Fun and Learning with Easter Eggs!

Here you go - Ten Things To Do With Plastic Eggs!!

Before, during and after Easter, try these fun activities with plastic eggs you may have around the house! 

1.       Use for “anytime” egg hunts, fill with seasonal stickers or pieces of a craft to be done - extend your hunt by having each child find one of each color, or plant personalized eggs  for each child to reinforce name recognition! If able, try one egg per letter and have them find and make their names :)

2.       Use eggs as coin savers – put different amounts of coins in a few eggs and place in a basket on the counter -  change it up each time you do it and get in some coin counting practice with your child while you’re waiting for dinner to finish cooking!

3.       Use eggs  to make patterns – open the eggs into halves so they will stand on open ends – use two or three colors to lay out in two- and three-part extended patterns – great practice J

4.       Letter matching – upper to lower case – use a permanent marker to write uppercase letters on one half and lowercase on the other – mix up and then match up! Use multiples of colors to make it more challenging!

5.       Self-checking addition eggs – program each half on the outside with a number of dots, stars, etc. and write the sum on the inside (use one of each color to avoid mix-ups) – have your child count them up and then open up to check the answer!

6.       Use for games to make a rainy day fun! (Or a sunny one!) Place eggs on spoons and have some races ... if you drop one – no problem!

7.       Try another race – each child gets an egg and two or more children can race by pushing eggs with their noses on the floor – carefully!

8.        Like the old pass-the-orange game, tuck an egg under your chin and pass to a partner without dropping – this takes skill J

9.       Use eggs in a container of sand for a dinosaur dig – put small plastic dinosaurs in modeling clay and place in eggs. Bury in the sand and dig up “fossils”!

10.   Use to plant seeds and grow small seedlings before planting outside – open up, place in an egg tray or other container to stand them up, fill part way with dirt and add seeds … a little water and a sunny spot and you’ll be all set!

Have fun!

Making Friends: Books to Help

Such a big part of the early years is moving beyond the world of self into the world of friends. Just as we learn many other concepts, our young ones need "friend behavior" modeled and practiced to get started.

Make time for interaction with other children - get out, go for walks, stop and check out areas where your children might spend some unstructured time with others. It doesn't have to be a special dance or sport or art class - although these can be great fun, too! The important thing is that your child gets a chance to mingle and learn what is expected behavior with friends and what isn't! Practice makes …
well, maybe not perfect, but better :)

As another strategy, read with your child from consciously selected books about friendship. There are so many wonderful books that allow children to see characters whose feelings mirror their own, giving them voice. For little ones, the Rainbow Fish books by Marcus Pfister are great, as are the Bear books by Karma Wilson. They have simple language and engaging illustrations, just right for teaching things like sharing, making friends and caring for our friends.

For children in the primary grades, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is a personal favorite. Children can see what bullying behavior looks like and sounds like, and will vow never to be like that! Chester's Way, another Henkes story, is also fantastic for friendship themes like taking turns and having more than one friend.

For a comprehensive list of books on making friends, click on:
http://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/Children's%20books%20on%20friendship.pdf

Reading about these themes opens the door for discussion - never let an opportunity get away to help your child develop these much needed social skills.

Above all, have fun with it!

Great Books: The Dot

The first time I read "The Dot," by Peter Reynolds, it felt magical ... and I was reading it by myself in the bookstore.

The first time I read it aloud in a classroom, the magic was apparent - every child was listening raptly with such intent expressions! I LOVE this book!

Children will identify with the character and become empowered themselves as the story unfolds ... every child has a little bit of the main character, Vashti, inside. Anyone who has ever hesitated to put themselves out there, or who thinks "I can't do that!," should get a copy.

When Vashti thinks she can't paint, she is encouraged by a teacher to start with just a dot ... and to sign it. That starts the ball rolling and Vashti's confidence and self-worth grows and grows. The ending is particularly touching.

Every time I read it, a few children chime in at the ending - they just know what it will say. This is a great book to use for a child who has a hard time getting started, someone who's not sure of themselves or their skills.

Extend the book with an art project ... have your child choose a simple shape or object to explore and provide them with open-ended art supplies - see what happens! Maybe you will have a beautiful gallery of squares or triangles ... make sure your artist signs their work!

For more art extension  ideas, check out the author/artist's website: http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/dot_activities.html

Have fun!

Reading Time: Bill Martin Jr.

A book isn't just a book! Each time you read to children, you show them that books and reading are important and that sharing time with them is valuable to you! Reading aloud is a stepping stone in the exploration of literacy with a child. Make it fun and use opportunities that the stories afford to ask questions that will extend your children's growth in literacy.

Bill Martin Jr. wrote many of the first favorite books that children everywhere love to hear. His book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,” illustrated by Eric Carle, is a favorite among children and adults and has built-in lessons to help your child grow! Don't put those first books away just yet ....


“Children in a literate society are fascinated by books and reading. From the toddler years, children are drawn to a parent's or caregiver's lap by the call of rich, predictable, melodic story books. Reading begins through the ears and through the eyes as children hear the melody of language and see the beauty of the picture book art. Reading aloud to children creates a loving and pleasurable haven as the adult reads the story to the child time after time. Love and repetition are two key variables. Art and language structure are two more.”
Michael Sampson, Ph.D.

Dean, School of Education

Southern Connecticut State University on www.billmartinjr.com/model


The obvious lessons, colors and animal names, are easy to spot as you read. Anticipation of “what comes next” and recall of the order of the story are two more things to explore. You can break it down even more to find beginning sounds and repeating words – all great skills for learning to read!



“Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?” looks at endangered animals, introducing new vocabulary and following the same sort of pattern as “Brown Bear.” Reading aloud with melody and rhythm gives this story a familiar sound, but with different animals – animals who are not as familiar – which is another area to converse about with your children.


“Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?” puts a different spin on the progression of animals, as you listen for what they sound like, not what they look like! Working with these books as a unit, you can explore same and different, order and recall, and even chart the stories to see if any of the animals mentioned are the same or have anything in common. Extending the story helps children gain new skills for reading!


For an extension project, make a book with your child, in the framework of one of these stories ... use family members, classmates or friends for each of the pages and have the children illustrate and possibly fill in some words to write on each page – it will become a favorite!!


Listen to Bill Martin Jr. read with the melodic rhythm that he intended when he wrote it! @ http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/martin .


Cozy up with all these great books, and the many others by this wonderful children's author, and spend some "quality time" with the children in your life! Have fun!

Sight Word Fun!

Sight words are those words we see when we read, that we need to know "in a snap" in order to read more fluently. They are common words but they don't always follow the rules for "sounding out" and "blending sounds."

Special practice for those sight words can be turned into FUN TIME for you and your child!

There are many sources to find a list - you can google "high frequency words" or "sight words" and you will find many lists! I saw a cute one on Jan Brett's website - janbrett.com. For a simple list of First Grade words, click on this link:
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/firstgradesightwords
There are actually two lists: words to read, and words to read, write and spell.

Now, take those words and have some fun - a few words at a time.  You might want to "pre-test" your little one and see what they already know. Or, you might take words that they stumble on in their reading and focus on a few at a time.

Make a memory game: Grab some index cards, cut them in half, and have your child write each word twice. Use cool markers, lots of colors, whatever makes it more fun and interesting. Set up a game board by turning six words at a time (12 cards) upside down in three rows - make sure they're mixed up! Focusing on a few words at a time, looking for matches, will help your child get fluent in reading these words. When they're ready, add more to make it more challenging :)

If you're looking for a shortcut to making cards, there are copy ready cards at http://www.spelling-words-well.com/support-files/first-grade-sight-words-cards.pdf

Letter tiles: Use your old Scrabble letters or pick some up at an office supply or teacher supply store. Play with them by making cards up (or using the ones from your Memory game), and challenging your child to find all the letters that make up that word, placing them in the correct order. After they get the visual matching, take away the cards … have one player read the word out loud and the other find the letters, without a visual guide. Great practice!

There are also many apps available for iPads and iPhones to practice sight words. Just search for sight words and look at the variety that come up. I like a version called K-3 Sight Words, because it has an audio self-check, after your child reads what is basically an electronic flash card. You can work up from Kindergarten words and see them in alphabetical or random order. I'm also a big fan of interactive white board apps that allow your child to write (with their finger) and audio record words and then play them back. Exciting!

Have fun! (More sight word fun to come in future posts …)

Go on a Bear Hunt!

It is always fun to read and get involved in a story with children - sometimes a favorite story is read over and over again! Remember stories where the children got so involved, they were chiming in on parts? While you are reading and re-reading, you can be sneaking in valuable literacy lessons, too, that just seem like good fun!

A favorite book to read and act out is "We're Going On A Bear Hunt!" by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. In this book, there are lots of repeating lines, fun words and descriptive language - draw your child's attention to the sounds that each section of the "hunt" brings and encourage them to recall and order the events - great exercise for attention to detail!

