Children and Languages

How Many Languages Do You Speak?

If you grew up like I did, you probably were not introduced to a foreign language until the middle school years when you around 12.  Sadly, the prime language learning time in our development was much younger.  So most of us, just settle to be monolingual.   Later we may have taken a foreign language in high school, but speaking for myself- I was far away from being bilingual.  In fact, I took 4 years of Latin…go figure!

What languages were available when you were in school (American or otherwise)?  In middle school (called Junior High back in those olden days) we had two mandatory choices.  We could take Spanish or French.   I opted for French, but not sure why.   Perhaps it was because most of my friends signed up for Spanish and I wanted to be different, perhaps viewed as more sophisticated.  Not sure.  Then in High School, we had the usual choices, and of course Latin and I think there was German available.   Later they added a Japanese elective.  I don’t know exactly how the language choices were determined.  My guess is that because we lived in North America—they speak Spanish down South and places in Canada speak French…other than that I don’t know.   Why did they offer Latin?   Why did I take it? Hmmm

What languages are relevant today?

More than 300 distinct languages other than English are now spoken in the United States. According to the U. S. Census Bureau's 2009 Statistical Abstract, those with the most native speakers in this country are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German, and Korean (all with numbers of speakers in the millions), followed by Russian, Arabic, and Italian.

Other languages with large numbers of speakers (in no particular order) include Portuguese, French Creole, Yiddish, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Navajo, Laotian, Thai, Hmong, Hindi, Urdu, and Serbo-Croatian.

What languages do you speak or desire to speak?

I have managed to finally learn Spanish, and can converse in French if I practice.   I would love to be fluent in several languages such as Chinese, Italian and I think it would very cool to be able to speak Mayan “Utz kin” to you!  Learning another language, as an adult can be daunting… the challenge is that we all have different learning styles; so there is not a one size fits all.  Personally, I did not really like the Rosetta Stone programs, but I love Michel Thomas… I have learned and strengthened language skills with his program.  I also use Pimsileur as a back up and for practice, but have settle on the Thomas method.

But those of you with young children with young developing brains… start now exposing them to languages.  I know a family in which the Dad is a native French speaker and the Mother among other languages speaks English.  To encourage their children to be multi-lingual Mom speaks English to the children, while Dad speaks French.   The children have come to recognize Mom’s language and Dad’s Language… even correcting them if parents accidently spoke in the wrong language.   Pretty amazing.

So you are monolingual—now what?

Exposure is the key… find opportunities for reading (looking at) foreign languages or watch or listen to media in other languages.  You probably won’t understand anything, but that’s OK.   Start by making it at least vaguely familiar.   Find children’s books in other languages—for fun, see if you can find books that are in multiple languages… curious children, may try to decipher the new language.  The idea here is to make other language use to feel normal… then let curiosity lead them.

Now in Chinese

Where do you find books in multiple languages?

Lunchpail Books is one example of site that offers fun books, that are not only easy to read, but are currently available in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Chinese.  Maybe this is one way to expose your beginner reader children’s books in multiple languages.

Peep Peep ... quack quack

 Peep Peep's first rap video...

Peep Peep quack quack

Where Do Stories Come From?

