Turkey Trivia in Time for Thanksgiving

BigUniverse.com picture book offers turkey trivia just in time for Thanksgiving.

I picked up two turkeys today. One was a frozen 23-pounder from Publix, and the other was roosted nicely on BigUniverse.com.

I’ll have to wait a couple of weeks for the first one, but I got to consume the other in one short sitting. The big guy will take hours to roast, but should suffice when it’s time to feed my 22 Thanksgiving dinner guests. The other one is a year-round treat – a particularly tasty morsel for the younger set just learning to read.

“Turkeys” is a Bellwether beauty, written and illustrated for K-2^nd Graders (F&P GR: G   ATOS: 1.5   AR Points: 0.5.) It’s a Level 1 Blastoff! Reader with particularly crisp and colorful photographs, a handful of good vocabulary stretchers and an online reading quiz (AR Quiz: 118106). I think I will share it with a niece and nephew, whom I get to meet for the first time this Thanksgiving! Family time and reading go together like mashed potatoes and gravy.

For the older kid in all of us, I put together a turkey trivia quiz, plus a list of turkey-themed activity links. If those don’t get your gobble on, there’s always turkey bowling….frozen of course.

Turkey Trivia Quiz

1.)  What do you call a grownup male turkey?

1. A Tom Turkey
2. A Coattail Turkey
3. A Turkey Cob

Answer: No tricks here! A male turkey is called a “Tom Turkey.”

2.) What is a baby turkey called?

1. A pullet
2. A poult
3. A turklet

Answer: Juvenile male turkeys are sometimes called “jakes,” and juvenile females turkeys are sometimes referred to as “jennies,” but very young baby turkeys are called “poults,” so the answer is B.

3.) Male tom turkeys have these anatomical features:

1. Spurs, beard and horn
2. Beard, wattle and crest
3. Snood, caruncles, spurs

Answer: Male turkeys have lots of interesting features, especially their beautiful tail plumage. They also have spike-like spurs on their heels, a beard of skinny feathers dangling from their chests, a flap of skin called a “snood,” hanging over their beaks; “caruncles” – very bumpy wart-like skin – on their “bald” heads; and floppy skin under their necks, called “wattles” or “dewlaps.” So, the best answer is C.

4.) How many turkeys were raised in the United States in 2011?

1. 32 million
2. 248 million
3. 152 million

Answer: Turkey production was up 2 percent this year compared to the 2010 season. In 2011, 248 million turkeys were raised, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). So, the answer is B.

 5.) Which state produces the most turkeys?

1. Arkansas
2. New York
3. Minnesota

Answer: The top turkey producer in the United States is Minnesota – with 46.5 million gobblers raised this year, says the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The five other top turkey-farming states are North Carolina and Arkansas (both with 30 million), Missouri (18 million), Virginia (17.5 million) and Indiana (16 million).

6.) What month is the official Turkey Lovers’ Month?

1. November
2. April
3. June

Answer: Most people would assume that November is Turkey Lovers’ Month, but it’s June. Although 95 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, June is the official month to promote turkey consumption.

7.) How long does a wild hen turkey sit on a clutch of eggs before they hatch?

1. 60 days 
2. 43 days
3. 26 days

Answer: The average incubation period is between three and four weeks, or 26 days, but may range from 25-29 days, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. This depends on the number of eggs in the clutch, how long it took the hen turkey to lay her eggs, and when she decides to abandon her nest after her first eggs hatch.

8.) Which of the following statements is false?

1. Wild turkeys are too heavy to fly.
2. Wild turkeys can fly as fast as cars on a highway.
3. Wild turkeys can fly by the time they are 10 days old.

Answer: Wild turkeys prefer to run when startled, but learn to fly into trees to roost when just over a week old. They are best at gliding downhill, but can fly up to a mile when necessary. So, Answer A is false. Even though some adults reach 25 pounds at their heaviest, they can fly 50-60 miles per hour over short distances. Domestic turkeys, however, no longer have the capacity to fly.

