Exploring Art at Curious Corner

Curious Corner is the Art Institute of Chicago's special corner of their website just for kids. At Story Time, you can read interactive stories with stunning illustrations like The Golden Bird, which is based on a Brancusi sculpture. Match Up is fun, with shapes, sounds and textures from famous artworks. There are several opportunities to Play with Art, including mask making, and matching portrait heads to their bodies.

From the site: Explore and learn about art from around the world.
Look closely and investigate artworks.
Connect personal experience with artworks through playful, creative activities.

I also loved their ideas for parents to make visiting an Art Gallery a more meaningful and interesting experience, especially those involving reading, writing and thinking.

Even if you can't make it to Chicago to see the real works of art in the collection, why not take advantage of these playful interactive opportunities to encourage your child to learn more about art, and have fun with it!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drhenkenstein/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Tell a Tale with Little Bird Tales

Here's a new online space where kids can write for an authentic audience. At Little Bird Tales, they also have the opportunity to create their own art work. Combining the two into a small digital book doesn't take long at all. And the price is certainly right - there's a 90 day free trial, or you pay $24.95 a year.

Once you've registered, you can either make a book using the art pad or upload photos. I think kids will enjoy making their own pictures to accompany their stories on the art pad, but I also like the idea of using pictures of the child himself and creating captions to go with them. You can see some books on display at the site.

I like the feature where you can record yourself reading the story aloud. Once you allow the site access to your microphone, it's as simple as reading what you've written on each page you've created. Wouldn't this make a lovely gift for Grandma? Kids could write their story, then record themselves reading it so Grandma can hear how well they are doing. Or a Grandpa who lives far away can record his own voice reading a little story he's created for a special youngster. Kids at the pre-reading stage really benefit from hearing a book read aloud while their eyes follow the print.

Another plus for parents is the tight control Little Bird Tales keeps over tales that can be made public on the site. This feature is only for subscribers, and each story is reviewed to make sure it's suitable for children. Only subscribers can work the toggle switch to request that a story be made public ie be featured in the public gallery. But any creator can send another reader to his/her book via the unique url. If you'd like to read the one I made during my free trial, with photos like the one above left, plus captions I added, follow the link, and click Play.

The site is very new, and I understand from co-founders Michael and Amiee that they have plans to expand and improve it. The interface is excellent, simple and clear, but I'd love to see a bit more speed in uploading. They responded promptly and patiently when I had a small problem registering for the trial.

Book Chook readers are eligible for a subscription discount at Little Bird Tales. Just click the blue 'Use Coupon' button on this page at Little Bird Tales, and enter 'BookChook20' in the coupon field to receive $5.00 off the regular rate.

Book Review, Horrid Henry

I'd seen a couple of reviews and remarks about Horrid Henry online, not all of them positive, so I looked forward to reading the books. Some people thought Henry wasn't much of a role model, and one commenter found the books violent.

I think there must be a lot of naughty schoolboy living inside my feathers, because I enjoyed Horrid Henry. It's the first in a series of books written by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross, and published by Sourcebooks (USA, 2009), although originally published in Great Britain by Orion Children's Books in 1994.

Junior fiction that gets kids reading is so important. Horrid Henry has large font, lots of white space, and four short episodes that means young readers will feel comfortable straight away. A quick flick through Tony Ross's cartoon-like illustrations will have them grinning, and Simon's obvious understanding of what makes kids under 10 laugh will hook them for sure.

Henry is the sort of child we must all have wished to be when our parents extolled the virtues of a smug sibling. He's ill-mannered, naughty, the despair of his parents, and in complete contrast to his goody-goody brother, Perfect Peter.

The first story, Horrid Henry's Perfect Day, shows us what happens when Henry decides to behave as perfectly as his brother. Simon's great sense of timing and comedy are evident from the start.

"Henry, where are your peas and carrots?" asked Mum.

"I ate them," said Henry. "They were delicious."

Mom looked on the floor. She looked under Henry's chair. She looked under the plate.

"You ate your peas and carrots?" said Mom slowly. She felt Henry's forehead.

"Are you feeling all right, Henry?"

(I know we have a "Mum" and a "Mom" in that quote, but apparently the US publisher altered the original for US readers, and one "Mum" slipped through the edit.)

