History has become a battleground of late, with the debate over the ins and outs of Australian self-analysis raising a lot of ruckus. However, there’s a war on another front which has been taking place for quite a while now just over the horizon, the thunder of whose guns will dwarf those of our own small skirmish. History—in fact, the transmission of culture in general—is under siege.
Jo Burnell (in KBR) treats us to this amazing post on the correlation between early language development and choosing first books for your child. Jo is an experienced paediatric speech pathologist with a passion for books.
‘What’s the point of all this alliteration business, anyway, and why do we bother to make things rhyme?’
This comment by a fellow writer took me by surprise. I had no idea that the links between normal language development and our writing techniques were not common knowledge.
Matching your writing techniques to the developmental skills of your target age group is a key to winning children over. It’s what makes children’s eyes widen with delight and lures them back for more. When a toddler is working hard at combining two words, their favourite books inevitably model how this is done.
As a speech pathologist who has helped children with communication difficulties for more than twenty-five years, it’s hard to know where to begin. Instead of presenting a mini-thesis, I’ll try to summarise some key points about normal patterns of language development and link these landmarks to how we write for children.
more => http://bit.ly/e11I4e
David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Kids, ballerinas from the South Shore Ballet Theatre, who performed at the opening celebration, and a large white rabbit checked out the exhibit.
Exercise at the library? It may sound kid of odd. But organizers of the "Literacise" event today at the Boston Public Library say that when kids exercise, it may make them better able to focus their minds and sit down and read.
Talk it Up!
Starting a bookgroup for kids? This is a great place to start. Talk it Up! provides information about how to start and run a bookgroup and over 150 discussion guides to use with specific books.
Need more ideas?
We've prepared many booklists for kids to help you make your reading selections.
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation have launched their Wall of Hands 2010 campaign for indigenous literacy - check out the link below, see how the appeal is going and make a donation if you want.
Librarian Susan Scatena challenged her summer readers: if they read 2500 books, she will dress as a chicken and do the chicken dance on the library steps! The children were so anxious to see the spectacle, 355 children read more than 5,800 books!
http://www.ilovelibraries.org/news/topstories/queenslibrarychickendance.cfm
Great video: SESAME STREET: ELMO AND THE BOOKANEERS, PIRATES WHO LOVE TO READ
Watch it on Pivotal Kids the blog => http://bit.ly/c0FCZ0
Everyone needs a special reading nook where they can unwind and get really interested in a book. Kids need the same. It's hard to find a quiet place where a child isn't distracted by the television, computer games, iPods or gaming systems. A kids playhouse can be just the place for a child to escape to read.
As a parent, we need to encourage our children to read on a daily basis, but it's hard when there are so many things competing for your child's attention. A kids playhouse can be set up to be a comfortable and quiet environment that encourages quality reading time. It might be so inviting, that your child will actually choose to go to the playhouse to read without a battle. How many parents would love to be in that situation?
Here are several tips to make an outdoor play house into a reading nook that your child will want to go to for their reading pleasure:
1. Make it inviting. Place comfortable furniture in the playhouse like bean bag chairs or a comfortable rocking chair to sit in to read. Round it out with a favorite blanket and pillow and it would be hard for any child to resist coming to read in the playhouse. If you're very ambitious, consider putting a window seat in the playhouse that has a soft cushion and perhaps a curtain that can be drawn around the window seat for privacy. How cool would that private area be for getting away to read? Don't forget to have their favorite snacks on hand!
2. Have good lighting. It's important to have good lighting when your child reads. This could be via electric or battery powered lights or it could just mean that the playhouse has bright, natural lighting. Battery operated lighting can be an added "fun" factor because it's like camping and totally different from what their used to in the main house.
3. Encourage even more reading. To encourage even more reading, have additional books in the playhouse so that once a child is done with one book, they can easily pick up another and begin to read that book too. There are some great recommended reading lists available at the library or online that help parents or young readers choose age appropriate books. Or take your child to the library to have them pick out their own books. Make a rule to have the books stay in the playhouse so that the playhouse is considered the designated reading area.
4. Remove distractions. It may be obvious but if the children's playhouse will be used as a private reading space, you need to remove toys, electronics or other items that may potentially distract your child. Check the kids play house periodically to remove distractions that may have made their way into the playhouse.
Following these tips will make both your life easier and your child's life happier. You and your child will feel good when it's time to fill out your child's reading time log with extra minutes or even extra hours. You may want to pass the secret of your kids playhouse reading nook idea on to other parents too!
Sharon Marsh, Ph.D., is a consultant in the food industry. She is a kids playhouse enthusiast. If you would like to know more about a kids playhouse please check out http://www.kidsplayhouseblog.com for more information.
Reading methods are divided into four. The first is the phonics wherein children are being taught about the alphabet first. From there, kids will learn how to blend letters together.
The second reading method is called the “look and say” method. This is one method wherein children are taught how to recognize the whole word instead of relying on the sounds of the letters that form them. This is also that method where teachers pronounce the word and their pupils repeat after them.
As for the third method which is known as the language experience approach, the student actually learns how to read on his own. Your kids may start drawing some things then you will write the description of the drawing. You can continue to collect all the drawings the child makes then keep on writing descriptions of that drawing.
Lastly, the fourth method is called the context support method. In here, you should encourage the child to choose books or topics they are interested about. Know what your child likes and then start from simple books with pictures of these items.
With all these four reading methods, you will be able to find an available tool online. Examples of free tools are as follows:
If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six. Open your child's imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown
A 10-Year-Old’s Marching Orders for the Upcoming School Year
" ... kids function best when they're real clear about exactly what's expected of them ..."