Today is Family Literacy Day. This is the day! It’s the day you and your kid: 1) Read together. 2) Talk about your favourite book. 3) Listen to a book on tape. 4) Write each other a letter, which you drop in the mail for each other. Surprise! 5) Vote […]
Activities
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 […]
Profile: Male, 14, likes movies, skiing
Some great teen fantasy reads Do you know a teenaged boy who’s into movies, skiing and video games? Maybe he’ll like the same books as this young man. PROFILEMale, 14, enjoys reading DESCRIBE YOURSELFFunny, tall, smart, athletic LIKESVideo games, books, movies, skiing TOP FIVE FAVOURITE BOOKS1) Percy Jackson and the […]
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 […]
Profile: Boy, 8, active, likes video games
Parents are always asking each other for book suggestions.It’s a good idea, because what one child likes will often appeal to other kids of the same age and interests. I’ve decided to profile some very different kids and ask them to share their top five books. When kids are forced […]
Idioms are helpful
My son loves idioms. When he was in junior kindergarten, a wonderful school librarian took him under her wing to give him some learning extensions. She taught him about idioms – phrases that can’t be taken literally, like “break a leg” or “you run like a cheetah.” He had great […]
School-wide literacy ideas
Most of these ideas can be used in your home.(Or suggest them to your principal). Here are some great, inexpensive literacy ideas for teachers from the blog, Choice Literacy. Currently Reading posters on lockersKids post a notice on their locker that says what they’re currently reading, and features a colour […]
PICTOCHAT Hide and Seek
My son and his friend invented a new game. And it just happens to have a literacy component. Even better, it uses the Nintendo DS (Gameboy), so for kids who are really into video games, this can be a good alternative. The game: PICTOCHAT Hide-and-Seek Each child takes his DS […]
Thank-you cards
A great literacy activity. Your kids have probably just received a bunch of gifts, and I’m betting that at least some of the senders weren’t in the room when they were opened. So that means thank-you cards. They’re not optional. In our house if you don’t want to write a […]
Great homework
Our son’s teacher created an awesome homework assignment. And it’s something parents could do, too. I just asked my son and his friend if they’ve finished their homework (it’s just two days into the winter break). They both said yes. Even though there was a lot of reading involved, and […]
