Tulips

Tulips, by Jay O'Callahan, is a fun read for children (and adults) who have ever the experience of planting tulip bulbs.  Pierre, who is visiting his Grand Ma Mere, is a practical joker.  It's fun to read all of the tricks he tries.....however, Grand Ma Mere is an even better practical joker!  We won't give away the surprise, but we think you'll enjoy this fun book!

Question Collection:

*Why do you think Pierre likes to play practical jokes?
*Which joke do you think was funniest?
*What did you expect before you read the ending?
*What do you think Pierre learned?
*Does this give you any ideas for writing a surprise ending for a story you might write?

Ellen's Broom

Ellen’s Broom, written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter, is a beautiful book about a girl discovering the meaning of the broom that’s above the hearth in her home.  Ellen’s family explains how a “broom wedding” was the only kind of wedding that slaves were allowed to have, but the family rejoices when Reconstruction laws allow former slaves living as husband and wife to be registered as married. 

The parents’ explanation and celebration is wonderfully told by the author and vividly illustrated by Minter.  This book is a great conversation starter as it explores history as told through a family’s eyes.  We hope you learn as much as we did!

Question Collection:

*What different emotions did Ellen feel through the story?

*What family traditions does your family have?

*Where could you learn more about this time in our history?

Calendar Ideas

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9........

It's a Month of Math!

One great way to expand your child’s awareness of time and math is by giving them a personal calendar.  We use two calendars to have fun with learning.  One calendar we like to use is the

Melissa and Doug Calendar.

It can be personalized each month by your children.  It provides a good exercise in counting by placing the magnetized squares in place.  It’s also fun to mark special events and change the months and seasons.

The other calendar we prepare each year is a twelve month calendar from a dollar store.  We go through the calendar and write family members’ names on their birthdays.  Toddlers and preschoolers might enjoy how we did this in earlier years---we cut out small photographs of each person and attached them to the calendar square with double stick tape.  We also mark holidays with themed stickers.  Another fun aspect of this calendar is we use it almost as a diary because daily events are written down for memory keeping.

We’ve found that using calendars specified for a child’s use is a great way to involve a child in planning.  How do you use calendars in your family?

Collecting Christmas Ideas!

Merry Christmas!  We hope you are finding lots of fun Christmas books to read with your family!  Here are some great ideas to check out:

Our Christmas list of books we've reviewed:

Our Learning Collection Christmas books



A terrific list of ways to give a gift from MotherReader!

150 ways to give a book



A fun, meaningful gift idea for children to make:

Christmas M & M Poem

As always, enjoy learning and reading with your family!
Merry Christmas!

Collecting Thanksgiving Ideas!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We hope that you and your family are enjoying this special holiday.  We have so much to give thanks for in our lives!

If you're looking for some online ideas to use with your children this week, check out these links:

Free BrainPopJr. movie about Thanksgiving:

http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/holidays/thanksgiving/

Lots of Thanksgiving games (Spot the Difference, Dinner Bounce, and Puzzles) and printables:

http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/thanks/thgame.htm

Beautiful Thanksgiving printable book from UCreate:

http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2013/11/thanksgivingactivitybook.html

And, here's a link to our Thanksgiving reviews:

http://ourlearningcollection.blogspot.com/search/label/Thanksgiving

Remember it's a great time to videotape your children telling their version of the First Thanksgiving!  :)
We're thankful for you and your support in reading our blog!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Fireflies in the Night

Fireflies in the Night, written by Judy Hawes and illustrated by Ellen Alexander, is a wonderful book that uses the relationship between a grandfather and a granddaughter to teach the reader about fireflies.  The book is very informative while using a story format to help children learn more about the world of fireflies.  We liked learning how other cultures use fireflies in helpful ways.  If your child is interested in fireflies (or lightning bugs as we commonly call them) this is a great way to introduce them to the scientific aspects in a kid-friendly approach.  Happy reading!

Question Collection:

*What did you learn about fireflies?

*What surprised you about how fireflies are used in other cultures?

*Could you write a story about your interactions with fireflies?

Tim's Big Move

Have you ever looked for a book to help a child with a transition such as a move to a new town?  Tim’s Big Move, written by Anke Wagner and illustrated by Eva Eriksson, is a fun read about Tim and his cuddle buddy, Pico, who are preparing for a move. Even though Tim is nervous, he tells Pico about all of the good things about the move.  Pico, however, has many thoughts about the problems he thinks he’ll encounter.  Most of all he’s worried when Tim announces they’ll make new friends.  Pico feels he only needs Tim and worries Tim won’t want him when they move.  The move happens and Pico still worries.  However, a happy ending is in sight as Tim and Pico both make new friends!

We think this would be a great book to read with a child who is moving.  The author makes clever use of Tim’s cuddle buddy, Pico, to express what many children feel when they move.  This is another great book to spark conversations in a family!

Question Collection:

*Have you ever felt like Pico?

*How could what you learned about Tim and Pico help you welcome new children to your neighborhood or school?

*What do you think Tim and Pico do next? 

Wave

Wave, by Suzy Lee, is a beautiful, wordless picture book!  Through the use of a few colors (blue, gray, and white), a story is told about a girl and her experiences with a wave.  This is a book you’ll want to pick up again and again to look for details and to experience how a child discovers her natural world.  From seeing the girl splashing in the water at the beach to sticking her tongue out at the wave, the reader feels like he/she is at the beach along with the girl.  A beach trip would provide a great opportunity to introduce this book to a child.  Enjoy this fun book with your family!

Question Collection:

*Which scene is your favorite?

*What do you think the girl is thinking?

*What do you think the girl will do the next time she’s at the beach?

Only One You

Only One You, by Linda Kranz, is a unique book that tells a story revealing a family’s love.  The mother and father fish, depicted through painted rocks, prepare their child to go out into the world.  They share the wisdom they have found in their journey. Young children will enjoy looking at the creatively painted rocks.  Older children can use the book to think about life’s events.  Only One You would make a great gift to anyone starting on a journey in life!

Question Collection:

*Which rock painting is your favorite?

*Which piece of wisdom means the most to you?

*What piece of wisdom would you add?

Weekend Collection about Books....

I hope you and your family have had a good week filled with lots of reading!  Check out these posts to think some more about reading:

How can we help parents to find quality books for their children? at Jen Robinson's Book Page.

Jen follows up with a summary of comments from that post with this post.



I think it's a good way to start looking at how we share good books!  Enjoy!

On the Night You Were Born

On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman, is a beautiful book that every child deserves to hear.  Psalm 139 is quoted at the beginning of the book—For you are fearfully and wonderfully made….and the story unfolds to confirm the special place each child holds.  The rhyming words and the beautiful illustrations paint loving pictures of the night the child was born.  Taking a picture walk before and after reading the story enhances this story and leads to conversation.  We like to read this at birthday times and any other time when a gentle reminder of our special place in the world is needed.  This book is a great gift idea for a family with a newborn!

Question Collection:

*What is your favorite picture in this book?

*Why do you think you are special?

*Why do you think God made each person different?

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, by Sean Covey, is a children’s book based on the principles found in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  The characters in the book (Goob Bear, Jumper Rabbit, Lily Skunk, Sammy Squirrel, Sophie Squirrel, Pokey Porcupine, Tagalong Allie, and Ernie the worm) are featured in seven stories that teach lessons to illustrate each principle.  The stories are engaging and accompanied by fun illustrations (Stacy Curtis).  We like that the stories’ lessons are very evident and life like. 

This is a book that can be read a story at a time as children think about each principle.  A full page Parents’ Corner page is found at the conclusion of each story.  It’s an informative page with a brief description, discussion questions, and Baby Steps (things to do that reinforce each principle).  This is a great book to focus on character development while providing enjoyable, kid-friendly stories.  We’d love to hear any feedback from you if you’ve read this book with your children!

Only You

Only You is an important book for parents written by Rosemary Wells.  The book contains tips for reading to toddlers before the delightful story starts.   This book is a great reminder, at any age, of the important bonds between parents and children.  I think this book would make a great gift to any expectant or new parent.  It’s one that will be treasured!

Snow Day

We’ve happily been enjoying all of the snow this year!  It’s been fun to read our books about snow since we can really make connections with text now!  Snow Day, written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, is a great book to enjoy a great variety of words describing snow and snow activities.  Taking a picture walk can add to the connections. The vivid words make the story come alive.  If you child likes to act out books, this book is perfect for that!  We hope you enjoy the fun this book provides!

Question Collection:

*Which snow day activity do you like best?

*Which vivid words do you like best?

*Can you think of other words to add to this story?

Bible Story Color 'n' Learn

We’ve been looking for some ways to add more structured, developmentally appropriate Bible instruction during the week.  Bible Story Color’n’Learn by Michelle Medlock Adams (published by Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.) is one of our finds. The format is a full size coloring page accompanied by a full page narration.  Eighty-five stories (Old and New Testament) are included in this book.  We like that it provides a way to study the Bible in an age appropriate way beginning with the Creation and continuing through the New Testament. NIV Scripture reference is given at the beginning of each story.  Also on each page is a list of new words that may be outside the reading vocabulary. The reading level (K-1) is appropriate while maintaining a child’s interest.  We’re happy that we’ve found this book.  Please let us know of books that you’ve found that help with Bible instruction in your home.

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared

Have you set any New Year’s resolutions about reading each day to your children?  We read each day, at all times of the day, but especially before bedtime.  A very inspiring book, The Reading Promise:  My Father and the Books We Shared, by Alice Ozma, certainly reinforces our belief that reading is important in a family.  Alice and her father set a goal of reading for 100 nights, then extend that time, and end up reading each night until she goes away to college.  Alice recounts some of the books and what was happening in their lives in her story.  I found it very inspiring and touching!  If you’re already reading daily to your children, this story will resonate with you.  If you’re not making daily reading time a priority, then this book will inspire you!  Happy reading!

Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons

Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jane Dyer, is a beautiful book exploring character traits.  Cookies are used as the item to depict how the character traits (examples:  respect, compassion, loyalty, etc.,) are defined in various situations.  The book can be read in its entirety, but a page or two can be read and discussed when needed.  I think this book is a great teaching tool for families and classrooms.  The pages are interesting while also exemplifying how our actions affect others.  And, as an added bonus, a recipe for chocolate chip cookies is included in the back of the book!

Question Collection:

*Which part of this book did you like the best?

*Have you shown any of these character traits?

*Which character traits are important in a friendship?

Advent Reading Countdown

Are you looking for a new way to begin the countdown to Christmas?  We do a paper chain (alternating links of red and green), an Advent box with 25 small doors that open to a small item each day, and last year, we started a fun, new tradition—Advent reading countdown!

We gather 25 books about Christmas, wrap them up in Christmas wrapping paper, number them 1-25, and put them in a big basket.  Then, each morning, the numbered gift is opened and read.  It’s a fun event for children to anticipate each day, and helps keep the Christmas books in rotation.  Some of the books we use are on our home library shelves all year, but the thrill of unwrapping a gift adds to the excitement of December!

Our local used bookstore has quite a selection of Christmas books priced $1-$2, so we added some new ones this year.  You could easily modify this to use library books or not do the full 25 days, but wait until the week before Christmas.   To see some of the books we read last year, click here.  We’ll be adding more
Christmas books in upcoming weeks.

The focus for us is to have some meaningful reading time during a busy season.   We hope you will find time to sit down and read with your children during this important time of year!  Merry Christmas!

Linking up to Christmas Linky Parade at Cottage Magpie!

Thanksgiving Review

We hope that you and your family are preparing for a meaningful Thanksgiving!  If you're looking for some more Thanksgiving books to read, here are some that we reviewed last year:

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks

T is for Turkey

Five Silly Turkeys

The Littlest Pilgrim

Also remember it's a fun time to collect memories by videoing your children re-telling the Thanksgiving story in their own words.  You can create some great memories by doing this and showing them to your children and extended family members each year.  
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Chicken of the Family

We love reading humorous books!  The Chicken of the Family, by Mary Amato, provides humor while also teaching some important lessons about believing in oneself and ignoring unkind remarks.  The illustrations by Delphine Durand add to the fun of the story.

Henrietta, the youngest of three girls, is teased by her sisters into believing she is a chicken.  They convince her that she is a chicken by leaving an egg and feathers in her room.  Henrietta is so convinced that she’s a chicken that she leaves to find her real family---a flock of chickens on a farm!  The chickens accept her, and Henrietta finds comfort being with the chickens.  Henrietta uses her peace with the chickens to find herself.  Her sisters soon find that Henrietta’s self confidence is truly amazing!

This book is a great discussion starter with children on the effects of teasing and also in how to be true to one’s self.  We hope you and your family enjoy the humor and the lessons!

Question Collection:

*Why do you think Henrietta’s sisters teased her?

*What do you think about Henrietta’s solution to her sisters’ teasing?

*What would you have done if you were Henrietta?

*Have you ever felt like Henrietta did?