Dear Readers,
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
- Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
It's Important to Read 30 Minutes a Day
Dear Readers
It is almost time for the long hot days of summer!
I still remember the chants we would say on the last day of school:
No more homework, No more books
No more homework, No more books
Had I known what I know now about the importance of reading and its benefits this would be my chant:
Give more homework, Give more books
Read, Read, Read!
Food for Thought
If a parent reads to a child while he/she is an infant, at the age of five (5) years old, he/she has been fed roughly 900 hours of brain food.
If the parent reads to a child while he/she is an infant for 30 minutes a week then the child will lose 770 hours of nursery rhymes, fairy tales and other stories.
*A kindergarten student who has not been read aloud to could enter school with less than 60 hours of literacy nutrition. No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours of mental nourishment.
*Therefore...30 minutes daily = 900 hours
30 minutes weekly = 130 hours
Less than 30 minutes weekly = 60 hours
Guess you now understand why reading daily is so very important. Why not have family night reading? It is great to just shut off the television for 20-30 minutes and read... and share.
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, America Reads Challenge. (1999) "Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader." Washington, D.C.
It is almost time for the long hot days of summer!
I still remember the chants we would say on the last day of school:
No more homework, No more books
No more homework, No more books
Had I known what I know now about the importance of reading and its benefits this would be my chant:
Give more homework, Give more books
Read, Read, Read!
Food for Thought
If a parent reads to a child while he/she is an infant, at the age of five (5) years old, he/she has been fed roughly 900 hours of brain food.
If the parent reads to a child while he/she is an infant for 30 minutes a week then the child will lose 770 hours of nursery rhymes, fairy tales and other stories.
*A kindergarten student who has not been read aloud to could enter school with less than 60 hours of literacy nutrition. No teacher, no matter how talented, can make up for those lost hours of mental nourishment.
*Therefore...30 minutes daily = 900 hours
30 minutes weekly = 130 hours
Less than 30 minutes weekly = 60 hours
Guess you now understand why reading daily is so very important. Why not have family night reading? It is great to just shut off the television for 20-30 minutes and read... and share.
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, America Reads Challenge. (1999) "Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader." Washington, D.C.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Personal and Social Skills
Dear Readers,
Every child is different and develops at different rates. Here are a list of Personal and Fine Motor skills to determine what your child can do.
There are no wrong or right answers,this is a way for you to determine what milestones to expect and watch for:
Can build a tower of 3-4 cubes or other items
Can put pegs in a pegboard
Can place 1 cube in a cup
Can beat 2 items together (spoons, lids, cups)
Can pound, squeeze or pull clay
Unscrews lid of bottle
Can make a ball of clay
Uses pencil sharpener
Every child is different and develops at different rates. Here are a list of Personal and Fine Motor skills to determine what your child can do.
There are no wrong or right answers,this is a way for you to determine what milestones to expect and watch for:
Can build a tower of 3-4 cubes or other items
Can put pegs in a pegboard
Can place 1 cube in a cup
Can beat 2 items together (spoons, lids, cups)
Can pound, squeeze or pull clay
Unscrews lid of bottle
Can make a ball of clay
Uses pencil sharpener
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Getting ready for Kindergarten
Dear Readers,
These are the skills that Kindergarten teachers want students to know upon entering Kindergarten
Letter, Number and Shape Recognition – your child should be able to recognize some if not all of the letters of the alphabet. He/she should be able to recognize the numbers 1-5. They should recognize some shapes and colors.
Oral Language Skills – Your child uses oral language skills daily. Introduce new words to your child on a daily basis by pointing out things as you interact with him/her at home and outside the home.
Listening Skills – This is one of the most important skills needed to help your child succeed in school. Your child will have to be able to listen to the teacher and sometimes repeat or follow the directions of the teacher.
Independence – Encourage your child to do things by themselves. Put on their coat, put on their shoes, button or zip up coat, go to the bathroom and wash hands, and blow their nose are just a few of the independence skills that will be needed as your child enters kindergarten.