9.) The turkey’s natural eating habits make it a/an:

1. Vegetarian
2. Carnivore
3. Omnivore

Answer: The wild turkey loves to eat seeds, insects, acorns, salamanders and grasses, making it an “omnivore,” so Answer 3 is the best choice.

10.) How long does it take to thaw a 12-pound frozen turkey in the refrigerator?

1. Overnight
2. 3 days
3. 6 days

Answer: Your frozen turkey should go in the refrigerator on Monday, three days before it goes in the oven. The Butterball Company recommends that you “allow one day of thawing for each 4 pounds of turkey. (12 divided by 4 is 3.) A thawed turkey may remain in the refrigerator for four days before cooking.”  (This means my 23-pound turkey needs to come out of the freezer and go into my refrigerator about six days before Thanksgiving.)

Bon appétit.

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

1. Lined Writing Paper Template for Thanksgiving
2. Happy Turkey Day Card Template (coloring/writing)
3. Happy Thanksgiving Turkey Card Template (coloring/writing)
4. Easy Turkey Pin Craft
5. Pine Cone Pipe Cleaner Turkey Craft (video). Cute!
6. Clothes Pin Turkey Craft
7. Turkey Maze: Counting By 2s
8. Turkey Dinner Maze
9. Turkey Coloring Sheet
10. Colorful Thanksgiving Alphabet (reading)

The Goal? Write a Million Notes!

Writing notes of appreciation is a valuable life lesson.

My mother taught me to write thank you notes before I could really read. I knew how to write my name and I knew how to draw pictures. That was a start. It was a life lesson that I still practice today, although I draw pictures with my words now.

Thankfulness and expressing appreciation are valuable facets of the character. They help the heart grow and relationships deepen. They make the world a better place.

That’s why the Note Project press release caught my eye. I was getting ready to blog about the 2011 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year award and figured the two news items complemented each other nicely.

The Note Project is a global initiative to “make the world a better place” through notes of appreciation. I figure this blog is a “note” of sorts and serves as the perfect vehicle to laud the merits of Patricia  Urdialez, a school teacher and family literacy advocate at Longfellow Elementary in Mesa, Ariz.

Urdialez was honored this week at the National Conference on Family Literacy in Louisville, Ky., winning $10,000 for her literacy program which offers parenting classes, as well as education classes and other community initiatives for children and adults. Also honored were award runners-up Shari Meadow Brown of the Caldwell County Family Literacy program in Lenoir, N.C.; Lisa Lokesak of Family Literacy Nights in Walton, Ky.; and Cheryl Williams of the Norfolk Family Literacy program in Norfolk, Va. Each runner-up received $500 for her program.

I tip my hat to these giving women (and many others), who have opened up the world of words and opportunity to hundreds of men, women and children.

Not to be overlooked is Big Universe’s own blogger Melissa Edwards, a district instructional technologist with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina, who helped present a conference breakout session, titled “What’s So Wonderful about Wonderopolis.” She and her co-facilitators shared their school and classroom experiences with Wonderopolis, the National Center for Family Literacy’s learning website.

More About the Note Project

The Note Project, which launched yesterday, is a global enterprise to encourage one million expressions of appreciation. Such notes benefit the sender as much as the recipient, says Note Project founder Mike O’Mary. “A simple note of appreciation can change a person’s life,” he said.

On his website, Mr. O’Mary cites a letter he once received from his youngest sister. “That note healed years of self-doubt for me and taught me firsthand about the power of appreciation.”

I think the Note Project is a good way to inspire the children in your life to explore thoughts, feelings and empathy. Learning how to distill thoughts and emotions into a few powerful sentences is of great value. I know how powerful heart-felt thank-you notes can be. I’ve received them. And, when I send sincere notes of appreciation to people, I invariably get a response. “You made my day,” “Your note meant so much” and so forth.

