One Family Teaching Literacy

Families can make a difference. Read about the Kugler Family working in South Africa for their summer vacation. Inspiring!

Kugler Blog: http://kuglersinsouthafrica.blogspot.com/2010/08/literacy-continues-library-shipment.html

All About Owls

Have you seen the Owls? The mama owl and the papa owl, taking care of little babies in their nest? It is a web cam set up so you can see how they live. It is absolutely incredible. My friend M, who blogs on the green spotlight, posted it on her facebook page.

You should watch this with your own literary family- What do you see? What do you wonder? Why is this happening? What will happen next?

Keep checking in and witness these babies growing up!

Click here to watch the live cam of the owls.

What a wonderful way to inquire about the natural world together- it may even to reading more about Owls!

Enjoy the bird watching, enjoy the reads!

Articles I Posted For You In February on Facebook That You Might Have Missed

You can Become a Fan of The Literary Family on Facebook!

Please join! I have been posting articles on the fan page that I have read this month. I didn't have a chance to include them all on the blog. Here they are below.

American Indian Children's Literarture Blog:

Do All Indians Live In Tipis?

Book Court Bookstore in Cobble Hill Brooklyn:

Awards in Children Literature.

It's also very exciting that Grace Lin and Julia Alvarez both won awards this year.

Joy Harjo wrote about another novel that has won critical acclaim in Children's Literature.

Between The Deep Sea and Me Book Award

Mosaic Magazine- Is a wonderful literary magazine for young adults! I am so glad I found this. It is written for educators.

Reading Reptile Bookstore- Is a great bookstore in Kansas City Kansas. It has really become a national hub for attracting authors to and give readings for kids. The website is fun for all to visit.

Preschool Issues NYtimes- The NYTimes has been publishing some good articles on education. In the face of changing no child left behind- there is a chance that educational policies could improve.

Playing to Learn Op/Ed NYTimes- But we are mostly hoping for more rigor and less testing!

Both of these education articles suggest we should consider educating versus test them.

Songs about Peace and Love!
Read about great songs for you and children to listen to. Beth has a wonderful blog you should follow her too!

I hope you decide to officially "Follow" the blog here on Blogger. Just click on the button on the right side of the screen. "Follow". Join the other 9 people and the blog will automatically be sent to you!

Thanks for all your reading and feedback! Can't wait to read your comments this month!

Learn about Science Through Songs

Do you remember listening to, They Might Be Giants, 15 years ago? I do. When M and A called and told me they were taking me to a kids' rock concert I thought to myself- How cute! How funny? How will that go? I asked them who we were going to see. M, with a huge smile taking over her face shouted, "They Might Be Giants!!!" I had to see this. Apparently, TMBG have produced a grammy winning CD, Here Come the 1,2,3s. At the concert they sang the song, Alphabet of Nations (From Here Comes the ABCs. See a pattern?) M and A started singing along, jumping and dancing. This concert featured their new album, Here Comes Science. They sang Why Does The Sun Really Shine? and Solid, Liquid, Gas. As the audience sang with the Giants they were grooving not only to the music, but to the information they were learning. The concert was very hip! Parents dancing with their kids, kids on shoulders, babies dancing close the stage- and confetti dropped on us three times! Highly entertaining. The car ride home was full of enthusiasm, questions and music!

I decided to get my nephew the CD. I thought it would be great for the car and special treat for him. He is not the biggest fan of the car- the city baby that he is. I wanted to take him this past winter vacation to little events outside the city! So I thought, Let me get some educational entertainment and make the car ride fun and interactive! Each time we got in I played the CD. By the 4th car ride, he was requesting the music and the songs to play. We decided on our favorites and would play those first and then we even picked favorite parts of songs that we would play, LOUD (don't tell grandma). His favorite tracks, The Elements, Let's Take A Ride in An Electric Car, and Science is Real. Nothing is cuter than a 2 year saying- "We are mostly made of 4 elements." Really? "Yeh Ogeyen." Cute. Just cute.

Create conversations about the natural world, about space, about science. Get Here Comes Science by TMBG. You will be talking for days to explain, explore and figure it all out. You will probably learn a few new tidbits along the way!

Go to this blog for more ideas of music (night music) to get for your babies!

Help Kids See Where Books Belong

I have always wanted to do an episode about books for Oprah (I suppose now I have to dream of a new show) where I show and help parents build their child's libraries at home. One of the first things I would do is to seek out the number of places and space where their books could be shelved, housed and displayed for easy reading enjoyment: Books about food and cooking in the kitchen (Kitchen for Kids, Betty Crocker's Kids Cook, Omnivore's Dilemma For Kids), books about peeing and pooping, magazines, (Everybody Poops, Time To Pee, Ranger Rick, Ask, Muse) and other old favorites in the bathroom. Think about your own reading life. Do you have reading materials throughout your household? The beautiful art books near your piano, the stack of books about work near your desk, and the newspaper on your dining room table?

This weekend Mama J took me to meet her friend, Kristin Loffer Theiss- an amazing artist living in Mount Vernon Washington. She took me to her studio to see what things I needed to buy on Etsy and bring home for my nephew. Kristin sews and makes these beautiful pillows,plush dolls, shirts and more in the upstairs of her house in her studio. Throughout her home there are books for her two year old little boy- from the living room all the way up into her studio.

Her home is decorated with books! They are strategically and artfully placed. In her studio she has all of his art books: A Charley Harper ABC, Calder's life story, The Red Balloon to name a few. His books, are right next to her magazines. Studios are places where you work and you read.

The family that reads together, sticks together! Decorate your house with books. Make books accessible for kids and be able to see reading possibilties everywhere. What special rooms in your house do you have books for kids? Post here.

Read this blog to think more about spreading the love of books around your home.

Who Are We?

Dear Member of your own Literary Family,

We are friends and relatives of children at every age! We probably have a love of both the spoken and written word. As we shower the children in our lives with love, who can help but drop pieces of literature, songs, and passion about the world into the hearts and minds of those around us.

Think about who makes up your Literary Family- your own children, nephews/nieces, grandchildren, students, babies and kids of your closet friends? You have the power to help this young person develop into a wise, wordy, intellectual from such a young age. Teach them through different literary genres how to love the world, love themselves and build loving relationships with others!

Weekly, I will try to give you different ways to connect to these kids to help build your own literary family! A family that loves to learn, loves to read, and loves to be with eachother!

Sending you literary joy!