Reading and Drawing- a Great Relationship

Parents and teachers alike all wish to instill a love of reading in their students. But sometimes the child isn't the most willing participant. In steps a great graphic book (with kid-friendly storylines) such as Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.  If your child hasn't seen the movie, or read the books, it's a fun-filled story of Greg Heffley, who despite all his good intentions, can't seem to break free from his wimpy persona.

To learn more about the Wimpy Kid series and learn how to draw the fun characters, check out the brief instructional video below:

 

And check out the link below for a set of 5 books in the "Wimpy Kid" series.

'Reading Rainbow' Reinvented

One of my fondest television memories involved two men- Mr. Rogers and LeVar Burton— of 'Reading Rainbow' fame.  Both aired on PBS for the duration of my young childhood, and both instilled in me a great love of books. I have such fond memories of Mr. LevVar Burton that I became a follower of his on Twitter (no, I'm not a stalker), and was thrilled to recently see that he has reinvented Reading Rainbow for this generation of youngsters, in the form of an iTunes app.


Although the regular Reading Rainbow show went off the air in 2009 due to lack of funding and contract negotiations, the basis for the app is related to the original concept. Sure, teaching children TO read is important, but it is equally as important to teach them WHY to read. The app picks up where the television show left off, helping children become interested in books and reading, while reaching their preference of the tech-savvy generation, on a tablet.

Print-a-palooza with Dr. Seuss Printables

I receive the periodic email blast from Education.com and generally I look over the info, and then skip over it, but this past week's email held particular interest to me. Through the inevitable surfing that ensued on their website, I ran across a great 20 page printable Dr. Seuss workbook than I just had to share because it was SOOOOO cute.


While my children are (sadly) too old to completely enjoy this printable, it's sure to be a hit with kids ages 3-5 (or so). And includes fun drawings from the popular books, fill-in-the blank sections, matching, rhyming (of course) and comparing skills that your child just needs to know to succeed in the classroom.  So go on, follow the link to the Dr. Seuss Activity Book, and get your Seuss on!

Teaching Your Child to Read

Photo from: AKARAKINGDOMS

Teaching your child to read can be the most fun (and frustrating) parts of parenting.  Some children pick it up easier while others struggle to form the sounds and blends into words.


Help your child learn to read easier, but employing the techniques found the article titled How to Teach Your Child to Read Easily or check out my other Hubs for reading helps and tricks, useful for parents, homeschoolers and teachers alike.

Help Your Child Read Two-Vowel Words

Does your child need help learning to read two-vowel words? Check out this cute video from the PBS Kids show, "Between the Lions" for an explanation of the the two-vowel rule. Be sure to explain though that the two vowels don't always have to be next to each other too though in order to make the "long" sound.

Children Storytellers

While some teachers and educators are worried about teaching kids to read at all — phonics instruction can help with that , by the way — some teachers strengthen speech and acting skills by teaching kids to become fabulous story tellers. Most of these principles were taken from my college speech classes, and some of my "speechie" friends. Check out THIS ARTICLE for info on how to teach children to tell stories.

Ideas for Teaching "White Fang"

"White Fang" by Jack London is the classic story of a tamed wolf who takes on the life of an average dog.

Instead of merely assigning the book for reading to your class, or reading it to them yourself, integrate some simple activities that help bring the story to life. For example, bring the five senses into the activities, and show students photos of the actual places named in the book.  Showing students photos of snow, wolves, and the Mackenzie river will help bring the story to life, and help students remember the story long-after they are finished reading the book.

Activities to Do With "Hunter's Best Friend at School"

"Hunter's Best Friend at School," written by Laura Malone Elliot, is the story of two raccoon friends.

Read this story to the class, and discuss ways to be a good friend. Complete the associated activities in the article below and discuss the importance of individuality and always trying to do your best.