Strong Fine-Motor Skills - There are many activities that your child will encounter in Kindergarten such as learning to hold a pencil or crayon. You can improve your child’s writing and scissor skills by letting them mist your houseplants with a spray bottle.
Eager to learn – You can tell if your child is eager to learn if he/she has a positive attitude and approaches learning new things eagerly.
Ability to play well with others – Your child will need social skills such as sharing, problem-solving and taking turns.
Source: Scholastic Parents
These are the skills that Kindergarten teachers want students to know upon entering Kindergarten
Letter, Number and Shape Recognition – your child should be able to recognize some if not all of the letters of the alphabet. He/she should be able to recognize the numbers 1-5. They should recognize some shapes and colors.
Oral Language Skills – Your child uses oral language skills daily. Introduce new words to your child on a daily basis by pointing out things as you interact with him/her at home and outside the home.
Listening Skills – This is one of the most important skills needed to help your child succeed in school. Your child will have to be able to listen to the teacher and sometimes repeat or follow the directions of the teacher.
Independence – Encourage your child to do things by themselves. Put on their coat, put on their shoes, button or zip up coat, go to the bathroom and wash hands, and blow their nose are just a few of the independence skills that will be needed as your child enters kindergarten.
Strong Fine-Motor Skills - There are many activities that your child will encounter in Kindergarten such as learning to hold a pencil or crayon. You can improve your child’s writing and scissor skills by letting them mist your houseplants with a spray bottle.
Eager to learn – You can tell if your child is eager to learn if he/she has a positive attitude and approaches learning new things eagerly.
Ability to play well with others – Your child will need social skills such as sharing, problem-solving and taking turns.
Source: Scholastic Parents
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Brain Games
Dear Readers,
Guess how many game.
Fill a clear plastic jar with a mixture of small items to put in, you can use shells, pebbles and/or paper clips.
Let your child examine the jar and tell you how many items are inside.
When he/she has guessed, pour the items out on a table and count them together.
Source: Brain Games for Preschoolers, Eion
Guess how many game.
Fill a clear plastic jar with a mixture of small items to put in, you can use shells, pebbles and/or paper clips.
Let your child examine the jar and tell you how many items are inside.
When he/she has guessed, pour the items out on a table and count them together.
Source: Brain Games for Preschoolers, Eion
Thursday, May 21, 2009
In the Spotlight!
Dear Readers,
B4 Literacy wants to Spotlight your children that are excelling in school and other areas. If your child is featured in the local newspaper or school newspaper, magazines or any other media or if you are just proud of child's accomplishments. Send us an email to b4litnum@gmail and we will spotlight your child for the world to see.
This month's Spotlight is on Evyn Thompson who attends Peabody Elementary, an optional school that studies cultural around the world in Memphis, TN.
Good Luck Evyn on all your future endeavors.
This is the article that appeared in The Commercial Appeal on Thursday May 7, 2009 written by Jane Roberts:
Peabody pupils immerse in study of other nations Programs provide intense lessons about foreign lands
Framed by a makeshift TV screen suspended by string from the ceiling, Evyn Thompson briefed her entire world on Kenyan coffee.
Yes, she's tasted it, and yes, she's well aware that Starbucks sells gallons of it.
Evyn Thompson's job was helping visitors at the International Studies Festival at Peabody Elementary understand the importance of coffee to Kenya's economy.
"It's fresher and sweeter than tea," she says, impressing guests at Peabody Elementary as either a spokeswoman for the coffee-growers or a 7-year-old who's given flavor and international commerce some thought.
After a year of studying Kenya, she may be both. Wednesday, Evyn and her first-grade contemporaries talked up the Swahili-speaking nation, "broadcasting" as newscasters the virtues of its grasslands, deserts, cities, rainforests and oceanfronts and hand-stamped the passports of hundreds of visitors in to see the final show of the year.
