Family Reading/Back Packs

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To the degree parents take and active part in their child's education to that degree that child will succeed in achieving.

“ Reading helps create scenes in the child's mind that he/she could

never see without vivid words.”

Bernice E Cullinan,

Reading Is a Family Affair

Read at least 20 min. each nightsI

“Children’s first grade reading achievement depends most of all on how much they know about reading before they get to school... The differences in reading potential are shown not to be strongly related to poverty, handedness, dialect, gender, IQ, mental age, or any other such difficult-to-alter circumstances. They are due instead to learning and experience - and specifically to learning and experience with print and print concepts.” Adams, Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print, 494pp

"The single most important activity for building the

knowledge required for eventual success in reading

is reading aloud to children. "

Commission on Reading in a Nation of Readers

“You do not have to read every night - just on the nights you eat.”

Dr.Carmelita Williams former president of the NRA

Bernice Cullinan in “Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read” lists numerous reasons why we should read to our children; many are listed below.

“In between dispensing advice on breast-feeding and immunizations, doctors will tell parents to read aloud to their infants from birth, under a new policy that the American Academy of Pediatrics will announce on Tuesday.

Pediatrics Group to Recommend Reading Aloud to Children From Birth 6/24/14

With the increased recognition that an important part of brain development occurs within the first three years of a child’s life, and that reading to children enhances vocabulary and other important communication skills, the group, which represents 62,000 pediatricians across the country, is asking its members to become powerful advocates for reading aloud, every time a baby visits the doctor.

How to Raise a Reader Pamela Paul and Maria Russo NYTimes 8/12/14

It is important to read to toddlers during the day, not just at bedtime.

Want to Raise Your Child to Love Reading? Read These Secrets Maria Russo 6/29/17 “The stakes are high, not just for individual children and the adults they become, the adult lives they’ll lead, but also for — and I am not exaggerating here, I really believe this — our civilization. Democracy depends on people capable of thinking critically and that often rests on reading critically. For most people, these habits start in childhood.”

JIm Trelease’s Home Page “Make books into friends.”

•Reading to Your Toddler? Print Books Are Better Than Digital Ones 3/26/19

“ Reading empowers the child with a desire and confidence to become an independent reader.”

Bernice E Cullinan,

“Reading helps share values of

honesty, loyalty, and courage.”

Bernice E Cullinan,

Reading to children helps them become more sensitive- more aware of their feeling and the feeling of others. They realize that everyone shares feelings such as sorrow, joy, confusion and loneliness. Reading books helps one to experience rejection like Crow Boy. Trudging the long trail over mts. and hills to school, real learning took place when he learned to commune with nature. He was afraid of teachers and couldn’t learn a thing in school. The Ugly Duckling experienced rejection and loneliness. We Were Best Friends relates the pain of separation and the joy of friendship.

“Reading expands children’s vocabulary.”. as in Cache of Jewel, Kites Sail High, and Small, Small, Pond. Verbs are embedded in colorful scenes of nature.

By reading to children, parents hand down a special kind of magic that will enrich their child as nothing else can do, states Bernice Cullinan.

In analyzing and comparing the techniques of masters, readers/listeners become better writers.

“Stirs the imagination and builds a sense of wonder” as in the Whale Song-Lilly’s grandmother share her magical childhood memories of whales- whales sharing a special gift- the gift of singing .

Courage/Loyaltyitiveness.

Grandfather’s Journey is about a young Japanese man who travels from Japan to California where he makes his home. He also takes a journey through life with the story ending with him talking to his grandson in Japan.

The Lotus Seed takes us on another type of journey. A Vietnamese girl is forced to flee her country with her family because of a civil war out break. The very ominous looking sky reflects fear, destruction, and the eminent danger. A little girl clutches a Lotus seed as a remembrance of her country. Eventually she finds it blooming in her backyard. Even in sorrow, and pain, beauty can be found. There is always hope.

Parent Support by M. DeFalco

1. Parents need to read daily to their children and children need to read to their parents/caregiver. Children also need to read by themselves. Parents/caregivers who do not read or speak English should read in their native tongue. Use read alongs or picture books and tell the story via the pictures.

2. Independently, children should read a level or two below their instructional level to ensure enjoyment and to reinforce skills.
3. Good picture books appeal to all ages because of their layers of meaning. The only good art some children are exposed to is the art in the picture books of great literature.
4. Reread books the children like, many times
5. Like exercise, we need to do it regularly. Expect to spend 30 min. in recreational reading each day with your child/children.
6. A reluctant reader can read but chooses not to.
7. At risk children are those whose instructional reading is two or more years below grade level. At Risk K, first and second graders are at risk of failing in the future.
The following are suggestions from: Reading Today Feb./March 2005.
8. “Keep reading to your child even when he can read. Read books that are too difficult or long for her/him to read alone.
9. Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next, and connect characters or events to those in other books and stories.
10. Talk with your child about reading preferences. Ask whether s/he likes adventure stories, mysteries, science fiction, animal stories, or stories about other children. encourage him/her to explain the reasons for preferences.”
Children’s enthusiasm- not test scores- is the proof that children are progressing. A child who is an avid and enthusiastic reader by the end of third grade will be a reader for life.
Other Helpful Hints for Parents When Reading with Your Child:
-The more you “act out” a story, the more your child will become involved and enjoy the story.
-Talk about the illustrations. Encourage your child to find the smallest detail, discuss it, and ask why it interests him/her.
-Talk about how the story or part of the story relates to your child’s life.
-If there is a repetitive pattern in the book, have him/her join in the reading.
-You can learn a tremendous amount about how your child thinks by the questions asked; take time to answer them.

Christopher’s mother reads to him to help him get his mind off of his broken arm.

Mother reads with animation- uses a lot expression, changes her voice, and uses sound effects as she reads to Baby Eleanor. Already at 7 months, pictures and voice engage her. 4 yrs. later, before she entered kindergarten, Baby Eleanor was dictating complexed stories to her mother to encode for her. In fourth grade she was chosen to be in the honors program - one of the 5% chosen in her district in Conn. In sixth grade she won the writing contest with state reps visiting the school to present her the award. In 7th grade she won the First honors award at her school for her oral presentation

Andrew Reading to His Aunt Alicia

Lady Eleanor Caught

Reading to Her “Baby”-

Grandpa Reading to Lady Eleanor

Six-year-old Andrew enjoys perusing a book by himself.

In his senior year in high school he became the class president; head of the Student Council; a football player; became a great writer; and was offered scholarships to various colleges- thanks to his mother reading to him everyday.

Recommended Sites for Families

Known Fact

Daily reading aloud to student not only transmits a love of reading but also listening skills are strengthened, comprehension is improved and their imagination is developed. According to John Dewey and others the imagination is the greatest skill.

Gwyneth, 14 months continues to listen to her mother read.

Increases Knowledge

The new information the child acquires from reading, needs to be connected to their lives. Then the child can reconstruct his/her knowledge base and become a ready learner for the next event .

Chris loves to listen to tongue- twister stories, rhymes, and riddles.

His mother makes stories come alive.

Share Values: honesty, loyalty, courage

are conveyed in books like the Drinking Gourd, Little Bear, Frog &Toad, Keep the light Burning and The Empty Pot - a story about a Chinese Emperor seeking a successor. He puts the contenders through a a test. Each one is given a seed; all come back after a year with exotic flowers - all but one. The emperor found his successor; the one with the empty pot. The seeds the emperor gave out were cooked.

Reading to children helps them understand other people their customs & their cultures when they read something from another's point of view.

The Black Snowman relates the anger a boy named Jacob who feels angry about being black and being poor until a black snowman comes to life and changes Jacob’s disposition to that of pride in his heritage. A flash back how African became slaves in America-

Working Cotton is a true story which relates the troubles and hardships of migrant workers- in the field before dawn the family works together through the heat of the day with no facilities; being paid only by the pounds of the cotton. Schooling takes place in the fields and friends come and go as they move from one field to another. The illustrations are very strong and powerful depicting the strength as well as the tension it takes to work in the fields.

The Day of In Ahmed’s Journey - we follow a young boy named Ahmed through a day in Cairo while he spends his day delivering gas canisters. All day he carries a big secret. At the end of the day when he arrives home he tells his parents the big secret - he can write his name. Even a simple thing like writing ones name is such a great event. Those markings symbolize who he is.

Reading to children helps soothes a sick child, calms a fearful one, and eases a fretful one into sleep.

Patricia Polacco, a Russian immigrant who didn't learn to read until eighth grade, now holds a Ph.D in art history. Most of her stories reflect her childhood experiences. In the story of Thunder Cake - Grandma helps her granddaughter over come her fear of thunder when she asks her granddaughter to gather ingredients for thunder cake -ingredients must reach the oven before the storm arrives.

Bedtime for Frances deals with the procrastinations of youngsters who don't want to go to bed. After father reads to Francis, gives her a drink, assures her that the crack in the ceiling isn't a monster coming out, he finally gets firm when she comes to his bedside one more time.

There's Nightmare in My Closet and Franklin in the Dark deals with children's fear of the dark. Time for Bed tells children in every gentle, soothing way of creatures who are also getting ready for bed. One can almost sense that the child is ready to doze off, too.

“Thorndike, after studying reading comprehension in 15 countries, discovered two conditions that prevailed in strong readers. All had been read to from an early age and had come from homes that respected education.” Rdg. Teacher March 1989

Parent/Teacher Partnership & Recreational Reading
Favorite Books for First Graders
Favorite Books for Second Graders
Summer Reading 2nd Gr. Chapter Books an extensive list
Go to Sleep with Bedtime Stories for Kids
6/24/16 Submitted by Sara Barnes
Sleep Help’s Best Bedtime Books for Children by
Stephanie Linder Seattle, Wash.
Children’s Books That Tackle Race and Ethnicity
By MARIA RUSSO SEPT. 23, 2016
Parent academic responsibilities begin at birth. Achievement Gap describes what some parents and communities are doing.

Puffin Easy-to -Read - Series listed by cover Suggested levels 1-3
StoryTime Source Page / Pre-School & K2/5/24
Storytime Topics - alphabetical order
Ice Skating Story Time: books, songs,finger plays
Star Wars- May the Fourth Storytime Ideas-June26, 2015
Flannels, Songs, and Story Extensions
Flannels about Books and Storytime
Stories about Forest Animals preschool & storytime, toddle-
` Stories about Mice

Make Reading Fun Video
PAT/Parent as Teachers
With parents/caregivers support it is not unusual for children to read over a hundred books a year.

