by Herve Tullet

Electronics, once again, top the charts in sales this holiday season! We live in an electronic world, with children playing on their iTouch, iPad, iPhone, Android, Nintendo DS, PSP, Kindle, XBox, or Wii, to name a few.

Put down the electronics because ,with great pleasure, I would like to introduce you to a picture book that is sure to capture the attention of any child. It is so interactive that it is hard to believe that the experience it offers comes from old fashioned printed pages!

In this creative book, Press Here, Herve Tullet, invites his readers to “press here and turn the page”…who can resist not to? With that, the journey begins! Children are easily engaged as they are instructed to press the dots, blow on the pages, shake the pages, tilt the book and more to wonder what will happen next. Readers are amused as they watch the dots multiply, change in color, change in size, switch their order and so on.

As if the excitement of action and reaction weren’t enough, the reader is rewarded for following directions with positive comments encouraging them to continue. Great! Well Done! Fabulous! Bravo! Who wouldn’t want to keep going?

The reader is exposed to the concept of left and right. “”Rub the dot on the left”..as it changes from yellow to red. “Rub the dot on the right” as it changes from yellow to blue. The reader gets exposure to counting..”Five taps on the yellow dot” and watch as the dots multiply. There is exposure to color as they are instructed to press only on certain colored dots. Two dots happen to switch places which introduces the concept of patterns. Can you find them?

Shake the book…the dots scatter. Tilt the book…the dots slide. Clap your hands..the dots grow bigger and bigger. This unique picture book is so interactive it is hard to believe that it is just a book. It definitely utilizes the power of imagination and leaves children and adults wanting to read it again and again. Luckily, the pages are thick and high in quality to endure frequent and repeated use!

Your children will not be disappointed by putting down their electronics for this printed adventure!

Are  your children making their lists for Santa that go something like this…

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good girl this year and I would like this and this and this and this.

Love,

Susie

Advent calendars..all four of my daughters have them and get really excited that they can actually eat a piece of chocolate everyday after breakfast..Sadly, that is the meaning of the Advent Calendar to my kids.

However, we have found a wonderful Holiday Tradition that they all love and that reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas every day in December. Perhaps you have all heard of The Magic Elf. If not, allow me to introduce you..

“The Magic Elf is a 25 day Christmas adventure for kids! A Santa doll with a daily Christmas message, The Magic Elf is a new holiday tradition that offers children an opportunity to enjoy the excitement of Christmas while helping parents reinforce the true meaning behind the holiday. The Santa figure comes with 25 Christmas messages. The messages include why the holiday is called Christmas, why gifts are exchanged, the nativity story, and other suggestions for teaching children about the spirit of Christmas.”

It is sure to be a cherished tradition. The Magic Elf flies around everynight so the children must find him every morning and read the message he has left for them. Like the Advent Calendars, the Magic Elf arrives on December 1st and spreads joy and meaning throughout the month of December. On December 1st he says,

“Greetings! I am the Magic Elf..I am so glad you found me. Each night until Christmas, I will wake up, fly around to stretch  my wings and come to rest in a new spot with a message about the meaning of Christmas. When you wake up, come and find me. Be careful not to touch me because when I get scared my wings freeze..and I’ll be stuck. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Love, The Magic Elf”

We are known to all say in unison, “Love, The Magic Elf”…My kids are also so fond of The Magic Elf that they are known to leave him notes and even gifts or snacks. It does get a bit tricky when they leave him a questionaire to fill out about his personal information. All in all,  his meaning is very much appreciated.

Todays message said, “Good Morning. Christmas is a time for love. Give someone you love a hug today and tell them how much they mean to you. See you tomorow. (in unison) Love, The Magic Elf”

Who doesn’t love a little reminder about the true meaning of Christmas? This is a holiday tradition we treasure. What holiday traditions do you enjoy with your children?

by Keith Baker

“No two snowflakes are alike,

almost, almost

…..but not quite”

Take a journey with two adventurous birds through a snow fallen forest. Explore the wintery landscape to discover that “no two are alike”…from branches and leaves to forests and trees. This book has very simple yet poetic verse which makes it a wonderful read a loud that is sure to capture the attention of all children. It is a beautiful depiction of the uniqueness of everyone and everything around us. A sweet affirmation of how we are all “one of a kind” and how individuality is a part of life. What a nice way to celebrate differences and applaud uniqueness.

“No two friends, large or small, no two alike among you all?”

“Are we the same, just alike?

almost, almost

….but not quite.

I highly recommend that you add this to your reading list this winter!

