September 25th, 2009 Poetry for the little ones Posted by Melitsa in book review, play activities

Following Rachel’s post on poems I thought I would share some of our favourite reads. Since I  spent my childhood and then trained in the UK I have a very Eurocentric view of poetry in my collection. Poetry is universal but you tend to stick to what you know right? So for some of you these authors will be a trip down memory lane and for some completely new. I loved poetry because it’s so short and sweet. I liked to memorize them.

There are all type of poetry to choose from but I would encourage the rhyming poetry first. As they get older and develop a sense of humour then the silly poems that are almost jokes. They love how the words sound and play around with it. The MO really loves the tongue twisters right now.

A few things in poems favour

• you can read one quickly.
• They usually have pictures
• They can be very funny.
• Full of language, history and folklore.
• lift a mood with a nonsense rhyme
• Great ways to encourage stories, writing, reading and talking.
• Easy to learn by heart without even trying.

Little boy blue and other rhymes

Great board book so everyone can grab it. This book has lasted a very long time through quite a few pairs of our families hands. There are lots of pictures to help with the Nursery Rhymes making it easy for my preschooler to read the Rhymes himself. It’s also small enough to have in the stroller to use if we’re out. ( Always have a stash of books closeby when you’re out- waiting is so much easier if you can pull out a book especially one with actions to get away the wiggles standing in line)

What’s happening at the seaside, one the farm, at the zoo

Whatever the age books like this from Usborne are great. This is a compliation book of three paperbacks into one hardback.

On each double page there is a busy picture with lots of things going on. There are questions along the bottom to answer. The kids have fun finding new things to look at. There aren’t too many things to look at so not so overwhelming to the preschoolers. Plenty of opportunity to make up things yourself to look up with your child. This isn’t a poetry book but a favourite non fiction book.

The works is a collection of poems in different styles. Nursery rhymes, action verses, chants, modern rhymes, traditional stories told in rhyme, fables and parables, myths and legends, humorous verse, tongue twisters, puns and wordplay, shape poems, calligrams, concrete verse, Acrostic etc etc They make excellent read aloud poems because there are so many different types to choose from in one book. Not all will be suitable for the young ones but it’s a great reference to see the range of poetry and brush up on ideas ourselves.

Read me is also a collection of poems but for everyday of the year. We like to read everyone in the families birthday poem.

December 27 Telling

One, two, three, four,

Telling Miss that Gary swore.

Five, six, seven, eight,

Now I haven’t got a mate

Wendy Cope

It is interesting the conversations you can have afterwards.

Action Rhymes has 37 rhymes to get the kids moving and grooving. There are lots of pictures to give ideas what to do. There are examples of movements for us to learn so we can do the songs. Old favourites like… Here’s the church and here is the steeple, open the doors and here are the people unusual ones like.. snail snail put out your horns and I’ll give you bread and barley corns.

A Children’s Treasury of Milligan is a long time favourite of mine. Full of silly verse and stories. Kids love the silliness.  Who doesn’t remember, On the Ning Nang Nong where the cows go bong! or try Rain

Rain

There are holes in the sky

where the rain gets in,

But they’re every so small

That’s why rain is thin.

The Puffin book of utterly brilliant poetry- my current copy is nine years old so I hope it is still in print. There are poems from Spike Milligan ( see above), Kit Wright, Michael Rosen, Charles Causley, Roger McGough, Benjamin Zephaniah, Brian Pattern, Jackie Kay, John Agard, and Allan Ahlberg. Each section starts with an interview with the author. The questions are just like the ones the kids would ask themselves. You can find out what Michael Rosen would like to be if he wasn’t a human being?

I have quite a few collections books with many different poets. I hope that in reading this wide range the kids will develop a taste for a variety of poetry. It’s good to have definite likes and dislikes and form opinions. Mine, like most, have started with Nursery Rhymes but after they ‘ grow out’ of these I hope they’ll have latched onto something else. We can read a variety of books but poetry you can read so many more because they are so short and packed with some many goodies.

Poetry has always been a mood changer for me more than picture books ever could do. That’s not to say there aren’t sad or serious poems out there.

It is important for our kids to see the fun side of us; for us to laugh together; look and laugh at words and meanings; realise that reading is fun and lighthearted and not just HARD WORK.

Poetry gives you a chance to smile and laugh, and start some interesting conversations.

So these are my favourites………..

Who are your favourite children’s poets or poetry collections? Please share your ideas in the comments.

September 22nd, 2009 Top tips for reading Posted by Melitsa in book review, language, play activities

Just like the New Year we all focus on starting the New School year with good habits. We will get them out of the house on time without loosing it. We will pack/help pack their backpacks to avoid the, ” Where’s my X?” wail in the morning 5 minutes before we’re out the door. We will pack nutritious lunch or snack. Whatever has happened before we all like to wipe the slate clean and try…try so hard this time to do better.
We’re a few weeks in now to the back to school season and there are lots of you with kids in preschool and Kindergarten worried about reading.

