List of Books - Infants

Babies are masters at one thing: putting everything in their mouth. This is because they use their taste senses to get a feel of everything. If it doesn't taste bad, it is heaven! 

Books need to be full of different textures that infants can touch, smell, see, hear and of course do the taste test. Most baby books are made out of cloth because they can be easily washed. Usually, every page consists of bright colors to see, something they can feel (different fabrics/papers/sealed liquids), something they can hear (rattles/bells/squishy sounds), something (quite rare) they can smell. 

A lot of cloth books are created by the company Lamaze and can be found at baby stores, Toys-R-Us and Walmart. 

Here is a list of books that are great for infants to read to. These titles are not always found in cloth-form; only board style. Make sure your babies don't put these in their mouth for a taste test!

Animal Crackers - by Nancy Dyer

Baby Faces - by Margaret Miller

Baby! Talk! - by Penny Gentieu

Big Fat Hen - by Keith Baker

Bounce Bounce Bounce - by Kathy Henderson

Clap Hands - by Helen Oxenbury

First Steps - by Lee Wardlaw

How a Baby Grows - by Nola Buck

Hush Little Baby - by Sylvia Long

I See - by Rachel Isadora

Itsy Bitsy Spider - by Iza Trapani

Moo, Baa, La La La! - by Sandra Boynton

Mother Goose Magic - by Kay Chorao

Nighty-Nighty - by Dawn Apperley

Of Colors and Things - by Tana Hoban

Pat the Bunny - by Dorothy Kunhardt

Pickle and the Box - by Lynn Breeze

Sleepytime Rhyme - by Remy Charlip

What's on My Head? - by Margaret Miller

Who Says Moo? - by Ruth Young

Yellow Hat, Red Hat - by Basia Bogdanowicz

Sounds of Language - Rhymes

The two best things about rhymes are that they are fun and they are predictable. Children need prediction to improve their reading skills,  writing skills and communication skills. You can use poems, songs, puzzles, word families, and rhyming games to learn rhyming. Don't forget to read them books that are full of rhyming.

Poem - Fire! Fire!

"Fire! Fire!" said Mrs. McGuire.

"Where? Where?" said Mrs. Bear.

"Downtown!" said Mrs. Brown.

"What floor?" said Mrs. Moore.

"Near the top!" said Mrs. Kopp.

"What a pity!" said Mrs. City.

"Here I come!" said Mrs. Plum.

"Water! Water!" said Mrs. Potter.

"Get out of my way!" said Mrs. Lei.

"Let me see!" said Mrs. Chi"

"Break down the door!" said Mrs. Orr.

"Oh, help us and save us! said Mrs. Davis,

As she fell down the stairs with a sack of potatoes. 

Song - Down by the Bay

Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow.

Back to my home, I dare not go.

For if I do, my mother will say,

"Did you ever see a pig dancing the jig?"

Down by the bay.

Other rhyming phrases:

...whale with a polka-dot tail.

...bat wearing a hat.

...rat chasing a cat.

...dog playing leapfrog.

...bear combing his hair.

...bee with a sunburned knee.

...moose kissing a goose.

...goat sailing a boat.

Use puzzles and word cards that allow the children to put the pieces together according to their rhyming partner. The best kind are the ones with the picture and the word written on them.

Word families are the way to go for younger children. I like to cut out a big tree from construction paper and put it on the wall. One week I would call it our "AT" word family tree. Then on different branches I would stick pictures with their words. Here is what it would look like.

Rhyming Games

There are tons of fill-in-the-blank rhyming games you can play.

I like oranges, I like to feel them,

But I can't eat them until I _________ (peel them).

Peaches are juicy, peaches are round,

When you shake the tree, they fall to the ______ (ground).

A banana is yellow and shaped like the moon

When it's in pudding you eat it with a _____ (spoon).

Pears are golden, juice, sweet, yummy.

And round at the bottom like Santa's ______ (tummy).

Matching games are fun to do too!

Stories

Read books that are full of rhyming.

A-Hunting We Will Go - by John Langstaff

Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes - by C. Chapman

Brown Bear, Brown Bear - by Bill Martin, Jr.

The Cat in the Hat - by Dr. Seuss

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - by Bill Martin, Jr.

Chicken Soup with Rice - by Maurice Sendak
Henny Penny - by Paul Galdone
A House is a House for Me - by Mary Ann Hoberman
In the Tall, Tall Grass - by Denise Fleming
Jamberry - by Bruce Degen
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish - by Dr. Seuss
Quick as a Cricket - by Audrey Wood
Silly Sally - by Audrey Wood
Spiders Spin Webs - by Yvonne Winer

Circle Time - Basics

Circle time has been one of my MOST favourite parts of the day. This is when you get to connect personally with each child and share many stories, songs and experiences together. Here are important parts about circle time:

1. BUM minutes. This is a term I learned during my degree to describe the number of minutes a child is developmentally ready to stay seated and pay attention. For example, for a child who is 4 years old can developmentally sit for only four minutes in total. "OH MY!" is absolutely right. Look at what we expect from our children even though they are not developmentally ready. However, bum minutes can be increased through practice and teaching.