Each story adds to the mosaic of our journey through it. A thirst for knowledge is always there unless someone has thwarted the desire..

Reading to children develops a positive attitude toward reading.n

Reading Selection Rules

There are some simple ways to help your child select a

book that is “just right” for him /her to read.

Goldilocks Method

From Mrs. Dennis’ First Grade Site

“Too Easy” Books

1. The book is short.

2. The print is big.

3. You have read the book before.

4. You know all the words in the books.

5. The book has lots of pictures.

“Too Hard” Books

1. The book is long.

2. The print is small.

3. There aren’t many pictures in the book.

4. There are a lot of words that you can’t figure out.

5. There’s no one to help you if you get stuck.

6. You don’t know much about this subject.

“Just Right” Books

1. The book looks interesting.

2. You can figure out most of the words in the book.

3. Someone has read this book aloud to you.

4. You have read other books by this author.

5. There is someone to give you help if you need it.

6. You know something about this subject.

Eleanor has learned empathy. At a very young age, before entering school she saw a bumblebee struggling in the water and said, “Shall we let it die or let it live?” She then took a leaf from a nearby bush; placed it in the water by the bumble bee; let it crawl onto the leaf; and then carefully placed it in the grass.

Eleanor & her mother at the library

Caught Eleanor “picture reading” by herself- pretends to read as she looks at the pictures -

Eleanor

Matias, one month old, being

read to by his mommy.

Here is one of the book rooms storing sets of books for teacher’s use and then to send home for the children to “show off” to their parents.

Boxes are labeled with the following information: the title of the book, the number of books in each box, if there is a big book to accompany it, and grade level it is reserved for.

Big Books are also stored here for teachers’ use.

Each box and big book have cards in which the teachers signs out and placed in a file box. When the materials are returned the teachers place the library card back in the big book and file card box.

The sets of books below are a result of grant money.

Eleanor 6, rdg. to her 3 yr. old sister Gwyneth. Eleanor’ avid reading has impacted her writing through the grades. Her suspenseful stories capture her audience’s attention. At the age of 12 won the State’s writing contest.

Eleanor in first grade- a week before her 7th birthday- reading to her grandmother.

Back Packs which Go Home for a Week at a Time

Heavy Backpacks Can Spell Chronic Back Pain for Children

Sample of a Backpack letter:

Dear Parents/ Guardians,
So much has been written and said about the parent/teacher partnership. Your partnership is anchored in talking to your child, listening to him/her, but most especially reading to your child. Ideally your family would visit the public library each week; however, since that is not feasible for many families I have developed backpacks.

The backpacks are a collection of books revolving around a theme; e.g. friendship, animals, family, bravery, etc. These backpacks have been complied to help you help your child develop a love of reading. Much has been written about the importance of reading to your child and talking about the readings. Educators wonder how we can get books into the hands of the parents. I believe one way to solve this problem is with backpacks.

You do not have to read every book to your child, but it is important that you read to your child every night for at least 20 minutes. There are sufficient number of books in each bag to give your child a choice in what he reads.

As Dr. Carmelita Williams, former president of the International Reading Association, stated,

"You don't have to read every night,

just on the nights you eat."

For you parents/caretakers who do not feel comfortable reading to your child, please sit and listen with your child to a taped story and follow along with the book. Then you will know the story and can talk about the it with your child. Book talk should be enjoyable - not a drudgery. Encourage your child to listen to the story many times.

Following along with the book as the story teller reads, has several advantages:

1. It helps your child develop the rhythm and flow of the language.

2. It develops sight vocabulary in an interesting way.

3. Your child can concentrate on the message of the story and not get distracted when encountering new words.

4. The background music and sounds helps set the mood of the story.

If English is a second language, read to your child in your native language and talk about the story. Those books you will either get at the public library or at a book store.

Besides reading to your child, it is very important to talk about what you read and relate the story to your child's experience and background.

Most of the books in the bags are too difficult for your child to read independently but he/ she certainly can understand and enjoy them. There are some duplicate books among the backpacks. These books serve as links between one theme to another. Also, some books you may have read when you were a child - classics never grow old.

Your child can keep the bag for five school days and then should return it for a new bag. Please have your child put each book back into the bag after each reading session. Please do not let younger children play with the books, put the books on the table while eating, or take the books to a friend's house. Numerous books have been lost or destroyed this way. Please keep the bag out of the reach of younger children and pets. Books are costly to replace.

Each month you will receive a calendar for you to record the title(s) of the book(s) you have read. Also, please write down how long you read each night. The first day of the new month bring the calendar back and you will receive a new one.

In 1996 a national survey was taken of how many parents read to their children. 82.9 percent of children ages 3-5 in the US are read to three or more times per week. Are you among that group?

If you have any questions please e-mail me or call me.

Sincerely,

Adventures at Sea

Little Toot

Grandma and the Pirates

Skipper Grunch tape

Whales and Dolphins Eye on Nature

Whales & Dolphins,

Animals in the Wild

Fish

Dancing with Manatees

Wet ‘N’ Weird

Coral Reefs

In the Ocean

Amazing Animals

Emperor’s Egg tape

Saving Our Animal Friends

Possum’s Harvest Moon

Perfect Pony, The

A New Light for the Lodge

Beaver Engineers

Amelia

Amelia Bedelia Treasury /

Thank You Amelia Bedelia)

Amelia Bedelia and the Baby

Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor

A Very Special House

Teach Us Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia's Album

Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping

Animals

Antartic tape

Animal Homes

First Facts About Animals

Koala Bear Lou

Panda Bear

Bears

Wild Animal

Animals on the Job

Whose Baby Am I?

World magazine

About the Zoo

Tiger

Tigress tape

Animal Problems

Endangered Animals

Bunny Bakeshop

More Bunny Trouble

Minerva Louise, The Mixed-Up Hen

Helga High-Up

Katy No Pocket

This Is the Place for Me

Zoo Song

Oh, Tucker! tape

What Do You Do with a Kangaroo?

Why Do Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears? tape

Arctic Son

Polar Son

Snowy Winter Day

Sadie and the Snowman tape

Snow Bear tape

Arthur’s Bag

Arthur’s Chicken Pox

Arthur’s Babysits

Arthur’s Birthday tape

Arthur’s Christmas

Arthur’s Reading Race

Glasses for D.W.

Arthur’s Thanksgiving`

Arthur’s Computer Disaster

Batter Up

Bear-ly Bear-able Baseball

Littlest Leaguer

Teammates

Curious George Plays Ball

Play Ball Amelia Bedelia

Baseball All Star

Frank and Ernest Play Ball

How Spider Saved the Baseball Game

Casey at the Bat

Little Bear

Biggest Bear tape

Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?

Why the Bear Has a Short Tail

Little Bear / tape

Little Bear's Visit

Little Bear's Friend

Blueberries for Sal

Bears of the Air

Follow the Polar Bears

Black Lagoon

Prince William

Jess was the Brave One

The Little House

When Jo Louis Won the Title

The Brave Little Tailor

Sheila Rae, The Brave

Just Like Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Keeep the Lights Burning Abbie

New Hope

A Picture Book of Florence Nightingale

Garrett Morgan

Young Martin’s Promise

If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King

Pocahontas Princess of the River Tribe

Pocohontas- Daughter of a Chief

Thomas Alva Edison Inventor

Benjamin Franklin

True Stories of Abraham Lincoln

A Weed Is a Flower

The Real McCoy

Bunny Tales Bag

Bunches and Bunches of Bunnies

More Bunny Trouble

April Rabbits

Hopper Hunts for Spring

Little Rabbit's Baby Brother

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present

Tales of Peter Rabbit

Little Bunny Foo Foo

New Boots for Rabbit

To Rabbitown

Big Bunny and the Easter Eggs tape

Runaway Bunny

Burton Virginia

Katy and the Big Snow

Life Story

Little House

Mike Mulligan tape

Caring Bag

Franklin Is Lost and tape

Bedtime for Frances

David's Father

Anna’s Special Present

I'll Always Love You

Love You Forever

Little Gorilla

Mama Do You Love Me?

Swim Polar Bear Swim

Casey Bag

The Bravest Dog Ever

Franklin’s Bad Day

Franklin’s New Friend

Finders Keepers for Franklin

Long and Short of It.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

Brave Lion, Scared Lion

The Lion Who Wanted to Love

Franklin & Harriet tape

Cat Bag

Millions of Cats and tape

Farmyard Cat, The

Lucky's Choice

Belling the Cat

My Cat Beany

Tatty Mae and Catty Mae

Cats

Figbar the Cat

Hello, Cat, I Ned a Hat & tape

Charlie Anderson

Cat Barked tape

Chick Bag

Little Blue Ben / tape

Everlasting Circle

Chickens Aren't the Only One

Are You My Mother

Chicken Chuck

Owl and the Pussycat tape

This Farm Is a Mess tape

The Day the Goose Got Loose

Who Fed the Chicks

Christmas

Bialosky's Christmas

Raggedy Ann and Andy's Christmas Book

Night Before Christmas, The

Christmas Star, The

12 Days of Christmas

Night After Christmas

Santa’s Favorite Story

Arthur’s Christmas

Merry Christmas Strega Nona tape

Christmas Bag #2

Mole Family's Christmas, The

Santa’s Secret Helper tape

A Christmas Carol

The Night Before Christmas

Merry Christmas Strega Nona

The Dog Who Found Christmas tape

The Night Before Christmas My First Kwanzaa Book

Christmas Bag #3

McDuff tape

Honeybears Christmas Surprise

Christmas with Morris and Boris

New Night Before Christmas tape

Christmas with Morris and Boris

Jingle the Christmas Clown by Tomie de Poala

Bialosky’s Christmas

Cinderella Bag

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters

Sidney Rella

Korean Cinderella

Egyptian Cinderella

Irish Cinderella

Circle Stories

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Little Penguin’s Tale

The Apple Pie Tree

Going Nowhere

If You Give a Pig a Pancake tape

Si Le Das Un Panqueque....

