GOOD BEGINNINGS IN LITERATURE!

WORLD BOOK DAY is just 4 days away. April 23; How will you celebrate? 

Read aloud to a child!

Parents and grandparents can often jumpstart a love for reading just by reading aloud as well as providing age appropriate books.

Is the written word important even when child cannot say or read words? 

Of course it is!

It stirs the joy of reading in his or her heart!

  

 

Children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) and will need direction from God's word to guide them throughout life. 

Bible stories; literature of truth that is a good beginning of knowing, "Jesus Loves the Little Children" and "Jesus Loves Me!"

Jesus Loves Me ,

This I Know,

For the Bible Tells Me So.

Little Ones to Him belong,

They are Weak but He is Strong!

Yes, Jesus Loves Me. Yes, Jesus Loves Me!

CHOOSE: READING ALOUD

Reading aloud might seem ordinary to some, but at our home we call it a "shared adventure."

There's nothing quite like having read the same book together to "bond" a family----whether a picture book or a novel. It's what we do!

When a grandchild "understands" his PopPop's unusual relationship with squirrels, he can take a turn and read aloud. Laughter bursts forth....! 

....there is a season for that, as well(Ecclesiastes 1:1, 4,)

It's all "part and parcel" of choosing a shared adventure, AKA "reading aloud."

"TEA-raining"

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV)

When I teach, I can go to preaching so this verse seems appropriate for today as I go to share with the St. Luke's Methodist Day School Teachers.

What a privilege. What a responsibility! 

Kids count---a lot. Teaching counts---a lot. My words need to count---a lot.

Words to be useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16)

A cuppa "TEA-raining" served in my sheep mug and tempered with responsibili-TEA, as I go forth to feed His sheep, to those who will be tending His lambs. What a privilege. What a BIG responsibility!

LILES LEARNINGS FROM THE TRENCHES OF PRE-SCHOOL

(nothing earth-shattering, just observations)

• ·      Don’t rob a child of his childhood.
• ·      Allow children to think outside the box.
• ·      Allow children to color outside the lines or create their own lines.
• ·      First impressions have lasting significance.
• ·      Never do anything for a child that he can do or learn to do (with developmentally appropriate guidance) on his own.
• ·      Separate and simplify. (Break down into doable steps.)
• ·      Train the eye, at an early age, for the reading experience.
• ·      Without comprehension there is no reading.
• ·      The more one reads (or is read to) the more one knows when he reads.
• ·      Don’t stop reading aloud. Pass it on, even at home.
• ·      It does matter what one reads.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: A COLORFUL WEEK

 2/24/13 From the colorful set up at church to the colorful set of UM's Russian play, Government Inspector, it's been a bright week!
But......the brightest moment came with 17 month old Lucy's addition to my literature presentation. Rhythmic language of books is a crucial reason for reading aloud books that appeal to children. The cadence of the words leads them into understanding of language sounds, even when they are just beginning to have that verbal aspect of language themselves. Lucy loves Llama Lama Red Pajama---& as she "read" I could hear the words baby and mama as well as llama. I could tell by her voice inflections when she reached the run, run page, she even dipped her head for "run" baby.

 Scroll to the bottom of the pix, click the play button/arrow and listen to Lucy read!!!

TIMELY GIFT

2/14/13 FaceTime with Lucy---a perfect way to begin Valentine's Day. As she "read aloud" to me one of her favorite books, I knew I had 2 perfect examples of my upcoming "Children 's Literature" presentation. Choose books that are meaningful or enjoyable to both the parent and the child. That supports my premise that there is no such thing as a good book written just for children. If it's well written, it will appeal to everyone. 

The second point is the importance of rhythmic language in those beginning picture books. Lucy is a little over 15 months old, but she had the language of "llama, llama, red pajama" down pat. A few llama and mama words were recognizable but the semblance of all the other words were there AND in rhythm. Her intonations even changed when she turned to the page that followed RUN, RUN, RUN!

The perfect timely gift---don't you think!! It warms this old librarian's heart.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: READING ALOUD

1/6/13 For years, at least 40, I have espoused the importance of reading aloud! How blessed I was this past week to hear my son reading aloud to 4 of his sons---my precious grands, who all listen in their own way.