The second story, Horrid Henry's Dance Class, introduces Henry's dance teacher, Miss Impatience Tutu, who hates teaching, noise, and children. Simon and Ross between them bring this skinny, sharp-nosed tartar to life, so we rejoice with Henry when he gets to go to karate class next week instead.

Horrid Henry and Moody Margaret shows us that Henry certainly doesn't get the better of his neighbour and sometime playmate, Margaret. And Horrid Henry's Holiday puts Henry's long-suffering family under canvas in the rain with a very grumpy Henry.

The Sourcebooks website has teacher activities to accompany the books in free downloads, Horrid Henry games, and kids are encouraged to send in their own Glop recipes. (Warning, people with delicate stomachs should not visit that last page!)

I'm looking forward to my next Horrid Henry book, Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy. Meantime, I'm just off to find my red whoopee cushion.

Plundering PBS

I confess to being someone who wants kids to be allowed to be kids, not pushed into actvities they're not ready for. I love what the internet can offer parents and their children, but sometimes it's hard to find developmentally appropriate activities.

Do you remember I mentioned the vasty goodness that is PBS online in a recent post? They have impressed me so far with the way their content and style are aimed at real kids, not some pseudo adult. Today, I checked out their latest offering, Dinosaur Train. Some activities there are perfect for pre-schoolers; others would suit slightly older kids who are fanatical about dinosaurs.

The Dinosaur Train website has games, videos, activities to print out, and lots of fun facts about dinosaurs. I love How Big Are You?, the measuring activity that encourages estimation - about how many alligators are the same length as this dinosaur? Young kids will develop their mouse skills with Hungry Hungry Herbivore. The Field Guide has loads of fascinating facts for dinosaur fans to listen to, and they can click tabs to look at x-rays of dinosaur skeletons, or discover what their favourite dinosaur ate.

PBS KIDS Island is another great PBS offering. It's a nice interactive website with children's games that encourage reading and writing skills. You're encouraged to sign up. It's free, and there's a demo version you can try first, as well as a video tour. Sign up is quick and easy.

Like all good websites, this one encourages parental involvement. Games are cute, and aimed at the under 7 set. They cover activities like making words, rhyming and letter recognition, and involve characters like Grover and Elmo that many young kids will be familiar with. By completing part of the game, kids win "prizes" such as colouring pages and virtual toys that they can put inside their clubhouse.

There's also a reading activity calendar with great suggestions for kids that involve literacy, and tips for parents. I had trouble once getting some games to load on the actual island. Luckily I'd begun my review earlier, and discovered a page for parents which lists all the games, and they worked fine. Next time I logged in to the island, the games loaded quickly.

If you're looking for something for your youngster to do online that will sneakily teach him too, try PBS KIDS Island and Dinosaur Train. They'll help kids develop literacy skills, as well as providing some fun.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catdonmit/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Resource Roundup

How can a Book Chook focus on her writing when there are so many wonderful literacy resources to tempt her? Here are some recent finds:

I love Reading Rockets! I found out today from Director, Tina Chovanec that they'd used a quote from my post about their wonderful Family Literacy Bags on their site -

"Family Literacy Bags are a great idea from Reading Rockets. I love the fact that there are clear, accessible, and easy-to-understand suggestions for parents in each PDF. The activities would be fun and educational to link to any book that suits the themes, not just the ones suggested."

While I was at Reading Rockets, I discovered yet another great feature. There's a page of e-cards you can send to celebrate reading events. I adore great children's book illustrators, and they've used the work of some beauties here. I sent a Henry Cole "Great Teachers are cause for celebration" card.

I found some excellent story-telling ideas for parents at Imagination Soup.

Meet Me at the Corner has kid-friendly educational videos, with some content created by kids. There's a section explaining how to make a video podcast, and video reviews from children about books they've read.

Literactive is an educational games site. There are all sorts of visual and auditory discrimination activities, memory, blending, spelling etc. I liked the focus on early learners - some are simple enough for pre-schoolers too. Once I'd registered, I tried The Radio Game, from the Pre-Read level. It's like a radio to look at and has three pictures. The child has to click on the picture that makes the sound he hears. There are also sequencing activities, jigsaws etc. Levels go all the way to Level 7, but none of the 7 games would work for me. (It says they are coming May 09!) One I tried from Level 6 was Game Show, which involved dragging a word to finish a sentence. There are also stories and rhymes to listen to and interact with. My feeling is this site would be suitable for students under 7 years of age.