The Note Project website includes a lesson plan to support teachers who want to teach the importance of appreciation. The lesson plan includes discussion questions, activities and inspiring quotes. Students conclude the lesson by writing and sending a note to someone.

Big Universe has many books about friendship and appreciating others. They would fit nicely with the lesson on appreciation. Here are just a few you could read:

• “I Thank God for You,” a Twin Sisters book written by Kim Thompson and illustrated by Carol Schwartz
• “One Smile,” an Illumination Arts book written by Cindy McKinley and illustrated by Mary Gregg Byrne
• “The Doll Lady,” an Illumination Arts book written by H. Elizabeth Collins and illustrated by Judy Kuusisto
• “You are a Really Good Friend of Mine,” an International Step by Step Association book written by Laura Liliom and illustrated by Lilit Vagharshyan

 “At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

Big Universe, a literacy-minded web community of 66,300 members, offers thousands of online children’s picture books for teachers, parents and their K-8 students, as well as a kid-friendly Author Tool to encourage a love of language, creativity and writing.

Note: You might like to read “Teachers: Girders to Grow On,” my blog of appreciation to the educators in my life during my childhood and teenage years.

Family Literacy Prize of $10,000 Up for Grabs

There’s a golden apple waiting to be plucked by a worthy literacy teacher, and it’s valued at $10,000 for his or her organization, plus a trip to Louisville, Ky., this spring.

 The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) in Louisville is hosting its annual search for the Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year and is accepting nominations for outstanding educators through Jan. 31. Online applications are available, so although the clock is ticking, it’s not too late to make a bid for the prize.

 The winner and three other finalists – who will be awarded $500 scholarships – will present their best teaching practices at the National Conference on Family Literacy in April. Organizations may nominate up to two candidates, but the educators must not have been finalists in the past three years, 2008-2010. The winner will be determined by a panel of family literacy specialists.

 Please note that the nomination application must be completed by either the director or coordinator of the candidate’s program. The application also requires the prize candidate to write a response to a particular question, and it must include a supportive statement from an adult student who has worked with the nominated educator.

This is the 15^th year that the Toyota company has teamed with NCFL to promote literacy. Kay Brown of Louisiana was the 2010 winner. She was instrumental in the success of the Union Parish Family Literacy Center, located in rural Bernice, La. The center was one of three named as outstanding English language/civics programs in the state in 2008.

NCFL was founded in 1989 by Sharon Darling with the help of a grant from the William R. Kenan Charitable Trust. Since that time, more than one million families have benefited educationally and financially from its programs, according to the organization’s website.

BigUniverse.com, a literacy-minded web community of more than 39,000 members, offers thousands of online children’s picture books for teachers, parents and their K-8 students, as well as a kid-friendly Author Tool to encourage a love of language, creativity and writing.

National Family Literacy Month: Family Fun with Literacy

• The number one thing, in my opinion, that families can do together to promote literacy is to read aloud.  Consider hosting a family reading night once a week.  Each week rotate family members to choose a book to read aloud.  If you have children who aren’t of reading age, allow them to pick out the book and have a reading family member read it aloud.  Make it an event! Make snacks, create crafts, or make a game up related to the book.  Need some inspiration?  Check out: Fairy Tale Feasts:  A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen.
• Be a Reading Role Model.  Make sure your children see you reading or have older siblings read to younger siblings.  I love hearing my son read to my daughter.  And she loves it, too!  I’ve also had my older child record himself reading two or three favorite books.  This helps him practice fluency and my daughter can listen to the recordings when he’s not around.

Jen, from Jen Robinson’s Book Page, posted Tips for Growing Bookworms: #6 Read Yourself and Model an Appreciation for Reading last year at PBS Booklights.  She discusses the importance of being a reading role model and what to say to your kids if you aren’t a reader.

Along the same lines, Terry from The Reading Tub wrote Bedtime from Afar: Sharing Books When You Can’t Cuddle Up Close at PBS Booklights last year.   In her post she talks about ways to continue a bedtime read aloud tradition, even if you can’t be there in person, by recording yourself reading aloud.

