Motivated Parent - Successful Child: March 2014

Monday, March 24, 2014

Book Series Chosen by 6-year-old Girl

To help your child to increase his/her interest in reading look for an attention-grabbing series.

I’ve always read to my daughter and that’s how now my 6 years old Basia reads to me when I’m busy cooking a dinner.

https://plus.google.com/100969682108352971387/posts/GckwJ8bwzyT

Children's books that come in a series are excellent for many reasons.

Once a child reads the first book in the series and likes it, there are immediately more books from the rest of the series that he/she will want to read!
Series help to develop more complex characters and plots which help capture child’s' attention and interest and make him/her want to read more.

Before you buy the whole series it is worthy to take a trip to the local library and check the first book to make sure your child likes it.

See some book series my 6 years old daughter likes to read alone or with me.
There are in an alphabetical order:

According to Humphrey Series by Betty G. Birney
Humphrey, pet hamster at Longfellow School, learns that he has an important role to play in helping his classmates and teacher.

Number of Books in Series: 10
Age Group: 7 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.8 to 4.4

Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Books Level 2) Series by Peggy Parish and Herman Parish
Amelia Bedelia is a literal-minded housekeeper who causes a ruckus in the household when she attempts to make sense of some instructions.

Number of Books in Series: 26 so far
Age Group: 4 - 9 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 1.8 to 3.2

Amelia Bedelia (Young Amelia, Chapter Books) Series by Herman Parish
Young Amelia Bedelia gets into a trouble frequently and has numerous interesting stories.
Number of Books in Series: 4 so far
Age Group: 6 - 11 years

Andy Russell Series by David A. Adler
The fourth-grader Andy Russell gets in trouble for not paying attention in class.

Number of Books in Series: 6
Age Group: 7 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.1 to 4.0

Annie and Snowball Series by Cynthia Rylant
Annie and her pet rabbit, Snowball, invite Henry and Mudge to a dress-up birthday party, but there is some confusion about what the guests are supposed to wear.
Number of Books in Series: 13 so far
Age Group: 4 - 7 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.1 to 3.0

Arthur (Step-into-Reading Step 3) Series by Marc Brown
Arthur doesn't believe that his little sister can really read, so he challenges her to prove it.
Number of Books in Series: 19
Age Group: 5 - 8 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 1.5 to 2.5

Arthur Chapter Books Series by Marc Brown
It looks like trouble when the principal asks Arthur to take home a large envelope marked "confidential".

Number of Books in Series: 33
Age Group: 6 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.9 to 3.8

The Berenstain Bears Big Chapter Books Series by Stan Bernestain and Jan Berenstain
Brother and Sister Bear try to solve the mystery of how illegal drugs are getting into their school.
Number of Books in Series: 33
Age Group: 6 - 12 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.6 to 5.2

Bones Mysteries Series by David A. Adler, also known as Jeffrey Bones Mysteries
Young Detective Jeffrey Bones begins gathering clues when Mr. Green asks for his help finding the school bus he lost while shopping at the mall.

Number of Books in Series: 10 so far
Age Group: 5 - 8 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.1 to 2.8

Cam Jansen Mysteries Series by David A. Adler
A fifth-grader with a photographic memory and her friend Eric help solve the mystery of the stolen diamonds.
Number of Books in Series: 33 so far
Age Group: 7 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.2 to 3.9

Dr. Seuss Classics and More Series by Dr. Seuss, adepted by Tish Rabe and Jack Prelutsky
Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as his pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, is one of the most popular children's authors of all time. He wrote and illustrated over 44 books, plus wrote over a dozen other books under his other pseudonyms Theo LeSieg and Rosetta Stone, which were illustrated by others. His books have sold over 222 million copies and been translated into more than 15 languages. His books are favorites for many children, and are best known for his imaginative characters and rhyme.

Number of Books in Series: 31
Age Group: 3 years and up
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.9 to 5.2

Eloise (Original Series) Series by Kay Thompson and Mart Crowley, adapted by Kate Telfeyan
Eloise is a little girl who lives at The Plaza Hotel in New York. She is not yet pretty but she is already a Person.
She knows everything about The Plaza. She is interested in people when they are not boring.
Number of Books in Series: 5
Age Group: 4 - 8 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 4.6 to 5.9

Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novels Series (comic book format) by Geronimo Stilton
The popular children's story appears in graphic novel form for the first time in the U.S., with stories never seen in America. Geronimo Stilton is a talking mouse who lives in New Mouse City on Mouse Island with his friends and relatives. He works at The Rodent's Gazette, the most famous newspaper in New Mouse City. In this series of comics, Geronimo Stilton travels through time in order to defend history from his arch nemeses, the Pirate Cats. These devious felines plan to travel back in time in order to change history to make them supreme rulers of Mouse Island! In his first time-traveling adventure, Geronimo and co. join Christopher Columbus on his voyage from Italy to America in 1492 in order to stop the Pirate cats and save all of the mice on Mouse Island.

Number of Books in Series: 13 so far
Age Group: 7 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.6 to 3.7

Henry and Mudge Series by Cynthia Rylant
Henry, feeling lonely on a street without any other children, finds companionship and love in a big dog named Mudge.

Number of Books in Series: 28
Age Group: 4 - 7 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.1 to 2.9

Ivy and Bean Series by Annie Barrows
When seven-year-old Bean plays a mean trick on her sister, she finds unexpected support for her antics from Ivy, the new neighbor, who is less boring than Bean first suspected.
Number of Books in Series: 10 so far
Age Group: 6 - 10 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.1 to 3.9

Judy Moody Series by Megan McDonald
Judy Moody is a feisty third grader famous for her ever-changing moods.
Number of Books in Series: 11 so far
Age Group: 6 - 10 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.0 to 3.7

Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park
The series is about Junie B. Jones, the funniest kindergartener ever, as she deals with life as a five-year-old.
Number of Books in Series: 28 so far
Age Group: 5 - 9 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.6 to 3.1

The Magic School Bus Chapter Books Series by Eva Moore, Ann Schreiber, Anne Capeci, Jennifer Johnston, Judith Stamper, Rebecca Carmi, Nancy White, Martin Schwabacher, Gail Herman

Explore the fascinating world of science with Ms. Frizzle and her class as they board a magical school bus which takes them on field trips into the human body, under the ocean, into the solar system, and to many other incredible locations.
Number of Books in Series: 20
Age Group: 6 - 9 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 3.4 to 4.7

Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
Jack and Annie discover a tree house with magical books that take them back in time to many fascinating places.

Number of Books in Series: 51 so far
Age Group: 5 - 11 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.6 to 4.0

Magic Tree House Fact Trackers (Research Guides) Series by Will Osborne, Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce

Non-fiction research guides for the Magic Tree House books.
Number of Books in Series: 27 so far
Age Group: 6 - 10 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 4.2 to 5.6

Shakespeare Retellings Series by Bruce Coville
A simplified prose retelling of Shakespeare's play about the exiled Duke of Milan who uses his magical powers to confront his enemies on an enchanted island.
Number of Books in Series: 7
Age Group: 7 - 14 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 4.9 to 7.1

Young Cam Jansen Mysteries Series by David A. Adler
When eight-year-old sleuth Cam Jansen and her friend Eric go to a birthday party, she uses her photographic memory to solve the puzzle of the dinosaur count.
Number of Books in Series: 19 so far
Age Group: 5 - 8 years
Accelerated Reader (AR) Level: 2.3 to 2.9

Look for more series of your child’s interest

http://www.kidsbookseries.com/lists/series.php

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Build Child's Interest in Reading…

…by finding an interesting series.

Children's books that come in a series are excellent for many reasons.

Once a child reads the first book in the series and likes it, there are immediately more books from the rest of the series that he/she will want to read!
Series help to develop more complex characters and plots which help capture child’s' attention and interest and make him/her want to read more.

I’ve always read to my daughter and that’s how now my 6 years old Basia reads to me when I’m busy cooking a dinner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h14tTYRykZ4&feature=youtu.be

My daughter’s latest hit is

“Magic Tree House” by Mary Pope Osborne

The series consists of two groups.

The first group consists of books 1-28, in which Morgan Le Fay sends Jack and Annie, two normal children from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, on numerous adventures and missions with a magical tree house in order to help free Morgan from a spell, solve four ancient riddles to become Master Librarians, and save four ancient stories from being lost forever.

The second group, referred to as the Magic Tree House "Merlin Missions," begins with book 29, “Christmas in Camelot”. In the Merlin Missions, Jack and Annie have quests from the ancient wizard Merlin the Magician. These books are longer than the previous 28, and some take place in fantasy realms like Camelot. Kathleen and Teddy are two trainees who become Jack and Annie’s friends during their adventures, with one of these adventures being to free Teddy from a spell. Kathleen and Teddy irregularly join Jack and Annie, and when they don't, provide them support instead.

Altogether, there are 52 fiction books. In addition, a number of nonfiction companions, called the “Magic Tree House Fact Trackers”, have been published. The fact trackers are coauthored by Mary Pope Osborne, her husband - Will Osborne, and sister - Natalie Pope Boyce. The fact trackers supply a non-fiction background for several of the topics explored in the fiction books.

Mary Pope Osborne web http://marypopeosborne.com/

Some “Magic Tree House” activities from The Random House

http://www.randomhousekids.com/brand/magic-tree-house/

Friday, March 14, 2014

Handwriting - Benefits

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEdkxxRGxDZllySm8/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmER0JxYksyU1dXYjQ/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEWlFpaWlvWnEzejA/edit?usp=sharing

In this article I’m going to present more scientific point of view on benefits of handwriting for kids.

Nowadays fine handwriting has becoming more like a hobby among other vanishing skills like knitting, crocheting or hand sewing. Even though our children learn how to write in early schooling they are not required to write neatly; meaning goes over quality and the keyboards are used in many subjects or computer games to accomplish the goal.

There is evidence, however, that writing the old-fashioned way is really helpful.

Virginia Berninger, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington, says that writing by hand is different from typing; it requires using strokes to create a letter, rather than just selecting the whole letter by touching a key. These finger movements activate large regions of the brain involved in thinking, memory, and language.

Handwriting helps children learn letters and shapes, improve their composition of ideas, and boost fine-motor skills development.

She found that in grades two, four, and six, children wrote more words, faster, and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand than when typing on a keyboard.

Another study presented at Indiana University found that children who practiced printing by hand had more active brains than kids who simply looked at letters. Researchers invited children to man a "spaceship," actually an MRI machine using a specialized scan called "functional" MRI that spots neural activity in the brain. The kids were shown letters before and after receiving different letter-learning instruction. In children who had practiced printing by hand, the neural activity was far more enhanced and "adult-like" than in those who had simply looked at letters.

There is a proof, that writing prevents us from being distracted. The computer in front of us is a time-extracting device. Of course, the internet isn't all bad, since we can obtain valuable information in almost no time; we just have to use it wisely. Handwriting helps us to focus on a subject. For a better outcome it is suggested to try writing for short 20-minute stretches at a time.

Another interesting finding says that rewriting notes by hand is one of the most effective ways to study and retain new information. That's because putting ink to paper stimulates a part of the brain called the Reticular Activating Center, or the RAS. The RAS acts as a filter for everything your brain needs to process, giving more importance to the stuff that you're actively focusing on that moment - something that the physical act of writing brings to the forefront. A study from 2010 found that the brain areas associated with learning "lit up" much more when kids were asked to write words like "spaceship" by hand versus just studying the word closely. Recent research illustrates how writing by hand engages the brain in learning.

There is an indication that handwriting makes us a better writer. Many famous authors choose writing by hand over the utility of a typewriter or computer. A writer Susan Sontag said that she penned her first drafts the analog way before typing them up for editing later. Novelist Truman Capote said "I don't use a typewriter. I write my first version in longhand (pencil). Then I do a complete revision, also in longhand."

http://teachhumane.org/heart/2013/01/23/humane-activity-the-many-benefits-of-letter-writing/

http://www.rd.com/health/why-handwriting-makes-you-smarter/

http://lifehacker.com/5738093/why-you-learn-more-effectively-by-writing-than-typing

http://www.futurity.org/for-kids-pens-mightier-than-keyboard/#more-4909

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1505/the-art-of-fiction-no-143-susan-sontag

http://flavorwire.com/193101/weird-writing-habits-of-famous-authors

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518.html%3Fmod%3DWSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA

Benefits of Handwriting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WcXv0wnhYY

These are the letters from my 6 years old daughter Basia to her Elf Jazmine.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEdm94b2hwcnJxYzA/edit?usp=sharing
It's a big file, so you need to download it first in order to view it.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Benefits of Handwritten Letters over Emails or Text Massages

Handwritten letters has slowly becoming a dying art; nevertheless it is worthy to realize all the benefits to preserve and if possible to restore a vanishing tradition. Who knows, it can be your next hobby! So let’s go to the benefits.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEUzNfTjR3NFJTcFk/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEeTQ4SUZ2d1o1Z28/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEdEZrMHZoNzRyLWM/edit?usp=sharing

Handwritten letters are personal and have a certain charm that electronic communication cannot replace. By handwriting you are showing the person that you care enough to take time to write on a paper rather then type on a computer or phone. The pen is mightier and warmer than the keyboard.

Handwritten letter is like a gift for a recipient. Letters are emotionally very heavy and bearing. There is nothing comparable to a "friendship or love letter." You can literally hold it close to your heart. The plain fact that a loved one has sent you a letter written by his/her own hands and it is something that you can physically touch, has a lot of emotional bearing.

Handwritten letters can be stored easily and preserved for later viewing with nostalgia. You can grab a hot cup of coca and read the letter over and over again while relaxing in a rocking chair, or a hammock. You go back to the time and moment when you first read the letter and soon old memories open up right in front of your eyes. It's magical!

Handwritten letters are both fun and unique, to send and receive. No two letters that have been written by hand are likely to be the same. Handwriting, type of paper, envelope, post card and many other things make every letter unique. You can even scribble along the sides of a letter while you write to make your letter unique and special. Nowadays we write them seldom, mostly along with seasonal greetings or birthdays cards, but it is crucial to remain on hand writing to preserve a good tradition and useful skills.

Have you been stunned by the advantages of writing a letter by hand over emails and other forms of electronic communication? Are you convinced to make writing letters your new hobby? If yes, the handwritten letter art may survive.

These are my 6-year-old daughter’s letters letters to her Elf Jazmine.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6YY216CyOmEdm94b2hwcnJxYzA/edit?usp=sharing

It is a big file, so in order to view it you need to download it first.

In the next article I’m going to present more scientific point of view about benefits of hand writing for kids.

Tips how to write letters

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/letters.cfm

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/04/16/the-art-of-letter-writing/

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Writing, Planning, Creating, Sewing by Basia

Writing a story, choosing and designing a character, planning and sewing a final concept it’s an extended process. Read about the benefits:
http://slpzone.blogspot.com/2014/03/sewing-increases-creativity-and-problem.html

Read the stories, look at the sketches, revise the patterns and evaluate the final creation presented by 6 years old Basia.