I was recently asked what inspires me to write... specifically where do stories come from?
For me they come from all over!  Sometimes, it is just imagination—such as “What would happened if I ate too many pickles?”  Often though, ideas come from those little (or big) life experiences.  As a parent of a large family there was never a shortage of events… some comedic, others tragic… some superficial and others life altering.  Taking one step back and examining the story (event) can give you insights into the human condition or simply make you laugh.  Both types weave the fabric that makes life interesting… I cherish both (tragic and comedic); but I can tell you—those moments that made us laugh are the ones we seem to relay over and over again.
Sometimes I found it a challenge not to laugh!   Here’s what I mean:
When my #2 son Noah was about 6 years old he created a complete family out of balloons.   He hand decorated them with markers, cotton and a collection of taped on accessories.   He made a little balloon replica of each family member and decided to take them for a ride in his little red wagon.  So, he loaded them up and headed outside.  It was a blustery day that morning in Arizona as Noah proudly pulled his balloon “family” outside.  A gust arrived and his “family” became airborne leaving him standing in the backyard devastated, as he watched them quickly drift over the fence.
Undaunted, Noah set to recreating his little family... this time however, he carefully taped the family members to the bottom of the wagon.  He was so excited to show me his creation—he ran to get me as soon as I walked into the door.  He ran to the backyard to proudly show off his little family taped securely to the wagon.  At that moment another gust came, but this time the balloon stayed put.  Unfortunately, a large tumbleweed came flying over the neighbor’s fence landing directly on the red wagon and sadly Noah’s balloon family!  For those who may not be well acquainted with tumbleweeds: They are round, aerodynamic and full of tiny thorns.  “Pop, pop, pop” balloons decimated.
Noah was in tears and needed comforting… I have to confess, that I found it very difficult to hold back the laughter.  I tried very hard to keep a straight-face and look sympathetic to his loss.  Biting my lip, I tried my best… but the overall humor of the situation for me was unbearable and a burst of laughter just popped right out….bad parent!
Well, Noah survived; in fact he just graduated from law school.   I wonder if you can sue tumbleweeds?
[Note: to learn more about the inspiration of some of my stories check out Lunchpail Books for more information]

The Moral of the Story

Seems like just about every topic of for children’s book has been covered.  What’s left to write about?  Are we near the end of ideas? Here in this blog, I have mentioned farting dogs, stepping in poo and variety of popular adolescent topics.  However, how important is it to have a “moral to the story?”  Should a message be straightforward or more subversively addressed?  Should there be a message at all?

Are there messages (morals) in our popular folklore?  How about “The Three Little Pigs?”  Aren’t we admonished to plan ahead and work hard…then bad things will pass by?   In a similarly themed fable “The Ants and the Grasshopper”, has a similar message about the benefits of hard work; but in this case adds the complexity of mercy and redemption.  Get’s kind of heavy!

What about my hero Dr. Seuss?   Surely he didn’t subversively preach us a message… or did he?
Did the great Seuss approach politically sensitive issues?

Many of Geisel's books are thought to express his views on a myriad of social and political issues: The Lorax (1971), about environmentalism and anti-consumerism; The Sneetches (1961), about racial equality; The Butter Battle Book (1984), about the arms race; Yertle the Turtle (1958), about anti-fascism and anti-authoritarianism; How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), about anti-materialism; and Horton Hears a Who! (1954), about anti-isolationism and internationalism. Shortly before the end of the 1972–1974 Watergate scandal, in which United States president Richard Nixon resigned, Geisel converted one of his famous children's books into a polemic. "Richard M. Nixon, Will You Please Go Now!" was published in major newspapers through the column of his friend Art Buchwald.

Although Geisel never made any explicit or implicit mention of the abortion debate in his books, the line "A person's a person, no matter how small!!" from Horton Hears a Who! has grown, over the objections of his widow, into widespread use on the pro-life side of the issue.

So, back to my point… would we be better off having stories with no moral value other than that they are just fun… sort of like “Archie” or “Beetle Bailey”… is reading for the sake of reading or for practice a good reason to read?   Would it be better to read the ingredients of our favorite breakfast cereal (Wow 12% sugar!)?  Or perhaps good story telling on it’s own is adequate reason for a story to exist.   If they are reading, and enjoying the activity…that’s fine right?

What are your thoughts?  Should Children’s Books teach a message (have a morale)…If so what kind of message?  Where do we draw the line on appropriate and inappropriate messages?  Is it OK if it is buried deep?  Dr. Seuss viewed his own work as “Subversive as hell.”