Last week I told you about Game Classroom. They also have another great site, KiDEOS. There's a range of videos for kids, and it's a nice simple interface. Categories that support literacy are Book Characters, Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales and Dr Seuss, but there are many more wonderful opportunities to link to songs and stories. My favourite was a trip down memory lane with some Muppets and Julie Andrews!

If you don't have a to-be-read pile higher than the house, like certain Chooks I could name, then maybe you're wondering what to read next? To Read Next is a simple web application which lets you know the best book to read next, we have worked out a nice little algorithm that will fetch information from the current book that you are reading and based on this information it will suggest you the next relevant books that you can read.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tfrancis/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Review, I Am Jack, the Stage Show

I am a huge fan of Australian author, Susanne Gervay. Her book, I Am Jack, is an absolute winner. So imagine my delight when we were able to attend Monkey Baa Theatre's performance of I Am Jack in Brisbane recently! We loved it, and judging by their response, so did the rest of the audience.

Here's Monkey Baa's blurb: I am Jack explores the journey of Jack, a smart, funny 11-year-old boy being badly bullied at school. This true story takes us on a touching and sometimes comical journey as Jack moves from victim to victor. This 55 minute one man show introduces audiences to the concept of a performer telling the story using physical and vocal transformation to create not only Jack but all the other characters in his world.

Using the metaphor of an island in the central design concept, Jack tells his story from what at first appears to be the confines of his bedroom. As he tells his tale, lighting and sound emphasize Jack’s emotional turmoil and create the shape and persona of the bully in his life.

If you really love a book, sometimes a movie or theatre adaptation can be a disappointment. When I realised only one actor was to play all the characters in the story, I must admit my doubts intensified. But Tim McGarry was just as brilliant being Jack, as he was being Nana. He honed in on details to bring his characters to life - like Mum folding washing when she was feeling anxious, Nana's arthritic gait, and Jack putting one finger on his grandfather's grave when he spoke to him.

The set of primary colours and cartoonish feel, soundtrack and lighting all contributed to my enjoyment of the story. The bully, George, was cleverly represented by a sinister, almost satanic cut-out. I really like the way the author, and the adapters of her work, managed to have so much humour in what is essentially the story of a terrible time in a child's life. There were lots of opportunities for laughter, but also moments when 150 children sat transfixed and made not a sound.

After the show, Tim McGarry asked for audience questions. He encouraged us to think about what we'd seen, and really nailed the theme. He also shared his own experience of bullying. Tim's empathy was obvious, and his suggestion for children to help victims by speaking up and including them in their groups, was practical and achievable. I love to think that message will make a difference some day to a child who needs help.

Theatre is a wonderful way to involve kids in literature. I have a soft spot for all the creative arts, but as a former drama teacher, I extol the virtues of theatre and drama for kids every chance I get. If your child hasn't yet been to a live theatre performance, why not take advantage of your next opportunity to attend? Monkey Baa has an exciting program of shows on their site, and their workshops offer opportunities for children to develop creative skills that will truly benefit them for the rest of their lives.

{This delightful experience reminded me that I must re-read I am Jack, and SuperJack, by Susanne Gervay. I'm excited to tell my US readers it's to be published there by Tricycle Press in November this year! Look for my reviews soon!}

Literacy in the Playground (3)

Earlier on the Book Chook blog, Literacy in the Playground (1) brought you some favourite playground games, Literacy in the Playground (2) introduced clapping games. Here is a little slide show of a clapping game called Fish, which I put together from photos sent in for us by one of my wonderful readers!

As she describes it, "Two friends stand facing each other. They hold their elbows at the sides with arms out in front of them and palms of own hands together making a 'fish'. Then you swipe your 'fish' from side to side smacking into the other person's fish as you go while you say 'one' (one way) 'two' (the other way) 'three' (back again) and then clap your own hands together as you say 'together'.

