblings along (and some cousins) and it went very well! We put some toys off to the side, and handed out stuffed animals to be used as substitute babies, and everyone had a great time. We read an adorable lift-the-flap touchy feely book called Eyes, Nose, Toes Peekaboo!, by DK Publishing.
So we'll just gather at the library and have fun there!
Preschool Storytime
This week we read stories about birds.
Pepito the Brave, by Scott Beck. Pepito is afraid of heights, so to get to his new home, he runs, hops, swims, burrows and climbs. His brothers and sisters are so impressed, they know he must be brave enough to fly. So he does!
Pelican, by Brian Wildsmith. Paul hatches a pelican egg and must try to teach it how to fish before his father loses his patience. The alternating half-pages make this book particularly visually appealing. In the end we discover the secret the pelican had known all along. He was a girl!
Beaks, by Sneed Collard. This nonfiction book has great illustrations about how and why birds' beaks have different shapes.
Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester. Most of the kids didn't believe penguins were birds! I LOVE telling this story! The sweetness of Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect. The silliness of Tacky - CANNONBALL!! And the rough and tough hunters. So much fun!
I told the flannelboard story of Inch by Inch, by Leo Leonni. After measuring lots of different birds, the poor inchworm has to figure out how to measure the nightingale's song before he gets eaten for breakfast!
Toddler Time
I love how there's something new and surprising with our little ones every week. The last week or so one little boy has decided to throw himself on the floor in despair every time I finish a book and put it away. Another little boy makes a beeline for his friend every time his mom lets go of him so he can body slam him to the carpet. Do we know what's going through their minds? No. But I hope it doesn't bother you, because it doesn't bother me. It's just part of being a toddler. We teach, we remove, we remind and remind again, and we tell ourselves, "This too shall pass." It's only a phase. I've never seen a ten-year-old cry over the ending of a book. And I don't think the body slamming will be going on six months from now (wait for the teenage years for that to start up again).
Our books this week were:
Machines at Work, by Byron Barton. This is a great book to challenge your child's reasoning. When the workers knock down a building and bulldoze a tree, ask "Why did they do that?" Wait for your child's reponse. Let them think a while.
Little Gorilla, by Ruth Bornstein. Little gorilla is still loved by everyone, even after he grows up.
Baby Time
Today we had quite a few older siblings along (and some cousins) and it went very well! We put some toys off to the side, and handed out stuffed animals to be used as substitute babies, and everyone had a great time. We read an adorable lift-the-flap touchy feely book called Eyes, Nose, Toes Peekaboo!, by DK Publishing.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Our Passionate Children
I know people call them the "Terrible Twos," but I love this age. The world is a magical place to them, and they are so joyful about discovering new things. Imagine, you walk into a small room, the doors close behind you, and when they open again, you're in a whole new place! Magic! (No, just an elevator.)
This is also the time of passionate feelings, intense and sometimes uncontrollable, made all the more so by the inability to express them in words. We can help with this. These little ones are acquiring words incredibly rapidly. I've read statistics that say a typical 18 month old knows eight to ten words, and by 36 months knows 1,000. Phenomenal! This is obviously a time when we can help them match words to these feelings. When your toddler wants something she can't have and throws herself on the ground in hysterics, tell her "I know this makes you feel frustrated and angry, but I want to be a good mommy so I can't let you have a doughnut instead of lunch." When your little guy thought he was going to the park, but it started to rain and he cried, tell him "You must feel so disappointed. We'll go after it stops raining."
When your toddler has heard these words repeated many times, you can ask her/him next time these intense feelings crop up, "Are you feeling mad? Are you disappointed?" And your child will feel better knowing he/she can communicate those feelings.
This is also the time of passionate feelings, intense and sometimes uncontrollable, made all the more so by the inability to express them in words. We can help with this. These little ones are acquiring words incredibly rapidly. I've read statistics that say a typical 18 month old knows eight to ten words, and by 36 months knows 1,000. Phenomenal! This is obviously a time when we can help them match words to these feelings. When your toddler wants something she can't have and throws herself on the ground in hysterics, tell her "I know this makes you feel frustrated and angry, but I want to be a good mommy so I can't let you have a doughnut instead of lunch." When your little guy thought he was going to the park, but it started to rain and he cried, tell him "You must feel so disappointed. We'll go after it stops raining."
When your toddler has heard these words repeated many times, you can ask her/him next time these intense feelings crop up, "Are you feeling mad? Are you disappointed?" And your child will feel better knowing he/she can communicate those feelings.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
This Week at the Liberry
Please forgive my slacker-ness. I just didn't get around to posting like I usually do. I need one of those round tuits.
Baby Time
The question came up today about when to "graduate" from Baby Time to Toddler Time. Once your "baby" is walking and not very interested in sitting in your lap any more, you can go ahead and take him/her to Toddler Time and see how it goes. Maybe your toddler will be a little overwhelmed at 12-13 months, or maybe he/she will absolutely love it. I'm sorry there's a little age gap between Baby Time and Toddler Time. Some children have gone easily from one to the other, but some need a couple more months to be ready for the activity level and crowd of Toddler Time. It's up to you - I'm fine with whatever works for you.
Toddler Time
I managed to use the bubble machine this week since the numbers have been down a little lately (except for Tuesday at 10:15 - that was crowded again). We managed to play with bubbles without any serious collisions, so I think a good time was had by all.
We read:
Duckie's Rainbow, by Frances Barry. The shapes and layered pages are entertaining. I just wish it had said "purple" instead of "indigo" and "violet".