The Importance of Sight Reading

When children very first learn that symbols can be used to represent ideas or spoken words, they begin with the assumption that the whole symbol represents the whole word. Because it is so difficult to memorize a complete, complex shape like a word, children adopt strategies of seeking out salient features from a word, and using those features to identify the word. This is why children can recognize the word "McDonalds" when the M is represented by the golden arches, but fail to recognize it when it is printed for them, and this is why children often mistake words like LOOK for BOOK or WAG for DOG. Children almost instinctively attempt to memorize words as wholes when they can, and they seek out distinctive features of words.

Philip Gough conducted a brief study that revealed these tendencies in children. He asked children to learn some made-up vocabulary words, which he presented on flash-cards. In the corner, on one card, he deliberately placed a thumb-print. Children were very quick to learn the word which was on the card with the thumb-print, but after the children learned that word, they typically did not recognize it when the thumb-print was removed. Further, when the thumb-print was moved to a different card with a different word, children tended to erroneously call the name of the word that originally accompanied the thumb-print. Even more revealing, however, when Gough presented a card containing only a thumb-print, and no word, children still tended to call the name of the word they had originally associated with the thumb-print.
Clearly this strategy for learning new words is maladaptive. Children memorize a word that is highly dependent upon context, and because most words share many visual features with many other words, children who attempt to memorize words as wholes tend to confuse words. Moreover, there is a limit as to how many words children can memorize - while most competent readers have a reading vocabulary of 50,000 to 75,000, children who memorize words as wholes are only capable of learning a maximum of about 5,000 words in isolation.
Moving from memorization to decoding
In order to become competent readers with reading vocabularies in the 50,000 to 75,000 range, children need to learn to decode words rather than simply memorizing them. Decoding words is much more generative and flexible and requires much less attention and memory. Children who can decode words are able to break down new, unfamiliar words, and arrive at a phonological code that they can communicate with others (i.e. a child can sound out an unfamiliar word, and, if necessary, ask others what that word means).
One important goal, then in teaching children to read is to encourage them to abandon their natural tendency to memorize words as wholes, or to memorize salient features of words, and instead to learn to break words apart, examine the letters and chunks within the words, and decode them.
How, then, are we to explain the time and effort spent teaching children to memorize words? An often stated goal of many reading teachers, reading programs, and even state standards documents, is that the teacher will enhance the child's repertoire of "sight words."
Sight words
The concept of sight words has foundations in the "Look-Say" approach to reading instruction - the idea was to teach children to simply memorize the most common words in written English on the assumption that memorizing the most common words in the language would give the child a leg up when attempting to read connected text. A child's natural tendency to memorize the whole word, or to memorize some salient feature of the word, was encouraged by teachers, and to facilitate the memorization of the words, children were presented with text that was composed almost entirely of words from the popular sight word lists. Children were able to read those texts, but usually had difficulty reading more authentic text which was not primarily composed of sight words.
The term "sight word" is still with us, and the sight word lists that were created before World War II, such as the Dolch list, are still very popularly used. However, some people have reinterpreted the definition of a sight word. Whereas a sight word once universally referred to a word which the child had memorized as a whole (without learning to decode it), now some have redefined the term to mean something different.
Some use the term "sight word" to refer to words which do not adhere well to the principles taught in phonics lessons (e.g. WAS, THE, ONE, OF, SHOE, SAID), and which must, it is therefore claimed, be memorized. These words have traditionally been called "irregular" words, or "exception" words, but some are also applying the term "sight word" to words in this category.
Some use the term "sight word" to refer to words which have been encountered so frequently that a reader no longer needs to laboriously sound them out. The first time a child reads the word YELLOW, the child may struggle and have some difficulty. Gradually, the child becomes more and more familiar with the word, and eventually, the child is able to read the word without hesitation or conscious thought. At the end of this evolution, according to this perspective, the word becomes one of that child's "sight words."
Exception words (Irregular words)
Neither of these applications of the term seems appropriate. Words that can not be directly sounded-out already have a designation, they are called exception words or irregular words, and even these exception words are not memorized as wholes - most of the letters in exception words are "regular" and children still benefit from processing these words at the letter level, chunking the words when necessary, and applying knowledge of letter-sound relationships.
Likewise, the notion that sight words are words which are processed so automatically that no conscious thought is required also seems specious. By this definition, pseudowords like BIP and FANK are sight words for most skilled readers because, even though they have never encountered those words before, skilled readers are able to process them automatically without concerted effort.
Conclusions
The term "sight word" has a clear definition, and adopting that term for other concepts only serves to confuse the issues. If a child has learned to recognize a word without learning to decode the word, then that word is a "sight word" for that child. When a teacher encourages a child to memorize more words by sight, that teacher is delaying the inevitable - eventually, in order to become a good reader, that child will have to begin processing words at the letter level. There is no clear empirical evidence that teaching very young children to memorize a few basic and common words is harmful - for very young children, this approach may actually help to build a foundation and familiarity with text. However, it seems clear that teaching children in the 1st and 2nd grades to memorize words only detracts from one of the primary goals of reading instruction - as early as possible, children need to learn to attend to the letters within the words, and to decode the words, and children need to become so proficient at this skill that words are decoded rapidly, and without conscious effort.