When will my child read? Are they behind? Should they be reading chapter books? Should I be looking into phonics?

So what are you reading as a parent about reading?
If you walk down the aisles of supermarkets and toy stores you’ll see that reading is all around you. You can buy anything from books to electronic games.  If you take only what you see there you’ll have a very one sided view of what reading is all about. I’m not an advocate of ‘faster is better’ yet this is very much what I see. Let’s focus on what you can do to strengthen our reading knowledge.

Read aloud and read often
Choose a variety of book types.Don’t get stuck on what everyone else is doing to the extent you feel pushed along to follow. It’s a hard road to travel these under 5 years. So much competition to keep up. Learn about your age group from experts.
One way we’ve tried to get a variety of books is to go through the stacks at the library and choose a book from each area.
We’ve had weeks of special books; only audio books; only chapter books; only picture books; only authors from the UK/ Australia etc; only poetry books ; only books on a festival or school topic.
I choose all the books
They choose all the books

Do you set aside a time of day to read? We tried after dinner, one adult would read while the other clean up dishes etc. It became our set time. Now this time is for us to read aloud.

Adapt your reading to your child
I have three wiggly boys. Only one of which will happily sit now and be read to all day or read with you. The MO will sit for periods of time and the LO has just got his wheels so he’s all about exploring- no time to stop. Originally, it used to bother me but I see that it’s ok for them to move and do something while I read. They can sit all of them and they are taking in the books. Having boys too means that I want books that will appeal to them now and switch them onto reading in a way that they love Superheroes. I still need to offer a variety of books but I must think to include reading material like comics, manuals and newspapers to keep them interested.

Reading isn’t just for preschoolers but babies too.

I have a baby who loves the board books. His favourite activity by far is how quickly can I dump all the books of all the shelves? With two older brothers who love to read there are book at their level. We also have piles of books about. We always say, If he could take in knowledge through his hands…imagine what he could be. Since his older brothers went through this stage we are a lot more tolerant now about it than we have been in the past. Just like putting everything in his mouth these are normal developmental milestones of filling and dumping.
Our little fella is all about food so wasn’t keen on storytime in the highchair while he’s eating. But it may work for you.
I recently read Raising Bookworms: Getting Kids Reading for Pleasure and Empowerment
Here’s the review.

Raising bookworms by Emma Walton Hamilton is one of those rare books that you discover that will appeal to parents, grandparents and educators. Emma shows clearly how to foster a love of reading at different ages and stages carefully explaining the background in down to earth language without being too simplistic but using terminology familiar to educators. She takes each age group and after explaining ideas to foster reading she lists out her favourite books. This was an instant success with us because as most parents that read and love books you’re always on the lookout for the next book to capture that next wave of enthusiasm or start a new interest.

Another positive is that you don’t have to read the book from cover to cover. The chapters are short and this book could easily be read in one sitting, if you needed. However, I have boys in three areas so read only those areas; babies and toddler, preschool and Elementary years. I’ll read the middle school and beyond later on. Yes, there is a lot of repetition of ideas because each section can stand alone, but the repetition helps with the continuity of thought to be reminded about the big picture of reading and what you’re trying to develop.

I wouldn’t encourage cover to cover reading but frequent dips especially if you feel at a reading loss or you’ve lost momentum. The sections I read gave new ideas and reminders that I could apply immediately especially the read aloud sections.

I was disappointed that much more wasn’t made of developing reluctant boy readers and their parents and counteracting the wave of boys switching off to books during the Elementary years in the frequently asked questions section. I did enjoy the frequent quotes.

Ideas for  getting into a reading groove this school season

• Make your own library at home

Photo credit: Zoe @ Playing by the book

Looking for book ideas and reviews I love Just one more book. This parent team have a podcast in their local coffee house. You really feel like you’re sitting across the table from them as they discuss books and interview authors, illustrators and kids. Each podcast is short and sweet. They cover a wide range of books not often found in the big bookstores without having to order them. I know the big box book stores can’t carry everything but even when I shop around my area I find each store seems to have exactly the same books. So I’m thankful to JOMB for introducing me to books I would never have seen browsing instore but can infact order.

Boys read

Read Mem Fox’s 10 read aloud commandments

2. Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read.

Big little brain has an idea about using newspapers and reading signs for the young ones.

Maybe you need some new books to read or feel overwhelmed by the choice. Try some recommended books  200 great books for children

Share what new habits or habits you have around reading in the comments. I’d love to hear.

July 2nd, 2009 Picnic Play Posted by Melitsa in book review, Cooking, Memes, play activities, pretend play, Thought of the week

The Wordless Wednesday photo was when the mates come round.

