Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Literacy Ideas for a Fun Valentine's Day



Valentine’s Day is such a friendly holiday, isn't it? Love, candy, cards… lots to like! And there are scads of ways to boost literacy skills. This week I’ll give suggestions for making cards and other crafty type things. Next week, I’ll suggest several ideas for other Valentine’s Day activities.

CARDS
Many kids love making cards. Of course, all you really need is to just put out a bunch of paper, doilies, glue, glitter… But if you want some other ideas, here are several to get started.
First, you need to know how to easily cut out hearts.

eHow
Cutting Out Hearts   This video shows how to cut out hearts, plus shows some ideas of what to do with them.

Artists Helping Children 

Spoonful 
Valentine's Day Card Ideas  Several ideas.
Scratch and Win Card  I wish I'd thought of this! My students would have LOVED it!

Danielle’s Place
Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids  Cards, card holders and crafts

Ever wonder how I Love You is said in other languages? Just don’t ask me how to pronounce them!
Je t'aime French
Te amo Spanish
Wo ai ni Chinese (Mandarin)
Ik hou van jou Dutch
Ich liebe dich German
Ani ohev otach (male) Ani ohevet otcha (female) Hebrew
Volim te Croatian
Ai shite masu Japanese, female speech
Ai shiteru yo Japanese, male speech
Mi amas vin Esperanto
Amo-te Portuguese
Jag älskar dig Swedish

OTHER VALENTINE’S DAY CRAFTS
Artists Helping Children
Woven Heart Basket  There are 2 versions given - difficult and easy.
Heart People  Consider adding speech bubbles!

Martha  Stewart
Heart-Shaped Crafts  Click the arrows to see all 33 crafts – looks like lots of fun!


Do you have Valentine’s Day crafts that your family enjoys? Tell about them in the Comments Box!
Gail

Monday, January 28, 2013

Books for a Happy Valentine's Day



Valentine's Day is such a sweet holiday. It has cards, cupcakes, cookies and candy. That's a lot to love! Here are some books to get your holiday started.


 Snowy Valentine by David Petersen
Jasper Bunny wants to get the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for his wife. He goes from friend to friend to ask for their advice. All his friends have the perfect Valentine’s Day gifts for their loved ones, but none of their ideas will work for Jasper. (Fox has a particularly bad idea.) In the end, he comes up with the perfect gift. A clue is in the title!


 Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
If you are a fan of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, you’ll like this board book. I especially like the picture of Moose painting.


 The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond
Cornelia is walking along when it starts raining hearts. She catches them in her hands takes them home to make valentines. This book has a lovely Valentiny feel.


Hearts & Crafts by Sheri Brownrigg (Sorry, no link.)
This crafts book has lots of projects in it, organized in chapters: Wearable Art, Crafts for the Heart, Sealed with a Kiss, Tea Time and Sweet Dreams. My favorites: Conversation Heart Necklace, Rose Petal Drops, Beating Heart, Dream Keeper.


 Let’s Throw a Valentine’s Day Party! by Rachel Lynette
Although the cover looks like it’s designed for preschoolers, the ideas inside could be used for Valentine’s Day parties for all ages. There are ideas for invitations, decorations, games and food.


Valentine’s Day Stories and Poems edited by Caroline Feller Bauer, illustrated by Blanche L. Sims (Sorry, no link.)
This collection of stories and poems may be such what you are looking for, especially for read-alouds. Many of the authors and poets are familiar: Eloise Greenfield, Judith Viorst, Cynthia Rylant, Gordon Parks and many others.


 Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas, illustrated by R. W. Alley
Lily wanted to make a perfect valentine for her mother. Each day, for 7 days, she made a valentine but she didn't like any of them. Then she has an idea… The illustrations give lots to look at. Check out the calendars – none are alike!


 Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril
At first, I was confused by this book about Amelia Bedelia as a young girl. Then I noticed the author’s name and learned Herman Parish is Peggy Parish’s nephew and he writes the Amelia Bedelia books now. Anyway, this is just as you would expect – Amelia gets a lot of things wrong and is her same charming self.


Looking for more books for Valentine's Day? Check back next week!
Gail

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Coming Soon

If you've come upon this site, looking for Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read, please visit here

This will be my new site once I get it going. See you here soon! 

Gail Terp

P.S. Starting 1-9-13, you can view current posts and old posts as I add them.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Printable Puzzles for Winter Fun



As promised, here are some winter puzzles you can print out and play.

Activity Village
printable Sudoku, find-the-differences, mazes

Squigly’s Playhouse
printable spot-the-differences, crosswords, word searches and more

Kaboose
printable word search, maze, picture hunt

About.com 
printable mazes, connect-the-dots, hidden pictures and more

Are you looking forward to Valentine's Day? I am and I have lots of books and activities for you, starting next week!
Gail

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Encouraging Literacy and Language Development in Young Children




Today's post is by Darlene Beck Jacobson. Darlene has worked as a Speech Language Therapist and teacher for more than 30 years. She's spent a lot of time in Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms where she's learned to dance, sing, play, read stories, use scissors, and share toys like the rest of the kids.

Darlene’s short stories and poems have appeared in magazines such as CRICKET, CICADA, and HIGHLIGHTS. Her first book - a Middle Grade Historical titled WHEELS OF CHANGE - will be published by Creston Books in 2014. You can see more of Darlene's work and activities, recipes and kid friendly crafts on her website.
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Encouraging Literacy and Language Development in Young Children

Darlene Beck Jacobson
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How can parents promote literacy and language development in young children?  It is currently the trend in education to emphasize drilling sight words and pushing young children to read and write in Kindergarten and even preschool.  While there is inherently nothing wrong with encouraging children to read, many 3-6 year olds aren’t ready for this.

What they are ready for is age-appropriate experiences that will not only increase language development and vocabulary, but will also go a long way toward promoting literacy. Here are a few suggestions for encouraging language development in young children.
  1. Help your child to talk.  Talk to your child constantly. Tell him the names of things and what they are used for.  Recite nursery rhymes and play rhyming games.  Ask your child questions that require more than a yes or no response. Let them practice asking you questions.  DON”T use baby talk; always speak clearly.
  2. Give Your Child Experiences.  Take her shopping, let her help do things around the house. Your child will learn a lot from simple chores like sweeping, folding clothes, matching socks, picking up toys, setting the table, washing dishes. Encouraging independence builds self-esteem which in turn makes for an eager learner.
  3. Go somewhere with your child. Visit zoos, museums, restaurants(where one is required to sit quietly and use utensils to eat). Go to the library, the airport, the park, playground, nature preserve, beach, petting zoo, etc.  The more your child experiences first hand, the richer his vocabulary will be.
  4. Play with your child. Do craft projects together that include cutting, pasting, drawing and painting. Competence in fine motor activities is an important skill in learning to write.  The best way to learn how to use scissors, pens and pencils is through practice.  Using clay and PlayDoh also exercises fine motor muscles. Bake something from scratch. Play simple games like “Go Fish”, “Hide and Seek” “Scavenger Hunt”.  Teach your child to catch/throw balls of various sizes.  Help her learn to fly a kite, catch a fish, ride a tricycle/bicycle/sled, build a sand castle. Run, hop, skip, and jump together.  It felt good when you were a kid and it still feels good now. Play house and let your child be the parent and you be the kid.  Blow bubbles, make silly faces in the mirror, dance and sing.
  5. Help your child notice shapes, sizes, sounds, and colors. The grocery store is filled with sensory opportunities. Count and sort fruits and vegetables by size and color. Count the windows, doors, cups, plates, hats, or whatever around the house. Gather a pile of objects and sort them into categories. Have a RED DAY (or color of your choice) where everyone wears red, plays with red toys and eats red food.
  6. Buy toys that require thinking and imagination. Blocks, puzzles, take-apart toys, markers and paper, puppets, are all good choices. Build a tent by throwing a sheet over the kitchen table. Pack a lunch box with “camping food” add some pillows or sleeping bags and pretend to be camping.  Let kids play with boxes…they LOVE them and will amaze you with the ways they use them. Put on a show and sing, dance, do tricks taking turns being audience/performer. If you play video games, do it together and talk about it afterwards.
  7. Encourage curiosity. Experience nature first hand by taking a walk together.  Look for birds, insects and other wildlife.  Turn over rocks and fallen logs after a rainstorm and try to identify the bugs clinging to the surface. Feed birds by coating a pinecone with peanut butter and rolling it in birdseed.  Hang them from trees and watch the birds come by.  Borrow binoculars and a Field Guide from the library to identify them. Take things apart to see how they work.  Get dirty!  It’s okay to play in dirt and mud; it will make your child  happier to be outside.  Plant something together and watch it grow.
  8. Make something together. A macaroni or Cheerios necklace, a clay pot, a paper bag puppet, a paper hat, greeting cards, cookies.  Use fabric glue to cover an empty can with felt and store pencils and other items in it. Every time your child makes something herself, her confidence and abilities grow.
  9. Read to your child. Take books out of the library and read together. Let your child see you reading as well.  Children learn by example.  Make up stories of your own and use props to act them out.  A good site for self-publishing stories is Storybird.
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You may notice many of the suggestions require very little in terms of money.  ALL require you to spend time in meaningful interaction with your child enjoying everyday things. Being present – in the moment – to engage and talk to your child about the world around her is the best way to promote literacy and language development.  HAVE FUN!

