Creating Literacy in the Home

Creating a atmosphere of literacy in the home is the first and most important step in creating a literate child.  

Ideas, hints, and tips for literacy is a new feature on this blog.  Because together, we can and will end the illiteracy crisis.

A recent acquisition of mine was a child's size table that was given to me.   SCORE!  I knew exactly what I would be able to use the table for. 

Thus a Literacy Table was born!

A Literacy Table for when I go to booths and some parties, and even in my own home!  Yes, something for children color at, draw on, and enjoy, while encouraging a love for books and learning! 

The supplies I needed I had on hand.  This table cost me NOTHING but time!  And it will give back to my community in so many ways!  I am excited to put this to use!

Needed Supplies:

• Table
• Painters Tape
• Chalk Board Paint (I had bought some last year for a project and never did it, so I used it for this instead)
• Chalk
• Chalk Board eraser or old soft cloth
• A warm day

 

And the proof of its enjoyability and appeal to the youngest among us is apparent....  My daughter quickly placed her mark on the little table.  

 

 and that is the goal right there, for children to read books and find that one book that captures their heart and their imagination! 

Book Drive!

I have joined forces with A Princess with a Purpose who is stuffing  Make-A-Wish Back Packs for wish kids ("wishpacks"). Our goal is to raise $500 which will allow us to purchase $750 in Usborne Books.  Can you help us reach that goal?  DONATE HERE

Why are the Wishpacks and Princess with a Purpose important to me?  

You may be wondering why I have chosen to work with Princess with a Purpose and their goal of filling Make-A-Wish back packs.  You have the right to know. 

Childhood cancer has touched our family.  My husband’s cousin has little girl that was diagnosed with a Plexiform Fibrohistiocytic tumor in 2012, but even before this we felt strongly that Childhood Cancer was tragic and not given the awareness of adult cancers.  No one should ever have to deal with this dreaded and horrible disease, but least of all the youngest and most innocent among us.  It has been our family’s cause (if you will) for nearly ten years.  We have participated in motorcycle rallies for childhood cancer awareness, donated to Mary Bridge, St. Judes, Seattle Children’s, and Princess with a Purpose.  

In 2011 we met Dryden and her family and learned that little Dryden, so close to my own daughters age, was diagnosed with  ALL Leukemia and our hearts were saddened.  Such a sweet little girl fighting (and winning) the big C word.  As her battle was wagged and as she fought bravely to kick cancer to the curb she expressed a desire and formulated a plan to help other children be able to smile.  Thus A Princess with a Purpose was formed.  Since then this family, a real family that I know and who lives very modestly, has striven and sacrificed so that other children might have some moments of joy.

I wish to help them fill their Make-A-Wish Alaska/Washington backpacks  in June with exceptional books.  These children deserve to have exceptional books to read and enjoy in their wishpacks and with Usborne’s 50% matching program we can spread joy and literature to the Wish Kids in our region.  Can you help me help fill this wish?  We can provide 70+ books to children when we achieve our goal.  All its takes is $25 from 20 families.  Can you help us?  

You can donate through this link!  DONATE HERE

If it’s not in your budget, I understand, but if you can we would greatly appreciate it!

Thank you!

Spring into Usborne Books!

Spring is a natural time to start thinking about house cleaning.  I say clean your book shelves too!  Look at your children's book shelves as you prepare for the summer and see what is still reading level appropriate.  We should look at revamping our bookshelves every year, and a good way to do this is with spring cleaning.  I just pulled a stack of board books finally off our rotation list.  I am a lover of books so for me this has been very hard, but I know that some other young child will benefit from the reading material and it means I can introduce more variety into my daughters book shelf space.

Since becoming a consultant I have been blessed with being able to really take stock of her library and enhance it in so many ways.  This might be a great reason for you as well as you consider becoming a consultant.   Hint hint.  :-)  For more info on that visit this link.... Join The Literacy Army!


Some great spring titles to consider adding to your bookshelf are:

1001 Things to spot on Vacation: This is an interactive sticker book, that's full of busy, illustrated scenes depicting life on the ocean waves.