This is BG when he was just 3. We’d planned a teddy bears picnic with friends at our local stream but for

Read More…

January 23rd, 2009 Operation Playtime Day 4 of 12: Book marathon Posted by Melitsa in book review, Good reads, language, Operation playtime, play activities, Sites to visit, Thought of the week

On

1. Operation playtime- come join in! 20th January 2009
2. #OPT starts tomorrow
3. Operation Playtime Day 1 of 12: Blocks
4. Operation Playtime Day 2 of 12: Record a nursery rhyme or action song together
5. Operation Playtime Day 3 of 12 Cooking
6. Operation Playtime Day  4 of 12:  Book marathon

We love reading. We also take it for granted. We all read but how much time? Bedtime only/sometimes? For a project only or just for fun? Whatever the reason- take today as book marathon day.
I very much enjoyed The Read-Aloud Handbook. Which led us to focus on…reading stories aloud even as they get past 6. We also love audio stories and hope our kids will continue to love listening to stories as we do.

Along the same theme; a family favourite we bought some time ago in the UK :. The Hutchinson Treasury of Stories to Read Aloud . This is our current popular read.

The BG has almost daily reading books from Kindie to read. I wanted him to still enjoy reading even though he’s learning. I didn’t want him put off reading by the struggle of it and missing out on the fun of the words.

The MO seems to have an insatiable appetite for books. We say, “Don’t sit down for long otherwise MO will bring you a book!” and it’s true.

The LO has realised his fingers can be directed and screw up and grab really well so he’s truly getting into books too. So with all this reading going on I need to find fun books to read as well. This compendium has 44 stories. Yes you read right 44- try buying 44 books separately for around $40.

The 1000 picture book blog post has been playing on my mind. My date planner is always nearby so I’m recording our books in there on each day. I’m not aiming for 1000 picture books but recording what books we read seems a fun thing to do. When I went home I was able to show my oldest some of my reading books still on my shelf in my bedroom. I’d love to be able to show the boys the appetite they had for books when they are older. I hope it’s still remains.

This is one of those unplugged activities we all do. Let’s change it a little bit and do something different than usual.

Ideas

• Make a fort and read under the sheets or under the table.
• Choose a theme of books and read. ( i.e. poetry, rhyme, dinosaurs, princesses, Ancient Rome, minibeasts, Thomas the tank etc)
• Read for an amount of time rather than an amount of books ( or the other way around)
• Let the youngest choose the most books and the oldest choose the least.
• YOU get to choose the books instead of the kiddos
• THEY get to choose the books from a selection
• Download an audiobook from Audible.com
• Listen to a story from Storynory.com
• Visit the library and find an audio story/ and written story combination.
• and many more……….

Share your ideas

What are your favourite books? How do you keep reading really interesting and fun as the kids get older? What read alouds or picture books are your favourites? Do you have goals like 1000 books in 2009 or 12 chapter books in 12 months; go to the library every week?

NB: I know that ‘marathon’ suggests a race of reading 100s of books. That’s not my idea. More- reading more than you would usually do/doing something different. Instead inspiring and promoting reading as a direct activity rather than a fill in activity ( got 10 minutes) or bolt on activity ( bedtime).

Put your thoughts in a blog post and use that link, not your blog, into Mr Linky. We want to go right to your post

See you tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: book, The Hutchinson Treasury of Stories to Read Aloud

December 19th, 2008 Book review: Too many toys Posted by Melitsa in book review, language, play activities

What could be better than a book that does the telling for you… The middle one just had his 3rd birthday and his little brother bought him this book.

“…Have you ever stepped on a Lego piece in your bare feet? Or a Jack? Well, it really hurts!”

Too many toys by David Shannon

Spencer is the boy who has lots of toys.  In fact the house he lives in is overflowing with toys. After a particularly bad day his mother decides the toys have to go.

Have you ever tried to reason toys away from your child? Spencer is the master.

Who’ll win ? There’s an unexpected twist that I won’t spoil at the end that would make any mum proud.

The illustrations are great. The close ups of Spencer show his emotions really clearly. I’ve already caught my 3 yr old trying to imitate them. Reading the story makes me smile as Spencer could be my son or your son. When have we not had conversations like these and reactions and actions like Spencer and his mum. The universality of these scenes means most parents can relate and kids too.

We like playing I spy with the toys in the picture as we read. Each time we find different toys to find. Also, we like to find our toys.

If we wanted to push the point home for the older child we might talk about Spencer’s predicament.. Which toys to give up and why it’s so hard? It’s a good opportunity to start the conversation about your own toys; giving toys away or throwing old ones away. Or you might just want the story to be the story and leave the message to ring through.

This picture book is a fun read with a good message. The pictures engage my preschooler to flip through and try and tell the story himself.

Love book reviews? You should listen to Just one more book?

 Hear my review of  Too many toys

Have you read any other David Shannon books? What’s your family favourite book right now? Would love to hear.

Technorati Tags: Too many toys, David Shannon