Ugh, I know it’s painful to admit, but summer is almost over! If you love the freedom of long summer days of no school, the transition to fall can be a bit of a challenge. But I, for one, love the approach of crisp autumn nights and the beautiful yellows, oranges and browns of the changing leaves. What is your favorite part about fall — the first days of school, hay rides, corn mazes, apple cider, falling leaves, haunted houses, Halloween, Thanksgiving? It always seems like the autumn months are packed full of so many different things and new experiences, so here are some books, songs, videos and an activity to help celebrate all of the colorful change that autumn brings. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Autumn”
What’s so great about boring old phonics? Well, it’s the reason you’re able to read this blog! Phonics are the building blocks upon which reading and writing are founded. If you want your kids to be able to “decode” new words, then they’re going to need to know all of the tricky nuances of the English language, and that’s where phonics comes in.
What exactly is phonics? Technically, it’s: “a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system.” But you know it as singing the ABC’s, identifying letters and rhyming words at home with your family. Maybe you remember sitting on a large rug in a kindergarten classroom and sounding out vowels and consonants. Perhaps you brought home tiny books that were 10 pages long with a few words on each page — “The fat cat sat on the mat.” Phonics are the hidden games we play to teach language and build a firm foundation for young readers. Continue reading “Fun With Phonics”
