Friday, July 27, 2012

Books Guide Even the Tiniest of Readers



During my teaching experiences in second grade, I found myself transformed into an advocate for children's literature. I saw, first hand, the excitement children can get when transported to new worlds with wild characters leading even wilder adventures.

Look two years into the future.

Now, I am a stay-at-home mom, and although I am just as much an advocate for children's literature, I have gained a new perspective about how books can guide even the tiniest of readers.

I have been completely blown away at what George has already learned from our reading times. He can identify objects in the real world from what he has seen in books, and he is even putting two and two together with more abstract concepts.

Below are a few examples to help relate what I mean.


    Yummy Yucky (Leslie Patricelli board books)
  •  When he sees things that he thinks are gross like bugs and dirty diapers he says, "That's yucky!" This is from his book, Yummy, Yucky.

  • After I asked where a toy was, George replied with, "The toy is near." He used this word correctly, and it is from his book, Curious George Goes Fishing.

  • When on his bike, he said, "Look, ride forward." He proceeded to do this followed by a, "Look, ride backward." This is from his book, Curious George Rides.

  • After swimming in the pool, George said, "Look, wet!" This word is from his book, Curious George Goes Fishing



Pre-George, I had so few experiences with babies and toddlers. I had no idea just how much they could apply text and pictures to their own worlds. It has and continues to be such an exciting process to experience. 



How have your children used books to make their own worlds make sense?








Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Fourth of July Fun

Below are a few of the activities George and I did to celebrate the fourth of July. 

These are the fireworks we made with glitter, glue and construction paper. Here is a link to the activity.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/fireworks/

*I didn't have George blow the glue through a straw. I thought this may be a bit too much for him. I just put the glue on the paper and George and I sprinkled the glitter together. 










 









 This is a string of stars we made. George LOVED the stars. He colored them blue and red. Once they were up, he counted them over and over. He's really into stars right now :) Here is a link to the activity.
 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stringofstars/













 I showed George the colors of the flag. He colored what he wanted and started something new. A true two-year-old :) He really liked his name on the paper, too. The link to this flag was ridiculously long. If you google "American flag coloring sheet," one will come up.











We plan to make a star necklace to wear while he watches the parade. I like the Enchanted Learning one below, minus the penny. I get a little nervous with such small objects and George. 
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/pennypendant/










We also watched a Youtube video of children seeing "America, the Beautiful." George really enjoyed this, too. He sang words that only he understood and swayed back and forth to the music. My heart was so warmed. Here is a link to the video we watched.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3DyfQWClY

Our last, but certainly not least, activity was to read a prayer about gratitude from George's "Beginner's Bible." We thanked God for our freedom to play, sing and dance. This also really warmed my heart. George was so attentive. He even wrapped up our prayer with an "Amen." Here is a link to this book.  http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Bible-Book-Prayers-ebook/dp/B005AHR26I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341372055&sr=8-1&keywords=the+beginner%27s+bible+book+of+prayers

We have had a blast doing fun activities leading up to the fourth of July. Tomorrow's parade and firework festivities will be a memorable time, too. This will be George's first parade and first time to watch the fireworks. I hope you have a wonderful fourth of July with your family and friends, also. If you know someone who serves, make sure to give that person a big "thank you." What a great time to also thank God for the freedoms our nation has and to continue to pray for our nation and its leaders. Have a happy fourth of July!