Part II of our coverage of Dr. Leonard Sax’s seminar in Toronto about how boys and girls learn.It’s not that boys’ brains develop more slowly than girls’ brains, according to Leonard Sax. “It’s more nuanced than that.” Researchers have found that:* the areas of the brain involved in language and […]
Tag: boys
Getting boys reading – start in the middle
Start from the middle.This was Leonard Sax’s counter-intuitive (and possibly brilliant) suggestion to English teachers who want boys to enjoy great literature. Boys’ and girls’ brains process information differently. Girls process emotional information throughout their cerebral cortex, where language and analysis are also processed. Boys, however, process emotional information in […]
Internet word game: Dungeon Scroll
They won’t even realize they’re learning. If you’ve got a child who’s into computer games but you’d rather they read, here’s something that will make you an ultra-cool parent. It’s called Dungeon Scroll, and it’s simple and fun. In each “dungeon” you face an enemy. You defeat the enemies by […]
Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates
You know you’ve struck book gold when your kid can’t wait for you to read to him, but picks up the book himself and finishes it. That’s what happened with us and Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates. I sent a plea out to a friend (who is a great […]
Teaching long and short vowel sounds
I’m going to be working with an eight-year-old to teach him long and short vowel sounds. I know him fairly well, so I know he’s into Lego, and computers and art. So I’ve come up with some activities that take advantage of those interests. I’m going to start by asking […]
GKR strategies at work
Last month, I talked to a mom whose son wasn’t reading. She was really distraught about it, and was searching for ways to get him interested in picking up a book. I gave her some suggestions:*Since her son is active, go for a walk and the read signs and ads […]
Great book: Dumb Bunnies
Dumb Bunnies beats Capt. Underpants. Ever get so excited about a book you just have to tell someone?Hayley did – and I’m so glad. She e-mailed me about the Dumb Bunnies series, which she is enjoying with her whole family (ages 3, 7, 9, 39 and 39). If the illustrations […]
Teen book recommended by Michael Cera
Actor Michael Cera really likes the book Youth in Revolt, by C. D. Payne. In a recent Globe and Mail article, Cera said he is a “rabid Payne fan.” This is a cool one to tell your teenager about – Cera’s career is smoking-hot right now. He starred in the […]
Books for boys
One of our recent posts listed stuff boys like. Here’s another look at those categories, with some reading choices for each one. I also encourage you to post your own suggestions in the Comments. Gross stuff Here are some suitably gross books boys love. Walter the Farting Dog, by William […]
Reading the paper on the floor
Life imitates blog.Having recently reminded myself what boys like (in terms of their reading material), I’ve been on the lookout for something to encourage my son to read during these busy summer days. This afternoon, I found it. The Toronto Star newspaper ran a great story on what Toronto was […]