Items to spot within the main picture are shown in the border as silhouettes and each has a corresponding sticker which children can find, match and add in the correct place. With over a thousand things for children to find, count and talk about.This is sure to provide hours of fun and will easily slip into the carry on for those plane trips. 

Big Doodling Pads:   With over 400 doodles to complete, this colorful book will inspire children to be imaginative and creative. Tear-off pages make this book great for sharing - whether on vacation, on the move, or just at home! From pirates to mermaids and space aliens to sea creatures – there’s something to doodle for everyone.

Pocket Puzzle Book:    Mazes, picture puzzles, word searches, number problems and much, much more.  This book is a pocket size that fits right into the purse or child sized carry on.  Great for kiddos age 6 and up.  There is some reading involved for directions. You might also want to pick up Travel Pocket Doodle and Color Book.

Secrets of the Seashore:  Spot the tiny shrimps hiding in the sand, see a shy crab underneath a rock and watch a jewel-like anemone open its tentacles in this beautiful book of nature's hidden habitats. Just hold the page up to a light to discover it all.  Take it camping with a flashlight for extra fun!  A great way to make your child excited about exploring the seashore!  If you enjoyed Secrets of the Apple Tree you will love this!

Extreme Adventures:  Shark Bait!  Action has a new hero - Sam Fox! With a talent for attracting danger, Sam Fox is an expert at getting himself into (and out of) the most extreme situations. This series has a strong appeal with a courageous young hero and exotic settings and has non-stop action and short chapters which will engage reluctant readers.

Sam Fox is on vacation at the Great Barrier Reef, when he and a young Japanese boy called Michi are swept out to sea by a freak wave. Before they know it, they are adrift in an ocean teeming with sharks and other deadly sea creatures. Just when they think they have made it safely to shore, Sam encounters a group of dangerous bird smugglers. Can he outwit them long enough to keep himself and Michi alive?

So get out there and have some fun reading!

Read Aloud America

Kim’s Usborne Book Shelf is working with the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES National Campaign in developing a Parent and Community Awareness grassroots effort in Tacoma, WA.  Read Aloud 15 MINUTES’ goal is to have every child being read aloud to by a parent or loved one for 15 minutes every day starting at birth.  The decade-long 15 MINUTES Movement will be a massive public awareness effort, spearheaded by partners in cities throughout the nation that will rally grassroots support through local awareness efforts and community outreach.

As an organization that reaches parents with young children, we are asking you to join us in our local campaign efforts.  We are asking every day care center, pediatrician’s office, preschool, literacy group, library, family service organization, and business to unite with us behind the idea that 15 minutes of daily reading aloud from birth to age 8 can change the face of education.

Please contact Kim White, Independent Consultant for Usborne Books & More or, if you wish to become a Read Aloud 15 MINUTES National Campaign Partner, please go directly to http://www2.readaloud.org/l/23722/2013-06-14/3wz3.

According to Read Aloud:

• Reading aloud is the single most important thing a parent or caregiver can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning.
• Nationally, 37% of children arrive in kindergarten without the skills necessary to begin their learning journey.
• If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade, then there is an 88% probability the child will not be reading at grade level by the end of the fourth grade.
• Even in higher-income households, nearly 40% of families do not read aloud every day.
• More than half the children in this country - 13 million children - will not hear a bedtime story tonight.
•  If nothing changes, over the coming decade 15 million children will begin kindergarten ill prepared for their learning journey setting off a cascade of failure.

About Read Aloud

Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a non-profit organization that is working to make reading aloud every day for at least 15 minutes the new standard in child care. When every child is read aloud to for 15 minutes every day from birth, more children will be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten, more children will have the literacy skills needed to succeed in school, and more children will be prepared for a productive and meaningful life after school. For more information, visit: http://www.readaloud.org/.

About Kim’s Usborne Book Shelf

Kim is an Independent Consultant for Usborne Books & More, a leader in children’s books.

For more information, visit: www.kimsusbornebookshelf.com

The Learning Palette

I'm not joking when I say that this has to be one of the MOST AMAZING early and elementary education products I have used.  Being a homeschool mom I have tried a myriad of products during our learning journey. 