For more ideas and activities please visit my website and blog.

Thank you, Darlene, for sharing your great ideas!
Gail

Monday, January 21, 2013

More Books to Make You Glad It's Winter



So how wintry is it where you are? Here in Upstate New York, it's definitely snowy and cold. All the more reason to cuddle up with some good books!


 Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins and G. Brian Karas
When it is winter, you think about lemonade, right? And lemonade stands. No??? Well, these 2 kids do. They buy their stuff and make the lemonade, limeade and lemon-limeade. They put on their coats, mittens and scarves, set up their stand on the snowy sidewalk and start selling. A little.


 Veamos el invierno/Let’s Look at Winter by Sarah L. Schuette
As the title suggests, this book is written in Spanish and English. The text is simple and the large winter photos are great. There are 2 glossaries in the back – one in Spanish and one in English.


 Animals in Winter by Martha E. H. Rustad
This book covers migration, hibernation, animals and signs of winter. The text is basic and the excellent photographs support it well.


A Snowflake Fell: Poems about Winter compiled by Laura Whipple, illustrated by Hatsuki Hori (Sorry, no link.)
There are 23 poems that sing of the spirit, joy and many faces of winter. The illustrations perfectly capture each poem. My idea – take turns reading your favorites aloud.


 It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky,  illustrated by Yossi Abolafia
This is a collection of winter poems that have the funny Prelutsky flair. It’s an I Can Read, Level 3 book.


 Here Comes Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara
“I hate winter,” said the little boy. But that was before Jack Frost came. Jack Frost said he’d play with the boy if the boy never said anything warm in front of him. That lasted until…


 Henry Goes Skating by B. B. Bourne, illustrated by Simon Abbott
Henry is a boy who loves vehicles. In this story, he and his parents are on their way to go ice skating. There are cars, trucks, a bus and even a Zamboni. This is an I Can Read: My First book. It’s part of the Everything Goes series.


 Peter and the Winter Sleepers by Rick de Haas
Peter, his grandmother and his dog live in a lighthouse. One winter morning, Peter woke up to snowy world. The next morning, there was 3 feet of snow. All sorts of animals started to come to the door and windows, begging to come in from the snow. But what about the fox? Should they let in the fox? If you've ever thought about living in a lighthouse (I have), this book might convince you it would be great.


