Your child and reading

Reading to your child is is one of the first and most important literacy activities of your child's life. I often take the approach with my own children of simply reading anything and everything that interests them. I can not tell you how many times I have read, for example, non-fiction books that would seem seriously boring to me, only to have my children enjoy them. You may find yourself in a situation where your child brings you a book that does not seem at all of interest to you. In that moment, just stop...take a serious look at the book. Sometimes, if you just begin reading, you may be amazed at what your child can comprehend and enjoy. If you begin reading and they are obviously not interested, just move on to another book you believe may be more interesting. Also, don't forget that reading is everywhere. Point out to your child signs, menus, lists, etc. as you wander through your day. This provides for your child real life meaning in regards to literacy. As far as selecting books for/with your children, I have below an excellent piece written by Bev Bos (one of my favorite educators). Please read and enjoy! Children's Books

by Bev Bos

In all the years I've been teaching, I've never seen a time when there were more good children's books available. I am especially encouraged by the diversity in today's books, socially, culturally, and ethnically. I have a list of books that I have used as resource books with success and books that I have read and reread to the children at school and my grandchildren. They are books I am passionate about and will still enjoy in ten years. But to keep the joy of teaching alive for myself and the wonder of learning alive for my kids, I am always on the lookout for that brand new book I can bring in on Monday morning. Our school library shelf is a combination of these two types of books - old loved standards and exciting new discoveries. I am often asked why I choose the books I do. While some have suggested I have developed a strong intuitive sense, I prefer to think that I have simply learned from experience. After reading books to young children for more than thirty years, a good book has to meet a certain criteria for me: . Is it meaningful to the children, something they can make sense of? Does it help them make sense of their world without being condescending? Does it encourage conversations connected to their lives or imagination? . Is it humorous? Does it promote gales of laughter or heighten a child's sense of fun? Is it, in other words, irresistible? . Are the illustrations visually pleasing and not overwhelming? . Does the book encourage children to interact positively? If it doesn't create conversations by the first page, put it away and get another book. . Does the story help children toward self-identification or reinforce their self-concept positively? . Are there opportunities to create - to expand on the story? . Is it "preachy", "teachy" or "cutesy". If so, you are better off without it. My philosophy is that books do not belong in the library or just on the bookshelf at home. Kids should have easy access to books all the time. At home, they should be under the pillows, stacked by the bed, in every nook and cranny. Every bathroom should have not only the newspaper but children's books, too. They should be in the car. At school, we make sure the books are within easy reach of the children. Books and words need to be as familiar to children as the food they eat, the music they hear and the art they do. If we want our children to become literate then we must do everything we can to make them comfortable with books and language. Sometimes we just don't know where to start. Let me give you a few ideas. One of the authors I dearly love for young children is Bob Munsch. His books are inexpensive, humorous and developmentally appropriate. He is not only a great storyteller and author but he also teaches child development - he knows children. One of his all-time greats is I Have to Go! Yes, it is about going potty and peeing. It is amazing to me that some people are offended by this book when, in fact, most people pee every day . . . and people with children know how it goes. Children never have to pee when you ask them, never when it's convenient. It's popular with preschoolers because they are so close to this major event in their lives. It gives them an excellent opportunity to talk and discuss this important personal experience. Another Bob Munsch great is, Purple, Green and Yellow. It is about a little girl and her experience with felt pens. When I read this book I wish I were a child again. We didn't have felt pens when I was a child and I can only imagine the joy and delight of drawing and painting on your body. I am concerned about parents not allowing children the freedom to draw on themselves. Is it a double standard when on the one hand we tell them "It's your body - don't let someone else touch you.", but then deny them that sense of ownership by not letting them draw on themselves? I appreciate Bob Munsch's constant reminders of the joys of childhood. Another of my favorite authors is Mem Fox. She also understands children and is a powerful writer. One of her best is Wilfred Gordon MacDonald Partridge. It is the story of a young boy caring for an old person. It's my favorite book for helping children understand that when we get old, we still have the same human needs. Young children have difficulty understanding the past and growing old. This book provides the opportunity for understanding and suggests to children how much we can learn from older people. One of my grandchildren has four names because his mother loves this book so much. Mem has also written an adult book, Radical Reflections, which helps adults understand the reading process and how children really learn to read. It's one of the very best written in the last ten years - a powerful book. From her autobiography, Dear Mem Fox, I Have Read All Your Books, Even the Pathetic Ones, comes her criteria for what makes a "good" children.s picture book; "I'm thrilled when other adults suddenly howl at the end of the book. It makes me dare to think it might be a "good" book, because good books have as much to do with the affect they have on the reader as with any other criterion. If we don't laugh, gasp, block our ears, sigh, vomit, giggle, curl our toes, empathize, sympathize, feel pain, weep, or shiver during the reading of a picture book, then surely the writer has wasted our time, our money, and our precious, precious trees." An adult book I especially treasure is Christopher deVinck's, Only the Heart Knows Where to Find Them: Precious Memories of a Faithless Time. "Memory is the sea - what is constant in our lives." This book is a collection of memories from Christopher deVinck's life. A book to be cherished, read and reread as a reminder of how important classroom memories can be. Before I start the day, I stop and reflect for just a moment about establishing an environment where kids will get the memories that will sustain them for the rest of their lives. It helps me focus on a truly childcentered approach to teaching. This book makes me look at life differently. Above all else, teachers and parents need to be readers. Children need to see us deeply involved in books. They need to see us crying, even sobbing, over books. They need to see us reading and laughing. They need to see that we are interested in a variety of reading material. We need to read aloud to each other - passages from books, essays, poetry and letters from friends. If children can get from us a sense of passion and wonder about words, stories, books, they will want to read themselves.

High Desert Dash

Our school will rally together on October 3rd, creating two relay teams in support of The High Desert Dash (HDD). HDD is a relay, running from Bend to Sunriver, put on by The Family Access Network. We need to get the registration in the mail this week! So all of our final details need to be squared away.

We will be having a running team and a walking team. As a participant, you would be responsible for two legs of the relay. Each leg is between 2.3 and 4.7 miles, making it feasible for even the "kind-of-a-runner"s to run and pretty much anyone to walk.

If you are even slightly considering participating with us, please stop me and ask any questions that you may have.

I have the registration forms set up by our sign-in table, with an envelope for payment. The cost is only $35 per person. Please make checks out to High Desert Dash, LLC.

Let's rally together!

Coming up on October 3rd is the 2nd annual High Desert Dash. The High Desert Dash is fund-raising relay race held by The Family Access Network. The course will take us all the way from Bend to Sunriver. I'd like for our school to rally together at least one or two teams of five people on each team for this event. Teams can be co-ed and can be mixed with walkers and runners. There are ten legs in the relay, requiring each team member to only be responsible for two legs. Each leg is only between 2.3 and 4.7 miles long, making this an attainable goal for all of us.
For more information on the event or the Family Access Network, please follow the links.
High Desert Dash
Family Access Network
Now parents...no chickening out because "I'm not in shape." First of all, you've got 8 weeks to train, and second you can even walk your legs, and your team will be happy to have had you join them!

Parents- FYI!

Some things your child may share that have a simple explanation...

1. Leaf-picking! We grew our own lettuce at school this spring. Our school lettuce has now come in quite full and requires thinning often (picture to right is one planter of lettuce AFTER having been thinned). The children have had the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor by picking and eating lettuce leaves on a couple of occasions. It recently occurred to me that you as parents ought to know this, due to the possibility of your child picking leaves from a not-so-healthy plant and attempting to eat them! We have been working with the children on understanding the need to gain permission BEFORE picking and eating. I would encourage you all to carry that on at home as well.
2. Fire-drills! We recently conducted our first fire drill. We plan to do drills often at school so that (heaven forbid) if we ever truly did experience a fire, the children will be well-versed in following our lead. Most of the children just played along, whether they understood fully what we were doing or not. A couple of the children were concerned simply by having heard mention of the word "fire". Please know that we will be regularly practicing our drills, which will also include "lock-down" drills. Understand that these are not done in a dramatic way and that any potential fears are very simply down-played in these times. If your child shows concern about these drills, please keep us informed so that we can work along with you as a team to make them not such a big deal!
3. Coffee! Monday morning we pulled out a new activity using mortar and pestle. The children had three choices of items they could grind: rock salt, peppercorn, and coffee beans. These things were used only in our activity and not for consumption. So if your child came home saying he or she "made" coffee... the grinding of the beans is actually all that happened here!

Thursday, June 4th

The Book Buggy!

