Back! And Help!

Hello!




I'm back and even survived Hawaii's mini tsunami.  We had a great time, but I can't seem to get Japan off my mind.  In lieu of a post, I'm asking you to spend some time talking to your child about nature's disaster and make a donation to the Red Cross .  Even $1 will help!  Think of your biggest problem right now.  I can almost guarantee that the people of Japan would gladly take it off your hands in exchange.  This would be a great learning experience for your child to see how we can help people thousands of miles away.


Here are a few articles to help you talk to your child about this catastrophe:


Thrive 


Mom Information 


Information on tsunamis and earthquakes 


Tsunami information for the younger guys 


Consider making a donation.  I will donate $10 more for each donation made from this page, so let me know that you did!  And, if you have already- THANK YOU.

The Cat in the Hat Sat on a Mat with a Rat

Rhyming

Was this blog not a good fit for your child?  Typically, our (much) more vocal three, four and five year olds fall into the later categories, depending on their literacy development.  Rhyming is another strategy we tend to overlook when helping our children to read.  Rhyming continues to teach children sensitivity to sound.  It teaches them that words with similar endings sound the same and, when they’re working on writing them later, are spelled the same (sometimes).  Although, it is NOT suggested to have them look at spellings in this stage of the game, especially if rhyming words aren't spelled the same (wool and full).

I found these great online resources so your child can work on advancing his/her literacy as well as technology skills!

Scholastic Rhyming Game 

Rhyme Time BINGO (for more advanced learners- looking at spelling)

In the Nick of Time 

Make Time to Rhyme 

Dr. Seuss is hands-down the king of rhymes.  You can’t go wrong with him.  You can visit HERE to check out the Dr. Seuss website to go along with the books you read.  

I just stumbled on this one today that I love for January- SNOW 

Or maybe I'm just hoping for a little ;)

Here are some hints for when reading rhymes:

• Whisper the non-rhyming words and yell/scream/say in a funny voice the rhymes.  Get your child to join in when he/she catches on.
• Point out one word on the page that you see has other rhyming pairs.  Have your child move/dance/give you a hug when he/she hears the rhyming pairs.
• See if your child can come up with other rhyming words besides the ones in the book.  They can even be made up words!
• You don't even need a book for this one- Have your child fill in sentences with a rhyming word.  For example, say "A hat fell on a _______." or "We drove in the car to _____."
• From Phonemic Awareness in Children , play The Ship Is Loaded with... Basically, you say "The ship is loaded with cheese."  Then, your child must say "The ship is loaded with _______ (please, sneeze, etc.)."
• You can even make your own rhyming book with pictures (or words, depending how advanced).  Search in magazines or newspapers (the comics usually have bright pictures of random items) for rhyming words.  Glue them on construction paper.

This still too easy for your child?  Stay tuned...