Did you know, May happens to be Get Caught Reading Month? Get Caught Reading is a campaign sponsored by The Association of American Publishers (AAP) to promote literacy nationwide, with a special focus on children's literacy: Because of research indicating that early language experience actually … [Read more...]
Fill-in-the-Blank Poem (Printable) for National Poetry Month
In honor of National Poetry Month, here's a starter poem for your young poet. Tell your child the name of the poem is "Rhymes with Spring," and encourage your poet to fill in the blanks with words that indeed rhyme with spring. Remember, it's okay to be silly! Even nonsensical rhyming words … [Read more...]
Sunday’s Story Surprise
As a parent, you want only the best for your children, and in this mom's opinion, reading to your children is one of the most important things you can do from an early age. It's right up there with keeping them safe from harm and providing for their basic needs such as food and water, clothing and … [Read more...]
Learning Activities at Home
Last week was the latest in our series of Virtual Coffees, where we chat with some of our favorite parent bloggers about topics related to reading, learning. This month's topic was learning activities to do with your children at home. Our participants included: Amy Mascott - Teach Mama Nirasha … [Read more...]
Illustrator Love – Part Two
I am really quite fond of all of the illustrators of Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read. I've told you a bit about a few of the illustrators, and now I'm back for more. Each one of these extraordinary people should be celebrated for the humor, suspense, and intrigue they added to the storybooks. In … [Read more...]
Easy as Pie
My family and I went apple picking over the weekend, and that can only mean one thing - time to make a homemade apple pie. I love cooking and baking with my daughter, and I'm always thinking about new, fun ways to bring learning into the kitchen. For kids a bit older than my daughter, the kitchen … [Read more...]
The Shapes of Letters
Yesterday morning I was tickled to wake up and discover my 4-year-old making the alphabet out of pipe cleaners, and soon the whole family was in on the action. She was really into it, and even rejected her dad's Q for not being quite Q-like. Working with tactile materials to learn letter shapes … [Read more...]
5 Books for Back to School
Ah, the transition back to school-is there anything quite like that mix of fun and fear? For any child who may be feeling some school trepidation, give one of these books a try. Superhero School by Aaron Reynolds. Leonard has heat vision and can hit a baseball into orbit. Where does such a kid … [Read more...]
Spreading a Word Game Obsession
It's said that children of readers become readers themselves. It's always good for kids to see adults reading for pleasure. I realized on our vacation that there is a similar passing down of word games. I love a good word game, and for my husband and me, having a vacation means having time to play … [Read more...]
Trip Down Memory Lane
Before the kids run off to school, it's time to answer the age-old question, "What did you do on your summer vacation?" The answer can be the catalyst for a nice memento that doubles as a writing activity to get your young one primed for school. Here are a couple ideas to get you … [Read more...]
Get Ready for Kindergarten Month
Did you know that August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month? Here are a couple easy things that you can have your child do to get ready for the big transition: Practice writing her name. One fun way to do this is to send postcards to loved ones, and have her "sign" the bottom. Practice … [Read more...]
Illustrator Love – Part One
Spoiler alert! What you're about to see are my favorite illustrations from some of the talented illustrators of the new Learn to Read. If you want to wait and see these illustrations in the book, I implore you to STOP READING NOW! Okay, so you want to see some pretty pictures, do you? I don't … [Read more...]
Battling the Summer Slump
As I write this, a mountain of unread books and magazines taunts me. I want nothing more than to be reading them, but I haven't had the time. I look forward to my summer vacations to catch up on my reading. Wouldn't it be great if our kids felt that way, too? The thing about my reading mountain … [Read more...]
Sneaking in Reading: Menus
Just because your kids are away from school for the summer doesn't mean that they should give up reading practice. When we were developing the new Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read, we thought a lot about sneaking in reading in unexpected places. Say you're out at a restaurant with your family. You … [Read more...]
More Letters, Letters, Everywhere!
We've talked a bit about finding letters outside the home, but how about inside the home? I was thinking about this the other day when I bought my preschooler her first box of Alpha-Bits cereal. I thought she'd have fun eating letters for breakfast (now with whole grain!). I’m sure many of you … [Read more...]