In my book: The power of reading.

If you can't tell, I'm in a video kind of mood today. Another brilliant segment from Sesame Street, but with a more serious message this time around.

Early Literacy Activity Cards-Resource

Image borrowed from kwachtman.wordpress.com

I came across a site called Family Literacy Expertise, they are a Canadian non-profit and have an immense resource of early literacy activity cards based on familiar children's books. If you are looking for a kids book with activities pre-pared with it, or have a kids book and are looking for activities to accompany it. This is a great site to check out.

Some of the books they have listed are:

A Big Fat Enormous Lie	My Family's Changing
A Child's Treasury of Nursery Rhymes	My Friends and Me
All Together Now	Nose to Toes
Alligator Baby	Number One, Tickle Your Tum
Amazing Grace	On Your Potty
Andrew's Loose Tooth	Pajama Time
Baby Faces	Peek a Who
Barnyard Dance	Peekaboo Baby
Big or Little	Red Ripe Strawberry, Little Mouse and the Big Hungry Bear
Can't You Sleep Little Bear	Shoes from Grandpa
Clap Your Hands	Sleepy Little Mouse
Finding Kate's Shoes	Stellaluna
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed	Stop Picking On Me
Five Little Monkeys Sitting In a Tree	That's Good That's Bad
Five Little Monkeys With Nothing to Do	The Bear Went over the Mountain
From Head to Toe	The Grouchy Ladybug
Good Night Gorilla	The Itsy Bitsy Spider
Goodnight Moon	The Kissing Hand
Guess How Much I love You	The Mitten
Hands Are Not For Hitting	The Princess and the Potty
Hiding	The Very Busy Spider
I Can Blink	The Way I Feel
I Have to Go	Touch and Feel Animal Kisses
I Love You So Much	Touch and Feel Bedtime
I Miss You	Touch and Feel Mealtime
If You Give A Moose A Muffin	Touch and Feel Pets
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie	Two Eyes A Nose & A Mouth
If You Were My Bunny	Up to the Skies and Down Again
I'm A Little Teapot	Very Busy Spider
I'm As Quick As A Cricket	Very Hungry Caterpillar
Jessica's X-ray	Where the Wild Things Are
Lifetimes	Where's My Teddy
Little Mouse, Red Ripe Strawberry & The Big Hungry Bear
Makeup Mess

It's September, and it's time for Michigan Reads!

Every September, for the past several years, The Library of Michigan has partnered with Target to "provide librarians, early childhood educators, parents, and caregivers with ideas to help children develop literacy skills through play-based activities" (Michigan.gov/mde), via the Michigan Reads! program and this year is no exception.

The Michigan Reads! program is targeted to reach children from preschool to early elementary, and to show parents just how important (and rewarding) it is to read to small children. But if you're not from Michigan, don't worry, you can participate too! All you have to do is pick up a copy of the book and read it, it's that easy to get involved.

For September 2011, The Library of Michigan has selected Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devon Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers. Memoirs of a Goldfish is "written as a diary. A goldfish takes the reader through his passage from a quiet life in solitude to each addition to the fishbowl and the changes his life undergoes. As the bowl becomes more crowded, the goldfish must confront his feelings about each of his new neighbors until finally he is alone again, which presents a new set of feelings."

Memoirs of a Goldfish holds many opportunies for parents to turn the the simple act of reading with thier child into a learning experience. Given that Memoirs of a Goldfish, is a book centered around feelings, this may be the perfect time for you and children to discuss different feelings, and when those feelings occur. This conversation may assist parents and children in bringing up the topic of bullying, or other situations in which feelings can get hurt, and how to deal with them.

The story also is a fun way to showcase the importance of writing things down, in a diary or otherwise, as a way to cope with different emotions, and even as historical record. You might want to take the time to craft a journal with your child, or encourage your child to tell you about or write a story about their day.

Photo from maryinhb.blogspot.com

And if niether of those topics seem to peaque your interest, there's always the allure of the different aquatic creatures. It might inspire a trip to the local pet store, or even a nature preserve to investigate the types of fish and other aquatic creatures that live all around us, both in tanks, and outdoors.

The Michigan Reads! program has an entire (printable PDF) handbook, to go along with Memoirs of a Goldfish. It contains everything from tips and tricks for parents, to activity sheets and suggestions for the kiddos. So be sure to check it out.

To obtain a copy of Memiors of a Goldfish, check out your local library, and if it becomes a favorite pick up a copy at your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com.

Wordless Wednesday: Life is dangerous, Wear safety goggles.

Copyright http://earlyliteracymama.blogspot.com

A New Diet Book For Kids--"Maggie Goes On A Diet"

When news of this book was released, I had to do a double take. I couldn't even believe there is such a book.

Maggie Goes on a Diet, by Paul Kramer is touted by the author as a book that chronicles Maggie's journey to a healthy weight through eating right and exercise, and is aimed at the Tween, Pre-Teen demographic.

I understand that childhood obesity is on the rise, and I agree that as a nation we need to take steps to curtail the obesity trend. Kids should be taught healthy eating practices and get enough activity in their day, HOWEVER, it should not be done by a book. It should be done by their parents and/or physicians.