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. Such a wonderful classic! I told the kids I hoped they wouldn't fall asleep while I read it to them. When I was done, I asked them if they had fallen asleep. Several said yes, and one girl said "And I was snoring!"
Preschool Storytime
Our theme was "Dinosaurs", and if there's any subject that gets the kids excited, it's dinosaurs! They just can't contain themselves and have to tell me their favorite dinosaurs and all the interesting facts they know about the T Rex or Triceratops. Our books were:
Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs, by Bernard Most. They thought this was pretty funny - the dinosaurs on Mars or sneaking around while they're asleep.
Dinosaur Roar!, by Paul Stickland. A good book for introducing opposites.
Dinosaurs, A Scholastic First Discovery Book, by Gallimard Jeunesse. I paraphrased this book while we looked at the cool transparent layering pages.
Big Book of Dinosaurs, by Angela Wilkes. This is the Dorling Kindersley book. Nice and big with very cool pictures.
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, by Ian Whybrow. Harry loves his bucketful of dinosaur toys, especially because he knows all their names!
Baby Time
The question came up today about when to "graduate" from Baby Time to Toddler Time. Once your "baby" is walking and not very interested in sitting in your lap any more, you can go ahead and take him/her to Toddler Time and see how it goes. Maybe your toddler will be a little overwhelmed at 12-13 months, or maybe he/she will absolutely love it. I'm sorry there's a little age gap between Baby Time and Toddler Time. Some children have gone easily from one to the other, but some need a couple more months to be ready for the activity level and crowd of Toddler Time. It's up to you - I'm fine with whatever works for you.
Toddler Time
I managed to use the bubble machine this week since the numbers have been down a little lately (except for Tuesday at 10:15 - that was crowded again). We managed to play with bubbles without any serious collisions, so I think a good time was had by all.
We read:
Duckie's Rainbow, by Frances Barry. The shapes and layered pages are entertaining. I just wish it had said "purple" instead of "indigo" and "violet".
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. Such a wonderful classic! I told the kids I hoped they wouldn't fall asleep while I read it to them. When I was done, I asked them if they had fallen asleep. Several said yes, and one girl said "And I was snoring!"
Preschool Storytime
Our theme was "Dinosaurs", and if there's any subject that gets the kids excited, it's dinosaurs! They just can't contain themselves and have to tell me their favorite dinosaurs and all the interesting facts they know about the T Rex or Triceratops. Our books were:
Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs, by Bernard Most. They thought this was pretty funny - the dinosaurs on Mars or sneaking around while they're asleep.
Dinosaur Roar!, by Paul Stickland. A good book for introducing opposites.
Dinosaurs, A Scholastic First Discovery Book, by Gallimard Jeunesse. I paraphrased this book while we looked at the cool transparent layering pages.
Big Book of Dinosaurs, by Angela Wilkes. This is the Dorling Kindersley book. Nice and big with very cool pictures.
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, by Ian Whybrow. Harry loves his bucketful of dinosaur toys, especially because he knows all their names!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
This Week at the Library
Froggy update: They've all hatched and I swear they double in size every day! I think there's about two dozen of them. I'm feeding them spinach so they'll grow up big and strong. They're swimming happily - at least I think I can see smiles on their faces...
Preschool Storytime
Our theme this week was "Blankets." Or as we all decided - "Blankies." I brought a bunch of blanket/blankies from home and we talked about knitted ones, quilts, and the One Special Blankie. My daughter Lauren still has her blankie; in fact, it still lives on her bed. We looked at her favorite corner, all worn through and holey (almost "holy" but not quite). And we talked about how a blanket becomes a blankie. So from then on I had to replace the words in the stories to make sure we distinguished between simple non-special blankets, and oh-so-very-special blankies.
Franklin's Blanket, by Paulette Bourgeois. Franklin absolutely can not sleep without his blankie so his friends offer alternatives and his Dad loans him his old blankie. I love that!
Cry Baby, by Ruth Brown. The Little Sister is a big cry baby, dragging her blankie along, until she discovers it has completely unravelled. She decides to solve her problem herself by following the string all the way back to its beginning.
Puppy Mudge Loves His Blanket, by Cynthia Rylant. Puppy Mudge is lucky because he can follow his nose to find his blankie.
Flora's Blanket, by Debi Gliori. Flora's not so lucky when she loses her blanket since she doesn't have a dog nose.
Owen, by Kevin Henke. Owen is starting school soon and his parents can't figure out how to break his blankie habit.
Toddler Time
Where was everyone this week? Very small groups compared to usual!
We did a new rhyme today.
This is the Way We Blow a Balloon
This is the way we blow a balloon
Blow, blow, blow
This is the way we pop a balloon
Oh, oh, no!
We read a giant version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle and practiced going "omglomnlflimglp" when the caterpillar ate the fruit. (How would you spell it?) And we practiced saying "But he was still hungry!" They were quite enthusiastic.
We also read My Car, by Byron Barton. At one point the book says "I stop for pedestrians." Of course they didn't know that word, so we talked about its meaning. I pointed out to the parents that we shouldn't avoid or simplify vocabulary like that. The little ones are capable of learning big words, even when they can't pronounce it themselves, and they're very proud of their big vocabulary when they do master it. Encourage them!
Baby Time
Hooray for bubbles, books, and the Hokey Pokey! We had a mom on maternity leave happen in to the library today with baby and her preschooler. She was disappointed she hadn't heard about our programs earlier since she only had two weeks of leave left. Please spread the word so more moms can enjoy it before they go back to work or their kids "age" out (usually about the time they learn to walk).
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Froggy Update
The tadpoles started hatching on Friday. You won't believe how fast they're growing! Come see them this week. Does anyone besides me call them "pollywogs"?
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