Clifford Bag

Clifford the Firehouse Dog

Clifford the Small Red Puppy

Clifford's Riddle

Clifford and the Big Storm

Clifford We Love You

Clifford's Good Deeds tape

Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit

Clifford’s ABC s

Color

Little Red Riding Hood

Rabbit’s Color Book

Red Day

Yellow Ball

All Tutus Should Be Pink

Red Door tape

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Who Said Red?

Anna’s Red Sled

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush tape

Conflict

The Pain and the Great One

Christina Katerina

Sam, Bang, and Moonshine tape

Franklin Fibs

Finders Keepers

Sunday Morning

Terrible Thing Happened

Tenth Good Thing About Barney

Temper Tantrum Book

Story of Ruby Bridges

Crocodile / Alligator Bag

Crocodiles!

A Crocodile’s Tale

The Selfish Crocodile tape

Crocodile Beat tape

Zack’s Alligator

Bill and Pete

Curious George Bag

Curious George Takes a Job

Curious George Goes Sledding

Curious George Goes to the Hospital

Curious George Rides a Bike

Curious George and the Pizza

Curious George

Curious George Goes to a Restaurant

Curious George Goes to School

Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory

Jake Baked the Cake

Jasper’s Beanstalk

Pancakes, Pancakes

I Wish I Had Duck Feet tape

A Fly Went By

“I Can’t,” said the Ant

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Mike’s Kite

The Last Dino

Dinosaurs by Gibbons

Dinosaurs for Dessert

Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast

Dinosaurs Travel

Dinosaur Morning

Dinosaurs' Halloween

The Knitting Dinosaur

Little Grunt and Big Egg

Mrs. Toggle and the Dinosaur

Digging Up Dinosaurs

Discovery

Other Emily

Yummers Too

Jamaica Tag Along

Bicycle Man

Katy

Aunt Flossie’s Hat

The Purse

Helping Out

Weed Is a Flower

Dogs Beware

My Carefree Dog

Bag Full of Pups

Jamaica’s Find

Hot Fudge

No Roses for Harry tape

Scared Silly

Dogzilla

Clifford’s Kitten

Mush

My Buddy

Dr. Seuss

The Cat and the Hat Comes Back

The Cat in the Hat

Hop on Pop

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut

One Fish Two Fish

Green Eggs and Ham

Duck Bag

Hamilton Duck

Your Big Backyard

Duncan the Dancing Duck

I Went Walking

Little Quack

Agnus and the Ducks

Daniel's Duck

Ping tape

Two Lonely Ducks

Why Ducks Don't Get Wet

Farmer’s Duck tape

Daisy and the Egg tape

Elephant Adventures

Hey Elephant!

Your Big Backyard

Dizzy

Baby Elephant

Grassland Animals

Ranger Rick - magazine

Elephant -Nathan and Friends

Nathan and Nicholas Alexander

Nathan’s Balloon Adventure

Nathan’s fishing Trip

Hiccups for Elephants

Elephant Baby

All in One Piece / tape

Elephant

Environment / Ecology

Magic School Bus / Waterworks

Wump World tape

When I Was Young in the Mountains

Great Trash Bash

Mountains

I Didn’t Know People Chase Twisters

Icebergs

Each back pack has a card with a list of the books in the bag. The card is mounted on colored construction paper and laminated.

Fairy Tales

Sleeping Ugly

Clever Tom the Leprechaun tape

Tale of the Mandarin Ducks

Talking Egg, The

Gingerbread Man

Little Mermaid, The

The Owl and the Pussycat

Traveling to Tondo & tape

Goldilocks and the Three Bears tape

Family Bag

The Doorbell Rang

A Chair for Mother and tape

Carry go Bring Come

Kenya’s Family Reunion

My Father

Something from Nothing

Who’s Who in My Family

The Leaving Morning

My Grandma

I Love You with All My Heart

Penguins

I Love My Family

Farm Bag

Sitting on the Farm

Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones

The Chick that Wouldn’t Hatch

It’s a Perfect Day

The Little Lamb

Farm Alphabet Book

Farmer in the Soup

Seasons on the Farm

No Moon, No Milk

Animals and Their Babies

Cock-a-doodle –doo! Barnyard Hullabaloo

Farm Day

Farmer Joe’s Bag

Cow that Went Oink, The

Farmer Duck

Farmer Joe’s Hot Day tape

Is Your Mama a Llama?

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Petunia

Sheep Out to Eat

Plastic Bag

Feelings

Pocket for Corduroy

Corduroy

Everett Anderson’s Good-bye

Leo the Late Bloomer

Madeline

Alexander and the Terrible , Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Nannabah’s Friend

One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo

Terrible Thing that Happened at Our House, The

Temper Tantrum Book

I Was so Mad

Stevie tape

Franklin’s Bad Day

Fishing

Magic Fish tape

Follow that Fish

Six Foolish Fishermen

Magic Fish Rap tape

Fish Eyes on Nature

Millions of Eels

Jump, Frog,Jump

Five Silly Fishermen

Dancing with the Manatees

Food Bag

Boy Who Ate the Bus

Giant Jam Sandwich

The Man Who Wouldn’t Wash His Dishes

Biggest Sandwich

Green Eggs and Ham tape

Lunch Boxes

Bread, Bread, Bread

Chocolate Moose

Who Put the Pepper in the Pot?

Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake & tape

More Spaghetti, I Say!/tape

Folktales

Peter & the North Wind tape

Golden Goose tape

Trouble with Trolls

The Selfish Giant

Ugly Duckling tape

Why Tide Ebb Flow

Jim and the Beanstalk

The Frog Prince

Billy Goats Gruff

The Little Banjo tape

A Baby Sister for Frances

A Bargain for Frances tape

A Birthday for Frances

Bedtime for Frances

Best Friends for Frances tape

Bread &Jam for Frances tape

Frank’s Counting Bag

One, Two, Three, Oops

Counting on Frank

Numbears

The Right Number of Elephants

Ten Little Rabbits

The Doorbell Rang

Friends

Strega Nona Takes a Vacation tape

Little Blue and Little Yellow

Friends

Friends by Heine

Frog and Toad Are Friends tape

Franklin’s New Friend

Friend Frog tape

Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick Pears

The Lamb and the Butterfly

Friendship

Annie Bananie

Best Friends for Frances tape

George and Martha

Loop the Loop

The Best Friends Club

I Promise I’ll Find You

The Bracelet

Chicken Sunday tape

Mary Ann

Frog and Toad Are Friends

Frogs Bag

The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog

Froggie Gets Dressed & tape

Frog Hardbound with overlays

Frog and Toad Together

Frog and Toad All Year/tape

Frog and Toads

I Took My Frog to the Library

Lakes and Ponds

Pond Party

Lost One Frog

Frogs & Toads ( non fiction)

Big Back Yard

A Song for Little Toad

Frank Asch’s Bear

Bear’s Bargain

Moongame

Happy Birthday Moon tape

Turtle Tale

Popcorn

Bear’s Escape

Where’s My Teddy?

Good Job, Little Bear tape

Funny Animals

Animals Should Definitely Not Act Like People

"Pardon Me," said the Giraffe

"Stand Back ," said the Elephant

Zoo Song

Sleep Out to Eat

Franklin Is Lost tape

Bremen - Town Musicians tape

Miss Moo Goes to the Zoo

Little Racoon Catches a Cold

Giants Bag

Giant Indeed

Giant Stories

Paul Bunyan

Giant's Farm, The

Jack& the Bean Stalk/ tape

Much Bigger than Martin

Halloween Fun Halloween Fun

Georgie and the Robbers

Georgie

Old Witch Rescues Halloween

Witch's Vacation

Arthur’s Halloween

The Cookie House

Clifford’s Halloween

Halloween Noises Bag

Gus and the Baby Ghost

A Ghost Story

Haunted House, The

Halloween with Morris and Boris

Timothy and Night Noises

Scarry, Scarry, Halloween

Ghosts - Folklore

Spooky Tricks

It’s Halloween

Happiness Bag

Celebrations

Abbie the Lifeguard

Angelina Ballerina

Petunia Beware tape

Amazing Grace

Surprises

The Art Lesson

Birthday Presents tape

Horse Bag

Born to Run

Caballosy Ponies

Flip and the Cow

Horses by Rachlis

Horses

HorsesIndian Two Feet

Robert the Rose Horse

Tumble

Home Bag

A House Is a House for Me tape

Goldilocks &Tree Bears tape

Little Polar Bear

Owl at Home

Home Place

Boat

Owl Babies tape

Imagination

Mrs. Gigglebelly Is Coming for Tea

Fortunately

What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaur

Roxaboxen

What Do You Do With a Kangaroo tape

Tar Beach

Beryl’s Box

Mirandy and Brother Wind

Imogenes Antlers

Everybody Needs a Rock

Josephine’s Imagination

George Shrinks

Inquiry Bag

Aunt Flossie’s Hats tape

Busy Beavers

The Bear Escape

Bears

Underwater

Fish Faces

Up the Tall Tree

Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear

Bear Facts

Insects

Backyard Insects

Bees

The Bees

The Beetle Bush

Be Nice to Spiders

Butterfly and Caterpillar

Can You See Me?

Terry and the Caterpillars

Trouble with Spider

Incredible Insects

Ant Cities

James Marshall Bag

Miss Nelson Is Missing tape

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day tape

Miss Nelson Is Back tape

George and Martha Encore

George and Martha tape

Hansel and Gretel

Fox Be Nimble

Stupids Step Out

Stupids Have a Ball

Three Little Pigs

Jokes and Riddle Bag

Animal Riddles

My First Riddle

Tell Me a Riddle

Little Golden Book of Jokes& Riddles

Why Do Elephants Wear Purple Suspenders?

Spooky Rhymes and Riddles

Giggles

Funny All Over

Jesse’s Bag

It’s About Time Jesse Bear

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?

Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear

Fire, Fire tape

The Very Busy Spider

The Rain

Jungle Bag

Jungles

In the Rain Forest tape

Vocanoes

Hill of Fire

Deserts

The Desert Is Theirs

King's Bag

King Brioche the First

King, the Mice, & the Cheese tape

King's Chessboard

King's Stilts, The

Princess Smarty Pants

King’s Cat tape

Keats Bag

Snowy Day

Indian Two Feet

The Trip

Pet Show

Little Drummer Boy

Maggie and the Pirate

Apt. 3-

Over in the Meadow

Matias, 16 mon.