If you ask me this book does more harm than good. One look at the cover, and you see a "robust" Maggie looking into a mirror desiring to be thinner to fit into a dress. This depiction plays to young girls who have issues with body image and exploits them, all to make a sale. Not to mention, "Maggie Goes On A Diet"? Who the heck came up with that title? The word diet, implies a temporary change in eating habits to achieve a desired result. If this book were really concerned about healthy eating, wouldn't a title like "Maggie Eats Healthy" be better suited?

On top of all of these other tasteless representations of what health and fitness really are, I'm left wondering, why does Maggie have to go on a diet? Why can't Johnny go on a diet? After all, the book is written by a man. Wouldn't a man be more in touch with male issues with body image than female? I'd say so. So why pray on young girls? Probably because women are more easily manipulated by this type of propaganda. We are constantly bombarded with "the perfect female" in every sort of media, and this bombardment fuels the multi-billion dollar diet, health, and fitness industry. It all plays in to woman's desire to please.

Maggie Goes On A Diet, won't be released until October. And though I don't believe in censorship in media, or banning books, if I had a daughter, I'd keep her away from this one. No child ever needs to be told that they need to be skinnier, it is up to the parents to make the adjustments within the HOUSEHOLD--preparing healthier food and promoting activity TOGETHER--and let nature take it's course. I guarantee our kids would all be healthier if everyone adopted this strategy.

Free Books for Kids Ages 0-5!

Now, I've never been a big Dolly Parton fan, (the big hair, big boobs, microscopic waist thing kind of put me off) let alone a fan of country music. However, this summer I think I've become one of Dolly's biggest fans.

I only saw the exterior of Dolly Parton, and didn't know anything about her heart. Turns out she has a big one, particularly when it comes to Early Literacy.

In 1996, Dolly Parton founded Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Dolly wanted every child, regardless of income to have access to books. So to make reading special, she sent a book to every child in her home county in Tennessee. Read the full story here

This tradition not only continues, but has expanded to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. And Dolly's dream of having children discover a special surprise book, just for them, in their mailbox every month has been realized.

Now, many think this is too good to be true. I know I did. But "Lil Man" is living proof. He received his first book, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper about a week ago. And he LOVED it!

I can't begin to thank Dolly Parton enough for this beautiful thing she is doing for children. She has an amazing heart.

To get involved, and sign your child up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, visit ImaginationLibrary.com

A Crash Course In Early Literacy

Most parents have no idea what the term "Early Literacy" encompasses, but it is the single most important topic when it comes to laying the foundation for not only reading success, but establishing a love of reading later on in a child's life.

The term "Early Literacy" is what it sounds like; The development of literacy at an early age. But, it focuses more on what I would call "pre-literacy", than being literate itself. Early Literacy lays the foundation for literacy. There are many different aspects of Early Literacy, but it is NOT the formal teaching of reading. It is NOT drills, rote memorization, workbooks, or flashcards.

Early Literacy focuses on the "pre-reader". Kids aged 0-5. There are six Early Literacy skills: Vocabulary, Print Motivation, Print Awareness, Narrative Skills, Letter Knowledge, and Phonological Awareness. These skills are practiced in everyday interactions, through conversations, song, telling stories, and sharing books. Fun activities that children don't even realize that they are learning from.

There are many resources for parents looking to work on Early Literacy. One of the best places to check out is your local library's children's section. Let your child peruse books that they think look interesting. Check out some of the children's CDs or DVDs. Your library may even have an early literacy and/or parenting section which will have tons of ideas to aid you on your Early Literacy journey. So explore, dive in, and have fun. As long as you and your child are having fun, you can't "do" Early Literacy wrong.

The Future of America?

Whether we like it or not, our children [if you don't have your own, someone else's children, which makes this thought that much scarier] are going to grow up and run our businesses and governments. And I hestitate to think what this will bring.

In a world where class sizes are getting larger, schools are closing, and libraries are closing, who is going to teach our kids the necessary skills to run these future businesses and governments successfully?

The answer.

Parents.

As parents, we owe it to our children to provide the tools they need to become successful adults. It is every parent's dream to provide thier child with the best of everything. And sadly, the best education is becoming less and less attainable as educational public services are cut.

These cuts are forcing parents to step up to the plate. Some parents are opting to home school thier children, having total control over the curriculum, but other parents just don't have the means or the time to do so. I, personally, fall into that second catagory.

Working out side of the home part-time and running a household, is a full-time job. But I refuse to let my child become "underprivledged", because of my financial in-ability to enroll him in daycare. "Lil Man" as I will affectionately refer to him, and I take time out each day, to learn new things and read together. It's created a lasting bond between him and I that I will cherish forever. However, working within a library setting, I have also gained a wealth of knowledge about early literacy and making reading fun. And I want to pass what I've learned onto you, my beloved reader. So saddle up parents, you're about to learn some stress-free ways to encourage a love of reading in your child, and the craziest part about it? You just might find you're having fun too.