Which made me think about this:  when I was a child, my father was in the military and often spent six months or more out to sea.  One of my fondest memories was my mom, brother, and I sitting around the kitchen table recounting our day into a cassette tape for Dad.  Mom would mail the tapes off and in a month or so we received several cassette tapes from my dad telling us about his travels.  Taking this idea a step further, wouldn’t it be fantastic if the children of deployed military men and women recorded themselves reading aloud books to send to their moms and dads overseas?  United Through Reading provides books and recording equipment for deployed parents to read aloud to their kids on DVD, but I’m sure parents would be delighted to hear (and even better, SEE) their children read books to them as well!  Check out A Story Before Bed to create videos of yourself reading aloud to your child or grandchild.

• Play literacy games, such as Boggle or Scrabble.  Boggle, Jr. is perfect for kids 3-6.  Break your family into teams and make it a game night!  Or make up your own literacy games.  My children enjoy playing Go Fish with a twist.  My three year old goes fishing for letters and my six year old goes fishing for sight words.  Simply create pairs of letters or pairs of sight words on index cards.  If your child already recognizes capital letters, make lower case letters or create a mixture of both and have your child match the capital letter to the lowercase letter.

Susan at The Book Chook recently posted Book Chook Ideas for Making Books with Kids.  Check it out for fun ways to make books with your family.

• Make regular family outings to the library, book store, or yard/garage sales to find new books.  Libraries and book stores often showcase new books each month based on seasons, holidays, special events, etc.  Both also often provide story times for young children and special events.  Often you can find special treasures at sales. . . if you really look.
• Pay it forward!   As a family, donate books you don’t read anymore to local hospitals, homeless shelters, etc.  Volunteer your time to read to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, etc.  Nothing beats sharing a love of literacy as a family than sharing it with those who can use a little extra attention.  So as the holiday season approaches, consider reading aloud holiday books at your local children’s hospital or nursing home.

Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing.  In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.  She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families.  Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com

Plan Your Own Big Universe Read-In

Families reading together during the Big Universe Read-In

This year’s 1st annual Big Universe Read-In was a tremendous success! Entire families visited the library media center and read books together on the Big Universe website.

This was a daunting task. This year was the first year implementing 1:1 laptop use in the library. Our students have been steadily building their confidence with using technology since we began this Fall. Up until this point, I had only used our mobile laptop lab with students during the school day. Big Universe is such a great resource that I just had to share it with our families. I share this information in hopes that YOU will create a Big Universe Read-In during your next family night or community celebration.

1. Begin with a whole class lesson. Model how to navigate to the Big Universe website and log in. I embedded the URL for the Big Universe Sign In page in our library website to make it easy for parents to click and immediately log in.
2. Choose your focus for the lesson. Don’t overwhelm your audience by introducing too many features of Big Universe too soon. I chose to focus on the READ tab. Parents want to support students with reading but always have questions about which books to choose when they visit the library or a bookstore. Our students know their reading level. Big Universe makes it easy for families to locate a variety of books at just the right reading level. I modeled how to search by reading level, select a book, turn pages, and close a book selection.
3. Model several ways to search for a book on the Big Universe website: entering keywords in the search box and advanced search methods (category, interest age, reading level, academic subject, language, fiction, and non-fiction).
4. Review laptop policies and procedures. Don’t assume parents know what to do in a computer lab. Review established rules and routines. Provide hand wipes or hand sanitizer for all family members before they move to the laptops.
5. Let the reading begin!

Five Tips for Building a Home Library for Kids

Have you ever wondered if your children’s books could be set up differently at home?  Do you think about ways to make it easier for your child to find and read his books?  Here are a few tips to help you set up a home library for your child:

1. Make books accessible for your child.  Keep them low and easy to reach.
2. Consider placing books in easy to move baskets, instead of standing them up on a bookshelf.  Placing them in baskets makes it easier for your child to find a book he/she may be looking for.  It’s much easier for a child to choose a book by looking at its cover, rather than the spine.  If you need the space, consider placing some books upright and others laying flat, as seen below.
   

