Posts Tagged ‘literacy’
I have been thoroughly enjoying The Redheaded Hostess‘s great ideas for scripture study and teaching the gospel to little ones. I even ordered her brand new scripture journals for myself for Christmas, but shhhh it’s a surprise! I was totally inspired by Shannon to create something for our Primary children to record what they learn each month. The Primary Sharing Time Journal is the product of that inspiration.
As I’ve thought a lot about how Primary went this year with our focus on the Articles of Faith while the theme focused on the scriptures, I’ve been thinking what we can do for next year to build on that foundation. We’re planning on continuing to work on memorizing the Articles of Faith since it’s part of the Faith in God program. We did a reward system this year where they put scoops of beans in a large vase for every Article of Faith they memorized and passed off to their teacher. Once the vase is full then we have a party, about three a year. This coming year we’re going to focus on memorizing the scriptures that go with each month’s theme.
Also, I know (fingers crossed) that we’ll be moving this summer for Brent’s rotations. Last summer our presidency changed in June and then we all went on vacations for the summer and we spent all fall scrambling to put together the sacrament program. I don’t want to leave the next presidency in the same mess we put ourselves in so I created a Primary Sharing Time Journal to help the kids remember what they learn each month about the theme. Hopefully their written record of what they learned can be used to prepare the sacrament program and make that process easier for a new presidency.
My plan is that we will keep the journals all year handing them out once a month for the kids to update them and write what they’ve learned. Then in December we can give it to them as a gift and souvenir of their year in primary.
If you’re interested in using this with your children or primary, you can download the Primary Sharing Time Journal 2012 here.
This is a free download. I created the journal in Illustrator; translation, with a lot of tears and some gnashing of teeth. Please use these journals for personal, church or noncommercial use only (please don’t sell it!) And if you’d like to share it with others, please refer them to this post where they can download the file (don’t link to the pdf itself or host it elsewhere.)
The other week I was sick with strep throat. I drafted this post then, with the sickness fully on my mind and consuming a lot of my attention. But it turned out that there was a theme that Friday, books to sing, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to share some of our favorites. So I tabled this post for a theme-free week and here you go!
So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds
Feeling under the weather helped me realize how much I do, and enjoy doing, on a regular basis. Having lost so much energy, appetite and desire to talk has really changed our patterns the last few days. With that on my mind, I kept thinking of this book my grandma gave me for Christmas. So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds is a quick, humorous read. This book is a great reminder to focus on what’s most important and doing our best. Definitely a message I need to hear again and again. Especially with little ones at home, it’s easy to lose sight of how important the things I do with them really are for them, their development and for our relationships.
Sisters by David McPhail
This week I have really been enjoying how sweet the girls are together. {This is becoming true of almost every week now!} One Wednesday I posted pictures of them being adorable and their status as sisters is really taking shape. Sammi loves to talk about Elli as her sister, and how she can help her and teach her. Sometimes it’s bossy, but most of the time it’s sweet to see them play together. And work together to finagle ways to get more juice. So we pulled out a book we got when Elli was born called Sisters by David McPhail. It talks about the ways two sisters are very different and then very alike. Some of the things are true about the girls so it’s easy for them to identify with the characters in the book. My favorite pages say, “Both sisters liked to help bake cookies…and to play in puddles.” That’s my girls to a tee.
Flossing Teeth
The last book I’m sharing today comes from our public library. Sammi found it on a shelf and begged to bring it home. I wasn’t sure how she’d like it, but it’s been much requested. It’s called Flossing Teeth and is part of the Pebbles Plus series on Healthy Teeth. Anna shows us the right way to floss to get food and plaque off our teeth. It shows a diagram of two teeth and where the plaque and food like to hang out where the brush can’t reach them. It also shows how teeth get cavities when they aren’t cared for. This was powerful for Sammi since she had a cavity the first time she went to the dentist for an official visit! She really identifies with this book and it helps her remember to take good care of her teeth so she doesn’t get any more cavities.
Have books to share? Want to find more book recommendations? Check out Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood.
And please leave a comment telling what book you read to death this week 
A year and a half ago Sammi and I took a brave step and read our first chapter book together. I was inspired by Jim Trelease‘s book The Read-Aloud Handbook. I selected Charlotte’s Web because I remembered loving it as a child and it was conveniently unpacked and sitting on our bookshelf. Sammi was 2 years and 3 months old when we started it. We read it every morning at breakfast and we actually finished it. She enjoyed it and so did I.
Since that first success with a chapter book, we haven’t really had much success with any of the other chapter books we already owned. We started a few, but we’d read them here and there and the story line got lost because of our inconsistent reading. Elli has also grown a bit and developed her own opinions about what we read and how long she’ll allow us to read books that are too big for her.
