Blog Post
Wow, I Wrote That!: Early Story Writing with Young Readers
by OneillT
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Children love stories, reading them, hearing them, telling them. Stories help children experiment with language while practicing their ability to both imagine and describe their world.
Before your child is ready to write themselves, but when they are old enough to read and listen to stories, combine their love of your stories with your literacy to help them create their own book. Dictating stories for your child is an excellent way to practice their Vocabulary and Narrative Skills, both identified as Key Early Literacy Skills.
Staple together a couple of pieces of paper with their favorite crayons and markers nearby. Ask your child to tell you a story, which you then write down onto the paper. Don't worry too much about editing, since it is important that the child see that the story is their writing from their words.
After you’ve written down their story, have the child illustrate their story. They may want to have some of their favorite books nearby, so that they can emulate the style of those works. Be ready to read for them bits of their story from each page so that they can more closely match the picture to the part of the story.
After the story has been illustrated, take the time to have one or both of you read the story aloud, giving extra attention to the accompanying artwork and allowing the child to further embellish and explain that artwork and their story.
When finished, make sure to keep your child’s work, to be used as both a reading resource and as a memory of their writing life.
Blog Post
Parenting on Purpose: A Mindful Approach
by hillary dorwart
Wednesday November 9, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
The demands and expectations of everyday life can diminish our sense of well being and connectedness to ourselves and our children.
This talk, featuring Eileen Bond, L.M.S.W., will present practical and usable skills drawn from recent brain research, mindfulness, and evidence-based parenting techniques to help parents be calmer, more present, and intentional with their child. It is co-sponsored by the Institute For Human Adjustment at the University of Michigan.
Blog Post
A Strategy for Reading with Preschoolers: Prompt, Evaluate, Expand, Repeat
by OneillT
Even if you know that reading to your child is most effective if the child and you are both reacting to the book, it can still be difficult to think about how to engage your child. One effective method, explained more fully here, is to use a brief sequence of exchanges to solicit responses of greater depth.
The sequence is called PEER, and stands for Prompt, Evaluate, Expand, and Repeat. In Prompting, the adult asks a child a question about something that they see or have just had read to them. The adult then Evaluates, considering what the child has said. Next, the adult Expands upon the child's statements, adding new information. Repeat the prompt from the beginning to see how the child has adapted the new information.
Through a quick interaction, the child gets to test the edge of their understanding, learn a little bit more, and gain confidence in their abilities. It also gets the adult in the habit of engaging the child in conversation about reading, which is great for the long-term development of the child's reading habits.
Blog Post
Whimsy and Wisdom from Wayside School
by annevm
Picking exactly the right BOCD for a long family car trip can be very important. For a steady stream of witty, engaging stories, try The Wayside School Collection, by Louis Sachar. For newbies, Wayside School was supposed to be 30 classrooms on one level, but accidentally it was built 30 stories high with one classroom on each level. Characters -- both kids and adults -- are engaging, hilarious, and entirely believable (at least to me). The BOCD collection has 7 discs each lasting 77 minutes -- for a total of almost 9 hours of listening. Hit the road, pop in Disc 1, and prepare for happy listening!
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Film Stars, The World Cup and Swimming Babies
by MariaK
If our scorching 90-degree weather is any indication, summer is finally here! Before packing up to hit the beach, make sure to check out some of our awesome youth magazines.
For Parents:
American Baby -- Stroller reviews, tips for new dads and a guide for teaching your tot to swim.
For Kids:
Nintendo Power -- Check out Sonic Generations for the 3DS, plus an advance look at Mega Man Legends 3!
Sports Illustrated Kids -- Learn more about the Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto and the Brazilian world cup star Marta. Also in this issue, a profile of the US women's world cup team, and "10 Ways to Make Sports More Awesome."
For Teens:
Justine -- College advice, a great list of books for summer reading, and a look at actor Grey Damon - leading man of new series "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" (based on these books).
Lucky -- A talk with actress and teen book author Lauren Conrad, and style advice from actress Rose Byrne.
Thrasher -- It's "The Interview Issue," and you will not believe how many interviews they managed to cram into this magazine: Aaron Homoki, Cody McEntire, Ben Hatchell and Daniel Lutheran are only the merest sampling of what Thrasher has to offer.
WWE Magazine -- An interview with John Cena, and 50 things to do this summer.
Blog Post
Building Bridges Workshop for Parents
by monkk
On Monday May, 23 at 6pm, College Nannies and Tutors, in partnership with Building Bridges Therapy Center, will be hosting a workshop for parents at the Learning Center at 3907 Jackson Road. In this one hour event, a speech therapist will discuss speech and language development and another professional in the field will be discussing general development and sensory processing. These topics will cover all ages of children. If you are interested in this, please call 734-761-8393 to reserve a seat.
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Giraffes, Plays and Magical Neurology
by MariaK
You may have noticed that Ann Arbor is steadily sinking into the ground. Shocking news! But as you await the inevitable plunge towards the center of the Earth, at least you can read these cool new magazines.
For the kids:
Zootles is all about Giraffes, the tallest animals on Earth!
Plays Magazine gives you seven all new scripts for aspiring thespians, including "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" inspired by the classic Sherlock Holmes story!
Dig magazine digs into the Aztecs (get it?), and Muse magazine tells you about the weird brain glitches that make magic tricks work.
For the parents:
American Baby is ready to tell you all about decoding your baby's mood signals, dealing with kid-caused embarrassment, and going on baby-friendly vacations.
Have fun!
Blog Post
Author Birthdays: Trelease, Robinson, Cullin
by marshd
March 23rd marks the birthday of authors Jim Trelease, Kim Stanley Robinson, Mitch Cullin.
Jim Trelease is an American artist, writer and educator. His The Read-Aloud Handbook, according to his website, "was the inspiration for PBS's 'Storytime' series". It emphasizes the importance of reading aloud to children, and has been used by both parents and educators.
Trelease also published a collection of stories which he thinks are perfect to read aloud. It includes many classics, as well as some inspirational stories, like "I have a dream: the story of Martin Luther King, Jr" by Margaret Davidson.
Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. His Mars Trilogy has won Hugo and Nebula Awards. The trilogy focuses on a world in which Mars is a colony (by 2027, no less).
In 2009, Robinson published Galileo's Dream, in which Galileo travels to the future and finds himself caught up in political struggles on one of Jupiter's moons.
Mitch Cullin is an American writer of both novels and short stories. His collection of short stories is called From The Place In The Valley Deep In The Forest, and, as explained in a Booklist review, while the stories' topics are not fictional, "Cullin completely avoids making essays of his stories by focusing on vividly realized characters caught in the middle of those circumstances".
Cullin's A Slight Trick Of The Mind is a story of Sherlock Holmes in his old age, his memory failing. The cover is a tribute to Holmes' love of beekeeping in the novel.
Blog Post
Magazine Update -- Lil Wayne, Edible Bugs, and Books about Sports
by MariaK
This month's magazines will stun and amaze you! Take a look...
For the young 'uns:
Creative Kids -- Featuring an interview with Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia!
Dig Magazine -- When is a hole in your head a good thing?
Ranger Rick -- Do you know that dolphins live in the Amazon River? And that people all over the world eat bugs? It's a strange world out there...
For the teens:
ESPN Magazine -- What's it like to be Jadeveon Clowney, who has been called the nation's number one high school football player? Read to find out!
Rolling Stone -- the Global Warming Hall of Shame and what Lil Wayne is up to these days.
For the parents:
American Baby -- baby traditions from all over the world, and a guide to scary symptoms that are really no big deal.
Horn Book -- What is 'YA Fatphobia'? Plus the favorite picture books of 2010, and a guide to good sports books for kids.
The Old Schoolhouse -- Tips for teaching technology, foreign language and writing skills at home.
I don't know about you, but I think these magazines sound fascinating. Especially that 'hole in the head' one. I'm already stunned and amazed!
Blog Post
Kids Kicking Cancer
by Beth Manuel
Kids Kicking Cancer is a weekly program provided by the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor. It consists of martial arts, breathing, meditation and focus techniques that teach children tools to reduce pain, fear & anger. With their mantra 'Power, Peace, Purpose', participants learn how to de-stress themselves & teach others to do the same! The program is open to children with cancer, children of a parent with cancer and all siblings. To register or for more information call the Kids Kicking Cancer office at (313) 557-0021, contact cindy@kidskickingcancer.net, or Cancer Support Community at (734) 975-2500.