Are you taking part in the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge?
I got a great suggestion from Jennifer, one of the parents reading to her child every day. She thought it would help if we set aside a page each month for parents to bookmark and return to as they read picture books and do other activities with their kids. That would make it easier for me to keep track of the comments when it comes time to award the picture book prize at the end of each month.
So this will be the post/page reserved for January comments. Don’t worry if you comment on a different page though…I will definitely count all of the comments that pertain to the picture books and activities. Jennifer, I really appreciate the feedback and will send a picture book out to you for your help!
I was visiting several new blogs recently, as part of Susannah Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday and the Comment Challenge from MotherReader and Lee Wind. The problem with visiting and commenting on so many blogs is that you forget where you were. Anyway, on one of these fantastic blogs, I saw a quote that I’ve always loved. If you recognize it as one that is posted on your blog, please let me know so I can thank you.
“We beg,
We pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install,
A lovely bookcase on the wall.”
Roald Dahl, prolific author of children’s books, is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. If you want to find out more about him or his books, you can visit his amazing website.
Does your family watch a lot of TV? I’m not saying that all TV is bad…there are definitely some worthwhile educational shows for kids…PBS has some wonderful offerings…not just kid’s programming…the music specials are fantastic!
But what else could you all be doing if you turned it off? Join the Challenge…and if you don’t have young children, please pass along this link to others that do. I will thank you now in advance…their children will thank you years from now when they are doing well in school and loving reading!
No Rules…Just Read!
Related articles
- Two Versions of a Picture Book Spread (illustratorsforkids.wordpress.com)
- Project 365 and the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
- Picture Perfect Book Friday: The Kissing Hand (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
Love the poem and “No rules . . . just read.” 😀
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Glad you like it…sound familiar? 🙂 I’ve always loved your No Rules…Just Write! And, since I ‘m trying to encourage parents to read with their kids, it seemed to make sense.
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I want to do the positive parenting challenge. How do I sign up? i would like to say a positive thing every day. Like Anna, I like the way you brushed you hair out so smoothly. It really shines now. Is that what to do? where do I post it? My blog? Malika the No Non-cents Nanna
http://nonon-centsnanna.blogspot.com ot http://nononcentsnanna.wordpress.com
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Hi Malika,
First of all, welcome! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m so glad you want to join the Positive Parental Participation Challenge. I’ll come and visit your blog also. 🙂
There is a page set up for the January comments…we thought it might be easier to have all the contest comments in one place…but you can comment on any post of my blog.
Each time you comment, it gives you another entry to the contest…and one commenter will be chosen at the end of each month and they will receive a picture book.
Your comment should tell us all what book or books you are reading to your child/children. Also, if you do any other activity like a craft project or your child helps you in the kitchen preparing a recipe.
As far as the “positive” part of the contest…yes, telling your child she is doing a great job brushing her hair vecause you can see how shiny it is…that’s lovely.
I’m going to do a post about this…I probably didn’t explain it very well…so look for my post tomorrow.
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1/11 Reading:
“Olivia Claus”
“Lost in the Forest”
“Beauty & the Beast – Friends are Sweet”
“My First Little House Books – Winter Days in the Big Woods”
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Hi Jenn,
Thanks again for the comment page suggestion. 🙂
And thank you for sharing the books you’ve been reading. I know Olivia Claus…very sweet. Don’t know the others…is the Beauty and the Beast a more child-friendly remake of the old classic fairytale? I was at the Friends of the PPLD at the East Branch Library and they had an enornous number of picture books at 50 cents each…some gently used, some not so gently. 🙂 I noticed one of the First Little House books…didn’t get it…maybe I should have. 🙂
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The Beauty and the Beast book was from the Disney movie. A great little book where Belle and her friends work together. My youngest just LOVES it! I always browse our local thrift stores for books — so many to choose from — and I’d buy them all except I’m afraid my husband will divorce me! LOL!
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It’s the same for me, Jenn. I love going to our local libraries also…they all have a Friends of the PPLD area where they sell (for 50 cents or less) children’s books that have been donated or discarded from the library system.
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So far today, we’ve read:
– Oh, what a Christmas! by Michael Garland
– When Santa lost his ho! ho! ho! by Laura Rader.
– The gingerbread pirates by Kristin Kladstrup
And I helped my 3 year old count to 100 and find words with beginning sounds. Fun times!
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So happy you are joining in the 2012 PPP Challenge to read every day with your children. I just came back from visiting your blog and saw a bunch of other books you have read/are reading with them. That is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
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Love that poem! Best wishes on the 365 which should be 366 project… Sounds exciting! 🙂
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Thanks, Eliz! Yes, 366 would have made more sense…but maybe they thought most people wouldn’t realize that it was the days in a year unless they called it 365. 🙂
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Every day my 3-year old asks me to read the DK Human Body book. Everything and anything you’ve ever want to learn about the human body. He’s been crazy about dinosaurs for so long, it’s nice to see him show interest in something else.
We’ve also been reading several easy reader Richard Scarry book this past week. Funny stories that my 5 year old can read aloud to everyone.
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So many kids are fascinated with dinosaurs…and the human body is amazing! My children loved the Richard Scary books…lots of stuff happening on each page. 🙂 Does the 5-year old read to the 3-year old?
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He sometimes does, especially if he really likes the book. And my 3 year old is starting to point at the words with his fingers and “reading” them. I love that stage of development.
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That is fantastic! And so begins their love affair with books. 🙂
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We’ve read a lot of books this past week but these are the books we really enjoyed: http://perfectingmotherhood.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/www-wednesdays-january-18-2012/
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Went to your blog…love the choices you’ve read and are in the middle of reading. Can’t wait to find out what was in the big bag of books from the library. 🙂
I left a comment regarding Anne of Green Gables…I think that if some of the famous classics were sent to publishers today, they would probably be rejected…perhaps it is the fast-paced world we are living in. 🙂
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With my husband being in the hospital we haven’t had time to read the dozens of books we’ve gotten from the library. But my youngest’s favorite book right now is “The Berenstain Bears Trick or treat”. He wants to have a monster costume like Brother Bear for next Halloween and seems to think Oct 31 is coming up very soon… Both kids are also enjoying Dav Pilkey’s Dragon series for the first time. Great to read for my five year old on his own, his funny and sweet moments.
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You are amazing to be able to comment at all with everything that is going on in your life right now. How are you doing? Any progress with your husband? How are the children coping with this upheaval in their lives?
I love the Berenstain Bear books…they get right to the heart of many problems and concerns that young children can relate to. I think there is a book in that series for EVERYTHING one could think of. 🙂
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He’s progressing every day, so it’s a good sign. He’s actually the one who read stories to the boys tonight while I went to get his medication (but I don’t know what they read!).
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So glad to hear he is getting better…stay strong! We are all praying for you and your family!
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If You’re a Monster and You Know It
Glad Monster, Sad Monster
Fancy Nancy – Explorer Extraodinaire
Disney’s My Very First Dictionary
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Great books, Jen. I love the funny monster books…hilarious and they often help young children cope with their own fears.
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This week we’ve been reading a wonderful book called “The man who walked between the towers.” It tells the true story of Philippe Petit, a French street performer in New York City, who stretched a cable between the two Twin towers as they were almost complete and walked in between them for almost an hour. The book was written in 2003 and it very gently mentions the towers being gone but still there in memory, with Petit walking among the clouds. My five year old really likes this book. He wants to know why the towers are gone but I haven’t figured out a way to explain that to him without causing unnecessary anxiety.
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My husband and I actually saw a PBS special on Philippe Petit…it was amazing. (you might be able to access it on your computer by going to PBS.org…I’m not sure)
I understand your reluctance to explain the tragedy of 911…I know that children who were involved received counseling to help them deal with their fears and feelings. You know your child better than anyone…I would think there must be some online resources that address that issue. I hesitate to offer my suggestions, but I applaud you for your sensitive and careful approach to the problem.
I’m excited…I’ll be announcing the winner of the picture book by the end of the week…but the real winners are all the children who were read to by their parents. 🙂
Hope all is going well with your husband.
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Oh, I’m going to have to see if I can find that documentary, it must be quite interesting.
I just think my five year old is too young to be told some people flew airplanes full of people into towers full of people with the only purpose to kill them. I thought about mentioning the towers were hit by bombs but even then, I don’t want him to be afraid something like that might happen here in San Diego. I think I’ll let him grow up a little before he gets exposed to this horrific side of humanity.
My husband is improving every day and is starting the all day rehab next week, so I hope it will help speed up his recovery.
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By the way tonight we went back to All About Sam, which we put away for a little while. I really love reading this book to my kids and I can see why kids love it so much. Lois Lowry is a real genius at putting herself in a child’s shoes and how they think and act. My kids laugh and understand so much about the story, it’s easy to see how well they relate. I’d never would have known about this chapter book if my son’s teacher didn’t read it to him in class, but now I’m glad I know it. And my son told me there are more books after this one, so we’ll read those too!
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If children ask for a book over and over, you know it is a winner.:)
I think whatever you feel comfortable with regarding the twin towers is the right approach to take…I believe in being honest with kids…but not giving all the details is just being prudent. 🙂 Remember the story about the kid who asks where he comes from and his mom spends 4 hours telling him in detail all about reproduction, etc. When she is finished, he says, “Yeah, Mom, but Johnny comes from Seattle…where am I from?” Sometimes less is more. 🙂
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