Life: Acting Real Life Out

When you ask my nephew what his favorite videos are, he now replies, "Planet Earth, Life, Galapagos (en francais) and T'choupi (en francais aussi). Life, is another version of Planet Earth, narrated by Oprah Winfrey. It is a beautiful display of wildlife across the globe.

My nephew, in true 3 year old form, enjoys acting the different scenes. He gets his animal critters out of the toy box and begins to explore, who hunts who? Hunting and Hunted is his favorite episode. Unfortunately we don't have an ostrich for the cheetah to eat nor do we have a "cheetah deer" for the tiger. Luckily he can improvise. Sometimes he enjoys acting out the videos without props and just take on the animal personalities himself. He ropes in other 'actors', like myself to play different roles.

From Galapagos, one of his favorite scenes is watching the giant predatory birds hunt for iguanas, swimming in the sea.

The videos have been amazing to develop quite a large and specific vocabulary and to introduce the concept of "interdependence". Acting out before, during or after, is a great way to have a 'conversation' with kids about what they are understanding and thinking about while watching videos!

Enjoy the stage with your kids! Enjoy Life!

Observation Journals

My nephew, sister and I recently went to the science museum/aquarium in Burlington. There were wonderful fish, frogs and reptiles to observe. There was a wonderful hands on project: dissecting owl pellets. My nephew discovered lots of skulls and bones! In the resource center there were other tanks and animals, along with books and puppets and the like to really get another up close vision of wildlife.

At the tank there was a snake inside. Interesting enough, there was a journal right next to it. It was filled with comments and observations and questions from many different visitors of different ages. We looked and observed not only in the tank but we reread all the comments made across time about this snake. It was fascinating!

What a wonderful idea. You could have a notebook/sketch book set up in your home, next to a plant, a terrarium or aquarium in your home. You and your child could observe and note take. When you have guests come to your house you can urge them to "leave a note" in your observation journal. What a fun thing to keep- just like a real scientist. What a neat thing to look back over and read!

Coming Home From Vacation

I am back from Costa Rica. A week of bliss truly! I was staying in a beautiful little-itty- bitty town, Santa Teresa. As I was getting ready to go I was thinking, how will I share this with my nephew? What can I bring him? There were no bookstores here to find a book on Costa Rica. I thought that the airport might have a little, 'recuerdo', that I wold be able to bring back. As I walked along the shores with my friend B we were picking up and noticing the wonderful rocks and beautiful shells.

We found many sand dollars! That of course sparked another line of questions, what exactly is a sand dollar!?

They are so beautiful and have such precision and beauty in their design. We found so many of them on the beach, they looked unreal.

So I decided to bring my nephew back a sand dollar. We started to discuss, what is a sand dollar? "A sea urchin", I began. "It is like the left over skeleton of a sea urchin."

"What's a sea urchin?" my nephew replied. And so the conversation has started. We got the computer open to start searching for the different kinds of sea urchins and what they look like and how they move. "How do they move on it's spine? What do they eat? Why do they look like that?"

Gifts come in all shape and sizes. How you talk about them and let the gifts grow into something larger is all up to you! Hope you are enjoying your summer and reading!

Framboise!

So, the nephew and I and his day care- all went raspberry picking yesterday in the Canadian heat! Mama R doused us in natural lavender bug spray and off we went to pick. Mama R taught us to pick the truly red berries, not the pink ones. My nephew quickly became an expert! He filled his bucket and his tummy at the same time.

Today they are making, confiture. Mama R wanted all the kids to know the process it takes to make jam! So, all the kids picked the berries, and today they will make the jam. They will have been a part of each and every step of the process. The farm also had goats, sheep and lambs, a llama, chickens, ponies and rabbits. My nephew quickly fell in love. He loves feeding the animals.

These kinds of experiences, visiting a farm, going picking berries, and cooking help to build knowledge and love for the world we live. It also sparks a new reading interest. Books can introduce you to places, new people, and great new activities! Experiences, out in the world, help to introduce you to new passions and interests to continue researching in books! Field trips, outings, exploring the natural are all entry points into new content and new books.

Bobbie Kalman has some beautiful books about the natural world that have inviting photo and wonderful text and information to read. She also does a nice job with diagrams, charts, and maps that help kids put together the information.

