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Other News
Kanye West disses reading
This is what we’re up against. You know Kanye West, the rapper. (Don’t tell your kids if you don’t because he’s huge. Like HUGE. And amazing – as a rapper, that is. He’s also the one who blurted out that surprising and awesome statement in the middle of a Hurrican […]
Don’t tell your kid that reading is hard
Life imitates art – er, blog. My last post* cautioned parents not to tell kids that reading is hard because, “kids don’t know something is difficult until you tell them it is.” I was talking to Mary in the schoolyard today, and she told me a real-life story that illustrates […]
The Encyclopedia of Immaturity
This is a no-fail book for boys. I recommend The Encyclopedia of Immaturity extremely highly, even though I’ve never read it. In fact, it’s because I’ve never read it that I recommend it. Here’s why – the book tells you not to let your parents read it. And my son […]
One-Page Wonders
A fun, one-page book your child will want to read. Here is an awesome, one-page book you make. There are three simple steps: 1) Download the .pdf of instructions. 2) Download and print the .pdf of the book (colour). 3) Fold the book according to the instructions. OK, a fourth […]
The right time for reading
I don’t always feel like writing. Or reading, for that matter. Since it’s what I do for a living, I have more impetus than most people to actually write. After all, if I do write, I’ll earn some money. If I don’t write, I won’t. And yet, there are many […]
Writing in the park
Reading and writing aren’t necessarily indoor activities.Facing a blank page is daunting, even for professional writers. The next time your child has to write a story for school, start by taking them outside. Before you start, remind your child that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. […]
A brilliant TV series
Make your child brilliant. One of the inspirations for this blog was a TVO series called Make your child brilliant, which I saw last year. It’s airing again on TVO starting on Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. It’s a documentary featuring a woman in the UK, Bernadette Tynan, who […]
Cool games on the Internet
Here are some funky literacy games even your child will agree are pretty cool. I stumbled across this site, and I love it. It’s easy to navigate, fast loading, has great graphics and the games are fun. And it’s by the BBC, so you know your kids will also learn […]
Explain the exclamation mark!
This activity will boost your child’s reading in five seconds. One of the most exciting things about reading is the exclamation mark. The other day, I was reading a book to a couple of kids in a kindergarten class. When I got to a sentence with an exclamation mark, I […]