The Learning Palette (affiliate link)

I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who was hearing of my struggles to engage my active child who has some kinesthetic learning traits (for more information on this learning style see here).  This "toy/game" is wonderful.  It challenges her mind while taking care of the need to make movement.  Its not so long winded that it takes hours to complete either, which can spell disaster!  You can complete as much as you want, or as much as the child is able, and not feel like you didn't do as you should.  Each card is a skill and they build upon each other.

If you purchase the large kit it's based on a whole year long curriculum.  I have found that a good pace for us is one of the math cards a day while covering a difficult subject, and two to three of the reading cards.  I also repeat the cards which is easy to do if the concept has not been mastered.  Whats really cool for those with multiple learners in their home is that this could easily be used as a reinforcing of already learned concepts for review practice.  What do I mean... well you can sit your child down with a Learning Palette and pull out the cards you want them to review.  These cards can easily be done without assistance if you have already worked on the concepts.  They are self correcting so that when the child has completed their work they can flip it over and see what they matched correctly and which ones they didn't.  At this point you could discuss it with them and mark it for further review.  They can then go on to the next card.  This has freed up some time for you to get the other children going in a topic.  Score for everyone! 



Here is a link to a video of my daughter using a math card on her Learning Palette.  She is working on counting by 5's.  The Learning Palette video.

Each pack includes curriculum that is designed for the listed grade  and it provides enough material to engage a child throughout the school year.    The Learning Palette has been designed to meet state and national educational standards.

I highly recommend this product to everyone with children 5-8, or any child that is having some difficulty grasping some core basics.  I could also see some benefits for ESL learners and even adults struggling with a literacy difficulty.  

Happy Reading!

Staggering Rates of Illiteracy

What if I told you that 19% of high school graduates can't read at a functional level?  What if I said that Nationally, about 40% of fourth grade students are reading below grade level?  These are staggering statistics. 

Take a look at this list.  

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute of Literacy

Research Date: 4.28.2013

U.S. Illiteracy Statistics	Data
Percent of U.S. adults who can’t read	14 %
Number of U.S. adults who can’t read	32 Million
Percent of U.S. adults who read below a 5th grade level	21 %
Percent of prison inmates who can’t read	63 %
Percent of high school graduates who can’t read	19 %
Global Illiteracy
Number of people worldwide who can’t read	774 Million
Percent of the worlds illiterate who are female	66 %

These stats are mind blowing!  You most likely know someone that can't read at a functional level.  Sadly, you might know several somebodies.  

 March is Reading Awareness month (and 3/3/14 is the NEA Reading Awareness Day). 

My personal campaign, which I am kicking off March 2, 2014, is to do what I can to Kick Illiteracy to the Curb.  I am a member of the Literacy Army.  I am actively doing my best to give tips, shed light on illiteracy, and find ways of getting good books into the hands of children.  Each consultant at Usborne Books & More is extremely dedicated to doing this.  

"Kick illiteracy to the curb," has become my personal "battle cry" as I charge forward in this battle against illiteracy. I think that each of us, one book at a time, can make that statistic of 19% of high school graduates reading below a functional level, less than 1%!  I really think if we all work together we can do it!  Call me a dreamer, but I'm not the only one!  I am a part of an army of wonderful men and women who have taken it upon themselves to fight back against illiteracy.  Think about it, WHY CAN'T WE DO THIS? Why not us?  Why can't we be the generation that puts our foot down!

Usborne Books & More books really do engage the whole child.  If we can get these books into the hands of children we can and WILL create a snowball effect. The awesome thing about print media like books is that it can have a life of its own. Its not single use. Books often get loaned and passed to others, and handed down.  

 Am I excited about this? YES. I am excited for children to get these books. They can get them through their libraries, at home, through donations....I am convinced that we can and will do this. Think about it this way, if we could all work toward combating illiteracy in America, our little ripples would form a tidal wave, that tidal wave could sweep the land, and one day.... hopefully one day, my daughter will not see staggering percentages for illiteracy. That is what I mean when I say, "Let's kick illiteracy to the curb."

Usborne Books & More has programs in place to help organizations get books into the hands of children.  Your Usborne Books & More consultant can help you with finding out if one of these programs would be beneficial for you and your organization.