My nephew recently went to Orlando with his grandparents and visited Sea World. He is sure that he wants to be a diver. He wants to study whales. The interest has sparked a lot of 'play acting' and reading about orcas and dolphins and all things ocean. It has also helped to introduce him to a whole new vocabulary.

Going to the farm, has done the same thing! It has sparked an interest in plants and in farm animals. It has triggered interest, new reading material and a whole set of questions that he now wants to pursue.

Today he is making raspberry jam. He will make it and eat it! Later he will retell the whole process to the family! Then we will look up the raspberry plants and we will open our plant books to think about plants and how they are important to us and the world.

Here is a recipe for jam to make some at your house. If Mama R gives us her recipe, we will pass it on to you!

Enjoy the world! Get out and explore! Maybe it will just be your back yard or a patch of sidewalk, maybe even mountain. Enjoy the read.

The Joy of Inquiry: Ask Questions Close to Home

What is that? Why does it look that way? What is it doing? Is it always going to look like that is going to change?

Curiosity is wonderful and contaigious. We want children to be curious about the world and ask many questions about it! This is what scientists, writers, historians, doctors, and mechanics do. They raise questions, gather up data and observations and make guesses and research some more.

Why not take a walk and study something in your neighborhood together: a plot of earth, a construction site, a series of stars in the sky or even a tree. Look at. Observe it together. Raise questions. Try and answer them. Read about the topic. Ask other people about the topic. Visit your "something" once a week (or month) to see how it has changed.

You can do the same with a photograph or a series of

photographs. Maybe it is a photograph about the natural world or maybe one from history. You can follow the same inquiry method with these text sources as well!

Looking closely, raising questions, searching for answers, and then looking again is a great way to capture children's attention and to learn and build content knowledge about the world. It also is a great bonding experience- learning about a topic together!

"Is that tree beginning to bud. I think I see a nest in the tree. Is that a bird's nest in the tree or is it for a squirrel? Will it have big green leaves?"

Maybe you will want to study to study how plants change in spring and summer or you will want to study how effective recycling is in your town. Maybe you have questions or just interests in your immediate vicinity. Show kids how to turn their world into sets of questions that they can eventually answer and research together. Revisit the photographs or come back and visit the same pond two weeks later. What has changed and what is the same?

Whatever it is, show kids the joy of first hand research! Show them the joy and necessity that we all have as communitty members to be inquisitive and informed!

Enjoy the studying. Enjoy the reads.

Celebrate Every Family

Books help to shape how you see yourself and others in the world. To many of us, reading books about kids and people from diverse backgrounds is important. We both want to create positive self images and to understand and grow positive images of others. Reading about families that look and sound like yours, help you to see yourself in the world. Reading about families that are different then your own, helps you to understand others in your communities!

My friends, in California, who adopted twin three year olds and who have a beautiful 2 year old girl, asked me about the library I am creating for my nephew. They wanted to know mostly about his books that celebrate a diversity of ethnicities and families. They wanted some good titles of books that feature kids of color.

My sister and I have tried to find books that not only celebrate diversity within a family- but that also celebrates diversity of what "makes up" a family!

For my nephew’s library I have collected a few books that help to highlight these things about our family values. I got him, Families by Susan Kuklin. This book is a series of photo essays of kids and their families at home. The kids are from diverse backgrounds and blended families.

Another favorite of my nephew is the book, Black is Brown is Tan, a poetry book by Arnold Adoff. Arnold is poet extraordinaire. He is married to Virginia Hamilton, another famous YA novelist. This poem is a celebration of their family. My nephew can listen to this book 3 times in a row! He has loved it ever since he was little.

We also have, What a Family by Rachel Isadora. My nephew likes to read this book and then we open up our photo albums of our family. We read them side by side and talk about everyone in our family.

More More More Said the Baby, by Vera B Williams, is another favorite of my nephew. He runs the house as if he is little guy and little pumpkin! He references the book often in his play and loves to be chased!

My nephew, ever since he was a baby, has loved loved Shades of Black! It is not a story, rather a list and beautiful set of photos of kids. He loves listening to the lyrical language and reading about kids! This was one of the first books he memorized!