"All of our students study cultures around the world," said Jerry Sanders, 23-year music and dance teacher in Memphis City Schools. "This is the culmination of the year," he said, gesturing expansively to the annual International Studies Festival, a world of dialect, dress and geography spilling into the halls and wafting through the building.
Peabody, in Cooper-Young, is the district's only optional elementary for international studies, starting with kindergartners who spend the year studying the United States.
By the time they are fifth-graders, they've been immersed in the cultures of Kenya, France, Mexico, Russia and Japan and, beginning this year, will have spent six years studying Russian language.
The school is open to any child in the city who meets the prerequisites. The trouble is, it's become so well-known, there are few openings. "We have one or two left in first grade and some in fourth and fifth grade," said principal Kongsouly Jones.
Ayanna Guffin, a young dancer in tights and a black tutu, spent Wednesday interpreting ballet through the eyes of the French, moving through plié, jeté and relevé as she rolled the words off her tongue.
"I like to tell people about what I do," she said, striking the ballet poses. "I take ballet."
And at one time, her mother, Sarita Guffin, did too. The day for them starts at 6:35 a.m. when they leave home in Cordova for school.
"Peabody has given my children a well-rounded cultural background," she said. "When they leave the school, they understand other languages and cultures, and that is important to us."
And it's instinctively important to Evyn too, who will be in the France class as a second-grader next year. What she thinks will be most cool is "learning to spell so many different words," she says matter-of-factly.
This comes from a child who loved making mummies this year (to study the culture of Chile, Memphis in May's honored country) and proudly shows visitors her mummified Barbie doll. "When mummies are dead, they have to live in a mummy tomb, with spider webs," she said earnestly.
"Mummies really do exist."
This is the contact number for Jane Roberts - 529-2512.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Latino Books Month
Dear Readers,
B4 Literacy celebrates Latino Books Month. Read a book by a Spanish author. If you do not speak Spanish, check out a audio book at the library or purchase an audio book.
B4 Literacy celebrates Latino Books Month. Read a book by a Spanish author. If you do not speak Spanish, check out a audio book at the library or purchase an audio book.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ways to get your child to read
Dear Readers,
Building a strong foundation of reading for your child is the key to developing a good reader. After you have taught all of the letters and the sounds that each letter makes. It is now time to teach your child the vowels (a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y).
Purchase a set of wooden or plastic letters. Paint all the vowels one color. (Red or another favorite color) Paint the remaining letters another color (blue). After the paint dries, have your child close his eyes and feel the different shapes of the letters. Play a game to see how many letters he can get correct by feeling them. Test his/her memory to see if he/she know the sounds of each.
Source: Brain Games for preschoolers, Eion
Building a strong foundation of reading for your child is the key to developing a good reader. After you have taught all of the letters and the sounds that each letter makes. It is now time to teach your child the vowels (a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y).
Purchase a set of wooden or plastic letters. Paint all the vowels one color. (Red or another favorite color) Paint the remaining letters another color (blue). After the paint dries, have your child close his eyes and feel the different shapes of the letters. Play a game to see how many letters he can get correct by feeling them. Test his/her memory to see if he/she know the sounds of each.
Source: Brain Games for preschoolers, Eion
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Reading early to infants helps
Dear Readers,
B4 Literacy encourages reading to infants before birth and beyond. Studies now show that "No matter what language you speak or how much money you make, it’s never too early to start reading to your children, according to a new study."
Researchers have found that children who are read to at an early age improve their language comprehension and cognitive development skills.
Research studies have also shown that children in preschool benefit also when their parents read to them because it helps to develop language skills.
http://www.parentdish.com/2006/07/14/reading-to-infants-helps-language-development-study/
B4 Literacy encourages reading to infants before birth and beyond. Studies now show that "No matter what language you speak or how much money you make, it’s never too early to start reading to your children, according to a new study."