The chant to go with it:
One (swipe your fish along other person's fish)
Two (swipe it back)
Three (and back again)
Together (clap your own hands together)
Up (both hold your hands up as in 'this is a stickup' to slap each other's hands as you say 'up')
Together (clap own hands together)
Down (slap partners hands down long - hands hang by sides and then turn palms to face partner and slap them like that)
Together (clap own hands together)
Backs (Back at chest level, turn your palms of your hands to be facing you and you smack the back of your hands agains the back of your friend's hands)
Fronts (turn palms to face friend's, and slap them again
Knees (each slaps both hands on own knees)
Together (clap own hands together)
Let's do it again! [Start from beginning again usually faster and faster each time]"

(You can see a very giggly version of Fish on Youtube, to show you what it looks like when put together. It might be fun to invent some new words to go with the clapped pattern.)

Now for some skipping, or jump rope, games. Just like with clapping chants, skipping and chanting is a way for kids to internalize language, particularly rhythm and rhyme.

Skipping can be done alone with a one person rope, but these are all games for a group, which must be at least three people, and a rope that's long enough for your group.

One of the simplest ones to start young kids on is Bluebells:

Bluebells
Cockleshells
Eavy, ivy, over.
(Repeat)

Two people hold the rope and rock it gently back and forth, about ankle height, while the person in the middle jumps up to miss it. On over, they turn the rope and the person does a proper skip.

Once you get good at skipping, you start to play games like the next one, where each person runs in, does one skip on the beat, and runs out. With a long line of skippers, you keep going until someone misses, when they take an end and turn the rope.

UP the MississIPPi if you MISS a loop, you're OUT.

In the next game, two people turn the rope. Everyone skips together, then run out one at a time on each month.

All in together, girls,
How do you like the weather, girls?
January, February, March...

Here's a Book Chook favourite from Primary School:

Donald Duck
Went to France
To teach the ladies
How to dance (normal jumps for first four lines)
First he did the wigglewoggles (a bit like the twist, but you can make up a move)
Then he did the kicks (high kicks)
Then he did the twirly-whirlies (twirling around)
Then he did the splits (a legs wide jump that stopped the rope under one foot)

Back in the days when I went to school, skipping was mostly a girl's game. When it was our turn for this next one, we would nominate a boy's name as soon as we ran in. A new person would run in on the last line, as the first person ran out.

Susie and Henry
Sitting in a tree
K-i-s-s-i-n-g
First comes love
Then comes marriage
Then comes (another name) with a baby carriage.

The next game was for when you learnt to skip really fast, which we called peppers.
When you start counting, after How many kisses did she get?, the rope turners turn fast (peppers), until the skipper misses.

Cinderella, dressed in yella
Went upstairs to see her fellow,
How many kisses did she get?..one...two...


Rebecca Newman, editor of Alphabet Soup magazine, sent in this next one.

"The first jumper waits for rope to get up a good rhythm and then runs in to jump while everyone chants:

'Bumper car, bumper car, number 28
Went around the coooooooooooorner [during this line, the jumper exits the rope on the opposite side to the queue, runs behind the rope-turners and jumps back into the turning rope and everyone holds the word 'corner' till they're back into the jumping]
And he slammed on the brakes, but the brakes didn't work!
So he went around the coooooooorner
And he slammed on the brakes, but the brakes didn't work!
So he went etc

The jumper remains 'in' until he messes up the rope and then he retires to the end of the queue and the next jumper steps up. Because everyone is impatient for a turn, the waiting queue is usually good for 'ahhhh' or 'ohhhh' everytime the jumper manages another run around and back into the rope. I can't remember anyone monopolising their turn for the whole of the lunch break ..."

Kids are hot-wired to enjoy play. The motivational factor involved in games with accompanying chants, means that children will repeat them many times. This allows language to become internalized. Judging by the looks on the faces of people I've asked about these games, and the tone of their emails, adults remember them very fondly. The words stay with us (in my case!) for an amazing number of years.

UPDATE: Grab your free copy of my mini-book on Literacy in the Playground via my web site.

Book Review, Simpson and his Donkey

When a book is short-listed for the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards, I feel safe making the assumption that it’s special. When it wins its category, I am eager to see if I agree with the judges about its extra-specialness.

Simpson and his Donkey was written by Mark Greenwood, illustrated by Frané Lessac, and published by Walker Books Australia. Last month, it won an honour award in the Eve Pownall Book of the Year 2009 section of the CBCA awards. Like most Australians of my vintage, I am familiar with the story of John (Jack) Simpson Kirkpatrick, who used a donkey to rescue wounded soldiers during World War I, but I was keen to read this version of the tale.

