Our last day of school is quickly approaching here, and my 2nd grader is definitely in tune to that. Each day, he tells us how many more school days he has left, and then he proceeds to name all the fun things he’s going to do over the summer, from sleepovers to trips to the grandparents’ house to swimming and playing with the neighbors. He also knows that many of the things he does in school now will be carried over to the summer.
As a preschool teacher to four year-olds, I’m intrigued with one of Wonderbrains’ new products, Alpharings. Alpharings are designed by Educational Insights, an educational product company that has a 50 year history of providing hands-on activities to reinforce early learning skills. Alpharings come with 130 adjustable plastic illustrated rings (five of each letter) and an instructional guide.
At the preschool where I work, I am the Queen of the Felt Board. There is nothing more fun for me than storytelling with felt pieces. Not only can “regular” people or objects be used, but random shapes (triangles, circles, hexagons) can be used to create the visual parts of a story. And, the pieces can be used to create a new story as well.
So, it should come as no surprise that I made my boys a felt board.
Something amazing happened here Wednesday night. My older son was finishing his homework, and my three year old was sitting at the table as well, coloring in a blank sketch pad. He’s been fixated on letters for a while (I teach 4 year old pre-k classes during the week, so we have quite a few “letter” toys), so I wasn’t too shocked when he drew almost a complete circle and said, “C! The C says /k/!” What impressed me was when he turned the page and wrote his name. Read more…
When my older son was beginning to show an interest in reading, we looked for ways to encourage his interest without pressuring him to learn to read (he was four at the time). I have observed, much too often in my preschool-teaching days, parents who want their child to succeed at reading to the degree that the child becomes completely turned off of the idea of understanding the written word. Combining things children love with print can encourage the child to want to know more about how words work and what reading is all about. Read more…
These are my son’s top five choices right now…in no particular order, of course! Read more…
1. Truck Jam by Paul Stickland. This is an AMAZING pop-up. The words and phrases on each page are easy enough for young kids to mimic, and the rhyme and rhythm creates a wonderful atmosphere for reading and singing it again and a again. The pop ups are amazingly intricate with a dump truck that dumps, a fire truck ladder that extends and a hood you can peek through to see the engine!
2. Elmer’s New Friend by David McKee. We received this book and accompanying stuffed “Elmer” doll as a new baby gift from a family friend. I put it on a shelf, not giving it much thought, but my younger son was immediately drawn to the colorful elephant. The mirror in the back of the book is all but destroyed from being kissed and hugged, colored on and painted. It is a refreshingly sweet book to read aloud, and the pictures are bright and colorful.
3. Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I haven’t found an Eric Carle book yet that my boys don’t like (we even have two copies of A House For Hermit Crab to accompany our hermit crab pets), but this one is definitely one of my youngest’s favorites. We even play “caterpillar” when we’re eating, and sometimes it is a great way to get him to eat things he wouldn’t otherwise try!
4. Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss. Full of sounds and poetry, this is a GREAT read-aloud book. It is verbal and loud, and it is a wonderful way to awaken your child to the noises and sounds around them.
5. Put Me In The Zoo by Robert Lopshire. While this one is listed and number five on the list, it is certainly not the least. My son can recite this one, word for word (just like Mr. Brown Can Moo). We are now on our second copy, and I’m sure the third will be forthcoming as well. The simple words and bright colors make it appealing to young readers. Besides, who doesn’t love a bear-ish creature with spots that change color?
What are your child’s favorite reads? leave a comment and let us know!
Today, my older son not only goes back to school after the holiday break, he also starts back at piano lessons. My son has a love/hate relationship with the piano - he LOVES to think he can play the piano, but he HATES to practice. And, I kind of agree with him. Practicing 30 minutes a day means you are sitting AT THE PIANO for thirty minutes a day, and he’s not necessarily one to sit for 30 minutes for anything. But, the payoff is so worth it - he can read music, he’s pretty good at playing, and we finally have a few more songs in our repetoire other than “Hot Cross Buns” and “Jingle Bells”. Read more…