 The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever! by Rebecca Rule, illustrated by Jennifer Thermes
7 kids decide to take Grandpa Bud's travis (a really long sled) down a steep stretch of icy snow. Trouble is, they have to get up the hill first - not easy! If you've ever had a perfect day of sledding (or even if you've just wished for it), you'll enjoy this sledding adventure.


What are your favorite winter books? Write them in the Comments Box!
Gail

Friday, January 18, 2013

Celebrate MLK Day with Online Games



Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Here are some online games to help you celebrate.

PRIMARY GAMES
word jumble, drag and drop and others

APPLES 4 THE TEACHER
jigsaw puzzles

THE HOLIDAY ZONE
word searches and crossword puzzles

THE COLOR
online coloring

I hope you have a terrific Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Gail

Monday, January 14, 2013

Books for Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day




Next Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We all owe a great deal to this man. I hope we all take some time to celebrate him.


 I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This book is brand new – published this year. Using the text of Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech, the beautiful illustrations capture his words and lift them up. This is a perfect book. It includes a CD of Dr. King’s original speech.


 I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Although this poem by Langston Hughes is not about Dr. King, it is all about Dr. King’s vision of change. The words and pictures tell a big story.


 As Good as Anybody by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Raul Colón
This is an outstanding picture book! It tells the stories of Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Both men were affected by prejudice and segregation throughout their lives: Dr. King in the U.S. and Rabbi Heschel in Germany and Poland. Both had fathers who told them, “You are just as good as anybody!” When Dr. King put out a call for people to join him in marching for freedom, Rabbi Heschel joined him.


 Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
Beginning with when Dr. King was little, this book describes his childhood, his life as a church pastor and his involvement in the civil rights movement. It shows how Dr. King asked people not to fight with each other and told them there were peaceful ways to solve problems. The text is clearly written and supported well by the warm illustrations.


 Marching to the Mountaintop by Ann Bausum
This book covers the days in 1968 that led up to the assassination of Dr. King. Written for middle school kids and older, it shows the civil right movement and the power of nonviolent resistance. Although this is considered a kids’ book, it gives such a solid background of the U.S. back then, adults will find it a terrific resource also.


 Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream! by Jacqueline A. Ball
With clear text (4th grade reading level), this book covers a lot of Dr. King’s life: early years, the marches, being a minister, threats on his life, the Children’s Crusade and his death. The text is supported by many photographs of the time.


 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by Reagan Miller
Although Dr. King’s life is discussed, this book is mostly about MLK Day itself. It talks about the reasons for the holiday, celebrations, places to visit and ways of making MLK Day a day of service. Each page has large print, photographs and a Did you know? section of interesting trivia.



My Uncle Martin’s Words for America by Angela Farris Watkins, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (link is in the title)
The author is Dr. King’s niece. She tells about how Dr. King used his speeches to inspire people of all colors. She shows how his words (love, nonviolence, justice, freedom, brotherhood and equality) led people to change. Throughout the book, she uses this sentence: When Uncle Martin used the word NONVIOLENCE (or JUSTICE, EQUALITY…), people listened, and things began to change! The illustrations are as powerful as the text.


I am happy there are so many fine books to read about Martin Luther King, Jr. Do you have a favorite? Write about it in the Comments Box!
Gail

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Guest Post: The Chinese New Year



Josianne Fitzgerald is back with more great information about the Chinese New Year. Click here for her list of Chinese New Year Books.


The Chinese New Year

by Josianne Fitzgerald


photo_fireworks_saleChinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, is celebrated in China and by Chinese people all around the world. The date for Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar and so it changes every year. In 2013, Chinese New Year will fall on February 10 on the second new moon of the year. Spring Festival is the most important holiday in Chinese culture and it celebrates family ties as well as the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

I am an elementary school librarian at an international school in Tianjin, a city about an hour away from Beijing. I am originally from Venezuela and am married to an American. My family and I have lived here for 12 years, and this is our favorite part of the year. There's excitement in the air, as families prepare to bid farewell to the old lunar year and bring in the new one.

To prephoto_writing_fupare for the Spring Festival, families clean their houses, decorate their doors and windows with lucky fu papers or paper cuts, buy new clothes and give gifts of fruit or tea to friends and family.

About a week before Chinese New Year is the day to send off the Kitchen God. Every family has a kitchen god to watch over them. He watches over the family and his wife tallies the family's behavior. Each year the Kitchen God makes a pilgrimage to the Jade Emperor to submit a report. Families will sweeten the Kitchen God's report by smearing his lips with honey.

The Spring Festival lasts for two weeks, starting with the New Year and ending with the Lantern Festival. Each day of the festival has its own activities. Families spend the eve together, making dumplings, eating auspicious foods and setting off fireworks. The first full day of the Spring Festival is spent with the paternal grandparents and the second day with the maternal grandparents. The fifth day of the festival is also an important date marked with more fireworks. The Lantern Festival is held on the 15th night and brings families together again to stroll the streets carrying red paper lanterns.

My favorite part of Chinese New Year is the fireworks. Traditionally, these have been set off at the Spring Festival to ward off evil spirits. Nowadays, they have been banned or heavily regulated in many Chinese cities, but happily, in Tianjin where we live they are still allowed. Stalls set up about two weeks before the new year's eve and will stay open until late at night all through out the festival.  The noise at midnight in Tianjin is indescribable with millions and millions of rockets bursting into the air to chase off the old year. In the morning, there's red paper flakes everywhere and the smell of cordite hangs in the air. Rockets and firecrackers will start again in the early afternoon and they don't really stop until the day after Spring Festival when people must get back to work.

Here is a calendar explaining each day in the Spring Festival. It was written last year to mark the start of the Year of the Dragon, but the order of the days remains the same for this, the Year of the Snake.  A Day-by-Day Guide to Celebrating Chinese New Year

新年快乐   Xīn nián kuài lè! Happy Chinese New Year!

Resources
Chinese New Year Portable Collections Program. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum. 
Celebrations for Spring Festival. China Festival Tours. 




About Josianne
Josianne Fitzgerald is the elementary librarian at the International School of Tianjin.  She has been an international school teacher for 17 years. Originally, she and her husband thought to travel the world as international educators and taught in Venezuela, Egypt, and Lebanon before coming to China and falling in love with its culture and dynamism. They have been in Tianjin for 12 years and will remain for at least one more.

As a librarian, Josianne is committed to helping students inquire meaningfully into themes of their interest. Along with her students, she is learning to tap the rich resources of the Internet and is supremely happy to be living in the 21st century.

She blogs on library matters for her international school community at IST Library and Information Literacy Center. She tweets on library and information technology under the handle @fitziane.


Thanks Josianne! Looking forward to Friday's post about Chinese New Year Activities!
Gail

Monday, January 7, 2013

Guest Post: Books for Chinese New Year



photo_dragonToday’s book post is from Josianne Fitzgerald. Josianne is the elementary librarian at the International School of Tianjin. She has agreed to do all 3 posts this week - YAY! I've never known much about the Chinese New Year. Here is my big chance to learn! And your chance, too!

Read more information about Josianne below.





photo_fireworks_sale

 Books for Chinese New Year

by Josianne Fitzgerald
This year, the Chinese New Year will fall start on 10 February. The celebration will last for two weeks and is also called the Spring Festival, as it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Here is a list of my favorite books to read aloud during Chinese New Year. I always start out with the non-fiction to tune in to what the students already know and to help them make connections from that prior knowledge to the fiction stories that will follow.



Non-fiction
NF1_One_Year_in_Beijing







One Year in Beijing by Wang Xioahong.
This book follows Ling Ling, a young girl in Beijing, throughout the year. While this is not dedicated only to the Spring Festival, it helps set the celebration within the calendar year.


NF2_Celebrations







Celebrations! by Anabel and Barnaby Kindersley.
The two author photographers traveled the world for a year looking at how children and their families celebrate holidays. Chinese New Year is included in the section for spring celebrations. I like this non-fiction book because of its beautiful and plentiful photographs, and the interviewed children's perspective on the holidays they celebrate.


 Moonbeams, Dumplings and Dragon Boats by Nina Simmonds, Leslie Schwarz and the Children's Museum of Boston.
This book presents facts, tales and activities for several Chinese holidays including Chinese New Year. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and colorful. This is a book that I bring out for a short read at each of the holidays featured: Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.


Fiction
 Bringing In the New Year by Grace Lin.
Colorful illustrations and a simple text convey the excitement of the Chinese New Year. A trio of Chinese American girls get ready for the celebration. They sweep the old luck away, get new haircuts and clothes, put up rhyming couplets and decorate their house. At the end, they go to the parade where a dragon takes center stage.


 The Dragon New Year: A Chinese Legend by David Bouchard and Zhong-Yang Huang.
A Chinese grandmother explains to her young granddaughter, who is frightened by the noisy, bright fireworks on the eve of Chinese New Year, how it came to be that Chinese people celebrate the holiday with bright lights and much noise. The illustrations by Zhong-Yang Huang are magnificent, full of detail and drama. Combined with David Bouchard's lyrical text, this is a perfect story for lap reading on a dark winter's night.


F3_KitchenGod




The Kitchen God by Kim Xiong.
Many families in China have a kitchen god who watches over them, both to protect them and to make sure they are behaving. Shortly before the Chinese New Year, the Kitchen God will travel to the Jade Palace to report on the family to the Heavenly Emperor. In this cheerfully illustrated story, a family makes sure that the Kitchen God presents a favorable report despite their occasional misbehaviours. While the translation from the Chinese is a bit clunky at times, the illustrations by Kim Xiong are superb.


 Long-Long's New Year: A Story about the Spring Festival by Catherine Gower and He Zhihong.
This is hands-down my favorite book to read aloud. Set in modern day China, this is the story of Long-Long and his grandfather, who go to the big city to sell cabbages from their farm. They run into trouble and Long-Long worries that they will not be able to sell enough cabbages for all the shopping they would like to do for the Spring Festival. The illustrations are wonderful, watercolor on rice paper. The street market where the story takes place is mostly a thing of the past now, as they have been replaced by indoor markets that are warmer and more sanitary, at least in the larger cities. Still, the illustrations remind me of what markets used to be like 12 years ago when we first arrived in China. That, the detailed illustrations and the heart-warming story of little Long-Long, make this a great book to share.


 The Run-Away Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale by Ying Yang Compestine.
This cheerful tale is perfect for a read-aloud. Bright illustrations add to the fun. A poor Chinese man who works for the richest man in Beijing trades his family's last eggs for a magic wok that changes their fortunes, and that of the rich man, forever.


Josianne Fitzgerald is the elementary librarian at the International School of Tianjin. She has been an international school teacher for 17 years. Originally, she and her husband thought to travel the world as international educators and taught in Venezuela, Egypt, and Lebanon before coming to China and falling in love with its culture and dynamism. They have been in Tianjin for 12 years and will remain for at least one more.

As a librarian, Josianne is committed to helping students inquire meaningfully into themes of their interest. Along with her students, she is learning to tap the rich resources of the Internet and is supremely happy to be living in the 21st century.

She blogs on library matters for her international school community at IST Library and Information Literacy Center. She tweets on library and information technology under the handle @fitziane.


What a wonderful bunch of books! The posts on Wednesday and Friday will have more information about Chinese New Year. Such fun!
Gail