2. Because of bum minutes, you need to keep in mind to keep your "lesson" short and to the point. Use songs and finger plays to begin your circle. You can visit my posts about songs and finger plays for transitions here. Here are some more. 


Song - Make A Circle (Tune: Where is Thumbkin)


Make a circle, make a circle
Big and round, big and round
Everybody hold hands,
Everybody hold hands.
And sit right down.
Sit right down.


Song - It's Time for Circle Time (Tune: Farmer in the Dell)


It's time for circle time,
It's time for circle time.
Everybody hold hands,
It's time for circle time.


3. Your circle time needs to begin with something that keeps the children's attention going for the next little while. I always start with a song that is personal to every child and the best of songs to accomplish this task are the ones where you sing the child's name. Here is a song that is personal and another that does not use children's names (there will be many days you may not have enough time to sing a long song!)


Good Morning/Afternoon Welcome Song
Good morning, good morning,
Good morning to you.
Good morning, good morning,
And how do you do.
Your faces like sunshine,
You bring us good cheer.
So happy to see you,
So glad that you're here!


Good Morning/Afternoon Train Welcome Song


*This song I always did with a train whistle that I have or a hand puppet of a train conductor. Props work excellent with young children. Sing in the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain". The 'Choo Choo' part is when everyone pretends to pull the string of the engine's horn*

The good morning train is coming, how are you? Choo Choo!
The good morning train is coming, how are you? Choo Choo!
The good morning train is coming, the good morning train is coming, 
The good morning train is coming, how are you? Choo Choo!
And we say hello to Page, how are you? Choo Choo!
And we say hello to Nothy, how are you? Choo Choo!
And we say hello to Bobby, and we say hello to Gary
And we say hello to Shelly, how are you? Choo Choo!


*Carry on with different names. If everyone's name is done and you still have the tune left to finish, you can always sing "...say hello to everyone"*


4. Begin with songs that allow the children to have fun and get their bodies moving to release their sillies! "Old MacDonald", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Johnny Hammers".


5. Read a fun story. Flap-books are great. Use different storytelling strategies. Puppets, clothesline, magnetic boards, felt boards, large books, books with props, or tell a story without the use of any book!


6. End circle with a few more songs. Or share stories/show and tell with each other. Finish the circle with a goodbye song.


Song - Goodbye Friends


Goodbye friends, Goodbye friends
Goodbye friends, we'll see you all next time.

Acknowledgements and Appreciation

You know the drill. The drill we all do when someone finishes their work. The student shows it up to you. You look over everything they have done. They get it right. You BEAM! Your smile is as big as the moon. And you say: GOOD JOB!

Whomp, whomp, whomp :(

You may think you did a fantastic job of acknowledging their hard work. However, this is the same phrase you use for every child. Now at such a young age, most work is done through their play activities and art work. Even at this age, each child puts in different levels of effort in their work. It is important for us to observe this and acknowledge the children who are putting in tons of effort and appreciate it. Here are other phrases to use instead of "good job" all the time:

• You are so smart!
• Good remembering!
• I knew you could do it!
• You've got it!
• Super!
• That's right!
• I am very proud of you!
• You put in a lot of effort, didn't you!?
• I can see you worked so hard on this!
• You are really working hard today!
• Way to go!
• I am happy to see you working!
• This is your best work!
• That is quite an improvement!
• Fantastic!
• Amazing!
• Congratulations!
• You are learning fast!
• Couldn't have done it better myself!
• You really make my job fun!
• You didn't miss a thing!
• WOW!
• Terrific!
• Excellent!
• Perfect!
• Wonderful!
• Outstanding!
• This shows you have been completing all your homework!
• Looks like you have been practicing!
• This is a masterpiece! (This one I use quite often for art work. I call it their masterpieces and the children love to hear this!)
• Keep it up!
• This kind of work makes me really happy!

Everyone needs to be appreciated for their hard work. Even the teachers. An Educator's Life has done a fantastic piece on the importance of appreciation and has mentioned his own experiences giving thanks to the teachers that made a huge difference in his life. I would like to thank this teacher for all his work given to his students as well as to fellow teachers through his blog. You are already making a difference! I am going to take the appreciation challenge as well and acknowledge all the wonderful teachers who have made me who I am today. Here goes my speech :)

My dearest parents, the most wonderful and valued teachers that I have known to this day. They have taught me everything about life. I have had all the experiences, good and bad, but each worthwhile and deserve no regret. People who have met my parents have said to me that they see so much of them in me and this is the best feeling ever. They are my world; they are my heroes; they are my teachers. No kind of thanks will ever be enough!

