When Em was little, I loved to take the time to make books and toys for her to play with. By the time Ed came along, I didn't have quite as much time to indulge in my crafty, creative side, but I still took the time to make him a few special things too. Things made at home have that personal touch to them that little, egocentric children find particularly appealing.
Today a favourite idea of mine -making a very simple "Baby Book" is being shared at KBR - "Kids Book Review". If you'd like to pop on over and read about it you can click here.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley
Have you read this book? If not, you really, really should. It's a great one to have in your home library. I've just written a review for Kids Book Review. If you wold like to read it, you can click here
'Zingo'!, It's Another Giveaway!
I have a good friend who is a huge party plan fan. I've been dragged along to candle parties and linen parties and there's even a lingerie party on the horizon. Not that I mind. That's what friends are for after all. But last Friday I went along to a get-together for 'The Learning Ladder', and I really liked what I saw.
According to the 'About Us' part of their website,
So you can probably guess why I was so interested. The catalogue is really outstanding, with lots of great resource, information and story books for young children as well as fantastic toys and games that promote learning and development. They source their books from the publishers who work under their umbrella - well-respected names like Penguin, Puffin, Ladybird and DK.
So, what did I buy? I bought a school dictionary aimed at children aged 5-8. I thought we would use it a lot in our house. Em will love reading the meanings of the words and Ed will love the tables of information in the back. It had a lot of lists in the back of things childen find interesting - colours, seasons etc. I know he'll really enjoy looking at the words and matching them with the pictures.
Then I got these resource books because they hold lots of information that both my kids will find interesting and the photos are really eye-catching and dynamic. 'WOW Earth' is by John Woodward and 'WOW Animals' is by Richard Walker. The photos in these books will get my boy in and the interesting information will make my girl happy.
I also bought this great fun game that we played on the day. It's called 'Zingo' and as the catalogue says, 'it's Bingo with a Zing!'. I know my kids will really enjoy this game. They love to play games by themselves and the simple format of this one will allow them to organise and play it on their own. It also has clear pictures and words, which both Em and Ed will be able to easily decipher.
Jade Lam is a long time reader of 'everyday play' and is also an Independent Advisor with 'The Learning Ladder'. She has generously donated a copy of 'Zingo'(RRP $36.50) as well as a 'Tiny Rockers:Car' (RRP $12.95) book to give away to a lucky reader of my blog. To be in the running to receive this great gift, please leave a comment below. The give-away will run until next Friday the 7th of May at 5.00pm EST and is open to Australian residents only.
If you're interested in booking a presentation, fundraising enquiries, business opportunities or even one off orders with 'The Learning Ladder', you can email Jade at jade@donnielam.com or contact her through her great blog (it's well worth a read) play.learn.love . You can have a look at 'The Learning Ladder' catalogue yourself by clicking here .
According to the 'About Us' part of their website,
The Learning Ladder is one of Australia’s best and most-respected educational direct sales companies, and is a wholly owned company of the Pearson Australia Pty Ltd.
We are dedicated to the business of introducing parents to books, toys, games and puzzles that offer children of all ages wonderful opportunities for exploration, discovery, play, fun and learning. We also offer an irresistible range of family reference books and books for parents.
So you can probably guess why I was so interested. The catalogue is really outstanding, with lots of great resource, information and story books for young children as well as fantastic toys and games that promote learning and development. They source their books from the publishers who work under their umbrella - well-respected names like Penguin, Puffin, Ladybird and DK.
So, what did I buy? I bought a school dictionary aimed at children aged 5-8. I thought we would use it a lot in our house. Em will love reading the meanings of the words and Ed will love the tables of information in the back. It had a lot of lists in the back of things childen find interesting - colours, seasons etc. I know he'll really enjoy looking at the words and matching them with the pictures.
Then I got these resource books because they hold lots of information that both my kids will find interesting and the photos are really eye-catching and dynamic. 'WOW Earth' is by John Woodward and 'WOW Animals' is by Richard Walker. The photos in these books will get my boy in and the interesting information will make my girl happy.
I also bought this great fun game that we played on the day. It's called 'Zingo' and as the catalogue says, 'it's Bingo with a Zing!'. I know my kids will really enjoy this game. They love to play games by themselves and the simple format of this one will allow them to organise and play it on their own. It also has clear pictures and words, which both Em and Ed will be able to easily decipher.
Jade Lam is a long time reader of 'everyday play' and is also an Independent Advisor with 'The Learning Ladder'. She has generously donated a copy of 'Zingo'(RRP $36.50) as well as a 'Tiny Rockers:Car' (RRP $12.95) book to give away to a lucky reader of my blog. To be in the running to receive this great gift, please leave a comment below. The give-away will run until next Friday the 7th of May at 5.00pm EST and is open to Australian residents only.