Is my child ready for school? What about the kindergarten cut off date for enrollment in relation to my child’s birthday? What can I do to prepare my child at home? Is my child on target developmentally? My child isn’t pronouncing certain sounds, should I worry? What should I look for in choosing a quality preschool program? …

If you find that you have raised one or more of these questions in your own mind, I would like to introduce you to a valuable resource relating to Kindergarten Readiness.

www.kindergartenreadiness.net

Kindergarten Readiness.net provides a wealth of information related to preparing children for school, all compiled into one user-friendly website. They offer articles, downloadable and printable resources, comprehensive e-books, useful links and coverage of hot topics to help parents and educators provide young children with the very best early childhood education possible. Jaclyn Bower holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and is the founder of Kindergarten Readiness.net. Like me, she believes that kids are capable of so much. With the proper ingredients the learning that can take place is limitless! Consider the potential if both parents and teachers  exposed them to information in the right environment and in a developmentally appropriate way.

Enjoy a letter from the founder and I encourage you to check out www.kindergartenreadiness.net as it is full of valuable information as it relates to preschool, preschool curriculums and kindergarten readiness. Likewise, if you find any other websites as equally resourceful, please share!

Founder’s Letter

Dear Parent or Educator,

My name is Jaclyn Morris Bower. I have held teaching credentials in three states. I received my first teaching credential from the University of Richmond in Virginia. I have since taught first grade, kindergarten, and preschool in Georgia and California. Before deciding to devote my time fully to this website, I was the Early Childhood Director at a lovely school in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

I have created this Kindergarten Readiness website because I want children to love their kindergarten experience, to feel confident and proud of their accomplishments. Preparation is the key. You are children’s first and most important teachers. So many parents tell me that they want to help their child learn to read, write, draw, and count, etc, but they just don’t know how. Often there are skills learned in kindergarten that parents never even think of! Well, here it is, all in one place : what to do to best prepare your child for school, how to give your child a head-start. Take each child’s education into your own hands. Don’t allow children to struggle through kindergarten- it is such a crucial year.

I believe that kids are capable of so much more than adults give them credit for. Parents and teachers need to work together to expose them to the right information and the right environment in a developmentally-appropriate way and they will soar to unimaginable heights! Explore this website for ways to making learning fun and effective.

Not one child should have to struggle through their first years of school, when this should be such a fun, exciting time for them. Unfortunately for many students and parents, it is a frustrating and disheartening time. Studies have shown that children who are not prepared for kindergarten will in many cases continue to fall behind in elementary school, and will struggle through middle school, high school, college, and even in adulthood. There could not be a more influential time in a child’s life than these preschool years! Schools are becoming increasingly more academic and fast-paced. Stress is placed particularly on reading, writing, and math skills. Standardized testing begins as early as the first week of kindergarten in most schools! Let’s help children glide through these years with confidence and excitement.

Best of luck to you and your children! If you have any questions, please email me.

You can read my Philosophy of Education here.

Sincerely,

Jaclyn Morris Bower

Next step…making the letter and sound connections! Perhaps you have heard parents say,  “my child learned to read phonetically” or  “I know of a good phonics program” or “phonetic awareness is important in learning how to read”. What exactly does all of that mean? For clarification, one must understand the following terms:

Phonics is the understanding that there is a relationship between letters and sounds. It involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters. It also invloves teaching how to blend sounds of letters together to create the sounds of unknown words. Thus, it pertains to the relationship between the spoken and written English language.

Phonetic Awareness is the ability to recognize individual sounds in a spoken language and to see relationships between sounds in words. It is also the understanding that these sounds can be manipulated and rearranged to create new words.

Phoneme is a sound unit in a language system

The goals of phonics instruction are to provide children with the ability to connect letter with sounds and to ensure that they know how to apply that knowledge into reading and writing. Research shows that students with phonics instruction were more effective in alphabetic knowledge and word reading and writing skills than those students that interfaced with instructional approaches that were less focused on phonics instruction.

Phonics can be fun! Hopefully, you have had a chance to check out our newly launched iPhone app Phonics Fun & Games.

Last week’s post, I talked about my daughter’s Life Cheringel. That was an example of her ability to phonectically or phonemically sound out the word triangle. That same child, who happens to be  prolific in her writings around the house, made a list. Note the title.

Directions

That was her list of “directions” (one must smile).

She happens to be a graduate of  the Pre K Scholars phonics-based program and clearly has no inhibitions with “sounding it out”.

Personally, as a mom, there are few greater joys than finding lists, notes, stories and any other written communications that have been produced by a child. I absolutely love to see how early readers  have sounded out words and what they choose to write about. You often hear of “Turtle Talk” or “Inventive Spelling” and the importance it plays developmentally on the emerging reader and writer. This all pertains to phonics and phonetic awareness. I came across a great blog post that I’d like to share. It is titled, “But how do you spell?” It is written by Annemarie Johnson, an educator for 25+ years, who is passionate about literacy. She is an incredible resource to parents and teachers everywhere, especially those in early education.

What do you do with preschoolers who are afraid to “sound it out”?