Where can you find books designed around sight reading?

First stop...Lunchpail Books... you will find books using the controlled vocabulary mentioned above.

What's In a Title?

Do we really pay any attention to the title of a book?  We have always been told to not judge a book by its cover, but does that apply to the title?  You may not be aware that each year there is a BIG book fair in Frankfurt Germany; where publishers and authors from all around world gather to show off their new books.  Each year there is a prize given to the oddest title.   Here are some “hopefuls” from the past years:

      Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself [A book for woodworkers]

      Knitting with Dog Hair

      Wood Carving with a Chain Saw

      Drying Flowers With A Microwave

      Nuclear War: What's In It For You?

      How Green were the Nazis?

      Old Tractors and the Men Who Love Them

      How to Avoid Huge Ships

      Bomb Proof Your House

We mustn’t forget about the many medical books published each year—going well beyond “Gray’s Anatomy” into some interesting “specialties”.

      A Pictorial Book of Tongue Coatings

      Brace Owner's Manual: A Guide To The Wearing And Care Of Braces

      Waterproofing Your Child

      The Secret of Sphincters

      DIY Brain Surgery

      Nasal Maintenance

      Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Personal View

      Hot Topics in Urology

Hey, while we are at it—let’s leave the real world of the ridiculous and move to the realm of adolescent humor (my specialty and favorite).  I grew up with wonderfully funny titles, Like “ Under the Grandstands”, by Seymore Butts; “The Yellow River”, by I. P. Freely; and many others.  Do have any you recall?   Here are some new ones (at least to me):

      The Broken Window by Eva Brick

      The Cliff Tragedy by Eileen Dover

      French Windows by Pattie O'Dors

      Forestry by Teresa Green

      Olympic Games by Arthur Letics

      How to Make Honey by B. Keeper

      Easy Money by Robyn Banks

      Gunfire by R. Tillery

      Long Walk by Miss D. Buss

      The Dogs' Dinner by Nora Bone

      A Hole in My Bucket by Lee King

      Falling Trees by Tim Burr

      How to Win by Vic Tree

      I Love Math by Adam Upp and Ima Adder

      Snakes of the World by Anna Conda

      Natural Bust Enlargement by Mine Power

What silly titles do you recall?

