Nurturing Literacy

Here we are already on day three of March. In addition to welcoming more daylight and warmth into our lives, we celebrate Read Across America week, National Women’s Month and Music in Our School Month. It’s not the easiest time in our country right now, so it’s good to have reasons to celebrate, to reflect, and to come together.

In 1998, the National Education Association launched Read Across America. The goal is to celebrate the joys of reading in schools and homes across the nation. This celebration always begins on March 2, the birthday of Theodore Giesel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Seuss’ many books for children had a significant impact. His rhyming books and characters have universal appeal. They make us laugh and can also prompt deep thinking and discussion.

In many schools, this entire week, is devoted to a myriad of reading activities and celebrations. In fact, if you’re a parent, you might be cursing Dr. Seuss about now because, most likely, you will be tasked with dressing your child in a particular color, sending in a snack, showing up for a performance at school or lots of other inventive events that will snatch some of your precious time. I get it. Been there, done that, as both a parent and teacher.

With that said, it is a joyful week and I urge you to embrace the spirit of it and remember the amazing benefits of reading to our children, with our children and on our own. Perhaps you will even find time to rummage around your home and pull out a favorite book (not necessarily Dr. Seuss) to share with your kids.

The Cat in the Hat is my favorite Seuss book. Maybe that’s because I never tired of sharing it with my kids, grandkids and students, or maybe it’s because I’m in love with weighted line, “What would you do if your mother asked you?.” Care to share your favorite Seuss book?

We’ve all heard the saying, “Expect the unexpected.” Well, the unexpected hit us last Sunday night around 6:00 PM. I was in the middle of making dinner when the electricity went off. Clearly, the high winds were the culprit. We waited, we hoped, but a few hours later our son insisted we come to his place to stay the night. Long story short, around 12:15 AM, a neighbor texted that our electricity was on. Hooray! We figured all was well. However, when we arrived home, we were dismayed to find that our cable service was off, which meant no computer, no television, and no Wifi on our phones. Initially, we thought it would be fixed in a few hours. Not so. Service was not restored until almost noon on Wednesday.

Of course, in the big scheme of things, this is a minor inconvenience. In fact, I rather enjoyed the respite. Thankfully, I had several books to devour and didn’t really miss the television and computer. That was because several months ago I purchased a rechargeable reading light that hangs around my neck and has several levels of brightness. Although we had no electricity, my handy neck light allowed me to read. This has become one of my favorite gadgets because I love to tuck into bed at night and read. The neck lamp has eliminated the need to turn on my bedside lamp and now I don’t have to get out of bed to turn it off when I’m ready to sleep. The direct bright light onto my book or magazine is easy on the eyes and makes the whole reading experience better for me.

As I a considered on a topic for this blog, it occurred to me that not only adults, but kids would love this little light. Children respond so well to anything that is new and different. Offering them a “special magic light” so they could read in bed just might go a long way towards encouraging a reading habit. I bet you wouldn’t have to coax your child to try this out in bed, in a homemade tent, or in some other special space. Amazon has several of them and they are priced anywhere from $10 to $20 dollars. In my opinion, this is a real bargain for such a clever gadget. Just search Amazon for “reading neck light” and take your pick. My guess is that you’ll wind up buying several. What a unique gift for kids and adults alike.

Looking ahead, I want to remind everyone that Wednesday, February 26, is “Tell A Fairytale Day.” Classic fairytales are part of our cultural literacy and it’s important that youngsters are familiar with them for a variety of reasons. Often, references to fairytales appear in both fiction and non-fiction alike, as well as conversation. Children that don’t have exposure to them simply “won’t get it” when this occurs. These tales also clearly delineate good and evil, allow children to experience magic and fantasy that spark imagination, and promote thinking. This week would be a good time to pick a fairytale you loved and share it with your child.

Stay well and be sure to share your questions or ideas about encouraging kids to read.

I’m a native of Philadelphia and have lived in the suburbs of Philly since I was 17. Since the Eagle’s Super Bowl win on Sunday, there’s been a palpable feeling of love and excitement in the air. My football-loving family was ecstatic, everyone is still sporting green and many of my loved ones will attend the parade on Friday.

Of course, Friday is also Valentine’s Day, which only ramps up the good vibes. What you may not know is that Friday is also International Book Giving Day and Read to Your Child Day. Can it get any better than this?

With all these events in mind, I have a few timely reading suggestions to offer. Whether you live in the Philly area or not, it’s always fun to think about a parade. Back in 2020, I highlighted a book written by Andrea Denish, entitled, Everyone Loves a Parade (https://helpurchildread.com/2020/05/22/everyone-loves-a-parade/). It’s a timeless picture book that you and your family will enjoy, even if you can’t attend the Eagle’s celebratory parade on Friday.

In the spirit of International Book Day, Read to Your Child Day, and Valentines Day, a great way to share the love is not only reading to your children, but gifting them with a meaningful book. Here are a few titles worthy of reading aloud and purchasing as a Valentine for your youngster. A book is a permanent gift of love that has the power to touch a child’s heart many times over.

From the first time I read it, I fell in love with the picture book, When Love is More Than Words by Jocelyn Chung. Although her family does not often say “I love you,” this little girl recognizes the many ways the people in her family share their love. The detailed illustrations enhance the meaningful message of this sweet picture book. As a family read-aloud, this text is sure to prompt thoughtful discussion and positive feelings.

Attend the Parade, gift a book, read a book and let’s keep love in the air!

Beginnings of any kind always challenge and excite me. As a teacher, my job began anew every September. It was a definite perk of a being a teacher. When January arrives, I’m eager to take stock of my life and create a list of goals or resolutions. The beginning of summer, the beginning of a new day or simply a new venture fills me with energy. This blog, Nurturing Literacy began nine years ago, with the goal of helping parents (or anyone who cares about kids), to foster literacy development. Today, I begin again with the same goal in mind. For the past year, I’ve taken a hiatus from Nurturing Literacy, but today I begin again, with a renewed spirit and readiness to reopen our conversation. I hope you will find value in these posts and consider joining me on a regular basis by subscribing.

Over the past year, I’ve delved into some wonderful books and research about the benefits of reading aloud to everyone from birth to old age. The studies are impressive and the benefits far-reaching. Now I’m more convinced than ever that reading aloud is the best way to strengthen literacy skills in the home and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Today, I’d like to share a series of books that could be read aloud and enjoyed by kids of any age and their parents. The Bad Seed, is the first in a series of six books written by John Jory and illustrated by Pete Oswald. These clever, creative, humorous books will make you laugh out loud, but also offer food for thought and opportunity for discussion. Perhaps you have seen or read one of these enjoyable books, but everyone of them is worth your time (and even your money), should you choose to grab some for your personal library. Jory hits it out of the park with his unique characters, sensitive insight and hilarity. Sure to entertain, Oswald’s drawings will captivate you and your kids and you’ll have fun examining every page.

Hope you will hunt these winners down as soon as possible and let me know what you think. Read on!