It’s a wonderful book. Greenwood uses a writer’s tools precisely to set scenes, evoke atmosphere, and tell Jack’s story. This is tight, active writing at its best.

Turkish machine guns snickered, whipping up spouts of water. Jack felt the zip of a bullet pass by his head. He tumbled into the icy Aegean Sea and waded to shelter beneath an overhang.

Soldiers stormed the beach under orders to secure higher ground. They fixed bayonets and charged up the razorback ridges. Enemy artillery exploded overhead, showering the cove with fiery shrapnel.

But this is not just a story about a battle. It shows us the human side of war, the courage, the waste of human life, the brotherhood engendered among men fighting for a common cause. When Jack was just a lad in England, before he sailed off to Australia and adventure, he vowed never to forget his young mate, Billy. Billy was one of more than three hundred men whom Jack rescued at Gallipoli.

Lessac was an inspired choice as illustrator of this appealing book. Her naïve style complements the simple, evocative tale. As in all excellent picture books, the visual text amplifies and adds to the written words, so that we understand the reality of the battle. There is much detail for children to ponder over – vignettes of soldiers digging trenches, soldiers with head wounds, soldiers on stretchers, and one man with a donkey.

It’s tremendously important for Australian children to read stories about real Australian heroes. This picture book brings Simpson’s story to life for young readers, and helps them understand about a defining moment in Australia’s history. It would make an excellent resource for a library, or any family wanting to uphold the spirit of the ANZACs.

Contests for Kids

USA/Canada - Photo-Poetry Contest

A Talent for Quiet is a wonderful book by author Kim Chatel, which I reviewed here on The Book Chook blog. The book tells the story of a shy young girl who begins to bond with her new stepfather through sharing his love of photography. At the back of the book is a section that encourages young readers to try using a camera themselves.

To celebrate the release of A Talent for Quiet, Chatel Village is hosting a Photo-Poetry contest for kids in the US and Canada. The rules are simple, send in a photo and a poem to go along with it. Photos can be of any subject and poems can be any length. Send a flower photo with a 3 line Haiku or an action photo with an epic poem. Your choice.

The winning entry will receive a digital photo frame, courtesy of Dan’s Camera City, as well as a 3 book prize pack from Kim Chatel. Two honorable mentions will also receive the book prize packs. The first 96 photos/poems will be published in an ebook, and be available as a free download from Guardian Angel Publishing. Contest runs from September 1st , 2009 to January 31st, 2010.

Spread the word among the kids you know! Full contest guidelines are available at Chatel Village.

Australia - Lord Sunday Poster Competition

Do you know and love The Keys of the Kingdom series by Garth Nix? Did you know that Lord Sunday, the conclusion to the series, will be published in 2010? Design a poster about Lord Sunday for the chance to win glory, books and cash.

Get creative and you could be in the running to win a complete set of Keys to the Kingdom books (including a hot-off-the-press copy of Lord Sunday), signed by Garth Nix, plus $250 cash!

The winner's poster design will be professionally printed and showcased during Garth Nix's tour for Lord Sunday early next year. Closing date for entries is 30th November 2009. The winner will be determined by Garth Nix.

More details at the website.

UK (plus a section for International ESL) - Old Possum's Children's Poetry Competition 2009

To link with the theme of National Poetry Day 2009, the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf is asking children aged 7-11 to write a poem on the theme of ‘Heroes and Heroines’. Eligible age groups: 7-8 and 9-11. Poems must be no longer than 25 lines.

Submissions will be free, and can be emailed to us or sent by post, and will be accepted from Thursday 10th September 2009.

Learn more at the website. Grab free downloads about writing poetry with kids!

Party Like a Pirate

Tif from Tif Talks Books told me she is using an article I wrote in Literacy Lava 2 to help with her own Pirate Literacy party. I am publishing it here in case any of my blog readers didn't grab Literacy Lava 2 when it was first published (September 1, 2009), and would like an idea of what the free pdf for parents is about. The real article inside Literacy Lava 2 is much prettier; this is just the text.


Let's Have a Pirate Party!
by Susan Stephenson

Is it just me, or do food and books seem to go really well together? I love to take a children's book as inspiration, and base activities around it. Somehow or other, especially when kids are involved, many of those activities are about food!