 

Helping Your Child Become a Reader

Found this article on the US Department of Education's website.  There are some simple ideas and activities to encourage reading.  Even a little on the importance of rhyme.  Thought I would share it in it's entirety.  You can find both useful and not so useful information at http://www.ed.gov/

Every step a child takes toward learning to read leads to another. Bit by bit, the child builds the knowledge that is necessary for being a reader. Over their first 6 years, most children

• Talk and listen.
• Listen to stories read aloud.
• Pretend to read.
• Learn how to handle books.
• Learn about print and how it works.
• Identify letters by name and shape.
• Identify separate sounds in spoken language.
• Write with scribbles and drawing.
• Connect single letters with the sounds they make.
• Connect what they already know to what they hear read.
• Predict what comes next in stories and poems.
• Connect combinations of letters with sounds.
• Recognize simple words in print.
• Sum up what a story is about.
• Write individual letters of the alphabet.
• Write words.
• Write simple sentences.
• Read simple books.
• Write to communicate.
• Read simple books.

Children can take more than one of these steps at the same time. This list of steps, though, gives you a general idea of how your child will progress toward reading. (For more details, see Typical Language Accomplishments for Children, Birth to Age 6.)

Talking and Listening
Scientists who study the brain have found out a great deal about how we learn. They have discovered that babies learn much more from the sights and sounds around them than we thought previously. You can help your baby by taking advantage of her hunger to learn.

	Hearing you talk is your baby's very first step toward becoming a reader, because it helps her to love language and to learn words.

From the very beginning, babies try to imitate the sounds that they hear us make. They "read" the looks on our faces and our movements. That's why it is so important to talk, sing, smile, and gesture to your child. Hearing you talk is your baby's very first step toward becoming a reader, because it helps her to love language and to learn words. (See "Baby Talk".)
As your child grows older, continue talking with her. Ask her about the things she does. Ask her about the events and people in the stories you read together. Let her know you are listening carefully to what she says. By engaging her in talking and listening, you are also encouraging your child to think as she speaks. In addition, you are showing that you respect her knowledge and her ability to keep learning. (See "Chatting with Children.")

Reading Together
Imagine sitting your baby in your lap and reading a book to him for the first time. How different from just talking! Now you're showing him pictures. You point to them. In a lively way, you explain what the pictures are. You've just helped you child take the next step beyond talking. You've shown him that words and pictures connect. And you've started him on his way to understanding and enjoying books. While your child is still a baby, reading aloud to him should become part of your daily routine. Pick a quiet time, such as just before you put him to bed. This will give him a chance to rest between play and sleep. If you can, read with him in your lap or snuggled next to you so that he feels close and safe. As he gets older, he may need to move around some as you read to him. If he gets tired or restless, stop reading. Make reading aloud a quiet and comfortable time that your child looks forward to. Chances are very good that he will like reading all the more because of it.
Try to spend at least 30 minutes each day reading to and with your child. At first, read for no more than a few minutes at a time, several times a day. As your child grows older, you should be able to tell if he wants you to read for longer periods. Don't be discouraged if you have to skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Just get back to your daily routine as soon as you can. Most of all, make sure that reading stays fun for both of you!

What Does It Mean?
From the earliest days, talk with your child about what you are reading. You might point to pictures and name what is in them. When he is ready, have him do the same. Ask him, for example, if he can find the little mouse in the picture, or do whatever is fun and right for the book. Later on, as you read stories, read slowly and stop now and then to think aloud about what you've read. From the time your child is able to talk, ask him such questions about the story as, "What do you think will happen next?" or "Do you know what a palace is?" Answer his questions and, if you think he doesn't understand something, stop and talk more about what he asked. Don't worry if you occasionally break the flow of a story to make clear something that is important. However, don't stop so often that the child loses track of what is happening in the story.

