Book of the Week GIVEAWAY:Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

Why we love this book:

We are continuing our series on Creating a Balanced Reading Program with a focus on Reading Aloud to Older Children this week. Most parents and teachers do an excellent job of reading to their young children, but once children begin reading independently we tend to stop reading to them. I’ve never met a child, regardless of age, who doesn’t enjoy being read to. However, I have heard many older children say, “I don’t like to read.” We’ve got to change that!

Library Lion is a great read aloud for older children because it is too looooooooong for most young children to sit through. In contrast, older children relish these longer stories with deeper plots and stronger character development. Library Lion is a unique read aloud as it is a longer story with lovely pictures that enhance the story.

The library has very strict rules that must be followed by all. But when a lion attends story hour one day, no one is quite sure what to do. So the lion joins-in and returns, the next day and the next and the day after that too . . . The lion soon becomes a regular at story hour and even begins helping around the library. I know the library lion would definitely agree that everyone enjoys a good read aloud!

Reading Aloud to Older Children

10 Things Older Children Learn From Read Alouds:

1. Reading is FUN!

• When children are young, we cuddle them on our laps and read to them, bonding over their favorite books. As children get older, we turn them lose, allowing them to read independently. What falls by the way side is the bonding and reading for fun.
• As children get older, we focus on reading as an assignment, rather than reading for enjoyment. The longer we read aloud to children strictly for enjoyment the longer they will enjoy reading.
• We want to grow life long readers and learners! So push aside the book reports and assignments and read aloud for pure fun.

2. Books are ENTERTAINING!

• Children need to know that books are entertainment. Books are funny, sad, suspenseful and full of adventure.
• As children grow older they are pulled towards the computer, video games and the T.V. It is our job to pull them back into the world of imagination and stories.
• Books are like T.V. and movies on paper, only more fun because you get to use your imagination.

3. Books are INTERESTING!

• Children love facts! They need to know that books are loaded with interesting tidbits of information.
• We want to grow life long learners that seek out knowledge. Books are knowledge!
• We need to read aloud nonfiction to our children, helping them through new concepts and the development of their growing knowledge.

4. What Good Readers Sound Like

• How to read with fluency.
• How to read with phrasing.
• How to read with expression.

5. What “Story Book Language” Sounds Like

• Most books sound different than our “regular” every day talking. Children need to become familiar with the language of books.

6. New Vocabulary

• Read alouds allow children to experience advanced vocabulary they aren’t ready to read independently.
• I like reading aloud chapter books that are just a few levels above their independent reading level. This helps children get ready for the type of books they’ll independently experience next.

7. How good writers write.

• How writers begin their stories.
• How writers introduce and  develop characters.
• How writers develop the setting.
• How writers use descriptive language to paint a world of imagination for us.

8. What genres they like!

• As adults we read “stuff” we like. We need to give children the same freedom.
• If we read a variety of books to children, they’ll have a better understanding of what type of books are available to them.

9. How to read a longer book over a longer period of time.

• Reading a chapter book and stopping and starting day after day is a skill.
• We can help children by discussing the story development with them.
• What happened yesterday?
• What do you think will happen next?

10. Books are like good friends.

• You can revisit them over and over again. Each time you spend time with them, you learn a little bit more about them.

We’re GIVING AWAY one copy of  Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

To enter this contest, just answer the following question in the comments section of this post.

What is your favorite novel?  (Or just say “Hey.” We’re flexible around here.)

The Rules:

One entry per person, please.

No entries after 8:00 pm Central Time, Thursday, March 1, 2012

The winner must be a resident of The United States.

The winner will be selected at random and announced Friday, March 2, 2012. Check back to claim your prize. It might be you!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2012-02-24 02:47:35 UTC

Congratulations Ellie # 5!

Ellie February 23, 2012 at 12:02 pm

We’re reading the old classic Caps For Sale! Great story!

We agree Caps For Sale is a Great Story!

Contact us at our email: winner at waddleeahchaa dot com

(Prize must be claimed by Friday, March 2, 2012.)

