Who doesn't love a good snow day? Okay, maybe being trapped inside with a pack of restless kids isn't exactly a spa day, but being snowed in is a perfect time to get the family together and read! After a long day of ice skating and snowball fights, your kids will love to snuggle up on the couch … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Traditions: What Will You Read?
As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, it has me thinking about traditions. I spend the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving thinking about my favorite holiday activity: what book I'm going to read. My little tradition Since I am not the host for my family Thanksgiving (or perhaps not … [Read more...]
Every Mom is a Superwoman
Do you remember when you learned to read? I've been thinking about this a lot as we approach this Mother's Day. I was with family recently, and we were all talking about what, if any, memories we each had of our first days of reading. Few of us had any memory of the actual learning process. My … [Read more...]
Eggs-ellent Easter Ideas
Easter is coming and I have been salivating over all the candy aisles every time I walk into a store. But this year, it's easy to make reading just as fun and important in your family's Easter festivities as Peeps and jelly beans. Here are some ways to help make your Easter a little more … [Read more...]
Summer Reading
As many of you know, I am the youngest of nine children, and that ranking comes with many, many nieces and nephews. Last year around this time, my oldest nephew graduated from high school and left for the Air Force Academy, while one of my nieces graduated from kindergarten. This year it's another … [Read more...]
The Classics Are Forever!
Like many people in metro areas, particularly the DC/Baltimore metro where we are based, I have a very long daily commute in my car. I go through cycles where I listen to music, I listen to NPR, or I listen to books on tape. I have been on a classics kick lately, choosing books that I read when I … [Read more...]
Cake Wrecks Says it All
My friend Adina recently sent me this link to one of her favorite blogs called "Cake Wrecks." It's an old post from May 31, 2009 with some amazing cakes inspired by favorite children's books. These are some our favorites, too, so I wanted to pass it … [Read more...]
Watch out world, we’re back!
Hooked on Phonics is getting back to its roots. We've been around for 20+ years, and we made a big splash back in the day with our famous catch phrase, "It worked for me!" Starting today, we're back on the air with a new infomercial airing all across the country. With 20 years under our belt, kids … [Read more...]
Children’s Book Week!
Did you know it is Children's Book Week? At Hooked on Phonics, we feel like every week is Children's Book Week, but I thought it was worth highlighting. I was thinking about the children in my life and their favorite books. My niece Lila, who will be five in July, loves the book The Berenstain … [Read more...]
Mea Culpa
THANK YOU to a careful new reader (Smellyann) for pointing out that in my last post I spelled sight words as site words as in Web site. How embarrassing! She was right--you'd think if I'm teaching children to read at the very least I'd be a good speller. Unfortunately it was an excellent example of … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday, Beverly Cleary!
Hey--did you know it was Beverly Cleary's birthday? I just found out, too! I adore Beverly Cleary. She was a staple in my path to loving reading as a child. My sisters Mary and Karen gave me the Ramona Quimby book set for Christmas in 2nd grade and I fell in love. I still think of Ramona every … [Read more...]
We’re back on TV!
You probably first heard of Hooked on Phonics some 15 or 20 years ago with our most famous infomercial catch phrase, "It worked for me!" Well it's still working for you, and now it's back on TV. We aired our first "short form" infomercial today and our full length one will air in mid-May. Check … [Read more...]
Better late than never!
So I'm sure by now you all remembered to change your clocks forward an hour. We might not have if it weren't for the Washington Post which had on the front page, "Did you remember set your clocks forward an hour?" This was 5pm on Sunday evening. We had not. Give your kids some fun practice … [Read more...]
Alice in Wonderland…you ageless wonder, you.
When I was in 3rd grade, I found a pale blue dress with a white sash in the hall closet. I knew immediately I would be Alice that year for Halloween. I bet I don't even have to tell you who Alice is for you to guess I mean the one in Wonderland. My older sister went as the White Rabbit and carried … [Read more...]
Let’s Read Across America!
Every year in the United States, children celebrate Read Across America Day on March 2, the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel. (You may know him better as Dr. Seuss.) The National Education Association (NEA) has been celebrating this day since 1998 and uses it as an opportunity to emphasize the … [Read more...]