Won’t you adopt a word? You don’t normally think of the Oxford English Dictionary people as silly, but they’ve developed a project that’s pretty goofy, and it’s something you can do with your kid to get her thinking about language. They’ve rounded up hundreds of words that don’t get used […]
On the Internet
WORDS, an image-and-word poem
WORDS is a brilliant short (1:54) film that blends images to create a flowing “word poem” that is lovely, fun and thought-provoking. It starts out with “play,” which leads to “blow” and then “break” and “split” and then “run.” The images examine all aspects of the words. For instance, “run” is a person running, and […]
Blocks With Letters On 3
Oh my, this one’s tricky! If you have a kid who’s a real fan of puzzles, he’ll love the newest Blocks With Letters On online game – their third in the series. Once again, you have to figure out what word the jumbled letters spell, and then try to manipulate […]
Vote on Munsch’s next book
What’s Robert Munsch going to write about next? You (or your kid) can help him decide. Munsch has three outlines for new books. Kids can pick which one they’d most like to see made into a book by clicking on the voting button. Go to Pick-A-Munsch on Scholastic’s website and […]
Back to school 2010
By Julia Mohamed It’s nearly back-to-school time! Time to go from running wild and free to becoming a studious student once again. Here are a few ideas to help make the transition as smooth as possible: Goal Journal Have your kids contribute to a nightly journal. Begin now, with their […]
Literacy Lava – excellent (free) resource
Literacy Lava 5 I’ve got an article in the latest edition of Susan Stephenson’s (The Book Chook) great e-newsletter, “Literacy Lava.” “Literacy Lava” is a free .pdf for parents and educators, and is basically a collection of great articles on helping kids to read. This is the 5th edition of […]
The Internet helps kids read
The Internet can help to get kids reading, according to a 2008 Scholastic Kids and Family Reading study. In an article in the Bismarck Tribune (North Dakota), journalist Pamela Krueger says the study shows that: *Kids who use the Internet are more likely to read a book for fun.*Two-thirds of […]
Great online game: Clockwords
Clockwords is an online word game I can’t stop playing. (Must. Stop. Playing… Have. Deadlines…) Here’s why it might be good for your child – in moderation, something I’m not particularly good at, so be forewarned. 1) LiteracyThe game is based on you (uh, your child, that is) coming up […]
Mysterious Benedict logic puzzles
If your child loves puzzles, click here. I’ve been raving about The Mysterious Benedict Society books.My son is loving them and frankly, so am I. They’re about four unusual children who are called upon by Mr. Benedict to solve a threatening, decidedly adult problem. The impending utter breakdown of society […]
The argument for making Harry wait
There’s an interesting post on a blog called Kidliterate – here.The author, Melissa, argues that parents shouldn’t be in a big hurry to read the Harry Potter books to their children. She says there are lots of books kids should experience first, and if they dive into Harry Potter too […]