Original Post: Why Read Alouds are a Key Component to a Balanced Reading Program

Next Week Read Alouds for Older Children

My journey to South Africa began many years ago when I was in the 4^th grade.  A missionary came and spoke to our class and I told God “that’s what I want to do when I grow up.”  In God’s time, He would send me to Africa but not as I had imagined.  I married, had a family and when I was pregnant with my third child he placed a foreign exchange student in my life named Marianne.  She was from South Africa and all I could think about was how in the 4^th grade I wanted to go to Africa and be a missionary.  Marianne became my sister Jeannine’s best friend, which I now believe was part of God’s plan to send me to Africa.  When Marianne was here in 1985, my last baby Alyssa was born.

Let’s fast forward some 25 years, which was two years ago.  My youngest daughter, Alyssa, whom I had been pregnant with when I first met Marianne, had made the huge decision to go on a mission trip.  Alyssa was planning on going on a mission trip not for a week but maybe a yearlong trip.  She went to meetings and listened to people pitch the Peace Corps and even applied for AmeriCorps, neither of these worked out.  She had earned her Master’s Degree in accounting and had a wonderful job with the UT Health Science Center.  Her job provided great pay, great benefits and every parent’s dream for their child but it was not her dream.  God was tugging at her heart to do something else.

While researching mission options, Alyssa’s church offered the nine week long class by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace.  I highly recommend this class for everyone.  She had a $16,000 student loan and after completing the class she set a timeline for herself to pay it off in 18 months.  This was in March of 2010, which meant she would be debt free by September 2011.  Sacrifices were made but God opened one door after another to not only reach her goal of becoming debt free but also providing the perfect mission trip for her.  Sometimes God’s time moves very slow and as I have experienced in the past two years God’s time can move very fast. In October 2010, Alyssa had the opportunity to move in with her brother and sister-in-law and give up a $700 a month rent payment.

Marianne and her husband Daryl and their four children, came to the United States and spent Christmas Eve in our home in 2010.  We had a family gathering of about thirty people and as we finished our meal we gathered in the living room.  Darryl began speaking about a wonderful mission their small church in South Africa supported called the “Door of Hope.”  My eyes caught Alyssa’s across the room and I knew instantly this was the mission work she had been waiting for.    

Alyssa & Baby at The Door of Hope

Alyssa paid her loan off and quit her job at the Health Science Center.   By buckling down and with God’s help, she saved an additional $8,000 which would fund her trip.  Yes, Alyssa was going to South Africa, to serve at the Door of Hope.

Joyce & Alyssa saying goodbye at the airport

After immunizations, a visa, a passport and fundraising through supportive family and friends, Alyssa boarded a plane on January 31, 2012 for South Africa.  A few minutes after going through security she called my phone and could not stop crying.  I have not mentioned that Alyssa and I are very close and this parting was extremely hard on both of us.  As I hung up the phone, I prayed that God would hold her in the palms of his hands and give her strength.  In God’s time, which was immediate, He answered my prayer.  My phone rang again and Alyssa stated that a man had approached her and said he was flying to Washington DC and then to Johannesburg, South Africa and would be glad to help her through the airports.  She arrived safely and felt tired and very homesick at first and I prayed more prayers on Alyssa’s behalf.

The Door of Hope Babies

Today, Alyssa has already been in South Africa for about a month.  Her work at the Door of Hope consists of eleven hour days where she cares twelve infants who range in age from one day old to 5 months old.  These babies are abandoned by their birth mothers because they do not have the means to care for them.

Alyssa & Baby at Door of Hope

The mission of the Door of Hope is to care for these newborns, socialize them by holding them and ready them for the adoption with their forever families.  Missionaries like Alyssa are crucial to the survival of these precious human beings.

Welcome to South Africa Flowers from Marianne

On days off, Alyssa has been lovingly adopted as part of Marianne and Darryl’s family.

Baby at The Door of Hope

So in God’s time I am experiencing being a missionary in South Africa.  Alyssa and I email daily.  His plan was for her to go, for her to love babies, for her to be debt free, for her to have a strong faith, for her to have a loving family who supports her, for her to be my daughter so when I grew up I could experience being a missionary in South Africa, through her.

I am most thankful for everything in my life that has happened, in God’s time.

Life with Joyce

To tell you the truth, I don’t particularly care for scrambled eggs that are cooked in the microwave. However, MacGyver, who is 8 years old, thinks they are fabulous! He can get out of bed and cook himself scrambled eggs with absolutely no help from me. Moms you gotta love that! And he thinks he is well on his way to becoming a professional chef! FREE printable recipe guide at the end of this post.

