Monday, February 22, 2010

Project READ Meeting Notice

The next monthly meeting for the Project READ leadership group is this Thursday, Feb. 25 at 8:00 AM. All partners are welcome at this meeting. We will be in Room 117 of the District #318 Administration Building. This is a change from our regular meeting room.

We will be discussing a number of topics including the upcoming Book Drive for the Children's Fair, The Quick Steps for Kids fundraiser and initial planning for the Fall Community Summit.

I hope to see you there.

10 Tips for Parents of Young Readers

1. Read aloud to your child every day:
Read to babies even before they can talk
Let your child see and touch the book
Play with voices and the sounds of words

2. Create a print rich home environment
Have a wide variety of books available to children
Encourage children to look at books on their own
Set aside a family reading area and a family reading time

3. Model reading and writing
Make use of the family reading area on your own
Let children see you reading for work or to learn something
Let children see you reading for pleasure

4. Use grocery shopping to encourage reading
Have children help you search for specific brands
Use the aisle markers with your child to find items
Match coupons to products

5. Cook with your child to develop literacy
Show your child how to read a recipe
Read the labels on ingredients together
Make a family cookbook of favorite recipes

6. Explore books together
As you read, point out important features about the book
Ask your child questions
Point out new vocabulary

7. Tell stories together
Talk together about your family history
Look at old vacation photos and discuss your memories of the trip
Tape your storytelling

8. Sing and rhyme with your child
Choose songs with rhymes and word play
Play rhyming games with your child, what other words sound like monkey?
Challenge your child to sing or say rhymes as fast as he can and dont forget to laugh if the results come out silly

9. Write with your child
Provide lots of writing materials chalk, markers, crayons, and pencils
Encourage your child to draw and write on her own
Encourage your child to write thank you notes to grandparents, make to do lists and the like

10. Visit the library often
Make weekly trips
Encourage your child to get her own library card.
Take advantage of library programs such as read alouds and family book clubs

Monday, February 15, 2010

Why Read Aloud?


Because reading aloud:


  • Is great fun, and it benefits your children's growth as readers and learners.

  • Nurtures your children's love of both the written and spoken word.

  • Gives you a chance to rediscover favorite stories and find new ones.

  • Helps your children develop important language skills that will help them learn to read on their own.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Friday Fun Day

Check out these read aloud stories on YouTube. Your Family will love reading along with their favorite story or finding new stories to listen to.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Reading Aloud

It's fun. It builds community and a sense of belonging. It strengthens vocabulary, language, grammar and writing. It makes us aware of other places and other lives. It creates life-long readers. There is a great deal of research that shows it to be the most effective part of any reading program. We're talking about reading aloud of course. Click here for a list of great books to read aloud to your child 0-5 years of age.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Kiwanis Deliver New Bookshelves


Thanks to the Kiwanis Daybreakers group! Bill Litchke just delivered 6 new bookshelves that will be painted red and put into use on the Bright Red Bookshelf project. New shelves are slated for ICC & the Deer River Clinic, replacement shelves are going to Bovey and the IRC. Volunteers will paint the shelves and get them in place soon.

Thanks to everyone who manages shelves, donates books and publicizes the Bright Red Bookshelf project in our community. Getting books into the hands of kids who need them can go a long way toward promoting reading success.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Reading to your baby

Different Ages, Different Stages
Young babies may not know what the images in a book mean, but they can focus on them, especially faces, bright colors, and contrasting patterns. Read or sing lullabies and nursery rhymes to interest and soothe your infant.
Between 4 and 6 months, your baby may begin to show more interest in books. He or she will grab and hold books, but will mouth, chew, and drop them as well. Choose sturdy vinyl or cloth books with bright colors and repetitive or rhyming text.
Between 6 and 12 months, your child is beginning to understand that pictures represent objects, and most likely will develop preferences for certain pictures, pages, or even entire stories. Your baby will respond while you read, grabbing for the book and making sounds, and by 12 months will turn pages (with some help from you), pat or start to point to objects on a page, and repeat your sounds.
When and How to Read
Here's a great thing about reading aloud: It doesn't take special skills or equipment, just you, your baby, and some books. Read aloud for a few minutes at a time, but do it often. Don't worry about finishing entire books — focus on pages that you and your baby enjoy.
Try to set aside time to read every day — perhaps before naptime and bedtime. In addition to the pleasure that cuddling your baby before bed gives both of you, you'll also be making life easier by establishing a routine. This will help to calm your baby and set expectations about when it's time to sleep.
It's also good to read at other points in the day. Choose times when your baby is dry, fed, and alert. Books also come in handy when you're stuck waiting, so have some in the diaper bag to fill time sitting at the doctor's office or standing in line at the grocery store.
Here are some additional reading tips:
  • Cuddling while you read helps your baby feel safe, warm, and connected to you.
  • Read with expression, pitching your voice higher or lower where it's appropriate or using different voices for different characters.
  • Don't worry about following the text exactly. Stop once in a while and ask questions or make comments on the pictures or text. ("Where's the kitty? There he is! What a cute black kitty.") Your child might not be able to respond yet, but this lays the groundwork for doing so later on.
  • Sing nursery rhymes, make funny animal sounds, or bounce your baby on your knee — anything that shows that reading is fun.
  • Babies love — and learn from — repetition, so don't be afraid of reading the same books over and over. When you do so, repeat the same emphasis each time as you would with a familiar song.
  • As your baby gets older, encourage him or her to touch the book or hold sturdier vinyl, cloth, or board books. You don't want to encourage chewing on books, but by putting them in his or her mouth, your baby is learning about them, finding out how books feel and taste — and discovering that they're not edible!