March 3rd, 2010
Junior is crying. A lot. You’ve tried food, you’ve tried a diaper change, you’ve tried cuddling, and still the crying continues. Wouldn’t it be great if he could just tell you what’s wrong? Well, if you sign with your baby he can! Sure, he may not be able to express his angst at having his toy truck taken away, but he could point to it and sign “more.”
While it may sound a bit intimidating, using sign language with your baby is quite simple to incorporate into your daily routine. And the benefits are well worth the effort. Babies are able to understand words well before they are physically able to speak. Being able to communicate their needs and wants results in fewer tantrums and less frustration. Signing babies also talk sooner, have larger vocabularies, and score higher on IQ tests (at age 7-8) than non-signing babies. So check out some books and get started!
More baby sign books!
Tags: baby sign, baby sign language, baby signs
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February 24th, 2010
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January 27th, 2010
Get over your winter blues with a circus at home! Pretend to juggle with cotton balls. Place a long piece of masking tape on the floor and practice walking it like a tight rope walker. Pretend to be a lion and lion tamer. Do somersaults and other amazing acrobatic feats. Do the action rhyme listed below, then pop some popcorn and enjoy some great circus books!
Funny Clown, Funny Clown (Tune: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear)
Funny clown, funny clown,
spin around.
Funny clown, funny clown,
jump up and down.
Funny clown, funny clown,
shake your hips.
Funny clown, funny clown,
wiggle your lips.
Funny clown, funny clown,
touch your toes.
Funny clown, funny clown,
honk your nose.
If you love this idea, check out Saturday Tales every week at 11:00 for more great storytime themes!
Tags: circus, miss lisa, Picture Books, Rhymes, Saturday Tales
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January 19th, 2010
The American Library Association has announced the 2010 children’s literary award winners!
The Randolph Caldecott Medal: The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Honor Books:
The John Newbery Medal: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Honor books:
Coretta Scott King Award:
(Illustrator) My People by Langston Hughes, ill. by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
(Author) Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
More about the ALA book awards.
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December 23rd, 2009
This early literacy skill might sound intimidating, but it’s actually quite fun! Phonological awareness is simply the ability to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words. There are so many easy ways help your child develop phonological awareness! Singing is great because words are broken into smaller chunks when the pitch moves up and down. Rhyming is also great, and clapping on every syllable of a word is surprisingly fun for the kiddies. Try this fun chant:
Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?
Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?
Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?
{Insert child’s name} took the cookies from the cookie jar! (clap on each syllable of child’s name)
Who, me?
Yes, you!
Couldn’t be!
Then who?
{Insert sibling’s name/mom/grandma, etc.} Took the cookies from the cookie jar!
Who, me?
Yes, you!
Couldn’t be!
Then who?
Continue with as many names as you want, then end with someone funny — daddy, or cookie monster, or Santa — taking all the cookies!
More great phonological awareness, rhyming, and nursery rhyme books!
More info on the six early literacy skills: print motivation, vocabulary, print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and narrative skills.
Tags: Born to Read, early literacy skills, phonological awareness, Picture Books
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December 14th, 2009
Tags: answers, questions
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December 9th, 2009
Gather ’round, ya’ll, it’s time for the next installment in our series of posts about the six early literacy skills: print motivation, vocabulary, print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and narrative skills.
Letter knowledge is understanding that letters are different from one another, and that they have different names and sounds. Older kids can work on this skill by reading fun alphabet books, picking out favorite letters on signs, or playing a game to see how many words they can think of that start with the same sound/letter. You can work on early literacy skills anywhere and anytime with a little creativity!
Babies start developing letter knowledge by learning about shapes. Think of it this way — the only difference between a lower case “n” and a lower case “h” is the height of the stem. If your child is used to looking at shapes and can differentiate one from another, it’ll be much easier for them to pick out different letter shapes when the time comes.
More books for developing letter knowledge!
Tags: Born to Read, early literacy skills, letter knowledge, Picture Books
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