Who’s Toes Are Those and Who’s Knees Are These, were two books he read repeatedly in daycare. We decided he needed them at home too! Brown Angels is one of my favorite poems, (made into a picture book), by Walter Dean Meyers.

Two of my nephew’s favorite picture books, that feature illustrations of kids of color are Looking For a Moose and Subway Anatasia Suen. When our friends had their baby, we got my nephew and their son, I'm Your Peanut Butter Big Brother, by Selina Alko.

Look for books that reflect your family’s heritage, family structure and values! Look for books that introduce your kids to other backgrounds, family structures and values! Open your lives to celebrating families of all kinds and you will open the world to your kids!

A List of More Books to Look Up and Add to Your Library!

The Birthday Extravangaza

So you are wondering- how was the 3 year old's birthday? So much fun! It truly is amazing to see how my nephew has grown in just three short years. You hear all these statistics about intelligence and talking and the amount of words that some kids have by the time they enter kindergarten. Well, I can safely say, my nephew is in the 30,000,000 words category. Language is just exploding all around him!

On his birthday morning, we took him to the Imax movie at the science center in the old city of Montreal. There was film about the Space Station. My nephew sat through the whole film. Days later I could see what information stuck with him!

First of all, the count down and loud take off with the fire was the first thing he told his BFF, Toddler T, in daycare!

Then, as all the other kids were trying to put on their snowsuits (yes, it snows in March in Montreal), my nephew and Toddler T are laying in the middle of the hall on their bellies. "Don't lay down in the hall. Please sit up," called one of the teachers, en Francais. My nephew replied, "I'm not laying down. I am floating in space. I am an astronaut."

Then at home, when I got to babysit him one evening, my nephew gathered up a few things in his new "surfer's backpack" that Big Girl C and Baby E gave him for his birthday. "What are you going to do with the backpack," I asked. "It's not a backpack. It's my pack for space. I am putting on my suit to go walking and fixing our station. I need a few things." He gathered up his cell phone, so he could call his mama, he gathered up some blocks (that he said were apricots), and his little notebook I brought him with a pen. "What is your notebook for?" I inquired. "It's for you know... actually I need to make a list." He proceeded to make a list and then "called for help". "I need some equipment. Yeh and I need lots of things." He carefully made his list and then stuffed it into the pack!

What fun we had!

When it was time to go to bed, something that my nephew tries to avoid at all cost, he decided we would read! "Find a few books!" I told him. Well... he did. He brought over a stack of about 20 books. He turned to me and said, "Titi, first read all of these! Then I will do my doe-doe. (sleep in french)." I looked at the stack. I looked at nephew. I had to smile. What a clever boy! We snuggled up and read till he fell asleep. I Dream of Trains and Corduroy each got a couple of reads!

Enjoy your family! Enjoy the read.

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!

Happy Spring!

Spring is here! Little Boy J and I yesterday were walking in the village, running some last minute errands for my nephew's birthday.

As we were walking down the streets, LBJ and I were looking for signs of spring. We saw the trees. On the branches and limbs were little green buds, beginning to burst!

We searched for robins. We didn't see any.

Take a walk this weekend. Look for signs of spring!

Enjoy the day, season, and reading the world!

Host a Literary Party: Start a Book Club with Friends and Family

What is a Literary Party? A LP is one that involves the written and/or spoken word. It is a gathering of friends to enjoy each other and share texts with one another. It is to be awe and fall in love with words!

One Literary Party that you can throw with your friends and family is a Book Club Party. You can get together with families and friends who have

kids who enjoy to read similar books. Choose a book, read it with your kids and then meet at some one's house. Bring a collection of snacks, pick parts of the book to read aloud and choose some ideas to share with friends.

A nice mixture of kids and adults helps everyone see the beauty and power of books. Maybe the discussion lasts 30 minutes, maybe only 10minutes. Then celebrate the read by eating and mingling.

For babies, you may decide to each bring a board book to the party! You can spend the time reading all the different books with your babies! Let them roam and crawl and explore different favorite books! This could be a way for everyone to share the wide variety of texts that are out there.

Invite your friends and their families! Snack, read, talk and enjoy!