Every night at dinner we play the “High and Low” game. It has become a nightly ritual and amazing “aha moments” come out of this game. It allows us to sift through the day in it’s entirety and focus on the greatest part of our day and the not so great part of our day. We listen, we share and we comment. Some of the most valuable discussions about conflict resolution are sparked by the LOWS of this game and some of the best lessons in all things positive are magnified with the HIGHS that are shared.

Lastnight, during our game of High and Low, our 6 year old went and grabbed a napkin and a marker. She took the cap off the pen, drew a triangle and labelled it “Life Cheringel” (this brings to mind a whole other topic on phonetic spelling that will need to be shared later). Anyhow, she proceeded to tell us that this was her Life Triangle and then she began to fill it with all of  the things that are important to her. She segmented out little parts in her triangle… “Here is a spot for soccer” and “Here is a spot for piano”..etc..

As it turns out, she was actually making a plea that she had some extra space in her triangle that should be filled with Musical Theater and could we please sign her up.

Clever approach, yes, but, where does a 6 year old come up with the profound idea of a Life Triangle? I actually like the concept and it sure provoked a lot of conversation at the dinner table. For an hour, we all discussed and justified what was worthy enough to be in our own Life Triangle.

Think about it….What would your Life Triangle consist of?

Pre K Scholars, originator of the 2011 Media of the Year Award winning Kindergarten Readiness Kit DVD, is delighted to announce its first iPhone app, Phonics Fun and Games for 3-6 year olds. Priced at $3.99, the four-in-one app’s easy to use interface allows children to play all four games independent of parental oversight. Phonics Cards, uses the Kindergarten Readiness Kit’s popular animated multicultural Scholarville characters to introduce upper and lower case letters and sounds. Guessing Game, Trace & Learn, and Matching & Memory introduce preschoolers to the fun of learning while enhancing essential skills for kindergarten success, letter sound recognition, letter formation and handwriting, memory, thinking, visual and fine motor skills.

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“ C l a s s room research shows that, on the average, children who are
taught phonics get off to a better start in learning to read than children
who are not taught phonics.”
Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson

El Dorado Hills, CA (PRWEB) October 11, 2011

Pre K Scholars has released its first iPhone app, Phonics Fun and Games, based on the Scholarville characters in its award winning, phonics-based Kindergarten Readiness Kit.

“We are so pleased with our new four-in-one phonics-based app, Phonics Fun and Games,” said former kindergarten teacher and Pre K Scholars founder, Amy Schwary. “It is fun and easy for 3-6 year olds to master and works beautifully either freestanding or as a supplement to our Kindergarten Readiness Kit DVD. Parents and preschools can use the app to reinforce any phonics-based preschool curriculum or for independent study.” The Phonics Cards section of the app introduces upper and lowercase letters and sounds and responds to visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners. These concepts are then reinforced in the three fun games, Guessing Game, Trace & Learn, and Matching & Memory, that children can play on their own. The high repetition capacity of all the games is beneficial to all children and provides a particularly beneficial tool for those with learning disabilities such as Down’s syndrome and autism or ESL (English as Second Language) learners.

The Guessing Game section provides three clues to a place or thing that begins with the letter under study. There are 5 cards per letter for a total of 130. “The Guessing Game is a favorite of our preschool curriculum,” said Schwary, “so we simply had to include it. It reinforces beginning sounds and vocabulary development. We are unaware of any app with a similar game.”

Trace & Learn demonstrates proper upper and lower case letter formation by showing how letters are made. A child simply drags his/her finger along the letter connecting the green star to the red star thereby learning the fundamentals of letter formation and handwriting.

The final game, Matching and Memory, enhances memory, thinking and visual skills by flipping and matching upper and lower case cards. An infinite number of possibilities are included so a child will never see the same combination of upper and lower case letters twice. The prototypes were so well received by children that Schwary warns parents, “Just be ready. Your children will be forever pestering you for your phone.”

Pre K Scholars has released its first iPhone app, Phonics Fun and Games, based on the Scholarville characters in its award winning, phonics-based Kindergarten Readiness Kit.
Digital Attic developed the app in collaboration with Pre K Scholars. “We were hired by Pre K Scholars to adapt and animate their preschool curriculum to the DVD that was launched March 2011 and became sold on the program and its Scholarville characters,” said Digital Attic vice president, Troy Vasquez. “My wife is a school teacher and my daughter is four so I did not have to go far to test the app as we refined it. My daughter loves all four games and can play them all without any help from me, an important design requirement we had to meet for Pre K Scholars.”

Next for Pre K Scholars and Digital Attic are Phonics Fun and Games apps for the iPad and Android platforms.

To learn more about the Pre K Scholars preschool curriculum and approach to kindergarten readiness, visithttp://www.prekscholars.com. To learn more about custom website and mobile app development, visithttp://www.digitalattic.com

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