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Barnes & Noble Free Kids Book, Online Storytime and More

Barnes & Noble is giving kids some incentive to keep reading over their summer vacation from school. Keep your children’s reading skills sharp by taking advantage of this great offer from Barnes & Noble. Visit http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp and download the Passport to Summer Reading. Have your children read eight books and track it on their “passport”. They can read any type of book that they enjoy reading although it would probably be best if the majority were at their reading skill level. When they are finished reading all eight books and Mom or Dad signs their “passport” they can go to … Continue reading →

Fun Family Storytime Activity

Here’s a fun activity that you can incorporate into your family storytime. It will introduce your kids to poetry and make reading poems fun. I got the idea from the public library storytime that Tyler attended last year during the time I was teaching him at home. The kids loved it and I hope your kids will too! (1) First, make a copy of this poem by Shel Silverstein. Bear in There There’s a Polar Bear In our Frigidaire– He likes it ’cause it’s cold in there. With his seat in the meat And his face in the fish And … Continue reading →

15-Minute Reading Activities

We all know how important it is to read to our kids. I generally spend about an hour a night reading to Tyler, and he reads one book to me most days, usually right after he finishes his homework. Worried that you’re not spending enough time reading to your child? The good news is you don’t have to carve out a large block of time to read to your kids. You can “sneak” reading activities into your child’s day. Here are a few ways to add 15-minute reading activities, according to the latest issue of Family Education Network newsletter: (1) … Continue reading →

Family Storytime Activities

Family storytime should not end when you close the book and announce “the end”. If you’re simply reading to your kids, you’re missing out on a lot of fun activities related to what you’ve read. You don’t have to do the actual activity the same day you read the book, especially since many of us read at night just before bed. You can create activities related to what you’ve read and then work on the activity the following afternoon. When I was teaching Tyler at home I often created activities to match a book that we read. Although we read … Continue reading →

Using Audio Books During Family Storytime

Don’t get me wrong, I love family storytime with Tyler. But sometimes I feel like I just can’t read one more book, no matter how much he begs. But then again I want to instill the love of reading in him. So far it’s working. At times when I can’t read any more, I have an old standby– an audio book. I remember when I was a kid, one of my favorite activities at school was going to the listening table, putting on those big old headphones and listening to stories read to me. I loved the turn the page … Continue reading →

Finding Books for Family Storytime

The benefits of reading to and with your child cannot be understated. I literally started reading to Tyler while he was still in the womb. His first words weren’t the usual mama and daddy, it was library and Books a Million. Okay maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but the point is, reading has been an integral part of Tyler’s life from the beginning and it has paid off in big ways. I’m continuously amazed at how well he reads at the tender age of five. If he misbehaves and I tell him he can’t watch TV, no big deal. But … Continue reading →

Frugal Ways to Entertain Your Kids this Summer

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Summer vacation is a time that most children excitedly look forward to. It is easy to see why. They get a whole lot of free time! Parents are going to need some frugal ideas for fun activities that will entertain their children. Here are a few ideas to try. Bubbles Little kids cannot get enough of bubbles! You can pick up small bottles of bubbles, complete with bubble wand, from a dollar store. Check the dollar racks at Target, too. Parents can sit down outdoors and blow bubbles that their toddlers will chase. Older kids can blow bubbles on their … Continue reading →

Post-Christmas Travel Destinations for Families

In less than 48 hours the Christmas gifts will be opened and the mountains of wrapping paper will be disposed of… then what? Most kids are out of school until the first week of January, so why not beat the cabin fever blues by taking advantage of the travel deals being offered by family-friendly resorts around the country. Resorts are ramping up for post-Christmas family getaways and whether you live on the East Coast of the United States, the West Coast or somewhere in between there are numerous themed packages and special offers to help keep the holiday spirit alive … Continue reading →

Creating Your Own Summer Reading Program

School will be out for the summer very soon. The past few years Tyler has looked forward to participating in the summer reading program at the local library both here in Mobile and in New Orleans before the hurricane. While writing an article about this year’s summer reading program, I realized that Tyler might not be able to participate. I’m still trying to get my house together and you can’t imagine the setbacks I have had. We will probably spend a lot of time between Mobile and New Orleans this summer so I am wondering if signing up for the … Continue reading →

More Teachable Moments

It started out simple enough. I wanted some DVDs from the library, preferably ones I could check out that I wouldn’t have to pay the $1 rental fee. As I scanned the shelves I found a 3-disc copy of Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?” I vaguely recall this show from years back (funny though, I could have sworn it was “where in the world…”) so I scooped it up for Tyler— all 6 hours. I also picked out a few more DVDs and as luck would have it Carmen was a freebie, along with some PBS educational videos. Imagine … Continue reading →