The Ethicist

I was visiting Mommy Mentor S, Mentor Daddy R , and Little Boy J out at Grandma’s L’s house at the beach a couple of years ago. We had such a wonderful time together, sipping coffee at the beach while LBJ played in the sand and in the afternoon reading magazines and watching LBJ and Cousin M splash about in the pool. The part for me though, that was most memorable, was Sunday brunch. The the entire family gathered around the table reading and discussing the Ethicist, from the NYTimes. This was a family ritual on Sundays. MMS or MDR would read the first letter to the Ethicist in the NYT out loud. They weren’t allowed to read ahead to the response, but instead, put down the NYT magazine and asked- “What would you do? What would you say? What is the ethical thing to do?”

Everyone, including Cousin M and even sometimes LBJ (2 or 3 years old at the time) would join in and discuss what they think should be done.

You know me, I love a reading ritual. I also love the challenge of reading and reacting and discussing with others ideas that shape and form who we are. Having the adults as mentors, the kids are honored to be included and yet, get a window into how to think and react to the world.

Have You Picked Up a Magazine Recently?

When I travel, I like to load up my 'carry on' with a few magazines! I also subscribe (online now) to magazines and blogs. I enjoy reading short essays, stories, and even doing a puzzle now and then. My sister and Nana are big puzzle people as well. I remember growing up with many magazines coming to the house that I loved to browse and skim and read.

My nephew is growing up to be quite the traveler. He is almost three and has been to 3 continents and 7 countries including: Poland, Oman, and England. As he travels, he brings his "penguin roll-ley backpack" that my sister has filled with his slippers, a snack, a couple books etc. I suggested getting him a couple of magazines at the airport to read and let him look through- it's lighter!

Well this year, in honor of the new year, Nana and Papa got my nephew a year's subscription to National Geographic. What a great idea! It really is a gift that keeps giving! National Geographic, like National Wildlife Federation, has a couple of different magazine subscriptions- depending on the age of the child. Imagine, you could get a subscription for the toddler, the 4th grader, and for yourselves! That sounds like a family reading together! You could do the same with Sports Illustrated For Kids. I remember that my high school English teacher always said that the best writing is in SI!

Ask and Muse are both examples of companies with multi- leveled texts. Both content rich (science and social studies) oriented! These would be a nice companion to your Smithsonian subscription. Even online websites, like Time For Kids, have content and texts that are designed for different ages of kids!

These are heavy on the genre of non-fiction informational texts. In many of them though there are poems and cartoons, and some stories that highlight the theme of the magazine. Of course there are literary magazines as well that do the same thing!

Magazines online, delivered to your home, picked up at a newsstand or an airport, make a wonderful addition to the library at home!

Planet Earth: Visual Literacy

Over winter vacation my nephew had a play-date with his 9 year friend JP. We went the museum together, ate sushi, and watched Planet Earth at home. My nephew was thrilled. I was thrilled- it was a perfect day for me. I love Planet Earth for so many reasons: beautifully shot, wonderful message for the world, important and interesting content to learn, and all in all inspirational!

The three of us snuggled on the sofa, each with our own bowl of popcorn and settled in to watch The Ocean Deep . I wasn't sure as the movie was playing, if my nephew (2 1/2) would have the stamina to watch the whole section. I was right. He checked out mid- way through the movie. Pretty much after he finished his bowl of popcorn.

He continued to play on the sofa though, with his trains and bulldozers- acting like "Vampire Squids" and sharks.

Throughout the movie, both at the beginning and towards the end, JP and I talked about what we were noticing and thinking about in different parts. We even decided to 'rewind' parts to see something happen again or to try and answer a question. It helped us to stay alert and think while we watched. My nephew, throughout the movie, every now and again, checked back in and gave us an, "OOOOO!" or "What's that Titi?"

Finally, we got to the end of the section and JP and I wanted to watch the, "How Did They Film It", section. We watched the Sharks! It was fascinating to see and my nephew watched that whole part with us!

Well, after that day, Planet Earth became an 'high demand' item in the house. I decided that we should watch (and re-watch) sections in "The Ocean Deep" together and I would give a running commentary-to help process and engage him as we watched! The "Turtle" scene became a favorite, as well as the Whale Shark and the crabs on the ocean floor. We also watched over and over the, "How Did They Film It".

I noticed that each time we watched a scene together, my nephew would say something new. Either it was a question, "Why do the turtles stay there?" or an exclamation, "That's dangerous right?" Sometimes, I would even hear something that I said the last time, "Those fish are working together!" or "That is a really big shark, but it only eats tiny fish."