Eleanor at the Public Library

Gwyneth 2.10 yrs. picture reads.

At 4 years of age

Little Red Hen was one of her favorites. She memorized it changing her voice as she told the story.

8 yr. old Chris is reading to his 2 1/2 yr. old sister, Gwyneth. No wonder she can tell stories that begin like, “Once upon a time there was a little girl who went to the beach with her mother. The little girl got lost....”

One Year old Luca enjoying his book

Lady Eleanor exploring on her own

Bay Shore’s School Wide

Home Reading Program

Each week a book is sent home in a plastic bag along with the reading chart to record the title of the book and comments. After a week the books are returned and a new book is placed in the bag and sent home again.

Each classroom has a mounted rod to store the children’s book bags as they are returned.

The goal is to send home the book the students studied in class in grades K,1, & 2. The students take their book home to perform for their parents/ caregivers. Parents/caregivers of kindergarten children are expected to read the story to their child and talk about the story.

The kindergarten teachers are limited to select titles. The first grade teachers can use any book on the kindergarten list but not the books reserved for the second grade. The second grade teachers are free to take books on all levels.

The above photo shows the bags the books are carried home in. The enclosed chart is for the caregivers to record the title and make a comment.

Constructed by Mary DeFalco Updated 9/18/19

A few years later, Chris is reading to his baby sister who is not yet two.

When he was two he asked his mother, “Am I being difficult like Max?” Max from “Where the Wild Things Are.” At two yrs. of age he already was making connections with the story and his own life.

If the parents can’t provide their children with books at home, the school needs to provide appropriate reading material for the children to take home. Here are the back packs that I developed for my reading students:

Luca “ picture reading” at 8 months.

You may have tangible wealth untold

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold

Richer than I you can never be-

I had a mother (and a father) who read to me. Stickman Gillian

TV Monster

In “School Reform What’s Missing”

Ted Sizer maintains that the typical youngster will be in a room with a TV on for more hours a day than they spend per day in class in school- in fact, more hours a day than they spend doing anything else except sleeping.

TV has become the biggest school system, the principal shaper of culture. Most of us follow people even more than ideas: We do what those whom we admire do.

The commission on Reading suggest that TV watching be limited to 10 hrs. a week for school-age children. Research has found that more than 10 hrs. a week of TV watching has a negative effect on learning. When ever possible parents should watch the programs with their children. When they watch together they can discuss what they have seen. In that way they can help their children better understand the programs

Playing video games via the computer and the iPad falls in the same category as TV watching.

The same can be said for excessive video games. 5 negative reasons: Isolationism, Desensitizing, Rise in Aggressive Behavior, Waste if Time, Weight Gain.

The day a baby is born parents should start talking and reading to their baby. The sound of a parents’s voice and the rhythm of the language, delight a baby. It doesn’t matter what is said or read. If you are a lover of Shakespeare, read Shakespeare. Recite jingles and poems and sing to your baby. Do finger plays like “This Little Piggy.”

I remember my first child sitting in her infant seat and my husband would ask her questions like “How was your day?” When my husband paused she would coo. It sounded like a dialogue.

Reading develops a child’s independence. Reading is one of the most liberating thing we can do. In fact, before the Civil War, slave owners were so aware of the liberating power of reading that slaves were not allowed to learn how to read; it was against the law. Reading became the way to freedom; it still is. Reading makes one think; it stirs the imagination .

Reading is learning about life. Each story is like painting a picture of some aspect of life.

We are all born with the potential of moral equality, however, from a learning perspective children are not equal. By the time some children enter kindergarten they know songs, have had rich experiences, know the names and sounds of the letters and some even know how to read. Others do not know what a book looks like. Some children start off in kindergarten with unequal footing; some are defeated before they start.

Picture books:

Help develop visual discrimination and form a bridge from the concrete to the abstract.

They help children practice prereading/thinking skills such as observing details, making inferences, drawing conclusions and making judgement, identify cause and effect, sequence and main idea.

They help develop a sense of story structure through the pictures.

Thought for Parents

(James Coleman, 1966, 1975 -not David Coleman)

Family living has a lasting influence on children. Parental example is extremely influential in school success. Literacy level of parents is significantly related to that of their children. Family life exerts a lasting influence on children and parental example is extremely influential in school success. James Coleman did an intensive study for the government which revealed that the most important variable in school achievement was the family.

Most of us take it as a given that we must give of our time but too often we do not act upon our convictions. We make all kinds of financial sacrifices for our children but what is most needed is what is free but so hard to give- time- quality time.

We must also model for them those values we want them to emulate. If we value literacy then we must create a literate environment and read ourself. Repeatedly, research shows very important facts about the family and literacy. Parents who read with their child, who have books around the house as well as magazines and newspapers, who point out print on signs, who immerse their child in printed literature of one kind or another, do great deal to make reading a natural experience for their child.

In contrast, the parent who never reads, who allows their child to watch hours of TV, play video games for hours, text message friends for hours or who do no value literature by his or her actions, will very likely transmit that anti-literacy value to the child. Literacy is not only a school affair; it is a family affair.

Emmanuel Kant, a philosopher in the 18th century purported that new information, new concepts, and new ideas can have meaning only when they can be related to something the individual already knows.

Piaget maintained concrete experiences are needed for learning to occur.

Frank Smith maintained that readers must bring meaning to print rather than expecting to receive meaning from it. As we become fluent readers we learn to rely more on what we already know, on what is behind the eyeballs and less on the print on the page in front of us.

Consequently, we must first supply the children with the experiences we are going to read about if the children are to get meaning from print.

Giving our children various experiences is one to the crucial areas where parents can help their children. The more experiences the child has and talks about when he/she comes to school the more success he/she will realize in learning and with reading in particular. Children need to experience and talk about their experiences in order to learn and to remember the learning.

Kevin Henkes

Julius, the Baby of the World

Chester’s Way

Jessica

The Biggest Boy

Sheila Rae, The Brave

Leo Lionni

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse

Swimmy

Fish Is a Fish

Six Crows tape

A Color of His Own

Fredrick

A Busy Year tape

A Flea Story tape

It’s Mine

Inch by Inch

Leo’s Bag

Chick and the Duckling

Leo the Late Bloomer tape

Sophie and Jack

Looks Like Spilt Milk

Springboards

Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing

Singing Chick tape

Little Louie the Baby Bloomer

Little Witches Bag

The Witch Has An Itch

The Thirteen Days of Halloween

Inside a House That Is Haunted

The Teeny Tiny Ghost

Little Ghost

Rattlebone Rock

Magic Bag

Ming Lo Moves the Mountain tape

Mushroom in the Rain

Madge's Magic Show

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Magic Growing Powder

Magic Cookies

Peter and the North Wind tape

Magic Fish tape

I like Me tape

Dandelion tape

Mama, Do You Love Me tape

Hooray for Me

Willie's Not the Hugging Kind

Willy the Wimp

This Is the Place for Me

Mouse Bag

Mouse Tales

Cats and Mice

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie # 6

Livingstone Mouse

Mouse Gets Caught

Dr. De Soto tape

Two Tiny Mice

Noise Nora

Seven Blind Mice tape

Miami Mice Bag

Mouse TV

Chester Way

Dr. DeSoto tape

Miami Mice

I Love Mouse

Even for a Mouse

City Mouse /Country Mouse

Mother’s Day Mice tape

Town and Country Mouse

The Big Hungry Bear

Caps for Sale tape

Cecily C. and the Nine Monkeys

Monkey- Monkey's Trick

Best Little Monkeys in the World

A Monkey Grows Up

Arthur and the Super Champ Contest

Arthur’s Honey Bear tape

The Kids Sing-Along Activity Book

Orchestranimals tape

City Song

Frog Went-A-Court'n

Over the River and through the Woods tape

Sounds and Music

All Alone on Center Stage

The Little Band

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin

Over in the Meadow

Skip to My Lou

Song and Dance Man

Down by the Bay

The Music Teacher

Bremen Town Musicians tape

Mysteries

Nate the Great

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt

Something Queer Is Going on

The Beast in Ms. Rooney’s Room

Cam Jansen / Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball tape

Clue Jr ., the Case of the Chocolate Fingerprints

Hazel’s Amazing Mother

Mysterious Happenings

Nate Gets Down in the Dumps

Nate the Great and the Lost List

Littlest Leaguer

Clue Jr. The Case of the Stolen Jewel

The Sherlock Bones Mystery Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds

Night Bag

The Quilt tape

Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?

Franklin in the Dark

Good Night Moon

Good Night Fred

Night Is Coming

There’s Something in My Attic

There’s an Alligator Under My BEd

How Many Stars in the Sky?

Dark Night, Sleepy Night

Number Bag

Bears 1,2, 3

Ten Black Dots

Ten Apples Up on Top tape

What Do You Do?

Roll Over

Shape Space

Treasure Nap

Nate the Great Bag

Nate the Great and the Monster Mess

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt

Nate the Great and Me

Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed

Crickwing tape

Henry and Mudge & Annie’s Good Move

Pet Bag

Henry and Mudge and the Perfect Pet

Let’s Get a Pet

Up, Up, Down tape

Franklin Wants a Pet

The Dog That Stole Home

Mr. Putter & Tabby Toot the Horn

Our New Puppy tape

Pig Bag

A Treeful of Pigs

Clever Pig

Goody New Shoes

Pigs

Pigs a Plenty Pigs Galore

Pig, Pig, Goes to Camp

Wonderful Pigs of Jullian Jigg, The tape

Two Crazy Pigs

Mortimer Mooner

Preposterous Bag

Preposterous Rhinoceros

Stone Soup tape

Rocky the Mountaineer

Fortunately

Ducky

Boomer’s Big Day

That’s Good That’s Bad

The Penguin Quartet tape

It Could Have Been Worse

Pooh Bear

I'm Sorry

Bounce, Tigger, Bounce

Happy Birthday, Eeyore

Pooh Gets Stuck

Who Are You Sue Snue?