Look for Books!
The books that you pick to read with your child are very important. If you aren't sure of what books are right for your child, ask a librarian to help you choose titles. (For more information on what libraries have to offer, see "Visiting the Library")
Introduce your child to books when she is a baby. Let her hold and play with books made just for babies: board books with study cardboard covers and thick pages; cloth books that are soft and washable, touch-and-feel books, or lift-the-flap books that contain surprises for your baby to discover. Choose books with covers that have big, simple pictures of things that she sees every day. Don't be upset if at first your child chews or throws a book. Be patient. Cuddling with the child as you point to and talk with great excitement about the book's pictures will soon capture her interest. When your baby becomes a toddler, she will enjoy helping to choose books for you to read to her.
As your child grows into a preschooler and kindergartner, the two of you can look for books that have longer stories and more words on the pages. Also look for books that have repeating words and phrases that she can begin to read or recognize when she sees them. By early first grade, add to this mix some books designed for beginning readers, including some books that have chapters and some books that show photographs and provide true information rather than make-believe stories.

	Choose books with covers that have big, simple pictures of things that she sees every day.

Keep in mind that young children most often enjoy books about people, places, and things that are like those they know. The books can be about where you live or about parts of your culture, such as your religion, your holidays, or the way that you dress. If your child has special interests, such as dinosaurs or ballerinas, look for books about those interests.
From your child's toddler years through early first grade, you also should look for books of poems and rhymes. Remember when your baby heard your talking sounds and tried to imitate them? Rhymes are an extension of that language skill. By hearing and saying rhymes, along with repeated words and phrases, your child learns about spoken sounds and about words. Rhymes also spark a child's excitement about what comes next, which adds fun and adventure to reading. (For rhyming activities, see "Rhyme with Me: It's Fun, You'll See!")

Show Your Child That You Read
When you take your child to the library, check out a book for yourself. Then set a good example by letting your child see you reading for yourself. Ask your child to get one of her books and sit with you as you read your book, magazine, or newspaper. Don't worry if you feel uncomfortable with your own reading ability. It's the reading that counts. When your child sees that reading is important to you, she may decide that it is important to her, too. (For ideas on how to help your child love books, see "A Home for My Books.")

Learning about Print and Books
Reading together is a perfect time to help a late toddler or early preschooler learn what print is. As you read aloud, stop now and then and point to letters and words; then point to the pictures they stand for. Your child will begin to understand that the letters form words and that words name pictures. He will also start to learn that each letter has its own sound—one of the most important things your child can know when learning to read.
By the time children are 4, most have begun to understand that printed words have meaning. By age 5, most will begin to know that not just the story but the printed words themselves go from left to right. Many children will even start to identify some capital and small letters and simple words. (For some ideas on learning letters, see "As Simple as ABC.")
In late kindergarten or early first grade, your child may want to read on his own. Let him! But be sure that he wants to do it. Reading should be something he is proud of and eager to do and not a lesson.

How Does a Book Work?
Children are fascinated by how books look and feel. They see how easily you handle and read books, and they want to do the same. When your toddler watches you handle books, she begins to learn that a book is for reading, not tearing or tossing around. Before she is 3, she may even pick one up and pretend to read, an important sign that she is beginning to know what a book is for. As your child becomes a preschooler, she is learning that

	When your toddler watches you handle books, she begins to learn that a book is for reading.

• A book has a front cover.
• A book has a beginning and an end.
• A book has pages.
• A page in a book has a top and a bottom.
• You turn pages one at a time to follow the story.
• You read a story from left to right of a page.

As you read with your 4- or 5-year-old, begin to remind her about these things. Read the title on the cover. Talk about the picture on the cover. Point to the place where the story starts and, later, where it ends. Let your child help turn the pages. When you start a new page, point to where the words of the story continue and keep following the words by moving your finger beneath them. It takes time for a child to learn these things, but when your child does learn them, she has solved some of reading's mysteries.