Researchers have found that children who are read to at an early age improve their language comprehension and cognitive development skills.
Research studies have also shown that children in preschool benefit also when their parents read to them because it helps to develop language skills.
http://www.parentdish.com/2006/07/14/reading-to-infants-helps-language-development-study/
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
Dear Readers,
B4 Literacy sends a special Mother's Day greeting to all Moms-to-Be and Moms!
Always know that you are a special person in the life of your child!
A special Mother's Day poem for Mothers from B4 Literacy
M - Magnificant Mothers, you are special in every way
O - Open your hearts and receive adbundant showers of love today
T - Take time to savor the joys of this day
H - Heaven has entrusted you with its angels to mold
E - Every eye is watching your garden of jewels, and are in awe as we behold
R - Remember they love you more than they can say and will try their best to show you on your special day!
Copyright, May 2009
B4 Literacy sends a special Mother's Day greeting to all Moms-to-Be and Moms!
Always know that you are a special person in the life of your child!
A special Mother's Day poem for Mothers from B4 Literacy
M - Magnificant Mothers, you are special in every way
O - Open your hearts and receive adbundant showers of love today
T - Take time to savor the joys of this day
H - Heaven has entrusted you with its angels to mold
E - Every eye is watching your garden of jewels, and are in awe as we behold
R - Remember they love you more than they can say and will try their best to show you on your special day!
Copyright, May 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Quote of the Day
Dear Readers,
“Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable.”
- Grace Slick
“Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable.”
- Grace Slick
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Brain Games
Dear Readers,
This is a fun game to help your child learn the letters of the alphabet. In the morning choose a letter for the day. Sound out the letter and say the name of the letter.
Throughout the day point our lots of different words that begin with that letter, for example p is for pizza, pot, picture and pencil.
Before bedtime, draw pictures of the letter of the day and start a journal or poster. Write the words for the pictures and display their work.
Source: Brain Games for preschoolers, Eion
This is a fun game to help your child learn the letters of the alphabet. In the morning choose a letter for the day. Sound out the letter and say the name of the letter.
Throughout the day point our lots of different words that begin with that letter, for example p is for pizza, pot, picture and pencil.
Before bedtime, draw pictures of the letter of the day and start a journal or poster. Write the words for the pictures and display their work.
Source: Brain Games for preschoolers, Eion
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Exercise your Brain
Dear Readers,
How many of you remember the game of concentration? This is the card game where you match up pairs by memorizing the location of each card.
Another favorite game is called Chinese whispers. This is the game where a word or phrase is whispered in the first child's ear. The word or phrase is whispered to the next child and it's passed down to the last child. The last child has to announce what he heard. Usually the word or phrase is not the original word or phrase.
Games such as these are perfect because children are having fun and learning at the same time. Memory games improve memory skills and helps your child concentrate better.
Other memory games your child can play are: word association, mismatches, and communication. See article for game instructions.
Read more about this article: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/memory-games-for-children.html
How many of you remember the game of concentration? This is the card game where you match up pairs by memorizing the location of each card.
Another favorite game is called Chinese whispers. This is the game where a word or phrase is whispered in the first child's ear. The word or phrase is whispered to the next child and it's passed down to the last child. The last child has to announce what he heard. Usually the word or phrase is not the original word or phrase.
Games such as these are perfect because children are having fun and learning at the same time. Memory games improve memory skills and helps your child concentrate better.
Other memory games your child can play are: word association, mismatches, and communication. See article for game instructions.
Read more about this article: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/memory-games-for-children.html
Friday, May 1, 2009
Celebrating Get Caught Reading Month
Dear Readers,
B4 Literacy celebrates Get Caught Reading Month.
Moms send us pictures of you or another famaily member, sibling, adult or care giver reading to your child before birth.
B4 Literacy celebrates Get Caught Reading Month.
Moms send us pictures of you or another famaily member, sibling, adult or care giver reading to your child before birth.
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