The Best Mistake Ever

Thomas and the School Trip

The Berenstains B Book

It's Not Easy Being a bunny

Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say

Just Plain and Fancy

My Ol’Man

Thunder Cake

Chicken Sunday tape

Rain, Wind, Snow

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs tape

Sun and Moon

Sun, the Wind and the Rain, Rainbabies

Thundercake

Hurricanes

Hurricane

Clouds

Repeat Bag

A Fly Went By

Goodnight Moon

I Can't Said the Ant

Over in the Meadow

Caps for Sale / tape

Teeny Tiny Woman, The

Teeny Tiny

Down by the Bay tape

Enormous Turnip tape

The Turnip

Rhymes and Poems

If I Were a Cricket

Jelly on the Plate

Turning of the Year, The

Whiskers and Rhymes

Wynken, Blynken & Nod

Owl and the Pussy Cat

Jamberry tape

Nicolas Cricket

Down by the Bay

My First Songs

School

This Is the Way We Go to School tape

Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash

Miss Nelson Is Back

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day Tape

Arizona

School Isn’t Fair

Curious George Goes to School

Scary

Big Pumpkin

Bony Legs

Danger

Harry and the Terrible Whatzit

Spooky Old Tree tape

Somethings Are Scary

Rabbit and Skunk and the Big Fight

Rabbit and Skunk and Scary Rock

Maybe a Monster

Lost in the Museum

In a Dark Dark House

The Book Monster

Scare Yourself to Sleep

The Ghost Eye Tree

There’s a Monster Under My Bed

Scooter Pig

Six Hogs on a Scooter tape

City Pig

When You Take a Pig to a Party

Pigs by Gail Gibbson

Babe, The Sheep Pig

Iggy Pig’s Snowball Fight

Pig Pig Goes to Camp

Sea

A Sea Full of Sharks

A Day Under Water

Big Al

Kermit the Hermit

Magic Fish Rap tape

Dolphins

The Little Island tape

Ranger Rick

Oceans

Whale

Swimmy

Seeds / Plant Bag

Apple Tree, Apple Tree

Apples and Pumpkins

All About Seeds

It’s Pumpkin Time tape

The Flower Seeds

Picking Apples and Pumpkins

Tiny and Stripes Plant a Garden

Plants that Never Ever Bloom

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever

The Tiny Seed

Wake Me In Spring tape

Senses

Funny Fingers, Funny Toes

Nose Book

Things I Like

Catch a Rainbow

Arthur’s Nose

Silly Bag

Buzby

Montgomery Moose's Favorite Riddles

Possum Come a-Knockin

Stupids Step Out

Stupids Have a Ball tape

George and Martha

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

Let’s Go Camping with Mr. Silly pants

Together Bag

My Friends tape

Together

Whose Baby?

Everything Grows tape

An Egg is and Egg

Sadie and the Snowman tape

Tooth Bag

Arthur's Tooth tape

Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth

Martin and the Tooth Bag

Missing Tooth

Dr.DeSoto tape

My Tooth Is About to Fall Out

Little Tiger’s Loose Tooth

Tooth Fairy

Fluffy Meets the Tooth Fairy

Hooray for Teeth

Toy Animals

Pocket for Corduroy

Ira Sleeps Over

Alexander and the Wind - Up Mouse

My Brown Bear Barney

Nathan and Nicholas Alexander

Christmas Toy

Happy Birthday, Moon tape

Pooh Gets Stuck

Where’s my Teddy?

Train Bag Country Crossing

Train tape

Train Song

Underground Train

Freight Train

Short Cut

Train Ride

Traveling Bag

Day of Ahmed’s Secret

Tikki, Tikki Tembo tape

The Nightingale

Five Chinese Brothers tape

Angel Child Dragon

Schools Around the World

Under the Sun

Arroz Con Leche

On the Go

Yagua Days

Tonight Is Carnival

Trip Bag

All in the Morning Early

Madeline

Ox Cart Man

Petunia Takes a Trip tape

Sleep Out tape

Jeremey’s Tail

Magic School Bus

The Trip

Relatives came tape

Turtle

Franklin Goes to School

Franklin Rides a Bike

Franklin in a Hurry

Franklin Is Bossy

Franklin’s Blanket tape

Franklin Is Messy

Harry and Shelbert

Turtles and Snails

Turtle Tales

Ranger Rick

Your Big Backyard

Homepage

Luca, 8 mon., listening to his mother read to him.

Home Reading Programs

Parent Introductory Workshop

Topics:

✤Discuss the importance of reading at home
✤How can parents/caregivers help their children at home.
✤ -Reading Aloud, listening to their child read, discussing what was read...curtailing TV and video games (10 hrs. a week.) Have children listen to Read Along books from

library or listen to classics on the computer by linking to the public library to mention just a few activities.

Remind the parents the advantages of listening to taped story by a professional: listening repeatedly to the same story builds up confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and a good self-image. They can enjoy a book above their independent reading level. Encourage writing another version of the story.

✤Explain how to find the right book for the child to read.
✤Explanation of how reading is taught in school.
✤Discuss policy of taking home the teaching tool: the text .
✤Explain the importance of discussing what one reads. Ask if s/he liked the story and why. Ask her/him if it reminded him of something that s/he heard or read. Discuss other possible solutions to the problem and emotions manifested by the characters... Keep it short and don’t pressure to recall. Make it enjoyable.
✤ Explain what to do when a child doesn’t know a word.

( Tell him/her the word so s/he won’t lose their tread of thought.) Do not ask your child to sound out words.

Correct child’s errors only if it changes the meaning of the sentence. Do no apply pressure to read fluently; provide an easier book and the opportunity to practice.

Remind the parents if more than 5 mistakes are made per hundred running words, parents should read the book to the child.

Prepare a packet for parents. A packet could include a variety of language arts activities for the family

PS Reading to children isn’t the be and end all. Many things influence the child’s success in school. Attitude of parents is a given.; disruptive students in a classroom hinders learning; teachers’ philosophy and methodology; a teacher’s background in phycology; testing in lieu of assessing.... all influence a student’s learning.

Matias at 23 mon.

tells his father what is going to happen next.

Gwyneth, 5yrs. 1 mon. was writing stories at home on her own as a fun thing to do. She asked her mother how to spell words that have silent letters and digraphs.

“I live at a house. I like pie. I have a pet.”

She then illustrated her story.

Luca’s father reading to him -2.8yrs.

Here is Gwyneth’s mother reading

Scaredy Squirrel

Mommy Reading to 2.6 yr. old Matias

Now Gwyneth is in first grade. One night she asked her mother to read a book about sharks that she had bought at the book fair that day. The book described the habitat and nature of sharks, including how sharks are left to fend for themselves just after they are born. At school a story was read about animals caring about their young, and some of Gwyneth's classmates discussed how terrible the mother animals must feel when their babies are injured or killed. Gwyneth said a shark-mother wouldn’t feel bad because the mother-shark doesn’t take care of her baby after it is born. Critical thinking skills are already developing.

Gwyneth’s Library

Grandpa Reading to Matias

Luca’s father reading to him at 18 mon.

Gwyneth, 6 yrs. old, in first grade, is an independent reader with a stack of books she intends to read.

Luca at the age of 3, can read most of the book to Grandma.

He recites the entire Chicka Chicka Boom Boom from memory and doesn’t need the book to help him.

Mommy Reading to Matias who is 3.0

and his baby brother is 2 1/2 mon.

At three he told his mother that he likes to play alone ... “because that's when the stories come.”

Matias’ Daddy Reading to Him; Matias is 3.3

Matias’ Daddy reading to him and his baby brother, a non fiction book about bees

Matias’ Daddy reading to him and his cousin Luca

At 3, Luca role plays being a teacher teaching his “children” the “letters, numbers, and the calendar” as he moves the letters and numbers around on his easel.

Dad & Uncle, juggling the two boys with their books

9. Emergent /Strategies

Keanu, 5 mon. enjoying his

“Very Hungry Caterpillar”

--------------------

Keanu at 3 Reading

https://youtu.be/0KGibjHXhlg

Matias, 3 yrs. old, enjoying his own library

At the age of 3 Luca was reading to his baby brother. At bed time his father read several stories and then Luca made up his own story about a character named Luca, an adaptation of the story his father read to him.

At 3 1/2 Matias asks questions about the main character - predicting; e.g. “Where is Thomas going?” One story of Thomas the Train Engine

talked about a grandfather - Matias pointed to

Grandpa said, “Like my Grandpa.” - making an association. After the story, he talked about the characters e.g., “Diesel 10 was mean.” (Evaluation.)

At the age of 3 1/2 at pre-school Luca said: “I am special because my daddy reads to me.”

Aunt Jeanine reads to Luca

Uncle Loren Reading to

His Niece Gwyneth

Eleanor, when in

third grade,

read to her sister Gwyneth

Grandpa reads to grandsons

Luca is reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to Paul, who is following along on his own copy. Luca, 3.11 and Paul 1.0 yrs old.

6 mon. later Luca, 4.3 yrs., chose his own book from the library and read it on his own -The Grinch by Dr Seuss and loved it.

“Nation’s Report Card” improvement in scores released 6/27/13“...regards readings for pleasure. At age 9, 53 percent of students say they read for fun at home almost every day. However, by age 13, only 27 percent did, and at the age of 17, only 19 percent still read for pleasure at home. Notably, while the number of 9-year-olds who report reading for fun has stayed the same since 1984 (when the question was first asked), it has decreased over time for 13- and 17-year-olds.

As the NAEP comments, “at all three ages, students who reported reading for fun almost daily or once or twice a week scored higher than did students who reported reading for fun a few times a year or less.” Even if it’s not to raise test scores, it certainly does help to read a book.”

★A Father’s Day Reminder: Read Aloud to Your children 5/15/14
★Benefits of Reading “How to nurture lifelong readers” by Liz Frenette NYSUT UNITED 5/’16
1.in six minutes of rdg, stress levels begin lowering.
2.Rdg. boosts imagination, creativity and empathy
3.Rdg. before bed improves the quality of sleep
4.Books encourage responsible citizens

“There’s no greater skill to hand on to somebody than wanting to read,” said Walter Mahoski
★“According to a study conducted in late April by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. That’s 14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can’t read.” Huffpost Books Updated 12/12/14

Matias, 3 yrs.9 mon. Old, Enjoying the story his father is reading to him

Reading to children develops the moral principal of beneficence.

“Tonight we were reading the story about Otis the Tractor and how he saves a bull from a tornado.”