Early Efforts To Write
Writing and reading go hand in hand. As your child is learning one, he is learning the other. You can do certain things to make sure that he gets every opportunity to practice both. When he is about 2 years old, for example, give your child crayons and paper and encourage him to draw and scribble. He will have fun choosing which colors to use and which shapes to make. As he holds and moves the crayons, he will also develop muscle control. When he is a late toddler or early preschooler, he will become as eager to write as he is to read. (For more ideas on how to encourage your child's desire to write, see "As Simple as ABC," and "Write On!")
Your preschool child's scribbles or drawings are his first writing. He will soon begin to write the alphabet letters. Writing the letters helps your child learn about their different sounds. His very early learning about letters and sounds gives him ideas about how to begin spelling words. When he begins writing words, don't worry that he doesn't spell them correctly. Instead, praise him for his efforts! In fact, if you look closely, you'll see that he's made a pretty good try at spelling a word for the first time. Later on, with help from teachers (and from you), he will learn the right way to spell words. For the moment, however, he has taken a great step toward being a writer.
Additionally, I would like to add that the structure of the books you choose are very important.  There was a reason why Dr. Seuss was so popular... his books were both fun and easy... is easy good?  The more you strengthen reading skills and common site words, the fast and better a beginner reader will become.   Lunchpail Books has dedicated itself to carefully crafted books.  These books are both fun and easy to read.  

Build Reading Activity Into an Event

Parents are continuously urged to have their children read or be read to… through out the year.  Now that summer is upon us, can we work reading into our “busy” schedules?

Children who maintain their reading skills or younger ones who are read to on a daily basis will be on target for back-to-school or back-to-regular routines in the fall. Those who don't typically have to pay catch-up in the classroom, which can set the stage for a challenging year.

Do you have a reading routine?  Is there a set time each day to read?  Do your children see you read?  Some of us don’t necessarily run a tight schedule, and reading (which can appear boring) often gets left off the “to-do” list.  So how do we jump the boring hurdle?  Is it like eating your spinach?  Making your bed… let’s put some spark into reading.

The key is to make reading an event!  Make it special in some way… something to look forward to!  Here are some suggestions I found in About.com

Take advantage of weather by dangling the reading carrot in fun ways. Be adventurous and make it a game as to where you should read to your child and how. In warm weather, read next to a pond or lake, under a tree, by the pool, or even in the tree house. Be bold and carefree. One mother reads to her young child in their blow-up children's pool in the backyard during the summer months. Another mom finishes the much-anticipated daily trip to the park in the spring or fall by reading a book before they leave. Cold months can mix reading activities by having books about snowmen, snowfalls, winter holidays, or sports such as ice-skating. Day care centers or child providers can add reading fun into the mix by tying it into a planned activity for the week. If the theme for the week is "Under the Sea," then the books can be about the ocean or fish.

Consider a reading series. There are countless book series tailor made for your child's age, and a good experience with one means there is a high likelihood your child will enjoy others about the same characters. There are series on action heroes and princesses, popular characters such as Bob the Builder, the classic Dr. Seuss collection, and about young heroes and heroines. There are series about beginning school for the first time or about going on vacation. Older children like series such as Harry Potter.

Build reading into the schedule. Parents and child providers can and should build a reading activity into the daily schedule. While evening or before-bedtime are popular times to read, reading after breakfast or before children go to an activity, sets a routine that most children embrace. Providers can set a daily story time and let parents know what book is being read and how it matches enrichment and learning activities for the week.

Plan ahead with exciting books on vacation. Vacation is a prime time for reading enjoyment, when family is together and fun is in the plans. Reading is a great activity for around the pool or in the hotel room in the evening.

Build a reading activity into life's planning. Children of all ages should learn the connection between reading and knowledge. If your family is adding a flowerbed, have children read about how to prepare a bed and what flowers and shrubs are optimal for the area of the country and whether it is in sun or shade. Getting a new family pet? Read up on varieties of dogs, care required, and even stories about children and their pets first. Traveling somewhere? You guessed it, read all about your destination first and you and your children will have the added benefit of knowing more about the area when you arrive.

Involve the entire family. Studies show that moms have the tendency to read more to their children then dads, robbing both children and fathers of positive reading experiences. Make reading time with dad or grandpa a priority. Dads read books aloud with children differently then moms do, and children will flourish with the perspective and experience of both.

