Whole Child Development
I have a penchant for books that are just plain silly, both in premise and in the delivery (rhymes, alliterations, and made-up words – all great for phonemic awareness). Moosetache by Margie Palatini is that kind of book. In this story, a moose is tormented by his unruly and prolific mustache. His problems are finally solved when he meets the moose of his dreams and she introduces him to a special pot of glue she uses to tame her own crazy locks.
Do you remember the Easy Bake Oven? You may even have an Easy Bake now, as they’ve been revived. One of the clinchers for the Easy Bake is the simple mix that allows a child to pour, stir, and create all on her own, and bake…well…less than savory delicacies. (Another downer, in addition to the finished product, is the fact that these refill mixes don’t come cheap.) Well, here’s a baking experience that’s just as easy, but a bit more authentic, and whole lot more palatable.
I think this may very well be my new favorite book! At least for today! Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz is, in a word, hilarious. Of course, brevity is not a quality I possess, so here are a few more words.
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
This was Dr. Seuss’ first book to be published. He said that as he was riding on a ship on a trip back from Europe, he became enchanted with the rhythm of the ship’s engine. As he listened to the rhythm over and over in his head, the words forming this book’s title seemed to flow right into the rhythm. This is great for helping children hear the rhythm in words (a key phonological awareness skill) as well as another great book celebrating the fantastic imagination of children!
OK, for those of you looking for more Dr. Seuss activities, here are five favorites to start off with! More to come!
(Does anyone else ever feel like they’re juggling this many things?)
I have always loved Dr. Seuss! As a child and even a teenager, I was drawn to the wackiness of his themes and made-up words juxtaposed with the reason of his perfect prose. As I’ve studied early education and early literacy, I’ve come to love Dr. Seuss even more! His books are pretty much the best for building phonological awareness, the development of which is critical for reading (read more here). They not only expose children to rhythm and rhyme in an enchanting, almost intoxicating way, but they also introduce rhyming with invented words, which emphasizes further the importance of sound in rhyming – not meaning. These “nonsense words” also open the imagination and creativity of children in a simply magical way. In my opinion, his work is so critical to a good education, I refer to him as the Shakespeare of childhood!
In Please Write Back! Alfie writes a letter to his grandma- going through all the steps of letter writing addressing and stamping by himself- and then waits anxiously for her reply. Finally, he gets something. But it’s not the letter he expected, it’s a package!
After reading this simple story, extend the story and support sensory skills by doing a feely box activity. Just as Alfie was anxious to find what was in his box, the children can take turns feeling an item in a box and guessing what it might be. You can simply use a box and hold it high enough that the children can’t see – though someone will always try to peek! You can create a simple feely box by securing a sock around the top of an empty oatmeal canister. Then, cut the end of the sock, so that a hand can reach through it and into the box. You could also make one with a small square box, using an inexpensive (and/or outgrown) stocking cap in the same manner. Stretch it around the sides and then cut a slit in the top for a hand to reach through.
Here’s a quick one for those of you looking for more mail-themed reads. Raymond and Nelda is a story of….well, Raymond and Nelda, of course! They’re best of friends but have a falling out. Their neighborhood mail lady sees both of them upset and urges them to work it out. Through a series of letters they eventually come to understand that they each made mistakes and need to apologize because their friendship is more important than their pride. This book is great for tying together the themes of friendship and communication!
You could follow this book up with a variety of mail-themed activities, but I usually have a short discussion about the social aspect of the books (being a good friend and making apologies) and then build some pre-reading skills by doing a little phonemic awareness exercise in small groups.
Back in 1914, a five year-old little girl by the name of Charlotte May Pierstorff wanted desperately to visit her grandmother, but her parents couldn’t afford the $1.55 it would cost for a train ticket. Soon her family hatched an ingenious plan and, with the help of a cousin who worked on the mail car of the train and some creative application of the postal code, May was sent by parcel post with 53 cents in stamps on her coat. This true story is told in wonderful narrative fashion and with beautifully detailed watercolor illustrations in the book, Mailing May , written by Michael O. Tunnell and illustrated by Ted Rand.
In case you didn’t know it, February is Black History Month. Seeing many of the books and articles marketed toward this time of year has caused me to think a bit about the use of ethnicity in children’s books. I really am a big fan of ethnic books for children….and I’m not. Let me explain.
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