When we started, Matias asked what a tornado was. After I explained it, he told me that he wished a tornado would come to our house. I asked him why and he said that then he could save the world. I asked him how he would do it. He said he would use a tornado catcher and catch it and put the tornado in a cage.” Matias is three years old.

Learns Moral Integrity

7 year-old Luca was being harassed by a bully. His father told him to tell the bully to shut up. Luca responded, “Then I am no better than he is.”

Paul, now 1.4 yrs. old and 1.7 yrs.

Paul, 2.10, selects a stack of 8-10 books he wants his father to read to him before he turns out the lights at bedtime. A ruckus ensues if all the books he chose are not read.

Walmsley, S. 2008.Closing the Circle. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Luca 4.7 Paul 1.9 yrs.

Paul, now 1.10 yrs. old Luca 4.8

At the age of 5, Paul can read Green Eggs and Ham by himself.

Paul picture reads

at age 2.

Keanu, still two, picks up a book on his own to read - picture read.

Parents who can’t read can tell a story via a picture book- the pictures tell the story.

Many libraries now have available the “Nook” and the “Kindle” which the libraries loan out. They display the text and pictures. The reader can read it independently or it can listen to it being read. The Nook even provides the option to record the child reading of the story. However, library service varies greatly across the States.

The Nook with its carry case and adaptor

At the age of 6 in first grade he is reading on a third grade level and texts his grandfather about his day via the iPad.

A year later at the age of 3 Keanu’s mother heard a noise in his bedroom and went in to check what it was. Keanu was sitting on the floor “picture reading” Brown Bear Brown Bear. He turned to her and asked, “Mommy, am I right?”

★At the age of 3.11 years he read the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KGibjHXhlg&feature=em-share_video_user

Luca with his first grade science project/ his brother at his side

Luca’s third grade science project https://youtu.be/eUYG9LylM30

“Professional parents on average spoke more than 2,000 words per hour to their children whereas poverty/low income parents on average spoke only about 600 words per hour to their children. This resulted in a gap of more than 32 million words between rich and poor children by the time the youngsters reached the age of 4....”

Paul gets “Busy,Busy World” for his birthday and excitedly says,

“Just what I wanted!”

At three, Keanu dictated to his father what he wanted him to draw on his Grandmother’s card.

“A tree... a cat jumping out of the tree to catch the fish in the pond ...the sun.”

“Parents model the rhythm, fluency of the language, expression, and strategies for acquiring meaning.”

Bernice E Cullinan,

Luca’s father reads every night to him.

“I always imagined that Paradise will be like a kind of library,”

Jorge Luis Borges of Argentina.

James Coleman, (1966, 1975) did an intensive study for the government which revealed that the most important variable in school achievement was the family.

Family living has a lasting influence on children. Parental example is extremely influential in school success. Literacy level of parents is significantly related to that of their children.

Great Books for Babies & Toddlers on Pinterest

Access to books is essential to reading development. The only variable that directly correlates with reading scores is the number of books in the home. However, most recent data describes a profound, even shocking gap: while the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books to 1 child, the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is 1 books to 300 children. In addition, over 80 percent of childcare centers serving low-income children lack age-appropriate books. Together, The Literacy Site and its domestic partner, First Book, provide children from low-income families in he U.S. with books they can take home and keep.

Susan B.Neuman and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research.

Reading develops an understanding of others.

“We can walk in another’s shoes and feel it is like to live inside another skin when we read something form their point of view.”

Bernice E. Cullinan, Read to Me: Raising Kids Who Love to Read.

Books for Emergent Readers to Read to Parents/Caregivers

One More Really Big Reason to Read Stories to Children 10/11/14
Peter Gray Ph.D.
“...Stories provide a simplified simulation world that helps us make sense of and learn to navigate our complex real world. The aspects of our real world that are usually most challenging, most crucial for us to understand, are social aspects. Knowing how to deal with evil as well as love, how to recognize others’ desires and needs, how to behave towards others so as to retain their friendship, and how to earn the respect of the larger society are among the most important skills we all must develop for a satisfying life. Stories that we like, and that our children like, are about all that. They are not explicitly about how to navigate the social world, in the way that a lecture might be. Rather, they are implicitly about it, so listeners or readers have to construct the lessons for themselves, each in his or her own way. Constructed lessons are far more powerful than those that are imparted explicitly....”

★4-year-old gives motivational speech about importance of reading
★Rdg. Tips for Your Family-English
★Rdg. Tips for Your Family- Spanish
★50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12
★How to Raise a Reader- Book Guides -NYTimes The benefits of reading at every stage of a child’s development are well documented. Happily, raising a reader is fun, rewarding and relatively easy.

“Bedtime Reading for Children” by Tuck Sleep 4/17/17

Kayla Johnson

Community Relations | Tuck Sleep

PO Box 61293 | Seattle, WA 98141-6293

“Child psychologists have linked bedtime reading routines to increased vocabulary and cognitive functions and my team at Tuck created a new guide to help increase awareness.”

Other sleep guides by Tuck Sleep

“We want to see more parents informed about the importance of sleep and to make sure that children have access to the best bedtime reading materials available.

Bedtime /Funtime

Bed time is a strict ritual at Luca’s and Paul’s home. At 6:30 they brush their teeth, put on their pajamas and settle in for story time. Luca and his brother Paul each choose four books they want read and they choose the person whom they want to read the stories: mother, father, or brother. If it is an anthology, the first four stories are read. At the age of 4, Paul sometimes chooses his 7-year-old brother to read but Paul likes to read, too. (After repeated readings of stories, 4-year-old Paul knows them for memory. With the aid of the pictures it sounds like he is actually reading the story. ) A tiff does occur sometimes because both want to read orally.

For a while after the last story was read, their father would take on the role of a story teller. One of the boys would become the main character in one of the stories and another episode would be created. Eventually their father created a new story and character named Rodeo Cat.

Their father lets the boys take control over many of the episodes. They decide it they want magic, adventure, or another character to enter the story. Sometimes the boys decide the problem or the place. In the saga, Rodeo Cat travels across continents and meets all kinds of characters and problems. They have a large map to show where Rodeo Cat is in each episode. Each episode has a problem, interaction and a resolution or solution. Rodeo Cat has traveled all the continents so far and presently they just flew a hot-air balloon out of a little mining town in Nevada called Sleepy Eye, and landed in San Francisco.

The final event for the evening bedtime, their father sings to them nursery rhymes: I’m a Little Teapot, All Around the Mulberry Bush, I’ve Been Working on the RR etc. Lights turn off around 7:30.

Their home library consists of books received as gifts, books purchased, and books taken from the public library. Sometimes when Luca’s teacher reads a chapter book to the class, he has his parents purchase it via the Internet so he can read the entire book himself.

Age 4: Note the letters

BKAFO (be carful); he did it on his own.

Claire, the day before her

first birthday.

One month of K, Paul is reading independently.

One month of K, Paul reads to Grandma

Claire’s love of books already at the age of 1.2 - Claire was looking at Goodnight Moon. As she was paging through she turned to the cover and then looked at both pictures. (The were the same.) She then put the book in her father’s face; no action taken. She began to look at the pages and then once again puts the book to her father’s face. He finally took the hint and read it to her.

★Difference between a Kindle and a Nook

Camilo reads to his son and nephew.

Alicia reading to her son outside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KGibjHXhlg&pbjreload=10

Keanu 3 yrs.

A group of experts in the field of literacy presented their

expertise in Becoming a Nation of Readers.

Experience:

-Reading begins at home.

-Knowledge gained in the home lays the foundation for rdg.

-Concepts learned help understand things, events, thoughts, feeling, language vocabulary

-Reading depends upon wide array of background knowledge. The more knowledge the child acquires at home the greater their chances of success in reading, e.g., trips, walk in the park, zoo, museums, are important background for reading.

Discussion:

-The way in which parents talk to their children about the experiences influence what knowledge the child gains from the experiences and their later ability to draw on the knowledge when rdg.

Talking about experiences extends child’s concept and associated vocabulary.

Bryce’s Dad, reads to him.

Reading, books, from now on will be associated with his father’s strong, warm arms and the love felt as he cuddled up on his father’s loving lap to listen to a story or a recording.

5 yr.-old Luca enjoying his book

Paul with his birthday presents.

Gwyneth, 12 months, listens to her mother read while she turns the pages.

Reading Aloud to Young Children Has Benefits for Behavior and Attention NYTimes 4/16/18 “we’re talking about birth to 3 year olds —”

”Reading aloud, Play and Social-Emotional Development” said Dr. Alan Mendelsohn ,NYU School of Medicine “...Reading aloud and playing imaginative games may offer special social and emotional opportunities, Dr. Mendelsohn said. “We think when parents read with their children more, when they play with their children more, the children have an opportunity to think about characters, to think about the feelings of those characters,” he said. “They learn to use words to describe feelings that are otherwise difficult and this enables them to better control their behavior when they have challenging feelings like anger or sadness.”

Reading Aloud with Your Child

Reading to your child is a wonderful way to encourage a love of reading. It helps your child become a better reader.

-After reading a story to your child, discuss what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

_Partway through the story, stop reading and ask your child what he thinks will happen next.

-If your child can read the words, or knows the story by heart, encourage him or her to read along with you. -Don’t be concerned if your child wants to listen to, or read, the same story again and again. A familiar story makes reading easy and fun.

-After reading a story, ask your child to tell about his or her favorite part. Frank Schaffer Publications etc.

Claire now 1.9 years old

continues to love books.

Grandmother Amy

Reading to Her Grandson

Michael Warren, 11 mon. reading Eric Carle’s The Greedy Python

Keanu 6 yrs.

Father Reading to His Son

Weight of Back Packs

“Physical therapists advise that children carry loads no heavier than 15 percent of their body weight,” she said. A 100-lb. child, therefore, should carry a maximum of 15 lbs.; a 50-lb. child’s load shouldn’t exceed about 7 lbs.”

•The Dangers of Heavy Backpacks and How the Children Can Wear Them Safely 8/27/14

Book Trivia

Ages: Prereaders, beginning readers, older readers

what was the name of Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel?

Whoever answers “Marianne” gets to ask the next question.

Testing each other’s memory with book trivia is the kind of activity you can start up and leave off whenever and wherever you please. Play in the evening during a time you set aside for family time. Play on the way to Grandma’s house or any time you are waiting for something.