MacGyver follows the recipe below with one exception. Since he’s a growing boy, he now scrambles TWO extra-large eggs.

• Egg Cracking Tip: I’ve taught my children to gently tap the side of the egg on the counter-top. It still gets a bit messy, but it is easier than trying to break the egg on the side of the bowl.

Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp. water
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup grated cheese

Tools

• bowl
• fork
• teaspoon
• ¼ measuring cup

Step 1: Use the back of the teaspoon to spread the butter inside the bowl.

• We have found that a soup bowl works best for microwave cooking.

Step 2: Gently whisk together the egg, salt and water.

Step 3: Microwave egg for 1 minute and stir again.

Step 4: Top with cheese and microwave 30 seconds.

• Adjust cooking time to cook egg through.

Print This Recipe Guide FREE: Scrambled Eggs

Teaching Children How to Cook Pancakes with a FREE Printable Guide

More FREE  Printable Recipe Guides for Children

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Adventures in Mommy Land

Thrifty Thursday

Book of the Week GIVEAWAY: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle

Why we love this book:

EVERY home and classroom library should begin with a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See! This week our focus is on reading aloud to children as part of a balanced reading program. Brown Bear, Brown Bear is the Granddaddy to all early literacy read aloud books.

The repetitive pattern that uses familiar color words and easy sight words combined with it’s big, bold, colorful collage pictures of animals make it a favorite of young children.  If your home or classroom library does not include a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear we wish you luck to win this copy. If you already own a copy of this classic book, we wish you luck so you can give it to a little friend or a local charity.

Reading Aloud to Young Children

10 Things Children Learn From Read Alouds:

1. Reading is FUN!

• Before children learn the alphabet and sight words, they need to experience the joy of reading.
• We want to grow life long readers and learners! So put away the flashcards and snuggle-up with those little children and a good book.

2. Books are ENTERTAINING!

• Children need to know that books are entertainment. Books are funny, sad, suspenseful and full of adventure.
• Books are like T.V. and movies on paper, only more fun because you get to use your imagination.

3. Books are INTERESTING!

• Children love facts! They need to know that books are loaded with interesting tidbits of information.
• We want to grow life long learners that seek out knowledge. Books are knowledge!

4. What Good Readers Sound Like

• How to read with fluency.
• How to read with phrasing.
• How to read with expression.

5. What “Story Book Language” Sounds Like

• Most books sound different than our “regular” every day talking. Children need to become familiar with the language of books.

6. New Vocabulary

• Read alouds allow children to experience advanced vocabulary they aren’t ready to read independently.

7. A Core of Easy Familiar Words

8. How to read from the left of the page to the right of the page.

9. How to read from the top of the page to the bottom of the page.

10. How to read pointing one-to-one.

How to Pick Books for Young Children:

• Books with simple, big, bold and bright pictures.
• Books with simple and repetitive text.
• Books that are written in a pattern style, with a rhythm that children quickly chime into.
• Books that include easy familiar words that help children build a little core of known words.
• What should we look for when picking books for preschoolers.

Inviting Children to Share the Read Aloud Experience:

• Once the pattern has been established, simply pause and most children will eagerly join in.

“Red Bird, Red Bird what do you see? I see a yellow duck ___________________ “

• Once the children are familiar with the story, invite them to read along.
• Yes, at this stage most of it will be memorization. This early confidence will serve them well as they begin reading independently.
• Model one-to-one pointing as you read.

When to Begin Reading Aloud to Children

• It’s never too early!
• We always give board books as Baby Shower Gifts.
• I began reading to both of my children when they were tiny little infants. We snuggled on the bed, they stared at the pictures in rapture and kicked at the bright colors.
• Of course they ate a few books along the way, but it was well worth it.

Life with Jeannine

We’re GIVING AWAY one hardcover copy of  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr. / Eric Carle

To enter this contest, just answer the following question in the comments section of this post.

What are you reading aloud to your children this week?  (Or just say “Hey.” We’re flexible around here.)

The Rules:

One entry per person, please.

No entries after 8:00 pm Central Time, Thursday, February 23, 2012

The winner must be a resident of The United States.

The winner will be selected at random and announced Friday, January 24, 2012. Check back to claim your prize. It might be you!

10 Favorite Read Alouds for Children

Next Week We’ll Look at Reading Aloud to Older Children

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Hip Homeschool Moms

Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns