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 […]
Tag: projects/crafts for children
Winner of PictureIt Contest
Thank you to everyone who entered our contest for free PictureIt books. We have a winner! We put all of the names in a (virtual) hat and randomly chose a winner. Congratulations to Maria Butcher, who should be receiving the books right… about… now. Maria mentioned in her comment that […]
Mother-Son bookclub part II
Our mother-son book club met again this week. It’s a great example of parents taking their children’s literacy into their own hands. And anyone can do it – you can do it. The boys drew, read, wrote, ate, chatted, answered quiz questions and had an amazing time. Once again, the […]
Mother-Son book club
My friend Joulie is a supermom. That needs to be said right off the bat. There is no way to live up to the things that Joulie does with her kids. And for the kids at the school. And for the neighbourhood kids. Luckily, I don’t have to be as good […]
"Picture It" book giveaway
“Picture It” picture book giveaway. Toronto hosted Word on the Street on Sunday. I’m always blown away by the sheer number of people who come out to the one-day festival. There are kids’ literature lovers, fantasy and sci-fi afficiandoes, magazines, alt literature – even Harlequin had a booth. I picked […]
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 […]
Supermarket Scavenger Hunt
By Julia Mohamed The next time you go grocery shopping, make it a more educational, enjoyable and literate experience for your kids with a Supermarket Scavenger Hunt! 1. Give each child a list of items to gather. Be as specific as possible (include a brand name, size, etc.) For instance, […]
Literacy games for in the car
By Julia Mohamed Going on a road trip? Here are some great literacy games you can play in the car. THE LICENSE PLATE GAME● One person begins by spotting a license plate and announcing the letters (not the numbers) on it. ● Everyone else, in turn, must come up with […]
The "Air Mail" game
My son’s friend likes to play “air mail” whenever he comes over on a playdate. It’s a great game and I know that it works on their literacy skills because I’ve seen improvements. It involves a bit of the adult’s time, but it’s such a fun game that I indulge […]
Set up summer reading rewards
Stats show that kids who read throughout the summer have a great kick-start to school in September. And kids who don’t, typically start the school year a bit behind. With the school year ending, now’s the time to plan your child’s summer reading and writing projects. Does your library have […]