Rules of the game: The trivia questions must be based on books with which most of the players are familiar with, and the first person to guess correctly asks the next question. forget about keeping score; it just holds up the game.

Anyone can start off the game with a question Questions can involve characters, plot or setting. What did Frog do to get Toad out of Bed? What was the third pigs’ house made of etc.

Position- Words Walk

Ages: Toddlers, prereaders

Materials: paper, crayons, stapler or hole puncher, yarn

Read Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins- a story about a hen who goes on a walk that takes her under, over, and through various obstacles in her path. Then take a walk using the playground equipment. Make a point of remembering the exact sequence of the obstacles you and your child must meet along the way. As you duck under the slide, climb up the slide and slide down the slide repeat the concept words several times with your child. When back home take out some blank paper. At the top of each page, number and describe an obstacle in the sequence. Use simple phrases or sentences. (“I went through the tunnel.” or “I went down the slide.”) Have your child illustrate these various points on your walk, then assemble the pages in a book which you can title “Robert’s Walk” or “Tia’s Walk”

Parents and Teachers partnership in developing Literacy

#4 Reading to children opens doors to worlds unknown. 'You can go to p1aces you could never go in real1ife through books you read together.

#5 Reading to children helps them become more sensitive- more aware of their feeling and the feeling of others. They realize that everyone shares feelings such as sorrow, joy, confusion and loneliness.

#6 Reading to children helps them understand other people. their customs & their cultures. when they read something from another's point of view.

Working Cotton is a true story which relates the troubles and hardships of migrant workers- in the field before dawn the family works together through the heat of the day with no facilities, being paid only by the pounds of the cotton, Schooling takes place in the fields and friends come and go as they moye from one field to another. The illustrations are very strong and powerful depicting the strength as well as the tension it takes to work in the fields.

C-3

Come with Me

Round and Round

Mouse

Hello

Playground Fun

Betty Bline

In My Backyard tape

D- 1

Clown and Elephant

Hello

Houses

No, No

To New York

I Love Ned tape

D- 2

One, One, Is the Sun

Jeb’s Barn

Animal Homes

Rain

Silly Old Possum

E-1

Look for Me

My Home

Plop!

Stop!

What a Mess!

Fizz and Splutter

Rum-tum-tum

Sleeping Out

Snap

Splosh

What a Mess!

Hello and Good-bye

G- 1

Max Is Sick

Merry Christmas Dear Dragon

Happy Birthday, Dear Dragon

The Sword in the Stone

The Tiny Dot

Going Nowhere

G- 2

A Long Walk

My Old Cat

Snap

Noise

When the TV Broke

Dog and Cat

Who Goes to School?

G 3 Bag

Two Little Dogs

Grumpy Elephant

The Pumpkin

A Name Garden

The Night Train

Amazon Sun, Anazon Rain & tape

H 1 Bag

Four Good Friend

Just This Once and tape

Goody New Shoes

A rhyming Game

Ned and Fred

H 2

A Girl, a Goat, & a Goose Go for a Ride

A Girl, a Goat, & a Goose& a Feather

A Girl, a Goat, & a Goose and a Storm

A Girl, a Goat, & a Goose Find a Boat

Busy Week

A Funny Man

A Messy Room

A Name Garden

A TV show

Jason’s Red Balloon

Mother Hippopotamus’s dry skin

Nothing to Be Scared About

Harry’s House & tape

Frog’s Lunch

Sloppy Tiger & the Party

Robert the Rose Horse

Agnus & the Ducks

Pattern Bag

Patterns

Row by Row

Animals A to Z

An Octopus

Kites

Boo Peter

Wiggle Works A

My Garden

Raindrops

Kites

The Tree House

Boo Peter

Tina’s Taxi

Buzz Bag

Footprints in the Snow

I am Lost!

Soccer Game!

Big Red apple

Clifford Makes a Friend

Buzzzzz Said the Bee tape

Tape recorders were provided when necessary.

List of Back Packs

1.Adventures at Sea

2. Amelia

3. Amazing Animals

4. Animals

5. Animal Problems

Arctic

6. Arthur

7. Baseball

8. Bear bag - Little Bear (See also Frank Asch)

9. Biographies

Black Lagoon

10. Bravery

11. Bunny Tales

12. Burton, Virginia

13.Caring
14.Casey
15.Cat

16. Chick

17. Christmas #1

18. Christmas #2

19. Christmas #3

20. Cinderella

21. Circle

22. Clifford

23. Color

24. Conflict

25.

26. Crocodile / Alligator

27.Cumulative Stories

28. Curious George

29. Dinosaur

30. Discovery

31. Dogs, Beware!

32. Doctor Seuss – sm. bag

33. Doctor Seuss Big bag

34. Dragon

35. Dreams

36. Duck

37. Elephant Adventures

38. Elephant -Nathan

39. Environment/Ecology

40. Fairy Tales

41. Family

42. Farm

43. Farmer Joe

44. Feelings

45. Fishing

46. Food

47. Folktale

48. Fox

49. Frances

50. Frank's Counting Bag

51. Friends

52. Friendship

53. Frogs

54. Funny Animals

55. Giants

56. Halloween Noises

57. Halloween Fun

58. Happiness

59. Horse

60. Home

58. Imagination

59. Inquiry Bag

60. Insects/Spiders

61. James Marshal

62Jesse

63 Jokes and Riddle

64. Keats

65 Kevin Hankes.

66.King's

67. Leo Lionni

68Leo

69.Little Ghost

70.Little Witches, The

71. Magic

72. Me

73. Mouse

74. Miami Mice

75. Monkey

76. Music

77.Mysteries Happenings

78. Mysterious Nate the Great

79. Night

80. Number

81. Patricia Polacco

82. Pig

83. Preposterous

84.Pooh Bear

85. Problems

86. Rain, Wind, Snow

87. Repeat

88. Rhymes and Poems

89. Scary

90. School

91Scooter Pig

92. Sea

93. Seed / Plants

94. Senses

95. Silly

96. Soup

97. Sound

98. Space

99.Spooky

100. Snow

101Snow Dance Bag

103. Steven Kellogg

104. Steig Bag

105. Surprise

106. Thanksgiving

107. Together

108. Tomie de Paola

109. Tooth

110. Toys

111. Train

112. Traveling

113. Turtle

Trip
Weather

114. Wishes

115. Witches

116. Wolf

117.Wolf and the 3 Pigs

A –1

The Chocolate Cake

I Want Ice Cream

Let’s Eat

What We Say

Tina’s Taxi & tape

A-2

My Dog Got Away

This Little Cat

Cat and Car

Going for a Walk

The Walk

Wet Walk

A-3

Queen Tut

Hot Spot!

My Hands Are My Friends

The Lost Balloon

Click! Click! Click!

Ned & Fred

Looking for Shapes

I Wish I Had a Dinosaur

A-4

My Cat

What Are You?

I Wish I Had a Dinosaur

Splash!

Splish, Splash

Mmmm, I Like!

Click, Clack, Moo… and

A – 5

Whistle Like a Bird

A Fishy Story

Going to the Pool

My Dog Got Away!

Happy Birthday, Frog

What the Moon Sees/

What the Sun Sees

A - 6

My Garden

The Tree House

Bo and Pete

Raindrops

Flying

An Octopus

Daisy and the Egg tape

A –7

A Girl, a Goat, and a Goose Go for a Ride

A Girl, a Goat, and a Goose and a Feather

A Girl, a Goat, and a Goose and a Storm

A Girl, a Goat, and a Goose Find a Boat

A Funny Man

A Messy Room

Scaredy Cat tape

B - 1

The Trip to Grandma’s

Little Brother

The Bicycle

A Monster Sandwich

The Tree House

Hot Days, Cold Days

B –2

A Tree Can Be…

Messy Meals

Frog’s Lunch

Harry’s House and tape

C-1

Colors

Frightened

Going to School

Nighttime

Where Are They Going?

Log Hotel and tape

C- 2

Kids’ Club

Mother Hippopotamus

Peanut Butter Rhino

Chocolate Chippo

Rabbit’s Party /tape

One Hour of TV a Day Linked to Overweight and Obesity 5/20/15

Using data from more than 11,000 children, researchers from the University of Virginia found kindergartners and first graders who watched just one hour of TV daily were more likely to be overweight or obese than children who watched less.1

Back Packs/ Take Home Book Bags

Backpacks to Encourage Family Reading

★Electronic /Read Along books info on another page of

the web site

The back packs were created at my personal expense - books, tapes, and back bag. It took several years to compile all the back packs. Most of the books were purchased at the “2 for 1” book fairs and through book clubs. I even went to two warehouses to make purchases. I picked up bags when they went on sale and at garage sales. The children were always on my mind even when traveling.

"Open a Book"

Open a book

And you will find

People and places of every kind;

Open a book

And you can be

Anything that you want to be;

Open a book

And you can share

Wondrous worlds you find in there;

Open a book

And I will too,

You read to me

And I'll read to you.

By Jane Baskwill

"Pass the Poems, PLEASE"

Thanksgiving

The Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving

Sarah Morton’s Day

The Thanksgiving Story

Samuel Eaton’s Day

How Many Days to America

Best Thanksgiving Book

Thank You, Brother Bear

The Legend of the Bluebonnet tape

Thanksgiving Feast

Weather Bag

Midnight Express

Amy Loves Snow

Amy Loves the Sun

When It Rains It Rains

Mike’s Kite

It’s Ground Hog Day!

The Snowy Days

Thunder and Lightning

Franklin and the Thunderstorm

Pooh and the Storm that Sparkled Clouds tape

Wish

The Fish Who Could Wish

I Wish I Had Duck Feet tape

I Wish I Were a Butterfly

King’s Wish

The Three Wishes tape

Andy and the Tire

Dear Wish Fairy

Witches

Witch on Hissing Hill, The

Candy Witch, The

Dorrie and the Amazing Magic Elixir

Dorrie and the Blue Witch

George and the Robbers

It's Halloween

We’re Off to Thunder Mountain

Woggles of Witches

Trick or Treat

Wolf Bag

Walk with a Wolf

Little Red Riding Hood

Lon Po Po

Wolf’s Chicken Stew

Wolves and Coyotes

Little Red Riding Hood – a New-fangled

Prairie Tale

The True Story of Three Little Pigs

Gray Wolf Pup

Once Upon a Time

Fourth Little Pig

True Story of Three Little Pigs & tape

Three Little Pigs /tape by Paul Galdone

Three Little Wolves & the Big Bad Pig

Fox on Wheels and Fiends tape

Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke

The Neuroscience of

Your Brain on Fiction -

The New York Times.pdf 3/17/12

“Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life....