Take a good look at the illustrations, alternating between black and white drawings and vivid color! For an animated version of the book, check YouTube - there are also other interesting videos, including the author acting out the story.

To act out the story yourselves, brainstorm with the children about the sounds that come up in the story ... and how you might recreate those sounds! Try to find things around the house that would make all the various sounds... "Hmmm, this part says "swishy, swashy".....what do we have that could make that sound?" Gather together some home-made sound effects or instruments that you could use to act out the story.

Make up simple symbols for the different scenes in the story and make posters to set on the floor and take a  walk - a grassy field, some mud, etc. - while acting out the story. Play "what-comes-next" and make sure you backtrack at the end!

For an art extension (and social studies!), make a map! Use simple symbols again or cut-outs to represent the areas that the family goes through and have the children lay it out in a map form! Use lines and arrows to show how the group should progress according to the story - maps are fun to make! Have a child describe the map to you and sequence the events of the story!

Have a good time reading!

Snow Days!

Snow and January go together here in the Northeast U.S. - and the kids love to get out and play in it, making snowmen, snow angels, snow forts, etc. 

When you're done with the cold stuff, make a paper snowman! First, cut three different sized circles from cardboard (a discarded cereal box works great!) and then let your children use them as stencils to trace around and cut circles from white construction paper. This is great for some small-motor exercise, as well as sizing lessons (small, medium, large). 

Make a snow scene, with your snowman as the centerpiece and use cotton swabs dipped in white paint to create your own storm! (I had some snowmen cutouts available, so we made these in school!) Decorate your snowman with markers, scraps of fabric, buttons, whatever you want …

Don't forget to add a little literacy … come up with a name for your snowman, and have your child stretch the sounds to spell it out on paper. Have them write a few sentences telling about the snowman OR a step-by-step "How-To" story about how they made it! Transition words like First, Next, Then and Last or Finally, will get the facts in order :)

Have fun with it, and stay warm!

Cookie Lessons!

Get ready for some baking!

Make a batch of cookies with your child – and cook up all kinds of fun! You can build all sorts of learning into a cooking session… measuring your ingredients, counting your cups and teaspoons, and dividing the batch up into equal parts.

First, gather together all the ingredients: Take stock of what you have in the house and what you need – your child can help! Have them make a list for shopping, sounding out words, then you fill in the blanks to complete your list!

Maybe you need sugar, two eggs, and some chocolate chips … have your child help make a list! Encourage them in writing down all the sounds they hear :)

Now, go shopping!

When you have all the ingredients assembled, let your child do the counting when you need 3 cups of flour, or a cup of sugar and let them mix it all up! 

Next, place the dough on cookie sheets, encouraging your child to set up equal rows and count cookies by ones, twos, etc.  - Great counting practice!

While the cookies are baking and cooling, make time for you and your child to write and illustrate the story of making the cookies: Have your child attempt the words, offering help with some of the complicated ones  - and illustrate! Make sure to do an author's page, as well, complete with a picture of the cookie chef with the cookies!

There are still more math lessons left ... distribute the cookies into several piles forming equal parts. For example, 12 cookies divided into 4 piles … one at a time … equals 3 cookies in each pile.

Finally, since your child got to create these treats, make sure to get a little subtraction lesson in, too! Four cookies on a plate minus one leaves how many?

Yum!!

If You Read A Kid A Story ….

Kids love the style of Laura Numeroff - her characters are cute and interesting to look at and her stories get them involved in predicting what comes next - which they LOVE! There are so many things you can do to get them involved in the story ... and, when they do more than simply read or get read to, they learn more!

For example, look at the Laura Joffe Numeroff books, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", “If You Give A Moose A Muffin,” etc. You and your child should notice the circular nature of these stories - they end with the thing they start with! The concept of the circular story is one that kids can identify - "play" with this idea and they will remember it!

Here's what you can do:  Draw pictures of the different parts on index cards, or use a copier to make picture cards and then lay them in a circular, clock-wise pattern to get back to the beginning of the story. Model this for your child ... "First, I remember, he asked for a glass of milk....hmm, what came next..."  Mix up the cards and have your child decide "what comes next" while walking around a table or by placing in a circle on the floor - this is great for recall and retelling a story! Make sure you get all the way around and back to the beginning!

When you're reading a particular author, check out their websites if you can - often there are coloring sheets  and other projects to go with different stories! There is a link to this author at the bottom of my blog page. :)

If you read these circular stories in a bunch, as an author study, your children will recognize the characters and story style and you can have conversations about things that are the same and different, about sequence in a story (what comes next?) and about using pictures to predict things in a story ... all great literacy projects!

