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Australian all-rounder Watson also bats for charity and literacy

BANGALORE // The first thing that strikes you about Shane Watson, the Australia all-rounder, is his imposing physique.

The muscular opener for the world champions in one-day cricket has the torso of an Australia rules footballer and has been dubbed "Tarzan" in certain circles. Yet there is far more to him than initially meets the eye.

For one, Watson is the International Cricket Council (ICC) ambassador for Room to Read, an organisation that "seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education". http://bit.ly/f18q8V

From Pivotal Books and Reading – 10 Tips to Improve Your Reading Skills

In the modern age of information, reading truly is a fundamental survival skill. Here are ten tips that anyone can use to improve their reading skills: => http://bit.ly/epTbSh

Why Read Aloud?

Children's author Rick Walton has started a blog titled Why Read Aloud? He's collecting stories about reading aloud and being read aloud to. He says, "we will figure out a way to get your stories to the administrators and teachers who need to hear them. Your story of how being read to made your life better might motivate a teacher to read to her kids and make their lives better."

=> http://bit.ly/eNDnyn

Why you should read to your children

THEIR little eyes grow wide in wonder. Their hands clutch your arm as you turn the page.

Kids love it when you read to them and it is perhaps the one time, in a day filled with selective hearing, that you have their full and undivided attention.

Experts agree reading to kids is a wonderful thing.

Children's author and "literary ambassador" Hazel Edwards says children who have been read to have longer attention spans, more general knowledge, are more tolerant of differences and are better equipped to start school.

more => http://bit.ly/eoYyIN

Tuesday’s tip – Reading with your Child at Home

What you can do at home

Be yourself and involve your child in everyday conversations from an early age.

Read aloud to your child. It will help your child to learn the language of books and encourages the enjoyment of books and reading.

Talk about books together - make reading a shared, enjoyable activity.

See that there is a range of reading material for your child at home, both fiction and non-fiction.

Read to your child in your first language - research shows that using your first language will help your child when he or she learns to read English.

Try not to let television intrude on reading time - set aside some uninterrupted time to read with your child.

Listen to your child read every day, even if only for a short time.

Give books as treats and presents.

Discuss the meanings of stories and words.

Join your local library. Borrow books for yourself as well as your child.

Source: http://bit.ly/dEgEZn

Thought for Thursday

"No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. She will not want new fashions nor regret the loss of expensive diversions or variety of company if she can be amused with an author in her closet."
— Lady Montagu, providing advice on raising her granddaughter, 1752

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Online Reading for Kids

The internet has become integral in the education of students of all ages across the world but it has become especially important in the reading development of young children. Children these days love to play games on the internet, even at a very young age, since computers and the internet are so easily accessible at home and at school. Many internet companies have turned their online games into learning modules for children, especially ones that teach reading and reading comprehension. Most of the reading websites that offer online reading for kids are free of charge, but some of the more involved ones offer subscriptions and different courses for teaching reading to children.

One of the best features of online reading for children is the fact that the websites and electronic books are offered in thousands of languages, which means that there are zero language barriers that can cause the child to struggle when learning to read. Most of the websites and books can either be translated into the child's language or purchased in the child's language without any problems. Another feature of online reading for kids is the ease of access should there not be any physical paperback or hardback books readily available for the child to use. Physical books are not always readily available, but online reading can be performed on computers, iPods, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerry smartphones, Android phones, laptops and eBook readers. This means that your child will be able to read online no matter where they are located.

Online reading for kids also includes picture books that are available on the internet. Picture books can help children with word association so they know what a dog, a cat, a cow and other animals are in relation to their names. The best way to learn a new language these days, no matter your age, is using the internet. The same can be said for children who are learning a second language. Hundreds of language teaching websites and eBooks are on the internet today that can teach kids who are using online reading as an education aid.

If your child is a very young learner, around the age of two, there are digitized audio books that can have the text read aloud while the child looks at the text on the screen. Hearing the text read aloud to them while looking at the text will help young children learn the sounds of words as well as what they look like as well. Cultural interest also helps online reading for kids because it lets them read works from other countries all over the world. Children will be able to see what other culture's literature is like and whether or not they use pictures too. Online reading for children has become an excellent method to teach young children the ins and outs of reading. This includes learning larger words, learning reading comprehension, learning to match pictures with words and learning proper grammar used in the United States today.

Nicole Roberts
Welcome to Reading Is Fun For All, inside you will discover an amazing selection of low priced and excellent quality online reading for kids.

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Children and reading

“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations--something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”
- Katherine Patterson

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Like Father – like son – reading

he Finnish Library Association celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010. On the occasion of the anniversary The Finnish Library Association wants to promote the important role of the libraries in cultural upbringing. The short film ‘Like Father, Like Son’ was originally produced for television but the Finnish and English versions are free to be diffused on the Internet.

Originally posted here...http://bit.ly/h6Fqr5

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Like Father Like Son

The Finnish Library Association celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010. On the occasion of the anniversary The Finnish Library Association wants to promote the important role of the libraries in cultural upbringing. The short film ‘Like Father, Like Son’ was originally produced for television but the Finnish and English versions are free to be diffused on the Internet.

Originally posted here...http://bit.ly/h6Fqr5