If you're interested in booking a presentation, fundraising enquiries, business opportunities or even one off orders with 'The Learning Ladder', you can email Jade at jade@donnielam.com or contact her through her great blog (it's well worth a read) play.learn.love . You can have a look at 'The Learning Ladder' catalogue yourself by clicking here .
A Little Project
My school girl was following me around a little lost and bored yesterday morning so I decided to give her a project to do. I suggested she make a book about 10 things she has enjoyed doing over her holidays.
She was very keen, so to get her started, we sat down together and made a list of 10 things she had done and really enjoyed. I wrote the list so I could help spell tricky words like "Aquarium" and "Federation Square", but I deliberately did it in note form so she would have to think through how to construct sentences when she came to write the book (this is something she has done at school and is quite capable of).
Next, we downloaded the photos we have taken over the last couple of weeks. She chose her favourites and I copied them onto a word document, making each photo passport size.
Then I stapled together 6 pages of white A4 paper that I folded in half, and left her to her own devices. She collected up her own glue, scissors and textas and set herself up to work at the kitchen table.
I was doing some work around the house, so I was at hand if she needed help with spelling or when she took a break to show me what she had done, but for the most part, she worked on her own for a good couple of hours.
Putting together a book like this is a great way to practice literacy skills in a nonthreatening, fun way. It's also a great opportunity for self-reflection and when the task is completed, it provides a sense of mastery which boosts self-esteem. It also kept Em absorbed and occupied for over 2 hours which not only helped develop her memory and concentration, but also gave me some time to get a few things done.
She was very keen, so to get her started, we sat down together and made a list of 10 things she had done and really enjoyed. I wrote the list so I could help spell tricky words like "Aquarium" and "Federation Square", but I deliberately did it in note form so she would have to think through how to construct sentences when she came to write the book (this is something she has done at school and is quite capable of).
Next, we downloaded the photos we have taken over the last couple of weeks. She chose her favourites and I copied them onto a word document, making each photo passport size.
Then I stapled together 6 pages of white A4 paper that I folded in half, and left her to her own devices. She collected up her own glue, scissors and textas and set herself up to work at the kitchen table.
I was doing some work around the house, so I was at hand if she needed help with spelling or when she took a break to show me what she had done, but for the most part, she worked on her own for a good couple of hours.
Putting together a book like this is a great way to practice literacy skills in a nonthreatening, fun way. It's also a great opportunity for self-reflection and when the task is completed, it provides a sense of mastery which boosts self-esteem. It also kept Em absorbed and occupied for over 2 hours which not only helped develop her memory and concentration, but also gave me some time to get a few things done.
Finding Facts at the Library
I love going to the library and yesterday we returned for the first time in about three months after I found the courage to face my $22.50 fine incurred by an (almost) lost book (doesn't it feel good to deal with these things, and the librarian wasn't even cross with me??!!). Anyway, we came home with a great big bundle of treasures.
After getting a couple of story books for bed time from the children's section, we headed over to the non-fiction section to look for some information books. We always find the best treasures here.
Ed chose a couple of digger books, something about Boeing 777s, a book about the history of Holden's and one about Porsches (I don't know how we ended up with such a rev head!). He actually wanted to take home about 6 car books, but I had to narrow it down to 2. He just loves to soak up the facts in these non-fiction books.
I chose a bunch of general animal and insect information books for my playgroup
and then for Em, I got some early reader books, a book about drawing and a kid's cookbook which is her absolute favourite thing to do at the moment.
In the past, we've had gardening books, truck books, art books, photography books, car manuals, bird field guides, insect books, whatever takes the children's interest. It's amazing how long they'll spend pawing through the glossy pictures, taking in what they can, asking about the facts and figures that cover the pages, and it always seems to lead to other activites - car shows, nature walks, art and craft. It's one of our favourite ways to pass the time and a wondeful way to learn about the world we live in.
After getting a couple of story books for bed time from the children's section, we headed over to the non-fiction section to look for some information books. We always find the best treasures here.
Ed chose a couple of digger books, something about Boeing 777s, a book about the history of Holden's and one about Porsches (I don't know how we ended up with such a rev head!). He actually wanted to take home about 6 car books, but I had to narrow it down to 2. He just loves to soak up the facts in these non-fiction books.
I chose a bunch of general animal and insect information books for my playgroup
and then for Em, I got some early reader books, a book about drawing and a kid's cookbook which is her absolute favourite thing to do at the moment.
In the past, we've had gardening books, truck books, art books, photography books, car manuals, bird field guides, insect books, whatever takes the children's interest. It's amazing how long they'll spend pawing through the glossy pictures, taking in what they can, asking about the facts and figures that cover the pages, and it always seems to lead to other activites - car shows, nature walks, art and craft. It's one of our favourite ways to pass the time and a wondeful way to learn about the world we live in.
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