Perfect Read Alouds for Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner! Yesterday I mentioned some ideas to incorporate literacy into Halloween celebrations from ABC Life Literacy Canada. Below, I have listed some Halloween books that build literacy skills.

Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul and Valerie Thomas: This story is very funny. Winnie the Witch has a problem. Everything in her house is black, including her cat. She is always tripping on her cat, so she decides to wave her wand and make him a different colour. This book offers lots of opportunities to develop vocabulary by discussing colours and how to think of solutions to problems.

Boo! by Robert Munsch: This is a funny story about a boy who paints his face instead of wearing a costume for Halloween, but his face is too scary! This story has lots of repetition which will help your child develop their narrative skills.

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro: Find out why an old lady would swallow a bat. This silly story will help children develop their narrative skills and vocabulary!

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval: This story is a spin off of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is a great story for retelling because of the repetition. Compare it to the original classic story with your child.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler: This story is about a skeleton with hiccups. Skeleton's friend Ghost helps him get rid of his hiccups using a very creative solution that will give children a laugh.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda White: This is a spectacular spooky story with lots of repetition and actions for children to follow along with.

Are there any other great Halloween books you have read lately?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

The nights are getting shorter, the malls are packed, and teachers and children everywhere are wondering how it is possoble that the summer is almost over. Soon, it will be time for children to go back to school for another year of learning. You can help prepare your child for the transition by reading "school" books with them.

Will this be your child's first time to school? If so, please see kindergarten books.

Above is a picture of some school books from my personal collection.

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
A Monster Followed Me to School by Mercer Mayer
Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard
I Want to be a Teacher by Michaela Muntean
Welcome Back to Pokeweed Public School by John Bianchi
Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard
My School's a Zoo by Stu Smith
The Berenstain Bears and the Substitute Teacher by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
David Goes to School by David Shannon


What book(s) do you read to get your child ready for school?

"B" Book for Babies

Looking for a great book for baby?






Characteristics of Great Books for Babies

• Thick sturdy cover and pages
• Small size, for little hands
• Bright colourful pictures (high contrast)
• Simple geometric shapes
• Clear pictures
• Pictures of human faces
• Few words
• Nursery rhymes

The book shown above models the Tana Hoban book White on Black.





Using a die cutter, I cut out several objects, using white construction paper, that begin with the letter B or the sound "buh". This is one of the first sounds that emerge in children. Then, I glued the objects onto black construction paper that was cut into the shape of a house. Then, I laminated the book, punched holes into the left-hand side, and used rings from Staples to bind it together.

Does it have to be black and white?
It is true that objects with patterns having 100% contrast (that is, black-on-white) are the easiest for newborns and young infants to see. However, it is now known that they can distinguish much subtler shades of gray. For example, in the first month babies can distinguish two shades of gray that differ by only 5% in gray level (5% contrast). As good as that is, by 9 weeks of age, infants' contrast sensitivity becomes 10 times better, so that they can see large patterns or objects that have less than 0.5% contrast. This is nearly as good as adult contrast sensitivity (0.2%). This means is that by about 2 months of age your baby is capable of perceiving almost all of the subtle shadings that make our visual world so rich, textured and interesting: shadings in clouds, shadows that are unique to your face; even see a white teddy bear on a white couch!

Source: The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
http://www.ski.org/Vision/babyvision.html#are_black

Math and Children's Literature

In a child's world, mathematics is seen as a set of rules - a collection of procedures, actually - they must first be memorized and then correctly applied to produce the answer. For example, look at this problem:

There are 125 sheep and 5 dogs in a flock. How old is the sheperd?

Children often believe that the must produce an answer from the numbers provided in the question, even though you and I both know that wouldn't make any sense. To help children make better sense of mathematics, relate it to their world, starting early on in their development. One way of doing this is through picture books. As I said in my previous posting, stories can serve as a great jumping off point for activities and can connect children with the world they engage in.



Here are some great books that explore mathematical concepts:

One Gray Mouse by Katherine Burton
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Jim and the Beanstock by Raymond Briggs
How Many Mice? By Michael Garland
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr.
Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood
Quack and Count by Keith Baker
What Comes in 2s, 3s, and 4s? by Suzanne Aker
One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
Blue Sea by Robert Kalan
A Second is a Hiccup: A Child’s Book of Time by Hazel Hutchins
Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Big Week for Little Mouse by Eugenie Fernandes
Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? by Christine Schneider
The Cheerios Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward
The Crayola Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
There Were 10 in the Bed by Karen Young
The Butterfly Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta
The Oreo Cookie Counting Book
Tall by Jez Allborough
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Over in the Meadow by Jane Cabrera
Hannah’s Collections by Marthe Jocelyn
Anno’s Counting Book by Anno
Building Shapes by Susan Canizares
12 Ways to Get to 11 by Eve Merriam
Give Me Half! By Stuart J. Murphey
The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid
Benny’s Pennies by Pat Brisson
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle



Are there any suggestions for books or websites with booklists that can be used to promote a better understanding of mathematics?

Getting Ready for Kindergarten Booklist

Last night I had the priviledge of attending a Kindergarten Parent Information Session at a local school. As a take along resource, I created a booklist of picture books that will help children prepare for school by familiarizing them with classroom routines, activities, common anxieties, and so on. In addition, reading in itself is a great acivity to help children prepare for school. Here is a list of some "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" books. I know that some of them seem repetitive (So and so goes to School), but if a certain child has a love of a certain character, finding a book about that character getting ready to go to school just might make their day and ease the transition a little more.

Mama, Don’t Go! by Rosemary Wells
Yoko loves kindergarten, but she doesn't want her mother to leave--until her new friend helps her realize that "mothers always come back."

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
Ten days before the start of kindergarten, a preschooler can not tie her shoes by herself and fears the worst.

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
Takeoff on the classic Clement C. Moore Christmas poem as excited kids prepare for the first day of kindergarten. 'Twas the night before kindergarten, and as they prepared, kids were excited, and a little bit scared. It's the first day of school. Join the kids as they prepare for kindergarten, packing school supplies, posing for pictures, and the hardest part of all-saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. But maybe it won't be so hard once they discover just how much fun kindergarten really is.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
When Chester the raccoon is reluctant to go to kindergarten for the first time, his mother teaches him a secret way to carry her love with him.

Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois
Franklin is nervous about starting his first day of school.

David Goes to School by David Shannon
David's activities in school include chewing gum, talking out of turn, and engaging in a food fight, causing his teacher to say over and over, "No, David!"

Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill
Spot starts school for the first time, and as the day goes on he finds himself having more and more fun. Flaps conceal part of the illustrations.

We Share Everything! by Robert Munsch
It's the first day of kindergarten and Amanda and Jeremiah have a problem. They both want to read the same books. They want to paint with the same paints. And they refuse to share. The teacher tells them, "Look. This is kindergarten. In kindergarten we share. We share everything." Everything? Amanda and Jeremiah decide to take their teacher at her word. But what can they share? They begin by switching their shoes, and end up wearing each other's outfits! Now Jeremiah is wearing Amanda's pink shoes, pants and shirt and Amanda is wearing Jeremiah's clothes. Together they show their teacher that sharing really can be fun!

Does anyone have any other recommendations that can be added for next year?