The Importance of Words

"Mama, my throat hurts," my two-year old niece said.

And my sister knew it was time to rush to the emergency room.

It turns out that an allergy (to cashews? we'll find out after tests...)
has the ability to make this little girl stop breathing...
Anaphylactic shock

How does Auntie Tat deal with the situation?
Biblio-therapy ... This book is actually simple and clear enough to work for the littlest ones:


All this to say ... how important it is for little ones to be able to communicate ... how important to share words with little ones...

Recommended EBooks

I just saw a YouTube ad for the following book. Will explore to help plan financial literacy for children library programs. I would like to project and share the following eBook at a grandparent advertised/invited family library program.

Technology for Babies

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Laugh-Learn-Apptivity-Case/dp/B004UU9W78/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1319233157&sr=8-12

Thoughts?

We Are All In a Story

This is my first blog post from my new computer!  Yes, it was time to make the leap from my 2003 desktop ... I'm still in the (learning) process of moving things from the old to the new ... Did you know a CAT5 crossover cord is the cheapest cord to transfer information from computer to laptop?  At least that's what I've heard.  We'll see what happens when the item comes.



After trying to create a home sharing network and failing (my old computer needed to have Windows 7 which I was not willing to install), I hope this cord will expedite the process.

I debated about just uploading all my pictures to Shutterflly.  However, Shutterfly doesn't give you the option to download pictures saved on the site back to your computer.

So many technology options ...

At any rate, I wanted to share this quote with you.  It's my own when I was four years old.  Thanks to mom for writing it down so long ago!

"Everybody is growing up.  We are all in a story; Is it a real story?"

Child Development Reminders

Copied from http://connect.ala.org/files/ABCs%20of%20Early%20Literacy.pdf

In professional families --2,153 words per hour…11 million
In working class families --1,251 words per hour …6 million
In welfare families heard an average of 616 words per hour…3 million

•By kindergarten, a child from a welfare family could have heard 32 million words fewer than a classmate from a professional family.

•By age three, cumulative vocabulary for children:
professional families 1,100 words.
working class families750 words
welfare families it was just above 500 words.

•Children in professional families heard a higher ratio of encouragements to discouragements than their working class and welfare counterparts.

2011 Summer Reading School Visit

This year, I made my summer reading school visit presentation the same for kindergarteners through third graders.  (It was a thirty minute auditorium visit by grade.)  Here is the outline:

Click here for the "Kye Kye Kule" lyrics and song clip, or
listen/purchase the versions below:

Below are the embedded supporting posters.  (There are also in this blog's "Graphics" folder.)  Images are from Microsoft Clipart.  I used them as a models to draw images for the other motions (not pictured).




I chose "The Alligator's Whistle" which is a musical story from Anne Pellowski's Storytelling Handbook


 , and I included optional audience participation. 

At one point in the presentation, I threw an inflatable globe (our library's summer reading prize/incentive) into the audience.  Whoever caught the globe had to say what they liked.  Of course, whatever they liked, I supported by mentioning the materials that the library had on that topic.  The older kids caught on to this trend and had fun trying to stump me with "likes" such as "cheese" and "sleeping" !!

Overall, the three most important steps I drill into the kids are:

International Children's Book Day OR One World, Many Stories

Happy International Children's Book Day!

I was reminded of the following resources.  They are also good resources for those following the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme "One World, Many Stories."

Outstanding International Books from the United States Board on Books for Young People:
http://www.usbby.org/outstanding_international_books_list.htm

International Children's Book Day Activities
http://www.usbby.org/icbdideas.htm

International Children's Digital Library
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

Sharing Stories with Preschoolers

This morning I co-presented "Sharing Stories with Preschoolers" to a local High School's senior class. Aside from the fact that all of the students were taller than me ;) and the idea that there's always room for self-improvement (How can I be more inspirational and informative?), the presentation went well. The bibliography for this presentation can be found on my professional wiki under "Workshop Handouts."

Websites for Those Working with Children

Puzzlemaker -- word searches, math squares, mazes, cryptograms

Teachers and Families Working Together -- preschool themes/activities, K-12 resources, parenting resources

Site of the Month Archive from kids.gov

Java Games and Puzzles -- daily chess problem and more

Flash games, web books (Diary of a Wimpy Kid ...), comics and more at Funbrain

How Leaders Learn

"The true test of intelligence is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do." John Holt in How Children Fail (205)

While Holt's classic title provides ideas for leaders who work with children, general concepts can be applied to all areas of leadership. In the section from which the above quote is taken, Holt suggests that success occurs when one meets a new situation or problem openly, utilizing the mind and senses of imagination, resourcefulness, confidence and hopefulness. When anaylzing these initial behaviors, he or she is willing to accept and learn from mistakes.


In this same title, Holt discusses "real learning" (136-7) which applies to students of all ages. Something is understood when:

1) one can state it in one's own words
2) one can give an example of it
3) one can recognize the concept in various guises and circumstances
4) one can make connections between the new concept and other facts or ideas
5) one can utilize the new information in various ways
6) one can foresee some of its consequences
7) one can state its opposite or converse

Discovering the World of Children

My first experience involving young children (which was inadvertently also my first experience with storytime) was in middle school.

As part of a seventh or eighth grade honors English "career mentorship" project, I was paired with then Vindicator columnist Jane Tims. While I wasn't necessarily considering a career in journalism, Jane provided experiences based on a love of writing and reading. For example, I was able to attend a Scribblers meeting and share my poetry. I was able to write her emails sharing my teenage thoughts and feelings. I even accompanied her on a visit to a Youngstown city school where she volunteered her time to read them a story ...

After the story, Jane stayed a while longer to help the children (and thus the teacher!) with their school work. While I didn't then know the best words or all of the appropriate reactions to use when interacting with children, I remember feeling good about being there. The children amazed me ... their tangible emotions whether energized and exuberant or contemplative and reserved ... awed me. It was a satisfying and a surprising journey of self-discovery to guide them as they worked through questions. I remember talking about this experience when I got home ...

Isn't it strange how this (until now, forgotten) experience fits as piece into the puzzle of now?