When I was a kid, I hated writing thank-you notes. My grandmother made me write them. Now that I’m older, I appreciate her wisdom (and I make my kids write them, too.) So here’s a belated note: Thanks, J.K. Rowling--not for helping my son LEARN to read--but for helping him to learn to LOVE … [Read more...]
Google Earth ABCs!
Here's an advanced alphabet challenge: Take your kids on a geography letter scavenger hunt. If you have Google Earth on your computer (and you should, because it's free and it's amazing) then try this puzzler with your family: Search the planet and try to spot all the letters from A to Z. Okay. … [Read more...]
Laughing with Letters
Question: What comes twice in a moment, once in a minute, but not once in a thousand years? Answer: The letter M They're clumsy, they're clunky, but alphabet jokes are a great and fun way to learn letters, and to think about reading in different ways. Here are some books we've found full of … [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...]
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...]
Letters, Letters, Everywhere!
STOP! Do you notice anything about that sign? How about the letters S, T, O, and P? In your everyday life, letters and words constantly surround you: on signs, in store windows, on vans and trucks, on packages. Name a surface and there's probably some kind of lettering on it. This is called … [Read more...]