This week I’ve decided to get on board Anna’s “5-a-day books” challenge. A arty crafty ‘early years’ educator prior to becoming a stay at home mum to her two precious daughters, she regularly provides fantastic hands-on ideas of ways to enchant and enhance the learning of little ones in real and practical activities that she has done herself with her children on her blog The Imagination Tree. If you are a mother of young children and haven’t come by this blog I definitely recommend a look-see!
Anyway, on to this weeks' “5-a-Day Books”challenge (week 1 was last week). Anna explains it best …
… So, how do you do 5-A-Day-Books with your own children at home or school? Simple! Choose 5 texts that are simple, short, appealing and which tap into whatever your child is interested in. Try and include at least two books that have rhyming text or a familiar, repeated refrain as studies show that children exposed to plenty of strong, rhythmic text/ song from a young age become more.
… [I] suggest choosing short picture books which feature strong rhythm and/ or repeated refrain so that the children can quickly memorise the words and join in with the story-telling. This empowers them to be able to "read" and re-tell stories from a young age, and also makes them very fluent in a range of text types and literature styles. [HERE]
So, what are our chosen books to repeat this week?
Little Sheep Gets Lost: The Story of the Lost Sheep (Author: Tim Dowley)
I really love this version of Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep (found, Luke 15) for little kids. The bright, lovable pictures provide a feast for young eyes, while the clear and simple text recreates the story in a way that is easy for them to understand. No more than four lines of text (actually, the majority of pages have two lines), it is also a quick moving recreation – which is always a major factor in choosing stories for my little one!
Stories from Jesus: The Friendly Stranger (Author: Margaret Williams)
Another favorite version of one of Jesus’ parables for little tackers – The Good Samaritan (found, Luke 10:25-37). Once again, this book has bright, interesting illustrations and clear, easy to understand text which highlights the major points in Jesus’ story while emphasizing the message of kindness and compassion, regardless of any perceived differences.
Indigo and the Mistletoe (Author: Janelle Fisher)
An absolutely adorable book written, illustrated and published by a strong woman of faith I am proud to call ‘friend’. In her own, perfect explanation, this book is ‘a little story to help little people understand some of the big things in life. How little problems can grow, but that big, caring people can help fix them. And that who we are, and the decisions we make affect others.’
Who Sank the Boat? (Author: Pamela Allen)
A long-time favorite book of mine going back to my own childhood, by a long-time favorite award-winning children’s author. If you haven’t read the book – DO! The simple rhythm and rhyme, the fun illustrations, and the fact that my daughter regularly requests this book makes this book a fantastic choice in our house.
Grandpa and Thomas (Author: Pamela Allen)
Another book by Pamela, this fun rhythmical book about a child’s visit to the beach with his grandfather is another favorite. We originally came by this book when we saw it being read on Playschool. “Swish, swash, swoosh, sings the sea” *heart*
So there you have it – the five books I intend to regularly read with my daughter this week throughout our day.
This post is linked in with Anna's post.
This post is linked in with Anna's post.
*****************
On a side note, this weekend I finally finished my “Ooopsy Daisy Table Runner”, designed by Jenny of Elefantz. I fell in love with this design as soon as I saw it and was quick to buy a copy of the pattern from her Etsy shop. This runner I made for a dear friend for her 30th birthday and, though unfortunately belated, she will receive the finished product at our mum’s & bubs bible study later this week.
The first image is of the whole table runner...
... followed by a close-up of the applique and embroidery.
What do you think? I personally can’t wait to make one I get to keep!!
1 comment:
Thanks so much for joiing the challenge and linking up! I love your choice of books and see that you are also reading Who Sank the Boat? like Mama Pea Pod! It's going to be interesting to see what range of books we get and which are the popular ones that keep cropping up!
And your table runner is beautiful by the way- well done!
Post a Comment