   My seven year old son's bookshelf - only partial

3. Consider organizing books by genre or topic.  This is also made easier by baskets.  Each basket can hold its own genre of books! If your children are old enough, consider having them help you sort books and determine genre.
4. Include periodicals in your home library.  Children love receiving mail and periodicals provide additional opportunities for children to read for different purposes.
5. Don’t feel confined to one area!  Place “mini-libraries” on every floor of your house.  We have small book holders in our basement playroom, bookshelves in our first floor family room, and each child has bookshelves (overflowing with books!) in their bedrooms.

Do you have any innovative ways you organize your home library?  I would love to hear how others use their space for books!

Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing.  In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.  She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families.  Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com

Celebrate School Library Month with a Big Universe Read-In

It’s fitting that I begin blogging for Big Universe this month, as it is School Library Month and  National Library Week (April 11-17, 2010) is just a few days away. The theme this year is “Communities Thrive @ your library”. What better way to bring your community together than through hosting a Big Universe Read-In? Read-Ins are all about bringing people together to share books. This year I introduced our K-5 elementary student to reading books online on Big Universe and talked to them about becoming authors on the website in the future. Four times a year we host something called, Saturday School, where entire families come to our school to participate in educational activities. This year our theme is Earth Day. In addition to learning about conservation and actively beautifying the school and the surrounding community, families will visit our school library and learn from their children how to log into and read books on the Big Universe website.

It’s simple to embed Big Universe links on your own website. Big Universe provides an embed code for every book on their website. Your audience will view the book covers on your website, click the desired book, and begin reading! I used the embed code on my own library wiki to highlight Earth Day themed books. Now my families need only to surf to our homepage to view the Earth Day related selections!  I also included some Spanish language selections as 97% of our students are English Language Learners who primarily speak Spanish at home. I am am excited about the possibilities! Maybe during our next Saturday School, families will create books together.

Earth Day related books on Big Universe:

Excerpts provided by Big Universe

River Song

by Steve Van Zandt (author), Katherine Zecca (illustrator)
Rivers make beautiful music – from the trickle of snowmelt to the burble of a full-flowing stream. Here the famed children’s musical ensemble, the Banana Slug String Band, celebrates rivers as a fascinating, ever-changing source of life and joy. The CD includes their vibrant rendition of “River Song.”

All Around Me, I See

by Laya Steinberg (author), Cris Arbo (illustrator)
With eyes wide open to the mysteries of nature, a child on a hike discovers that “a leaf is a boat for a beetle” and that “a nest is a cradle for eggs.” Tired from her long walk, she sleeps – and in her dream she flies like a bird and marvels at the beauty around her. This planet that is home to so many creatures is magical when seen through the eyes of wonder.

By Land, Sea, or Air

by Barbara Gregorich
Do you know that… 
Linen comes from a plant? 
Catfish have two sets of whiskers? 
The world’s largest dog is the St. Bernard?
12 Exciting Titles
Discover true science facts and interesting details like these in this collection of engaging, nonfiction stories. Readers will enjoy learning something new! Each 8-page story features clever illustrations that captivate even the most reluctant readers.

The One Sea

by David Pierce Hughes
Listen now and you will hear The Humpback Whale,the Polar Bear,the Albatross and the Leather Back Turtle among many other sea creatures tell us in verse of their plight,and the whispering Wave warns us of their eventual extinction if we don’t care for The One Sea.

The One Tree

by David Pierce Hughes (author), Richard Perrot (illustrator)
This stunning full colour Manga style book is told from an ecological perspective by artist and poet David Pierce Hughes. This is the moving story of how the One Tree is befriended by a boy, of its destruction and its eventual renewal.