One of my favourite picture books is The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate. I also loved the Captain Pugwash books. There are many books about pirates, though, aimed at children of different ages, and in different genres. Try your local library, or Google "pirate books". Once you've chosen your book, read it together and look for inspiration on activities you can do.

Don't forget, a pirate party can be just for two, or cater to a larger group. Here are some of my ideas that you can adapt to suit your particular pirates.

Dress up
Encourage your kids to use their imaginations and create their own pirate costumes. It helps if you have a dress up box with lengths of material (pirate sash), cardboard pieces (eye patch, weapons, telescope, hook, hat), assorted shirts and pants. Tucking long pants into long socks helps, and stuffed toys can be pressed into the role of companion parrot.

Circle Story
Have pirates sit in a circle. Each pirate says one word/one sentence aloud as his contribution to a group story.

Pirate Challenges
Think up some fun challenges for pirates to perform. Can they sit at a table and write the word pirate while they make circles with their leg, from the knee down? Can they work out what's inside a bag while blindfolded? (Objects like a peeled grape for an eyeball are popular.)

Treasure Map
Hide some treasure, or some of those chocolate coins. Make a map to give clues as to the whereabouts of your treasure.

Pirate Cake
Make the cake together after looking up cakes online or browsing a cake decorating book. Reading recipes is great practice for functional literacy.

More Pirate Food
Turn little sausages into dead men's fingers; find a treasure chest, line it with foil and have cut up fruit in it; decorate iced cup cakes with skull and crossbones cut from licorice. Or stick to the food in any pirate themed picture book. What does your child think pirates ate? Do some research together online and see how authentic you can be.

Pirates can't be marauding all day. Quiet time might revolve around a book corner, with lots of pirate books to share, or paint and crayons for creating stories and pictures about themselves. A fun group project might be making a big poster-sized pirate and then playing Pin the Patch on the Pirate with blindfolds.

A great day to hold a piratical party would be September 19. Why? It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The one day of the year you can "shiver me timbers" and "avast ye scurvy knaves" to your heart's content. Name yourself as a famous pirate, and set sail for fun and adventure!

###

Inside Literacy Lava 2, you will also find wonderful articles by Kim Chatel, Terry Doherty, Sandy Fussell, Dee White, Dawn Morris and Valerie Baartz. There's a kid's activity page and some useful online resources. And did I mention it's free? Clicking on Literacy Lava 2 will take you to the download.

Image attribution: Phillip Martin Clipart

Useful Site for Parents and Teachers (3)

There's a new free educational game website in the cyberworld: Game Classroom.

"Game Classroom is a one-stop web destination for accessing high-quality educational games, and homework help for K-6 students."

Games from all over the web are sorted according to skill, topic and grade level. It's a nice neat and attractive interface. There's a homework help section with learning tips, online resources and sample problems. According to the site, content was created by professional educators with over 200 years of teaching experience, and has been outlined using US state educational standards. I liked the fact that there are games here simple enough for the under fives, yet more challenging ones too.

There are heaps of Language Arts games, (also Maths). I tried:
Loosey Goosey Rhymes where I found missing letters to finish a simple rhymes
Reggie Loves to Rhyme where I chose words to help Reggie
Alien Scavenger Hunt where I made simple words by shooting letters
Poem Pack where I listened to poems then chose rhyming words.

Game Classroom actually leads you to external sites some of the time eg Poem Pack is on the BBC Schools site. This is a great way for parents and teachers to become aware of the many useful educational sites out there, without having to sift and sort themselves.

I couldn't make the search feature on the home page find a game I'd previously played, but that could be browser conflict. Also, one of the games I chose (Letter Rip) led to a site that suggested I pay to avoid popup ads, and also download the game onto my computer before I could play. As always, I recommend parental guidance. Generally though, I was impressed with the opportunities that Game Classroom offers kids to develop literacy skills and test their knowledge in a safe and fun environment.

Useful Sites for Parents and Teachers (2)

ABCya

ABCya hooked me from the get-go with their site description - where education and technology meet. There's a lot of fun lurking here, as well as opportunities for children to develop skills. The games and activities were all developed by teachers and cover Kindergarten to Fifth Grade. Do you like the robot I designed in Make a Robot? (picture at left.) There are stories to read, math games, creative games, vocabulary games...hundreds, and it's all free and simple to navigate. This one gets ten Book Chook feathers of approval!

