By Sheila Wathen / I am continuing with a series on Poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month. Why is poetry great for young kids? One reason is because it helps develop something called “phonological awareness.” This is the ability to listen for and identify the differences between various sounds that make up our language.…
By Sheila Wathen / April is National Poetry Month, and I’d like to start a series that talks about poetry for kids. Why? Well, read on. When my daughter was in third grade, she was required to memorize and recite a poem. When she first came home with the assignment, I was worried that she…
By Sheila Wathen / I love the smell and taste of freshly-baked bread. While I am NOT very good at baking anything with yeast in it (let’s just say I am completely flummoxed by the whole process of getting yeast to do what it is supposed to do, plus I am too impatient for all…
By Cathy Chesher / Anyone who has ever been to at least a few of my storytimes knows that I like to incorporate flannelboard, or feltboard, activities in almost every storytime. I might tell The Three Little Pigs, sing B-I-N-G-O, recite nursery rhymes like Jack and Jill or invite active participation by having children put…
By Rhaea Miller / A few weeks ago my second grader brought home a delightful little essay about what she wanted to be when she grew up.She said she wanted to be a veterinarian.She has been a wildcard her whole life, so the idea that she had aspirations beyond lying on the floor watching TV…
By Safca Frost / Our family’s interests include aviation, science, and reading. We love learning about ‘the greats’ and their lives and this includes some fascinating women. My children see little difference between the accomplishments of Amelia Earhart, for instance, and Charles Lindbergh. My son sees Amelia Earhart as a pilot and an adventurer who…
By Rhaea Miller / Having entered that-which-is-ordinarily-a-spring month, I understand everyone’s excitement to get this winter over and done with. We have been in a deep freeze for so long, my kids are all pretty sure we are never going to see grass again. That being said, there is a certain refined quality that comes…
By Safca Frost / I have four children, all of whom love to read. My husband and I introduced our children to reading at a young age; our son, who is now ten years old, was just a couple of weeks old. Really! As soon as I had caught up on some sleep I sat…
By Sheila Wathen / Did you notice? The gardening supplies are now creeping into the stores! Yes, spring really is not far away, though I know the piles of snow outside don’t really make it seem so. Kids love the magic of seeds. Take a small, round seed, put in a pot, give it light…
By Safca Frost / This winter I have become a part-time home-school mom. During the past six weeks, my four children have been home more than they have been in school. We have frequented the local libraries to stock up on some good reads, worked hard on math and spelling, and have done lots of…