Felina’s New Home

by Loran Wlodarski (author), Lew Clayton (illustrator)
Felina the Florida panther loved growing up in her forest home, until the forest starts to shrink! Trees begin to disappear, and Felina doesn’t understand the new busy highway in the neighborhood. Other animals are in danger, too. Will Felina find a way to survive as humans threaten to ruin her home? Environmental science writer Loran Wlodarski gives children a look into deforestation and endangered animals in Felina’s New Home: A Florida Panther Story, complemented by the detailed, emotive illustrations of Lew Clayton. Learn whether the animals in Felina’s forest adapt to the new human presence and what children can do to keep wild animals safe, happy, and healthy.

The Tree

by Dana Lyons (author), David Danioth (illustrator)
An 800-year-old Douglas fir ponders the many things it has seen in the natural world as it hears bulldozers coming, and then people arrive to save it from destruction.

Incorporating Authentic Family Writing Experiences

Last week, I wrote about ways to make writing part of your family tradition.  Here are a few ways you can authentically add writing to your family’s daily life:

1. Have each family member make a list of things to do for the day/week.
2. Write notes to slip into lunch boxes.  End the note with a question. Ask your child to respond to the note in writing when he returns from school.
3. Make a Top Ten List of. . . birthday gifts, games to play, chores to complete – endless opportunities.  (see an example from our family below)
4. Provide a Family Dialogue Journal in a central spot such as the kitchen. Write notes to each other in the journal. Provide different color pens to differentiate between family members.
5. Make ABC books about favorite family topics (seasons, holidays, vacations, etc.).  In my opinion, ABC books are timeless and this is an activity that can be enjoyed by children up through the end of elementary school at the very least.  The complexity of the ABC book will depend on the age of your children.

ABC Book Models for Young Children:

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Anniversary Edition by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson

ABC Book Models for Older Children:

When I taught fourth and fifth grade, I would often use Jerry Pallotta’s alphabet books as models for my students.  He has written several books that tied into our science curriculum and so I would read aloud the book and then students would make their own ABC book based on our science topic.  Here is just a sampling of some of his alphabet books.  There are many more:

The Underwater Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Extinct Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Icky Bug Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Butterfly Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Ocean Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Construction Alphabet Book

The Yummy Alphabet Book: Herbs, Spices, and Other Natural Flavors (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Book)

The Jet Alphabet Book

The Flower Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Bird Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

The Vegetable Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)

Some writing samples from our family:

Our Travel Journal – We travel every summer.  About three years ago (when my son was 4) we traveled to Georgia to visit family.  To give him something to do in the car and while on vacation, I created a travel journal personalized to our trip.  I simply created a template so that he could draw and write based on a prompt.

Our Beach Alphabet Book – We take a trip to the beach every year.  During the same year we traveled to Georgia, we also stopped in Myrtle Beach.  I was looking for something to keep my son occupied and also provide lasting memories for us.  I created “My Beach Alphabet Book.”  I encouraged him to think about the things we did and saw while at the beach.  I had planned for him to work on his book during down time at the beach, but we didn’t seem to have much.  So instead, we worked on it when we returned.  This turned out to be a nice way to reminisce about our trip after we were home.  He only completed a few of the letters, but we still have a nice memory of our trip that year.  And best of all, I can see how his writing has evolved over time, now.

Top Ten Reasons We Love Daddy – Last year for Father’s Day, we made a book for my husband.  The kids listed their top ten reasons they love their dad.  I provided ten pieces of cardstock and had my son (in kindergarten at the time) and my daughter (an early 3 at the time) brainstorm reasons they loved their dad.  I had my son write them and then I split each page in half so each could draw a picture pertaining to their reason.  We did this for eight pages.  The last two pages of the book, I had each of them write one individual reason each and draw one picture.  I made a cover for the book, punched holes in it, and tied yarn to bind the book.  Needless to say, it was a big hit!  The kids enjoyed making it and my husband really enjoyed receiving it!  Oh, and it was a really inexpensive gift that came from the heart!

(He reads books to us)

How do you incorporate writing in your family?

Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing.  In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.  She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families.  Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com

Provide Your Family with the Write Start

We often forget that reading and writing go hand in hand. If we want to be a better reader, we need to write more. Conversely, if we want to be a better writer, we need to read more. Parents can help children reach higher levels of literacy not only by reading with them, but by writing with them, too. By weaving writing into the fabric of your family’s daily life, you are nurturing your child’s learning and can create traditions that will last for generations to come.

Creating a Write Start Environment

If we want to encourage a love of anything, we must immerse ourselves in it. Therefore, in order to encourage a love for writing in our families, we must immerse our families in writing. The easiest way to do this is to provide many opportunities to write during the day and to have writing materials easily accessible. Make your house writer friendly. Set up a writing center for your children – a space to free write. Provide plenty of writing tools: pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils and markers. Provide different types of paper: lined paper, plain paper, stationery, envelopes, notepads, etc. Don’t forget construction paper, glue, and staplers for children to make their own books. Make the space fun and inviting.

Make Writing Relevant

Writing is learned best when it occurs in authentic situations.  So, tie writing into what you are doing as a family.  This may be as simple as having your child write out the grocery list for the week, write a recipe for his/her favorite meal, or to write thank you notes for gifts received.  Special ways to make writing authentic: create Family Vacation Journals.  Take pictures to paste in the journal and write about the event. Or create Family Activity Journals. You or your child can take pictures of day to day family activities. Place the photograph in the journal and then write about it. Aim to take one picture a day. One very special and easy way to encourage writing is by encouraging your child to begin a correspondence with a family member or other type of pen pal. A grandparent is a perfect candidate, especially if they don’t live nearby. Writing letters or even emails is a great way for your children to share their daily/weekly/monthly activities with their grandparent. And each will enjoy receiving mail from the other.

Make Writing a Family Tradition

Make writing a part of your family’s activities and it will quickly become tradition.  Create a weekly family writing night. During these evenings, take turns adding to a Family History Journal. Have each family member write about something special that happened during the week. If you have a child who is not yet writing, have them draw a picture.  Create Father/Son or Mother/Daughter dialogue journals. Use these journals to “talk” with your pre-teen or teenager about their day. They may feel more comfortable sharing events in their lives if they don’t actually have to verbalize them. Use the dialogue journal to ask questions and seek answers, to provide encouragement, or to apologize.

However you choose to incorporate writing into the fold of your family’s fabric, I hope you create family traditions that live for generations to come. What sweet memories they will hold as your children grow up, move on, and have children of their own.

Dawn Little (aka Links to Literacy) also blogs at www.teachingwithpicturebooks.wordpress.com where she provides educators with picture book lessons based on comprehension strategies and the Six Traits of Writing.  In addition, she blogs at www.literacytoolbox.wordpress.com where she provides educators and parents with tips and tools to enhance the literacy lives of children.  She is the founder and owner of Links to Literacy, a company dedicated to providing interactive literacy experiences for children and families.  Find out more at www.linkstoliteracy.com

Carbs for Everyone: Everybody Cooks Rice.

How about a trip with your family this summer? Open the pages of Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley and join Carrie in her neighborhood in which every home is inhabited by a family from a different culture. Carrie is always happy to find her brother at dinnertime, because she ends up in a neighbor’s house sampling native foods!

The text of Everybody Cooks Rice is appropriate for students who have just begun reading, while the cross-cultural words will challenge experienced readers. Why not read this book together as a family? Put a map on the wall and pretend that you are visiting the many lands represented in the book. Use the cultures as a jumping off point to create research opportunities for your children: go to the library or search the web to find out more information about each country, books that bring the cultures to life through other characters, or find out more about the cultures of the people in your own neighborhood.

The best surprise of all: the recipe for each dish is provided in this narrative/cookbook! Home lesson, here we come. What fun you will have visiting markets to locate special ingredients. Have your children read the recipes in order to create shopping lists, and practice math skills while you buy and measure ingredients. Before you know it, it’s dinnertime. Whose turn is it to set the table?