I’ve been feeling like we needed to find some chapter books that we in-between Charlotte’s Web and long picture books. One day at the library Sammi pulled a book off the shelf and brought it to me asking if we could take it home. It was Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in her Pocket. I flipped through it and loved the layout. There are illustrations about every other page, the font is nice and big and it’s divided into chapters. There were six chapters in this book.
It worked out perfectly that we were able to read it for a chapter at a time. Elli could handle that much of the book before interrupting us. It really didn’t take very long to read a chapter. In fact, we’ve read picture books longer than a chapter and some as long as the whole book. But it has a more grown up feel because of the chapters and the layout. The story moveds pretty quickly and Sammi was always interested in rading one more chapter. We picked it up a couple times each day and had it finished in three days.
Sammi enjoyed Junie B. so much that we got two more books in the series. We’re currently reading Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch. Sammi is thrilled with this book, too. At the bookstore where we got it, they had a whole collection of them and I let her pick out two. She seems very pleased with her choice. These books are written in first person from Junie B.’s perspective. It includes typical grammar mistakes of an early elementary school child and a whole lot of spunk in her personality. I often skip over words like stupid and dumb if they are used in a context that Sammi doesn’t know yet (and I don’t want to give her any ideas!). Other than that, it’s a fun read for both of us and we’re excited to be reading chapter books.
We’re definitely hooked on Barbara Park and her Junie B. Jones collection.
Are there any beginning chapter books you’d recommend for us?
Have books to share? Want to find more book recommendations? Check out Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood.
The links to the books are Amazon Affiliate links. I like to include links to Amazon because they have great prices and a good collection of reviews and additional info. If you happen to make a purchase after clicking on one of my links, I’ll receive a small percentage of that sale.
Don’t miss this week’s giveaway from Baby Cribs Plus (it’s my birthday present to you!) Come celebrate with me!
It’s been an interesting week around here. I went to the doctor on Wednesday and found out I have strep throat. I was pretty miserable Wednesday and then even worse on Thursday. I’m hoping that the medicine will finally start to clear up my throat and that I’ll have a fun weekend.
Today is Arbor Day. If you have a minute, please send a virtual tree through Hanes’ Facebook Page and they’ll plant a real tree for you! A simple way you can help make a big difference.
This week’s theme is books to sing. When we first started reading books with Sammi, the only ones she liked at all were books that had tunes. It was a great introduction to books for her and we had a blast singing.
Hush Little Baby by Brian Pinkney
I grew up to the song Hush Little Baby. My mom sang it to me every night and it’s always been one of my favorites. Brent and I have a hard time singing this together though because I always sing it “Mommy’s gonna buy you…” and he feels funny doing that. So when I found this version of Hush Little Baby in book form I fell in love. It’s all about a day when Mom goes on errands and Daddy is with the brother and baby sister. It’s so cute how the dad tries to make her laugh and forget that Mommy just left. Plus it was one that Brent loved reading/singing with Sammi.
Down by the Bay by Raffi
We have loved our Down by the Bay book to pieces. I really struggled with the tune at first because it was unfamiliar to me. Fortunately it has the music at the end of the book and I was able to plunk it out on the piano till I got the hang of it. The illustrations are great for this crazy song about moose kissing a goose, a whale with a polka-dotted tail and more. I liked this one because it broadened my horizons and taught me a song I should probably have known, but didn’t.
Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler
I’d recommend any of the song books illustrated by Annie Kubler and published by Child’s Play. They are so adorable and really bring the song to life. We received Ten Little Fingers as a gift when we were expecting Sammi. This was another one where the tune was unfamiliar to me and I had to practice a lot to get it down. But the actions are great and it’s so much fun to see little ones go from passively listening to the song/book to actively doing the actions and trying to sing the song.
Have books to share? Want to find more book recommendations? Check out Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood.
These books are linked to Amazon through an affiliate link. I provide the link so you can read additional reviews on the books as well as have easy access to more info about the book. If you happen to buy something through one of these links, I will earn a small percentage of the sale.
For as long as I can remember I have loved reading and writing. They have succored me through some very difficult times and have been constant companions during lonely times. I take for granted that reading and writing are easy for me. But Janna’s post on Friday at The Adventure of Motherhood woke me up a bit to the blessings of literacy.
Janna has recently begun tutoring a sixteen year old with the reading and writing skills of a first or second grader. She began the story with their first meeting where she found out just how serious his needs are. When asked to spell remember, he wrote “remomble.”
Janna is continuing the story tomorrow and spending time over the next two weeks telling his story. I’m looking forward to what she’s learned from this experience, the progress he’s made over the last few months and spreading the word about the importance of early literacy skills.