Last Thursday, it we enjoyed a new experience of having "The Book Buggy" join us at school. The Book Buggy is a branch of the Deschutes Public Library. It is basically a BIG truck jam-packed with books! From now on, we have the honor of two visits every month, on the first and third Thursday afternoon. Each time, the librarians will bring the mini, mobile library, and start us off with a wonderful story time (just like at the library, but exclusively for our school children). After the story time, we will venture out to The Book Buggy for a time browsing through the library. If you sign your child up for a library card, that can be kept here at the school and your child will be able to choose a book or two to bring home and share with you. If your child does not keep a card here at school, he or she will still be permitted to check out a book on our school library account. Those books on our school library account will remain at the school and be enjoyed with the teachers and other children at school. Please see the Book Buggy notice posted by our sign-in for dates. If your child is not normally at school during these visits, please feel free to join us anyway-the more readers, the better!

note: one of the fun ways that we promote literacy in our school is called "My Very Own Story". We, as teachers, ask the child to tell us a story (or simply quickly grab a clip-board when told by the child that a story is ready). We simply write down word-for-word exactly what the child says, incorrect grammar and all. The children love having their story read back to them at the end of the day. This is an excellent way for children to grow to understand the connection between the written word and the story read aloud. It provides them understanding that there truly is meaning to the "words" written on the pages we read. So, when you see those stories come home, just try to enjoy your child's stage of literary development. Don't worry about the content too much and correcting it. This correction typically occurs very naturally without interference by us adults. If you'd like some tips on trying this activity at home, just ask!

Baking

Well, as most of you are aware, we are now at the point that the children's grains are all things they have baked themselves. Each morning and afternoon snack is comprised of a fruit or a vegetable and muffins, biscuits, or a similar baked grain.

Baking is an excellent learning activity in disguise. When you add the interactive conversational component to what could be just plain baking, the children can benefit greatly. For example, areas of development that can be enhanced through baking as we do it:
-literacy through reading a large copy of the recipe
-motor skills through dumping of small containers of ingredients into mixing bowl
-increased understanding of matter- dry ingredients vs. wet ingredients and their characteristics/properties through handling a variety them
-language and listening skills through following each simple instruction on the recipe
-some basic chemical understanding by discussing what each ingredient contributes to our recipe (favorite being baking powder that "puffs it up")

In baking these goods, a positive nutrition foundation is also being laid for the children. We use 100% whole wheat flour and couple these wonderful baked goods with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. If your child is not big on eating veggies and whole wheat grains, perhaps with time, consistent exposure, and influence of others eating those foods will become less of an issue and even more appealing.

Next time you are baking at home, perhaps slow down and allow your child to learn from that time with you by doing it together!

Two wonderful artists

Thursday May 7th and Friday May 8th we enjoyed the experience of two very gifted artists joining us to share their art with us.

Thursday, Brooke Lynn Grimes shared all about print making with us. She showed the children the supplies she uses and walked them through the process. The children loved feeling the "heavy" metal plates she uses for etching her design into. She then explained how she rolls the color onto the plate and press it onto the final product. They were intrigued with her own finished pieces she brought in to share with us. The children then had the privilege of creating their own prints. Each child etched a design into a flat piece of styrofoam. They then used a roller, rolled through their own color selection, to cover the etched piece. The final step was to flip over the painted, etched piece and press it onto their paper. The looks on some of their faces were precious as they lifted the foam to view their print for the first time. What discovery! (note: pic is of completed prints hanging to dry)

Many of you know that Brooke Lynn also joined us on Saturday the 9th for Caleb's birthday party. She is currently launching her business doing art with various schools, parties, and other children's groups. At each session, she brings the fun and the learning of art together, teaching the children about a certain artist, technique, or topic and allowing them to create their own art piece along with that topic. She takes a very hands-off approach, believing that the artwork created ought to be a piece created solely by the child. In this way, her approach goes along very well with our school's approach to art. Please let me know if you would like more information on how to connect with Brooke Lynn for your own party, playgroup, etc. I have her business cards available for you at the sign-in shelf. I truly can't say enough about how wonderfully she works with the children. THANKS Brooke Lynn!

On Friday, we had the honor of a visit with local artist Sarah McMurray. Sarah brough in her special art box, through which the children loved rummaging as she shared with us what each of the tools was and what it was used for. A favorite was when she showed the children all of her different paint brushes and explained to them which type of brush was used for which type of painting. She finished her time with an extensive opportunity for the children to use oil pastels (not something we typically have at the school). The texture of the oil pastels was a fun thing for the children to explore. She talked with them a lot about colors and color mixing techniques. A couple of the children ended up with a self-portrait, but most of them just enjoyed the process of using the pastels in a variety of ways to create a variety of different colors and textures. Thank you Sarah for taking the children into exploring an art process that we typically don't explore at Bloom and expanding their understanding of colors!

All in all, this week was wonderful for increasing our children's art-appreciation. We have seen and used a variety of art mediums with our artists Andrea, Brooke Lynn, and Sarah. Many discussions have since formed about treating our art supplies/tools with care and using them specifically for the purpose of creating. I am so grateful for such wonderful local artists who were willing to donate their time and share their knowledge with our little school.