LilSugar

Wee Are the World: Room to Read Expands Global Literacy

LilSugar — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

We take reading to our children for granted. Many families have stacks of texts on their shelves and also take part in lending libraries. It's hard to imagine not being able to flip the pages of a book on a whim.

While hiking through Nepal, former Microsoft executive John Wood was upset by the lack of resources available to the students and teachers in the region. Knowing the importance of education and literacy in helping people improve their socioeconomic conditions, Wood left his corporate job and founded Room to Read. His intention of building libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls in developing countries has come to fruition. In the past eight years, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 3.1 million children by constructing 765 schools and 7,040 libraries, publishing 327 new local language children's titles, and funding 6,817 long-term girls' scholarships in communities throughout Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Laos, Zambia, and Bangladesh.

10 Classic Books For Every Newborn

babysugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:08 -0700

Studies show that babies who are read to and sung to at an early age will demonstrate higher reading skills than other children. While many parents don't think a newborn is paying attention to the texts in their early days, getting them into a routine of reading will be worth the time spent in their infancy. These are 10 books every newborn nursery should have on the shelves.

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Website lil Loves: Speakaboos

LilSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:30:03 -0700

The benefits of reading with children are beyond debate. It helps teach them letter and word recognition, engages them in conversation, and introduces them to new concepts. Transferring those benefits to the online world is not easy, but Speakaboos tries to do just that. The site offers online storytelling of classic fables and fairy tales - as well as stories involving newer popular characters - by big name celebrities such as Kevin Bacon, Clay Aiken, Kelly Ripa, and John Krasinski. As the stories are told, and the words appear on the screen, the books come to life with beautiful animation.

There are worksheets, games, and e-cards accompanying the various tales and eventually, visitors will have the ability to create their own stories online, including doing their own voice-overs. Watching the tales is free, but there is also an option to download them for $1, and purchase albums with multiple stories for $9 each with 15 percent of the revenue donated to the National Education Association and The Creative Coalition.

Wee TV: LeapFrog Letter Factory

LilSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:00:55 -0700

Try as they might to keep their tots away from the boob tube, every mama needs a few minutes to herself to make a phone call, check Facebook or just chill out. Rather than put your preschooler in front of a dancing monster or singing tomato, try introducing him to some pre-reading concepts that will help prepare him for a major developmental milestone.

The LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD has been praised by parents, educators and speech therapists for its fun, yet educational approach to teaching phonics. Tots familiar with the LeapFrog toys will love seeing Tad, Leap and Lily walk through the alphabet singing cute little songs for each letter. The tunes teach preschoolers the proper pronunciation of each letter and encourage viewers to sing along. Educators like it for its ability to teach letter recognition and speech therapists have told me they like the pronunciations used by the characters.

Five Ways to Prep Your Child For Reading

LilSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:00:06 -0800

What's the easiest and most inexpensive way to take your kid on an adventure? Read. Children don't just pick up books and know how to read them. A lot of preparation goes into the process. Check out our slideshow for five fun and simple ways to prep your youngster for the lifelong relationship they will have with texts. Source

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Pimp Your Crib: Dreamy Studio Mela Posters

LilSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:00:46 -0800

Reading has always been an important part of my children's lives and though my oldest is just learning to recognize select words, I can only hope she will develop a love of the written word.

This 8-x-10 Imagination print caught my eye because it adds a little hip edge to those so-called motivational posters parents in my generation put up.

The creator, Shelli Dorfe, believes art should be special so she only prints 200 or less of her cheery, cheeky, and colorful Studio Mela ("mela" means apple in Italian) designs. Check out her current collection below.

Utopia Poster ($20)	French Fry Poster ($23)
You Dropped From Heaven Poster ($20)	Love Is Everything Poster ($20)
Seize the Day Poster ($20)	My Little Girl Poster ($20)	Reading Is Cool Poster ($20)

Family Ties: Start a Mother-Daughter Book Club

LilSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:00:50 -0800

You can't read your daughter's mind, but you can read her books. A great way to connect with your budding bookworm is to start a mother-daughter book club. Each week (every other week, or month, whatever you decide) you and your daughter can meet with other mothers and daughters to discuss the texts. Read the books with your lil one, or separately - it's up to you. Kids' books are a breeze to get through, which means it's not going to end up being a big time commitment on your end, but you'll both get a lot out of it. Need help getting the ball rolling? Just read more.

Real Simple has five easy steps for getting a club started with your kiddo. They are:

Assemble the group.
Choose a regular date.
Choose the books.
Divide hosting duties.
Meet.

Check out Real Simple for full details. And for more help, the site MotherDaughterBookClub.com lists books appropriate for certain age groups.

Source

Reading: Does the Topic Matter?

babysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:00:44 -0700

One of the best gifts any parent can give their child is the love for reading. Reading experts often encourage new parents to introduce their newborns to books starting on day one. Whether it's the newspaper, a magazine, or Goodnight Moon, they say that the ritual and inflection are often what matters most.

As infants grow and their reading capabilities sharpen, the subject of the texts obviously becomes more relevant. I would rather my daughter choose to read To Kill a Mockingbird over Sweet Valley High, but I think reading anything over nothing is preferable.

The well-known book supplier Scholastic holds book fairs in elementary schools throughout the country. On their lists of available titles are often some of pop culture's favorite characters: Sponge Bob and Harry Potter are just two. Until recently, Bratz were also part of the Scholastic collection. That was until more than 5,000 people from the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood wrote to Scholastic pressuring them to take any form of the dolls out of schools, even in books. Initially, the book company took the stance that Bratz books were important to reach "reluctant readers." For kids who dislike reading but love the Bratz, I think it's a valid argument. If my daughter chose to read a Bratz book over nothing at all, I'd have a hard time pulling that book, albeit brain candy, from her lil hands.

What's your position on pulling commercialized type books like Bratz from schools?

Mommy Alert! Keep Reading to Baby

babysugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:01:00 -0700

Many parents blessed with splendid pregnancies and angelic babies fear torrid toddler years and beyond. However a new study published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology says that pleasant tempered babies are more likely to maintain good behavior later in life.

It is well known that teaching your child the importance of reading is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them. Researchers from the University of Chicago might agree after they followed nearly 1,900 children from infancy up to age 13. The findings published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology said:

Children whose mothers gave them plenty of intellectual stimulation in the first year of life - reading to them, talking to them and taking them out of the house - were less likely to have serious behavioral problems.

To see what else may determine a wee one's future behavior, read more.

The study also found:

The odds of behavior problems were also linked to certain measures of the children's temperament during infancy - such as how "fussy" they were, or whether they had a generally happy or more moody disposition.

While many factors play a role in what kind of person an infant matures into, it certainly makes sense that a child who is coddled, hugged, read to and loved would encounter less behavioral problems than a youngster who missed out on those affectionate times. But, do you concede that a child's early fussy temperament could be a glimpse into an imminent troubled personality?
Source

Texts and Tunes: Summer Reading

babysugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:00:43 -0700

Ice cream and wet grass turn to mush in the summertime, but there's no need to add your child's brain to the list. Encourage them to soak up some good reads during the school free months. Make the break a page turner by taking a family outing to your local library to pick up a selection of stories. Reading will build a child's vocabulary, improve their spelling and fuel their imaginative side. Click Start Slideshow to see what an elementary school teacher recommends for young readers.

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