If you have time today, catch up on Friday’s introductory post, then continue the journey with Janna. She’s a wonderful storyteller and I’m sure she won’t disappoint with this story.
Blessings of Literacy
- Grocery shopping and checking labels to provide nutritious food for my family
- Filling out tax forms, doctor’s office forms, driver’s license and car registration forms
- Reading the Guide on the TV so I fan find the shows I like more quickly
- Reading instruction manuals and owner’s manuals for the washer, my serger, the bike trailer
- The fact that we own a washer, serger and bike trailer as a result of good employment (in the past) and Brent’s scholarship with the Air Force which we wouldn’t have without being literate
- Reading books with my little girls
- Reading books for my own enjoyment
- All the friends I’ve made because I blog
Can you imagine what it would be like to be illiterate? What blessings would you lose? How can we give that gift to those who don’t have it?
For the record, I support libraries. I love the library and have volunteered at our local library since Sammi was a little girl. I think they need all the help they can get to promote literacy. (I have 32 posts containing the word library) That said, I just about fell off the couch laughing when I read this page from the Texas Library Association’s website.
For the uninitiated, library book cart precision drill teams are groups of library staff members who push book carts in formation to music. Often the book carts are decorated and so are the library staff members! Book cart drill teams are being used to promote libraries in parades and community events all over the state.
All I can say is only in Texas! Now I need to take a trip so I can see a library book cart precision drill team in action. Or, since that’s not exactly feasible right now, I’ll just enjoy all the YouTube video’s of precision drill teams in Texas!
A while back my mom attended a workshop taught by Dr. Wallace Goddard. Actually she attended two, one on strengthening marriages and another on parenting. She absolutely loved what he taught and shared lots of notes and book recommendations with me. While most of them were parenting books, he did recommend one book for children, particularly girls. It’s a princess book. A princess book like you’ve never experienced before.
Fanny’s Dream
Fanny’s Dream
Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner
Picture Puffins, 2nd Printing edition (June 23, 2003)
Fanny is a hometown girls with big dreams. She plans on marrying the mayor’s son and never working another day in her life. She gets all dolled up for the ball at the mayor’s mansion and sits out to wait for her fairy godmother. While waiting, a suitor named Heber shows up. After a short conversation Heber proposes to Fanny. It means a life of work, but Fanny accepts. They have twins boys and then girl. They make a happy life together. Then one night her fairy godmother shows up. She offers to take her to the mayor’s mansion where there’s an available colonel. As Fanny hesitates the fairy godmother says, impatiently, “Do you want to go to the ball, or not?” Fanny replies, “Not.” And returns to her family in the little farm house. I cry every time I read it!
My favorite line is when Heber proposes. “Even with all that moonlight it took Fanny an hour to give up her dreams. She shook Heber awake.” And accepts his proposal.
In a lot of ways I can relate to Fanny. I had dreams of exotic travel abroad and a life of adventure. But when I met Brent, giving up doing those things in the immediate future felt right. It was hard, but I’m glad I did. I love him and our little girls and have grown more as a person with them in my life than I ever would have if I’d chosen to travel the world instead.
What Happens While I Blog
As I am writing this post, Sammi came to inform me that Elli spilled all the cinnamon sugar on the floor (fortunately there was only a little left). I look up ti find cinnamon sugar on Sammi’s chin. Hmmm. then Elli came i to tell her side of the story. She’s holding the lid and looking like this:
She takes me by the hand to show me the mess. Sammi is sitting on the floor drawing in the pile of cinnamon sugar. She explained that it’s a park. And with each movement of her fingers she tells me about trees growing here, people walking this way or going that way. I love her little park.
Not ready to tackle the mess just yet, I return to blogging. This is what I just found. I’m impressed she was able to get so much back in the container. But, don’t worry, it will end up in the trash!
This post is linked up with Feed Me Books Friday from The Adventure of Motherhood and Kids Make the Darndest Things from Buried with Children. Check out other books moms are recommending and the artwork by their children that moms are sharing at these to blogs.
Happy Friday!
p.s. What’s your favorite princess book?
We went to the library this morning to visit our favorite children’s librarian, Miss Cindy, and we discovered that it’s National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Last year I gave some warning about this holiday and a few of our favorites. You can check out that post here. This year it crept up on us! Fortunately the library had us covered. They had a bunch of different poems printed out that anyone could grab and carry with them. Our poem is one of my favorites from my childhood.
A Purple Cow
by Gelett Burgess
I never saw a purple cow,
I hope to never see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.
Do you remember that one? What are your favorite children’s poems or poets? Do you enjoy poetry? Honestly, I have a hard time with poetry that doesn’t follow a rhyming scheme or have a real sing-song kind of rhythm. But like it’s important to expose our children to classical music and the performing arts, I believe it’s also important to expose them to different forms of writing, including poetry. I hope they can gain and understanding and appreciation for this art form without being hindered by my own preferences.
If you don’t get to carry a poem in your pocket today, the whole month of April is National Poetry Month so there’s still time left to celebrate poetry and get your little ones involved. One great resource for poetry and children is Gotta Book who had a fantastic series last year for poetry month, 30 Poets in 30 Days. He’s doing the series again this year so don’t forget to check out the 2010 edition of 30 Poets in 30 Days.
A few weeks ago I started a campaign in my home to reclaim my love of reading. Aside from a few parenting books, it had been since Harry Potter 7 that I read an entire book that wasn’t geared toward toddlers or preschoolers. I love to read but I’d fallen out of sync with my reading rhythm. I mentioned before that I tend to read in spurts, but that I wanted to become a daily reader. I put a book in the bathroom and stole a few extra minutes to read each time I’m in there. So far I’ve read two books and I’m on my third (and fourth)!
The first book I read was The Elder Gods by David Eddings. I’d read another of his series and really enjoyed it. Again, I was thoroughly captivated by the world he creates in this series. It’s the story of a land ruled by gods who must work together to fight off the evil god. The “good” gods leave their lands and travel outside their boundaries to hire soldiers to help fight. I really enjoyed the interactions between the leaders of the different groups of soldiers. They were witty and clever, two traits I adore, and they were able to set aside differences to work together to reach the ultimate goal. I’m excited to read the other two books.
We were in Colorado when I finished The Elder Gods and didn’t have the next one with me so I ran out and bought Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief. I became interested in reading this book after I saw the movie. (Yes! It can work that way) I was very surprised to find that they are so very different. Even more different than Harry Potter books and movies are from each other. As I was watching the movie I kept thinking: “The book version will probably be so much cooler with all the added insight and story line that usually doesn’t make it into the movie.” I was partially right. There was a whole story line completely unaddressed in the movie. I’m very surprised that the movie didn’t mention this part of the story at all. It’s like leaving Voldemort out of the Harry Potter books. If you’ve read the book and seen the movie, do you agree with that assessment?
The other side of this is that I didn’t like the book nearly as much as I thought I would. First, it’s written in first person (so “I” is a twelve year old boy) and that was hard for me to get into. Second the writing didn’t capture me as much as I thought it would. It wasn’t quite as cool as I anticipated after seeing the book. In the end, I liked the story line of the book and plan on reading more of the series. I’m hoping as Percy matures in the books the writing will mature with him.
Now I’m reading Motherhood Is Easy…As Long As You Have Nothing Else To Do For The Next 50 Years. I mentioned this book on Saturday. I’ll save comments on it for when I finish it and write my full review including a giveaway
The (fourth) one I’m reading is Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child
How have you been able to carve out time for your passions or hobbies?
This collection of books is part of Feed Me Books Friday hosted by The Adventure of Motherhood. This week’s theme is Resurrection, Easter Stories and More. Check out what books Moms are recommending to help you get ready for Easter! We’ve been traveling this week so I haven’t had a chance to find Easter-themed books, yet.
We brought several new books with us on our trip and then were given several more from a dear friend. Sammi’s backpack can’t even hold all the books we now have! And she can’t carry it when it’s stuffed with as many as it will hold. But it’s a great place to store them so they don’t take over Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Some of our new favorites are listed below.
Chewy Louie is about a little boy who gets a brand new puppy from his dad. The puppy loves to chew and basically destroys the house. The boy keeps thinking his parents will decide to get rid of the dog, but they wait it out and eventually he grows out of puppyhood and stops chewing everything. Sammi and Elli have each brought this book to me asking for it again and again. They love the idea that he grows out of puppyhood just like they grew out of babyhood.
The Bouncy Baby Bunny is a cute book about how one bouncy bunny tries to settle down for a nap. He has quite an adventure trying to find a place where his bounciness is accepted and in the end it’s his bounciness that actually saves nap time. There are repetitive phrases in this book that work well with the rhythm and flow of the book. My husband didn’t like reading it that much because of the repetitiveness, but it didn’t bother me. Sammi loves this book the most of all of us and she reminds us of that each time she brings it to one of us to read.
We’ve had a lot of fun reading this week. Aside from playing outside, we’ve spent more time reading than on any of our other typical activities. Books are great because they’re easy to pack along, you don’t need many because kids love the same one over and over again, and they help make an unfamiliar place feel a bit more like home.
Don’t forget to see what other books Moms recommend today at The Adventure of Motherhood.
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