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 […]
Activities
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Movie
My son and I saw the movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid the other day. As you know, the books are hugely popular with boys and girls of all ages. But I was leery about the movie. I pictured one of those “revenge of the nerds” types of movies, where […]
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 […]
Getting active kids reading
Sitting and reading is not the only way. At age five, girls are able to sit still and listen about 2.5 times longer than boys, according to studies. But we don’t need research to tell us that most boys would rather get up and move around than sit and read. […]
Fishy literacy game
A do-it-yourself game that helps early readers connect capital letters with their lowercase equivalents. Thank you to guest blogger Dawn Little, for this post. Here is a fun letter match game to help your child recognize and match capital letters to lower case letters. 1. Gather your materials: One small […]
Dry-Erase Crayons
Things that make you go “d’uh!” This is one of those inventions that you wish you’d thought of. Dry-erase crayons. How good is that? No mess, no smell, no drying out. But do they work? This is the best part – they really, really do work well. The colours are […]
Plastic plate as whiteboard
Here’s another great idea from Lori Jamison’s workshop. A cheap, plastic plate can be used as a mini-whiteboard for kids. They’re durable, easy to store and inexpensive. And best of all, dry erase marker wipes right off! Kids can practise their writing on them, wipe off what they’ve done, and […]
Lessons from a kindergarten teacher
This is a kindergarten teacher – and a teacher of teachers. Lori Jamison introduced a roomful of kindergarten teachers at the recent Reading for the Love of it conference to a handful of “mini-lessons” to get kids reading. Her first point was, “what do we want kindergarteners to know about […]
Finger Puppet Book Bags
A little gem from the literacy conference. It’s a knitted book bag, with finger puppets that adhere with snaps to the bag. A knitted string lets the child hang it around her neck and take it anywhere. Each bag has a theme. For instance, the Ocean bag has a handpainted […]
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
“Surprise!” When my son went to bed last night, this is what he found on his pillow – a Coles bookstore bag, with a book-sized lump in it. You’re eight, you don’t feel like going to bed, you’re dragging your feet, prolonging the inevitable… and then you find a new […]