Ask for your child's feedback. Evaluation and discussion is an important part of a positive book-reading experience. Ask your child simple questions, such as: Did you like the book? Why or why not? Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite scene? Did you like how it ended? Would you like to read it again someday? Don't be surprised if your child wants to re-read the same book again! That means you did your job well and helped foster a love of reading.

Also, don’t forget to get the right book.  Find something with age appropriate vocabulary that a child we feel proud to know that they can read the book all by their selves.  There are many sources to find such books.   You may wish to star with Lunchpail Books, which promises books that are both fun and easy to read. 

Diversity and Ziblets

As a follow up to the diversity blog, found an interesting related study. 
The original article was called:
Childlike wonder good for memory

In a study conducted by Ohio State University researchers, adults had better recall of pictures of imaginary bugs than familiar animals like cats. Why? When we categorize people and objects, it lowers our ability to remember individual differences between them. In the first experiment, adults and children were shown pictures of animals such as cats, bears, and birds, and later asked to identify which pictures they had seen before. The younger the child, the better he or she did. In a second experiment, the real animals were swapped for imaginary creatures. From OSU Research News:

...In this new experiment, adults were shown three different types of imaginary, insect-like creatures that (cognitive science professor Vladimir) Sloutsky calls "ziblets." In this experiment, adults performed as well as children did in the first study in remembering which ziblets they had seen before without having many "false positives."

The difference here was that the adults had no previous knowledge that allowed them to easily categorize the ziblets without paying close attention to each picture.

"They remembered them because they had to pay close attention," Sloutsky said. "They remembered the details."

So what does this have to do with diversity? Adults rely on that mental categorization of our environment… I believe in young children things are more or less equal.  Wow! You’re different!  Now let’s play.

Do you agree?

Diversity for Children?

What is diversity?  In the corporate world this usually refers to race-- Sometimes to physical abilities.  Isn’t diversity much deeper than that?  Isn’t the surface differences, color, size, abilities, etc…just that- superficial?  Isn’t background, perspective, personality, background add much more to the interaction?  How do children approach diversity?

During preschool years, children begin to notice physical aspects of identity. At about age 2, children become increasingly aware of gender. This is followed by curiosity about skin color, hair color and texture, eye shape and color, and other physical attributes. Awareness of disabilities tends to come later; however, some toddlers begin noticing more obvious disabilities, such as a person using a wheelchair. Usually between the ages of 2 and 3, children will begin to notice cultural aspects of gender influence. For example, they may take note of the fact that girls tend to play with dolls while boys play with trucks. They may also begin to recognize ethnic differences, noticing that children eat different foods and celebrate different holidays or, conversely, do not celebrate or recognize certain holidays. As they begin to notice differences, 2-year olds may show signs of "pre-prejudice"-they may act afraid or uncomfortable. Not necessarily possessing the vocabulary to express their concerns, they may avoid or ignore a child they perceive to be different.

Or perhaps, they really don’t care.  As adults we tend to look and judge things based on our world view.  That person is different… that is good or that is bad.  I don’t believe young children look at the world that way… we just project our adult perspective on them.   I think it is more like puppies… some are black, some are brown, some are white, some spotted, etc.  Don’t you think children view others like puppies?  They may learn from their environment to attach some judgment to individuals, but they pretty much start with a clean slate.

In “Peep Peep Finds a Friend”, I take that child-like perspective on diversity.  Oh, look at you… you look different than me… cool let’s play!  This is the third book in the series and Peep Peep’s new friend “Gua Gua” is an odd duck!  Literally, we never learn what kind of duck Gua Gua is or even if it is a male or female.  When you are a duckling, it doesn’t really matter.   Well, in reality baby ducks are imprinted on recognizing like kind, but for our story it doesn’t really matter.  A friend is friend.

Have you ever had a discussion with a child about diversity?  What were the circumstances and how did it go?

Johnnie