Moms Inspire Learning

What I'm Reading This Week

It's been a little hectic around here, and I seem to have gotten away from picture book recommendations, but I'm heading back there within a few days....

Today, I'd just like to share some fantastic reading materials.

Hello Again, Goodnight Moon

One of my favorite board books is Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. There's something about the gentle rhythm of the words, and flow and color of the illustrations, that made it one of the most requested read aloud books when my children were toddlers.

We went through a few copies of it during those years! I still have the original one I purchased. Its wear and tear makes me realize how much of an impact one book can have on a child. AND on a parent!

That's why, when I read the title of the article,  Why your child wants you to read 'Goodnight Moon' for the 400th time, and why you should do it with a smile (which I found on Twitter through @JensBookPage and @FirstBook), it brought back so many wonderful memories. It's a must-read for new parents, and some wonderful points are made about how much children gain from reading their favorite stories over and over again.

So, this article stands alone today. Enjoy!

Is there a certain board book that you found yourself reading over and over again? Please feel free to share.

Finding the Math in Every Day

In case you missed Literacy Lava 2, a wonderful, FREE online magazine I contribute to, along with some other incredible bloggers, I thought I'd share my contribution to this volume. It really is an amazing resource for parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, and anyone else who works with children. I hope you will take a look.

By now, you all know how strongly I believe in integrating literacy with math and other subjects. For the 2nd issue of Literacy Lava, I wrote about the math/literacy connection which relates specifically to shapes. Here is my contribution:

My BBAW Giveaway: The Diversity of Books, Blogs, and Bloggers

Welcome to Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I hope you will take time out to look at some other book related blogs. You may just find some great book recommendations for yourself, as well as your children.

When I decided to host a giveaway for this special week, I decided to choose a book within a category that means a lot to me: diversity, tolerance, and global awareness. After all, what do books, blogs, and bloggers have in common? They're diverse in so many ways.

Friday Photo Fun: A Haiku of Flowers

 

Seeing the flowers

outside, or inside of you,

from every angle.

 

Should There Be Content Ratings for Children's Books?

Are you frustrated with the fact that our children head straight from juvenile books to YA books?

I wish the YA section of the library could be split in two, with books that address serious issues being put into a separate section for high school students.  Why can't there be a "safe" section just for children between the ages of 10 and 14? Parents can't always read every book, after all.

If You Like Football, You'll Love These Books!

The power of a football and a field of green...

In honor of the first night of NFL football, and my son's first youth game this Sunday, I'd like to share a few football related children's books today.

Thank You, President Obama, for Inspiring Children...And Now For Some Picture Books!

What did you think of President Obama's Back to School speech? I found it to be truly inspiring. The two sentences that meant the most to me were:

"Every single one of you has something you’re good at. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is."

It's Time to Vote!

The short list of nominees for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is out, and you can vote now through Saturday by clicking here.

Twitter Literacy Roundup

In honor of International Literacy Day, I'd like to share a few of the wonderful articles that surfaced on Twitter over the past couple of days:

What's the secret to teaching children how to read? If you read the following article, you'll see that as a parent, the single best thing you can do is to read aloud to your child from an early age, and as often as possible: