Picture Books To Get Kids To Explore Writing...

With new core curriculum standards changing what children are learning in the classroom, it is important to make sure every boring element has something fun and exciting to look forward to. I am sure no kid thinks reading a paragraph and writing a response to it is any fun, but maybe if a class reads a book about writing, it may prompt a different sentiment towards a response assignment. Here are three great examples of books that can go far beyond a read-aloud and would make for excellent follow up writing assignments.

The Day the Crayons Quit - Drew Daywalt

Duncan wants to color but unfortunately his crayons have other plans for him. They believe they have some “issues” that must be resolved before Duncan can be free to outline and draw. Readers of all ages are going to fall in love with this book and insist it be read over and over again. The “complaints” of each crayon actually seem justified and anyone who has ever used a crayon will understand where it is coming from whether you are five or fifty-five. Oliver Jeffers does an amazing job illustrating this picture book and truly brings these crayons to life. If you have not already invested in a copy of this book, now is the time. It should be a staple when teaching the colors in preschool and early elementary school classes, as it lends itself to going far beyond the book to color, create and really use one’s imagination. You can even get ideas of how to utilize this book in a class setting from the Penguin Educator’s Guide: http://www.penguin.com/static/images/yr/pdf/CrayonsGuide.pdf. #SavetheCrayons !

Ten Thank You Letters - Daniel Kirk

Dear Mr. Kirk,

Thank you for reminding us all about the power and beauty of the thank-you note. There is no greater feeling than appreciation and no better way to show it than through words expressed on a piece of paper. What a wonderful way to weave together proper etiquette and writing lessons into one fun package at school, a library or at home.

Love,

Francie

Pig is an adorable character who is trying to write a thank-you note to his Grandmother for a gift he received but is continuously interrupted by his friend Rabbit who is inspired to write a few thank-you notes of his own. Rabbit’s letters are hilarious, specifically who he is writing to and why he is thanking them. However, Pig’s letter really sends the message home on how to write the perfect thank-you note. What an amazing book to open the door for each reader to write a thank-you note of their own!

The Book With No Pictures - BJ Novak

Have you heard of BJ Novak? He is famous from the hit television show The Office. Therefore, there is no person more fitting to write a children’s book than a comedic writer with really famous friends like Mindy Kaling. In all seriousness, this is a really fun book to read to an audience of young children. The concept is simple, there are no pictures in this book and it is simply made up of words, (if you can call them all “words”). BJ Novak creates the perfect opportunity for a child to laugh out loud while hearing a book be read to them. Even though there are no illustrations, the funny words and phrases are written in different colored texts and different fonts so the book does not even look like something that could be remotely boring with just text. The end-papers are decorated with his silly new vocabulary words that are guaranteed to take on a world of their own. Everyone will want to read this book over and over again. This book is a great tie in to an assignment of writing your own book, as it truly demonstrates that anything you put down on paper can be a “story”. BONK.

Happy Reading and even happier writing!

Favorite Board Books These Days...

Here are my favorite board books that have been recently published. Both you and your youngest reader are going to love them!

    

Spot Goes Shopping - Eric Hill

Who doesn’t love Spot the puppy? He is on an adventure with his mother to the grocery store and what fun it is to watch them shop! The different groceries are easily discernable and the text lends itself to really expand a child’s vocabulary about different things bought in a supermarket. A great example is when Spot’s mother holds orange juice and asks Spot if he would like to buy it and he holds oranges and says “Can we make our own?” The oranges are next to lemons and grapes and when I read this to my three year old I asked him what would be made if Spot held the grapes and my son deduced it would make grape juice and the lemons would make lemon juice. The only thing better than the bright pictures and Spot’s enthusiasm is the opportunity this book creates for a child and their parent to create a shopping list of their own and go on their own shopping expedition!

Who's My Baby - Sassy

I am always on the lookout for great board books for babies and toddlers. My criteria is that the book must be engaging for both the child and the reader, educational and worth reading over and over again. Who’s My Baby is exactly this kind of book. It has vibrant pictures, large, sturdy lift the flaps and a mirror in the back for the child to get excited to see themselves. The book has few words but gives the reader the opportunity to say things like “These are cats, their babies are called kittens”. It is a great book to teach the names of animals and their young and you will always find the cutest baby at the end!

Baby's ABC - Sassy 

With sturdy pages, vibrant illustrations and excellent depictions of words, this is a really fun way to learn the alphabet. I love that the book shows both the capital and lowercase letter on each page and it is an easy engaging board book to jumpstart baby's vocabulary!

JUMP!

This week I bought a box of Cheerio's and I received a copy of the book JUMP! by Scott M. Fischer. If you never read it, I highly recommend you search your local supermarket to get your own personal copy (plus this version comes with a Spanish translation!) This a book I usually use in action/exercising themed story times because it goes through the animal kingdom and when an animal feels threatened by another they jump away for safety and I highly encourage children to physically jump when I read that word in the story. it is quick and has a cute rhyming scheme and very easy to get into. It is extremely entertaining for everyone and it always ends with children set up for the perfect movement song to follow (like Shake Your Sillies Out).

This time of year is the best time for jumping outdoors. The weather is getting warmer (in New York) and being outside is a great conversation starter and a great opportunity to build vocabulary skills in a really fun setting. Blowing bubbles on a park bench is a great place to teach words and expressions in addition to plenty of giggles and "jumping" to pop the bubbles. Taking a walk and stopping to point out flowers, trees, stop signs, traffic lights, school buses, police cars etc. is so easy and you do not even need a destination! I highly encourage using this occasion to teach your child about your neighborhood, the people and places that make this place your special home. So why are you still sitting around? Jump up and get outside!

DANCE, DANCE!

There is something really cute about a child who sings and dances. Every time I run a story time I always include an “active song” like “Shake Your Sillies Out” or the “Hokey Pokey”. I love watching little ones get excited about the movements and sing the songs on their way out of the door. The great thing about song and dance is that it can be done anytime, anywhere.

Song and dance teach rhythm, but more importantly they teach children to be creative and active. Toddlers at the library rarely know their right foot or left hand, but they DO know foot and hand so it is fun for them to try and balance and turn themselves around. It gives them a sense of confidence when parents and caregivers look silly along with them. I dance my sillies out all the time and I make up songs about every part of my child’s day. We sing about breakfast, about the errands we will do, what we will eat for lunch, naptime, playdates, bedtime, etc. I have been singing those songs since my oldest was born. It was amazing to see how my baby anticipated meals based on my singing, knew when we were getting ready to go outside (maybe that is because of the coat?) and was aware of bath time and bed time. Now that my son is older he sings with me the same ridiculous songs and we sing them to my ten month old. She also anticipates her daily routine and I firmly believe that singing (one of my favorites is “It’s feeding time, it’s feeding time, it’s feeding time, it’s feeding time) puts my daughter at ease because she knows a bottle is on the way. Try it out for yourself!

As for the dance, I say go where the music takes you! You don’t need kid songs to get your children on their feet, they will love any music you encourage. I love hearing my son say “I am clapping to the music” when we are listening to the radio in the car. I love when he sings the songs he learns from “Little Einsteins” and all of the theme songs he hears consistently. We all just smile and do our own version of the “Hot Dog Dance”. Give it a try – grab your little one and dance dance!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday! Since it is always fun to make a great excuse for a party, we will be celebrating this beloved author by reading some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books and playing "Pin the Eggs on the Ham". For some great ideas to celebrate in your own way and coloring pages, go to Suessville.com and make your own special birthday party for the man who created Sam I Am, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, The Sneeches, Horton the Elephant and so many more of our favorite storybook characters!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

FINGER PUPPETS!

I love Finger Puppets. They are the easiest way to engage the youngest audience. They are extremely easy to make or if you are not very creative, they are extremely easy to find. The picture above is the "Little Scholastic Old MacDonald" that I got as a baby gift when my son was born and has become a staple in my children's singing routine.

From all my years doing Mother Goose Time at the library, I always made sure to have finger plays and finger puppets dispersed throughout the half hour to keep the children engaged. Babies can stare at fingers for hours and it is so easy to sing along to a hand gesture. Some of my go-tos include "Open, Shut Them", "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Where Is Thumbkin?" and "Mr. Sun". For those who are a little more self-conscious, bring on the hand puppet! While babies and toddlers don't really care what your voice (or the caregiver's voice) sounds like, if you feel like it matters then this is the perfect way to have the little ones focus on something else. Puppets are brightly colored and can guide you while you sing (ex: each animal on your fingers), so you can get as expressive as you want. 

If you are arts-and-craftsy, you can make your own puppets for so many rhymes and songs. I personally used the same glove and made adhesive "Green and Speckled Frogs" (five with a speckled log in the middle) , "Five Little Monkeys" (with a mother and and a doctor in the middle) and "This Little Piggy" for each of the fingers. It was easy to do three back-to-back "puppet shows" or just one or two depending on the time and audience. 

Using your fingers and puppets to engage babies and toddlers is a great way to enhance their early literacy skills. Get your hands moving and get singing! 

My Favorite Purchases For My Kids...

When it comes to buying toys for my children, I always think to myself "How many times will this be used"? Certain toys are definite staples in a house with babies - soft and large balls to roll around, ring stackers, fake keys (even though they always want the real ones), stuffed animals and board books. However, I have made some purchases for my children that I definitely second guessed at the time, but have become staples in enhancing early literacy in my toddler's day.

Every child loves to "push the buttons" on their parent's laptop or computer, so I figured it was obvious I should get my son his own laptop. At first I found the sounds of the "Little Scholar Laptop" extremely irritating but then my son started to mimic what he heard and walked around saying "The letter "w" says "wha". I then realized this was probably the best $18 I ever spent. Within a few months my son was able to make the sound of most of the consonants and with the help of "Wheel of Fortune" my son was able to recognize all of the upper case letters. There are also other games on this "computer" including "find the letter" or "spell the word". There are so many of these "laptops" out there (I know LeapFrog makes a similar one) so if you were debating it as a gift for your one year old the answer is absolutely go for it!

Remember those wooden blocks from when you were a child that had letters, numbers and pictures on them? When my son got them as a gift for his first birthday I thought to myself "What a great thing to regift since we have so many other types of blocks". I am so happy that my son ripped the box open because they truly play an integral part of his early literacy education. He can build a tower and then I help him spot the letters that spell the word "tower". Now that he knows the letters and numbers, we spend a lot of time focusing on the pictures on these blocks. It helps to expand his vocabulary and the pictures vary from elephants to ice cream cones.

One time I was shopping in the pharmacy to quickly pick something up and my son decided it would be a great idea to reach out of the stroller, grab a box of Munchkin foam letters and numbers (a bath toy) and open it up in the store leaving me no choice but to buy it. When I took them home, I played with the idea of letting these be special for the bath, but realized he would never play with them there (maybe when he starts to spell we can have spelling bees at bath time). Instead, I put them in a bin and we play a game called "pick a letter or number and tell me what it is". We take turns and we can do this for a half hour easy. You can even make this game yourself, no need to buy the foam letters. It has evolved with my son's knowledge and now when we pick a letter we also have to say the sound it makes (if you pick a number you obviously don't have to make a noise).

I love every musical instrument that my child owns. I love when he plays songs on his piano and gives them titles (my personal favorite, "Be Careful"). I love when he plays his xylophone and sings along. The instrument I love the best is his own two hands, when he hits a surface and says "I am banging like a drum". Music and rhythm is so important and helps a child focus and enjoy playtime in a totally different way. So don't worry if your pots and pans become a drum set, your child is exploring the world and learning a ton!