Crayola Literacy Resources

On International Literacy Day, Crayola offered resources that encourage kids to write - there are printable pages like My Diary, and Rhyming Mini Book, plus a slew of lesson plans around book reports, storytelling and the craft of writing. One of the many I liked was Word Worms, a vocabulary brainstorm activity.

Scholastic's I Spy

I love games and puzzles, and particularly puzzle books like the I Spy series. Check out this part of Scholastic's huge site that offers games, riddles and fun for the whole family. The games are interactive, and kids who aren't at the reading stage can listen to the clues. I like the neat zoom in/zoom out feature that enabled me to search the pictures more easily. Can your child find all the picture clues in I Spy City?

Links to Literacy
There are some great tips for parents on this site. Of course, I had to watch the video of Bill Martin reading Brown Bear again, but I also appreciated Dawn's ideas on making reading boy-friendly. The great news: Dawn will be contributing to Literacy Lava 3!

You might also be interested in these Book Chook posts: Useful Sites for Parents and Teachers (1), MES, a useful literacy resource for parents, and there are stacks more internet literacy resources in Be a Pirate Parent, and More Goodies for Pirate Parents. Don't miss Literacy Lava 2, a free pdf, erupting with tips for parents about children's literacy.

Book Review, My Extraordinary Life and Death

When I taught Year Six, I was always on the lookout for books that would appeal to my reluctant readers. Usually these children were boys, and often they were reluctant to read because making sense of print was so darn difficult for them. I loved to find books that would tickle their funny bones when I read them aloud. They loved humorous poetry in particular, and would fight over these read-alouds for their independent reading. The rhyme, the short pieces, and the pay-off of humour all helped make the book attractive. The fact I’d repeatedly read certain poems meant these students could predict text more easily, and decode difficult words with the help of their auditory memory.

A huge favourite of my eleven- and twelve-year-olds was Sister Madge’s Book of Nuns, by Doug MacLeod. I followed MacLeod’s career as a writer of TV shows like The Comedy Company and SeaChange, and was delighted to learn that Ford Street Publishing had recently ( May, 2009) brought out MacLeod’s My Extraordinary Life and Death.

This book is not a book of poetry. Nor is it a chapter book. It’s not exactly a picture book, although there is a charming, old-fashioned picture on every page. But rather than continuing to list what it isn’t, here is the blurb from the back cover:

What exactly is The Tight Trouser Club?

Where do you buy children at bargain prices?

How do you survive a father who buries you in the garden whenever you misbehave?

And whom do you contact when your wife starts to shrink? None of these questions are answered in My Extraordinary Life and Death, though what do you expect if the author is dead?

A roller-coaster of madness and surreal comedy awaits the reader brave enough to open the pages of this truly remarkable book.

I enjoyed it. My husband enjoyed it. Together we grinned over MacLeod’s clever twists of humour and bizarre interpretations of the old engravings. More importantly, I think young teens would enjoy it. I hope the crew from Monty Python can get back together and produce it as a musical!

The age guide for My Extraordinary Life and Death weighs in at 13+, but I found nothing offensive in the book to make it unsuitable for slightly younger children. Get a glimpse at Ford Street's website. Alas, I’m no longer teaching Year Six, but if I were, I know this book would become fought-over, and find a firm place in all our hearts.

Create Story with Storybird

I've been following the progress of Storybird for a while now, and was so excited to hear today they'd launched their version 0.1. I suspected it would be another wonderful web space where kids could write for an authentic audience. But I didn't know I'd have so much fun creating stories there!

It really is super simple, and speedy. It took me one minute to register, two minutes to explore and then I was using their slick storymaker. The artwork available is just fabulous, so I decided to choose an artist I liked, and fling some captions together to create a test book, Peabody and Bear. Choosing one artist is difficult, as there are several artists, all with a range of illustrations. I chose a couple of pics that wouldn't load, but it wasn't so much of a problem, as there were plenty more, and I expect small glitches when they're in beta.

I'm fairly sure the site will later be a paying one, and of course, especially if you want to purchase a printed version. Right now though, it's free to join like I just did. Sharing stories is so important for children's literacy development, and this site encourages them to make and share their own stories. I hope you'll join me there!

The video below explains best how Storybird works.

Storybird Quick Tour from Storybird on Vimeo.