It was a wonderful time we had with his friend and the entire vacation together. Watching television or videos with children- whether it is in school or at home- can certainly be enriched by talking and thinking about what is happening together. I love that we both can learn new content about the world together and try to engage with the beautiful message in this particular movie! Movies, TV programs, videos and YouTube: Watch them together! They too, are an important literacy to learn how to negotiate. Be part of that process with the kids in your life!

"Our planet is still full of wonders. As we explore them, so we gain not only understanding, but power. It's not just the future of the whale that today lies in our hands: it's the survival of the natural world in all parts of the living planet. We can now destroy or we can cherish. The choice is ours."

– David Attenborough, in closing

Interview of a 4th grade boy

What are you currently reading?

I am reading Somewhere in the Darkness, By Walter Dean Myers

What do you think of it so far?

So far, it is good.

Why are you reading it?

My dad recommended it.

What do you mostly like to read about?

I don't have a topic.

How do you choose books?
I just take recommendations from people.

Why do you like to read books?

That is a tough question. I think because everyone in my family likes to read books.

What is the best book that you read lately?

The Lightening Thief

Who do you share your ideas with about books?

My dad.

Do you like to watch the movie first and then read the book or ...?

No! No! definitely the book first! You learn more.

What is your favorite genre?

I like all genres! My top three are realistic fiction, mythology and fantasy, and information books.

What kind of advice would you give to little kids about reading?

Always ask your friends who they like to read. See if they have recommendations. If you don't like a book, don't bother reading it (unless its for school) and if you like it- finish it to the end.

Picture Books That Kids Are Loving at School and Home

Mama J, Little Moon, and I were in Seattle at The Secret Garden Bookstore. We were in the section that had lots of picture books and board books for kids to pick up and browse on their own. There was even a little table for kids to sit around as they were reading. A little boy, about 4 years old, was there with his mom. He ran up to her, book in hand, and shouted, "We have this book at home! We have this book! I love this book." His mom looked at him holding a paperback copy of "Caps For Sale".

"No, we don't have that book. Maybe you do in school." She moved on to a new section of the store and continued browsing for 'other' books. My heart dropped a little and I thought about the power of connecting books read at school and at home. Building kids' love of books between the two spaces and locations, help kids to understand how we all can be connected through books.

Here are a few picture books your kids might be reading in school that you would like to have at home or books that you would like to give as a gift to your school. Teachers love gifts of books!

Wednesday Kirwan has a new picture book series about an adorable little Boston Terrier named Minerva. She is quite mischievous and fiercely independent. It is a nice companion text with Julius Baby of the World, Peter's Chair, and Noisy Nora.

My friend Cheryl, a principal in the Bronx, said that her kids and teachers are loving the book, "Let's Get A Pup!" said Kate. This book not only shows the love and responsibility for taking care of a pet but also addresses the issue of rescuing animals. Compassion is at the heart of this book. It is also carefully crafted and is a nice exemplar of how to write a story.

Another beautifully

crafted story, told in the first person, is Mama's Saris. It is a story about a young girl and her desire to not only wear a sari for the first time, but to have her mother recognize how much she has grown.

Two more wonderful picture books wildly popular in school: Fly Guy and Too Many Toys.

Fly Guy is a hilarious series about a boy and his pet fly! In each book the two of them get into trouble. Fly Guy (a superhero-ish character) saves the day. Your kids will be laughing out loud.

Too Many Toys is a wonderful book about a little boy's house over run by toys! David Shannon has yet again captured the true essence of childhood!

Connect the reading life of kids at home with their reading lives at school! Share your favorite books with the teachers in your life. They will be be forever grateful.

Happy reading to you all.

Post here your favorite books that you have given to your teachers or that you have bought because of the reading work they do at school!

Help us expand our libraries! Do share.

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!

Teach History: Teach Zinn

Today we lost a wonderful scholar and writer. Howard Zinn not only wrote and spoke to adults but he also wrote for kids- so that they could grow up to be responsible citizens in the world.

He will be greatly missed. He left a wonderful legacy to be proud of and one that we can depend upon to read and teach our kids about history, justice and the world.

History Channel