These findings will affirm the experience of readers who have felt illuminated and instructed by a novel,.... Reading great literature, it has long been averred, enlarges and improves us as human beings. Brain science shows this claim is truer than we imagined.”

Home Environment

I am constantly reminded of the impact of the home

environment from personal experience.

My children have read to their children from their birth. Gradually, they began to talk about the pictures pointing to something in their environment and making the connection. Just as we did with my children; my husband and I always talked to them, engaged them in a conversation. How well I remember my oldest daughter sitting in her infant seat which I placed on the kitchen counter. I would sing to her and stop periodically to talk to her as I went about my tasks. When my husband came home he asked her how her day was etc. She soon began to babble in response to her father’s questions. When he talked she was quiet. When he stopped talking she would babble. It was uncanny!

In turn my children all engaged in talking with their babies. Eventually a conversation about their day, what they ate; what they liked to do etc evolved with their children. New vocabulary was constantly being developed. Taking them on short trips or to the park through their pre-school years was the opportunity they used to enrich their vocabulary.

At one point my son engaged his sons in story telling which is explained in Bedtime/Funtime posted above.

One Sunday my son brought his two-year old daughter, Claire, over to visit us her grandparents. (Claire’s two older brothers went to visit a reenactment of the Civil War display with their mother. )

We brought two-year old Claire- soon to be three, the toy box which was created for such occasions. Claire’s father sat on the floor next to the box with Claire sitting on his lap. Her father found a hair brush in the box and brushed Claire’s hair. A doll with hair was in the box. When he put the brush down she picked it up and began to brush the doll’s hair- learning by example and then by doing it independently.

He also helped Claire tell us about a book they read together. Via a conversation with Claire, her father supported her recall and vocabulary. By talking about an experience via questions and restating what Claire said he helped her recalled the characters’ and what they did by saying, “Remember...and what did they did they do/say that was so funny etc. “ After each question/reminder she would continue to tell the story. Besides developing a listening and speaking vocabulary he was developing story structure with her! (Oh the power of example! Conversation supports new words and new ideas. Her parents are in constant teacher mode satisfying the thirst to learn.) In three weeks, Claire was celebrating her third birthday.

Having conversation with Claire about the book, supports a strong oral language skills; viz, meaning of new words, sentence structure, as well as story structure..

Some children learn 10 words a day mostly from reading. Darian and Karen definitely started enriching Claire’s listening vocabulary while still a toddler by reading every night to her. From birth on they read to her. Early on they used words that expanded her vocabulary.

Engaging in a conversation with Claire, illustrating what new words mean by using the words when they play on Claire’s level with hand puppets, dolls, big wooden puzzles, cars , play house, and much pretending; role playing… is laying the ground work for a happy and successful time in school.

At home Claire learned how to hold the iPad and listen to nursery rhymes, songs, and stories. So at the early age of two it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Claire can sing some nursery songs independently; count to 10; recite many of the alphabet letters; can role play; and can engage in a conversation- all through indirect guidance- her parents constantly talking with her, using colorful adjectives, explaining, asking questions, showing, and playing with her.

By chance we had a little box of apple juice for her along with some “gummies”. On the way home Claire said, “Going to Grandma’s made my tummy happy."

Needless to say, her brothers are advanced readers and writers. 7 year-old Paul loves astronomy, baseball, Cub Scouts and video games. 10 year old Luca enjoys drama club, playing the cello, video games of course, Mind Craft and of course reading.

Snow Child

Over the River and Through the Woods

One Snowy Day

Snow Child tape

Snow and Ice

Snow Speaks

Katy and the Big Snow

The Black Snowman

Mitten, The tape

Snow Bag

A New Coat for Anna

The Snow Baby

The Snowball War

Snowy Day

Geraldine's Big Snow

Mitten, The tape

Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm

Snow Day

Snow Dance Bag

Snow Dance

Winter Is Here!

I Have a Cold

Biggest Snowball Ever!

Sledding

Henry and Mudge – Sparkle Days

Henry and Mudge – Cold Shivers

Sound

It’s a Perfect Day

Too Much Noise

Pop Corn Shop and tape

The Listening Walk

Up and Down the Merry Go Round

Wheels on the Bus

The Popcorn Popper

The Barn Dance

The Screaming Machine

Space Bag

The Moon Book

I Want to Be an Astronaut

The Astronauts

The Eagle Has Landed

How Many Stars in the Sky

1000 Facts about Space

Apollo 13 space Race

So That’s How the Moon Changes Shape!

Sam and Dr. Who Watch the Sky

What’s in the Sky?

Spooky Bag

Bony Legs

Dorrie and the Halloween Plot

Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Forest

A Spooky Story

It's Halloween

Halloween Cats

The Cat Who Wanted to Fly

Six Creepy Sheep

Steven Kellogg

If You Made a Million

Best Friends

Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash

Johnny Appleseed

Jimmy's Boa and the Big Splash Birthday Bash

Jimmy’s Boa Bounces Back

Pecos Bill

Pinderton, Beware!

Mike Fink

Steig Bag

Amos and Boris

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Dr. DeSoto tape

Dr. DeSoto Goes to Africa

Surprise Bag

Five Chinese Brothers

Sunset Surprise

Owl Moon

The Doorbell Rang

Cherries and Cherry Pits

Quick as a Cricket

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Who Took Farmer’s Hat & tape

The Wide-Mouthed Frog

Superstar Bag

A Picture for Harold’s Room

Morris Has a Cold and tape

Danny and the Dinosaur

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat

Amelia Bedelia

A Bargain for Frances

Footprints in the Snow

Henry and Mudge and Annie’s Perfect Pet

Tomie de Paola

Art Lesson

Charlie Needs a Cloak tape

The Cloud Book

Bill and Pete

Kids' Cat Book

Little Grunt and the Big Egg

Legend of Indian Paintbrush tape

The Quilt Story

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs

Now One Foot, Now the Other

Oliver Button Is a Sissy

Popcorn Book

Things to Make and Do for Valentine’s Day

The Friendly Beasts

Rick Johnson says:

February 1, 2020 at 12:18 pm

“The single major variable as to whether or not a chid will be successful in first grade reading instruction is whether or not the child was read to sitting on Daddy’s knee or Mother’s lap in the preschool years.” Dr.John Manning, Univ. of Minnesota (1973)

Educational and Fun Songs to Sing with Your Kids in the Car

https://sellmax.com/car-songs-for-kids/

by a student at San Diego State University complied the following information for this web site

“Let’s face it, car rides with kids can be rough. They’re strapped in with nowhere to go and little to do. Many parents hand over their phone or iPad to occupy their tots. However, research has shown that increased screen time may be detrimental to a child’s social development. On the other hand, singing with your children has been shown to increase language acquisition and development. So, ditch the apps and try some of these great sing-a-long songs!”

Milne Publishing Songs for All Ages

This page offers a collection of great car songs suitable for a wide range of ages, and includes evidence-based research to support its healthy development message.

An American Sign Language version of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” promotes language learning development and inclusion. Plus, signing the song in the car gets the kids moving around!

British Council List of Children's Songs

These mostly original children’s songs are all accompanied with fun cartoons that make them even more memorable.

Historical Children's Songs

Take a trip back in time as you and your child sing nursery rhymes and children’s songs from the 1880’s.

EucationSongs

https://educationandbehavior.com/educational-songs-for-elementary-school-kids/

Forget the calculator! These math songs cover the basics of counting all the way up to multiplication. For added fun, try counting all the blue cars you see out the window into the songs!

20 Math Songs for Kids https://www.musicalmum.com/math-songs-for-kids/

Science Songs about Soil https://www.pinterest.com/pin/singing-about-soil--7670261836208847/

10 Great Educational Songs for Elementary Students 1st to 3rd Grade livepage.apple.com

Who knew there was so much sing about dirt? These fun odes to mud, soil, and all things silty foster a keen interest in science and the environment.

Poison Safety Song

This informative ditty has a catchy melody and reinforces an important poison safety message.

Christmas Songs from Around the World

When Christmas is near, spread the cheer with carols from countries across the globe. These charming songs are especially fun on the way to family holiday gatherings!

National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Educational Songs

Chockfull of classics, be sure your kid’s get their daily dose of the health-focused songs like, “Apples and Oranges” and “Cover Your Mouth and Turn Your Head”.

Handwashinng Songs

Songs About Animals

These children’s songs mostly focus on animals, with twists on a few classics like “Frere Jacques”.

Pool Safety Song

On your way to the pool? This song about safe swimming will keep your kids humming along while teaching them four steps to stay safe in the water.

Food Safety Songs

The Environmental Protection Agency released these song ideas to reinforce food safety and hygiene practices. Perfect for a trip back from the grocery store.

Homemade Instrument Songs

Incorporate some musicianship into your family sing alongs, with instructions to make simple instruments and songs to use them with!

“Love for reading is not taught; it is created; not required, but inspired; not demanded, but exemplified; not exacted, but quickened; not solicited, but activated.” Dr. Russell G. Stauffer, Univ. of Delaware

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” attributed to Einstein

Best Songs for Language Development-Plus a Free Printable/Speak.Play.Love https://speakplaylove.com/12-childrens-songs-to-help-with-language-development/

Learning About Shapes: 20 Rhymes, Action Songs & Finger Plays

https://childhood101.com/shapes-rhymes/

★Bedtime Stories for Kids by Derek & Samantha Hales 4/5/22
★30 OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF ALL TIME

byAnnika Barranti Klein Aug. 9, 2022

Tips Independent Reading /Recreational Reading is a great means of developing a love of reading. It is also a great means of reinforcing skills and developing confidence.

Recreational reading at home is essential. Children need reading material they can read to their caregiver and books the caregivers can read to them.

National Read Across America

https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=what%20is%20read%20across%20america&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5

Grandpa Reading to His Grandchildren

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7 Surprising Benefits of Reading 20 Minutes a Day