National Literacy and Numeracy Week (Australia)

This week is National Literacy and Numeracy Week in Australia. The theme is getting the basics right. To me, that means putting an emphasis on quality literature, and encouraging kids to have a love of reading, rather than continually counting how many words they can read! National Reading Day (September 2) had the theme of a Story Sharing Safari.

Here are some suggested activities for a Story Sharing Safari from the NLNW website:

A reading performance. Present a reader’s theatre (have students write a reader’s theatre script using one of the books) and invite friends, family and community to come along to your performance. In writing the script, you might even add a twist to the original story!

A reading production. Make digital books (or paper books) in small groups in the weeks leading up to National Reading Day using one of the selected books or one of your choosing as springboards to retells and innovations on the stories. On National Reading Day, share your stories with family and friends at school, at a local community centre or perhaps at a school nearby where you can swap stories.

Parents, friends and community. Host a reading and storytelling event – a Readers’ Tea, afternoon tea, tales at twilight, a storytelling evening... Invite family and friends of your school to listen to the book(s) you have been reading. Ask them to bring their favourite book or story to share with your class - why not record their stories (with their permission) and create a story repository that can be listened to long after NRD is over? What a lovely resource for reading time at school.

Authors and storytellers in your community. Find some authors and storytellers in your local community and invite them along to share their stories. You might even be lucky enough to have a cultural group who could share stories and dance. Why not design and conduct interviews with them and make a podcast for your website? Perhaps they will share some of their writing secrets and dance steps with you!

The website also has some links worth exploring. Great ideas for schools, and adaptable by families.

When I look at the global statistics on literacy, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Unesco says, "Today one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women while 75 million children are out of school." My own literacy has been so important to me - reading, writing and communicating bring me pleasure, educate me, allow me to collaborate with people across the world. So what must it be like not to have access to literacy? And what on earth can I do about it?

Any journey, however long, starts with small steps. Sharing a love of literacy, and spreading the word about the importance of literacy is something we can do through our blogs, our communities, and via organizations dedicated to improving literacy. We can also make literacy a habit in our homes. Reading and writing in front of our kids is important so that they will see how much we value those activities. Reading aloud is such a fun way of celebrating literacy! We can do that with our own kids, or volunteer at a nearby school, or even one in another country.

Making literacy a daily habit in our own lives is often just a matter of remembering. Literacy Lava, a free pdf for parents, shares tips for those who want to cultivate that literacy habit.

International Literacy Day is on September 8. What will you do to celebrate?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitikusa/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Useful Sites for Parents and Teachers

Here are some great websites I've discovered over the last couple of weeks.

My English Images

I love Michael Kloran's art work. His website has some great activities for ESL teachers, but it's well worth a look around for parents. Some of the activities on offer can definitely be adapted for kids whose native language is English, like the downloadable pdfs on this drawing activity page. Michael's images can be used by teachers and parents for class or personal use, and would make great flash cards for a reading game. However no images may be published on websites without written consent.

Backyardigans

Sometimes you need really simple activities for younger children, perhaps to tuck into their backpacks for a holiday trip, or for a boredom-buster box you pull out if they need to stay in bed when unwell. Backyardigans has some lovely printables, just right for the under fives. There are simple picture puzzles you can print out, glue onto card, and cut into a few big pieces, some booklets with song lyrics, and heaps of printable pages that promote reading, spelling, letter and number recognition.

Finger Strings

Remember those designs like cat's cradle that you wove between your hands as a child? There are lots more designs, including stories to tell, on this UK site.

PreKinders - Rhyming Words

Some lovely games to help kids rhyme.

Kids Nursery Rhymes and Riddles

Rhymes to Singalong

Little Authors

A web space for kids who love to write, free for them to publish and share their work.

Dibdabdoo

No search engine is completely child safe, which is why experts recommend that parents supervise their children's internet usage, and educate their kids about online dangers. But here is a search engine that guarantees that at least the sites it brings up have been reviewed by humans as being child safe. "Dibdabdoo.com searches around 2 million kid/teen safe sites and the database is growing daily. The engine used on Dibdabdoo.com does NOT crawl the Internet and add any site it comes across instead I use fast meta technology that crawls sites and databases that have been reviewed by human's and classified as kid/teen safe." (thanks to Audrey Nay for sending me this one!)

Don't forget, the new issue of Literacy Lava is available right now!