Sharing with your child and watching "the lights go on" as they start to put these things together is so great - and it's free entertainment - use your library to assemble a group of books and dive in!

Have fun!

Be A Reader!

Let your child see you as a reader - it will catch on!

Of course, you know the value of reading aloud to a child - they pick up on your tone, excitement and style when you read to them. Don't be afraid to get excited when you're reading - children learn from everything around them and need great examples!

In addition to reading aloud to your child, model for your child your own reading for pleasure. Whether it is a book, ebook, magazine, newspaper - whatever you want - let them see that reading is fun for all! They shouldn't grow up thinking that reading only has a place in school and no value for entertainment ... find what form of the written word entertains YOU and spend some companionable quiet time with your family hanging out and reading!

Reading time!

Reading stories together is a wonderful way to spend time with your child – stories open up doors into new worlds, increase vocabulary and reading together is a great sharing time. So, take it a step further! Young children can learn many things from exploring authors more in-depth - and, teachers and parents can pick up a thing or two as well! Besides reading just for enjoyment, which is wonderful, there are many components of early literacy to explore, such as rhyming words, repeating lines and parts of a story. There are also varied methods of illustration to discover.

Here's the plan: Pick out a favorite author to explore - one that your child is already familiar with would work well - and assemble a group of books from the public library, your own library, or borrow from friends.

Over the course of a few days, take a "picture walk" through each book, browse the books (thumb through without too many details), and read each book more than once. Give your child the job of "noticing." "Noticing" will get them involved in the book (book “detectives”) and encourage them to look for rhymes, characters, illustration techniques, and repeating sounds or words. “I heard something that rhymes with “blue” – did you hear it?” or “I keep hearing the same word in this story … what do think it is?”

Ask your child to find the name of the main character, which will be repeated in the book, and see what letters are in the character’s name. Notice what things are the same about the author’s books – and what are different! “Eric Carle seems to have a lot of animals in his books – let’s check them all and see!” or “’The Cat in The Hat’ has a lot of rhyming words – let’s see if the other Dr. Seuss books do, too!”

Look for similarities in the illustrations that carry over from book to book with different authors and illustrators. Dr. Seuss books have a very particular style of illustration and are fun to look at! Eric Carle books have a paper collage style that is easily identified, while Margaret Wise Brown’s books, “Goodnight Moon” and “The Runaway Bunny” have some shared illustration that good noticing will pick up!

Check out author websites and look for extension activities – there are often coloring sheets, puppet outlines, project ideas, etc. on these sites! I have links to a few at the bottom of my blog page. Extend the book with conversation as well – discuss your favorite part of the story or your favorite character, modeling for your child a deeper interest in what is going on between the covers of the book. Open up the world of reading – and writing – for them, by asking what they would change or do next in the book! Spend time … and have fun!

Let's Get Started!

For a while now, I've been writing about Early Childhood - hoping to share with parents, caregivers and other teachers some ideas, projects, and information to help them help their children. When I began this adventure,  I had been teaching in Preschool, PreK, and Kindergarten. A few years ago, I moved up to Second Grade and am now in First, where some things are the same, but others are much, much different :)

My goals here are still the same - to get information out to parents and caregivers that will be useful when they try to help their children become more comfortable with reading, writing, etc. ... And to make sure they keep the fun in learning! Realizing that the needs change as children become older, I started this new blog to gather my age-appropriate ideas together and write about some higher- level ideas, as well! Some of my posts will be brand-new and some will be excerpts from my other blogs that I think you may find useful.

Here goes ...

When parents first hear “LITERACY” in regards to their child’s education, it doesn’t ring a bell … they are waiting for “reading,” “grammar,” “spelling,” etc.  All of these elements, as well as “writing” and other skills, are integral parts of what is called “literacy” in today’s schools.

By combining all of these skills and making the learning more natural and flowing, the child learns all of these skills as part of a whole – just as we use them in the world!

Of course, we still need to pay attention to each of the parts, in order for great learning to take place. If we can’t spell words when we are writing, we can’t be understood. If we have trouble figuring out words, because we don’t know basic phonics skills, we can’t read fluently.  All of the parts must be working for the whole process to work!

So ... What does this mean for you? Support your child in learning letter-sound relationships, read to and with them often, discuss the things you read, and find fun, interesting ways for them to learn! I can help you with that :) Stay tuned ....