I don't remember many of my teachers in my early days but I remember the first teacher I had in Canada. I was in Grade 6. She only wanted to be called Janet. Not Mrs. Janet. Not Miss Janet. Not Ms. (Last Name) which we never knew because she wanted to be called just Janet. I remember her very clearly. I came from an environment where we would not dare call any adult by their first name. To me this notion in a brand new country was very, very eye-popping! I couldn't believe my ears when she said she wanted to be called Janet. But this made me feel closer to her; that I could talk to her about anything. She was my first teacher in Canada and I cannot forget her. Thank You Janet for making me feel so comfortable in my first year, for giving me all the compliments you could think of about how beautiful I looked when I wore my cultural clothes to school and when I performed all my work to the best of my abilities. You are, and forever will be, cherished. Thank you!

Mr. P; my grade 12 Business teacher. Every time I think of what you had done for me that one day, I want to cry because there is no way I can thank you for what you did. I had already graduated from high school but I stayed another semester because I wanted to upgrade my overall average and get into the university that gave the best program. My grades were on the fence; I could make it or I could not. I worked really hard that semester. The day there was the major unit test for Business, I also had a final project due for a Family Studies course. I worked all night for the project and studied nothing at all for Business. I went into Mr. P's office the day of the test and asked him if he could move the test as I had not studied one bit. He said he was sorry he couldn't move it as marks had to be put in soon. I said I understood and walked out a bit disappointed, though totally understanding my teacher's perspective. I walked into Business class and sat through the test staring at questions most of the time, leaving them blank. Mr. P. always walked around. He walked behind me and looked at my test. I was ashamed and I did not have the guts to look up. He took my pen from my hand and wrote down clue words to three different questions. I froze. I couldn't believe what was happening. He went and sat down at his desk, called my name and asked me a question about a certain definition. This was actually an answer to another test question in the form of a question! It clicked in in a couple of seconds and I began writing down. Other students seemed confused and didn't get what was happening. No one said anything. It was as if it never happened. I ended up with an 86% on the test because of Mr. P. This gave me a final grade of 82 in Business. It is the reason I got into university. It is the reason I have a diploma, 2 degrees and will be getting my 3rd in the next few years. Thank you Mr. P. for this. Thank you for being the one to change my whole life around. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to become who I am today. Thank you for allowing me to be the first in my family to complete post secondary education. It means so much to my family and I than you can ever imagine. Thank you, thank you and thank you!

Last but not least, I would like to thank Ms. Slatz. She was my mentor teacher during my teaching degree and pushed me all the way through with accomplishments and achievements I could never do on my own. She is the reason I have a job today. I could not thank her enough for helping me step in my career. Thank you Ms. Slatz; you were and still are the perfect mentor teacher for me!

Thank you to all the teachers out there who put in their blood, sweat and not to mention their own MONEY into making differences in people's lives everywhere. You are remembered and cherished. Please continue what you do with the same passion because it has and still makes the world a better place. Thank you!

Reading Readiness

One of the most important things that I learned while doing my Early Childhood degree was "If you can't hear it, you can't say it. If you can't say it, you can't read it. If you can't read it, you can't write it." Reading and writing is a process and it does not happen in a matter of few days, weeks, or months. In fact, it takes several years to build up our reading and writing skills. 


Here are some tips for you to use when planning to teach your child/student to read and write.

1. Read to your baby while she/he is in the mother's tummy! Research shows that the baby's hearing is very strong and is able to recognize the mother's and father's voice even in the womb. 

2. Provide your child with different types of books, even when they are young. Infants love touchy/feely books. This is a motivation for them to learn and become comfortable with books at an early age by using their senses to learn. Read to them! You can also provide foam letters and shapes to play with (yes, even while they are taking a bath!). 

3. As children become toddlers, they will start to say two-word phrases by the age of two. This is the time to use books to describe objects and pictures using the descriptive phrases so it is easier for them to catch on to. Rhyming is also the perfect way for children to have fun with words and further develop their interest in reading. Use magnetic letters and numbers to help them with identifying. Also go for a drive and talk about all the signs and billboards you see. Stretch out the sounds of the words and the letters. McDonalds is easy because the M is represented everywhere. Match the letters with the letters in your child's name.

4. Preschoolers will begin to have a strong independent role in choosing what books they would like to read. They like rhyming stories, funny stories, etc. Boys and girls begin to figure out what they like based on their interests (stereotypes begin here too if you notice). Boys will go towards books about cars and construction. Girls are geared towards fantasy and Dora, etc. Let them read what they like! Please do not discourage them from reading the same book a 100 times in the day if they want to. The one-time discouragement can be the downfall to their lack of interest in books.  

Free Comic Book Day!

Today was Free Comic Book Day where you get a chance to visit your local comic book store and receive free comic books! I ended up going with my brother to Image Collections in Streetsville, Ontario. We got to choose three comics each. Comic books will always remain in our lives and they are great tools to surely get boys (and girls) reading and motivated. I took some pictures and here they are!

The back of the Green Lantern also had Superman!

Check out the websites for more information:

Free Comic Book Day

Image Collections Comic Book Store

Sounds of Language - Tongue Twisters

I remember having competitions with my friends as a young child with tongue twisters. They were so much fun and really got all of us to become experts at tongue twisters. Tongue twisters are part of alliteration which occurs when a group of words with the beginning sound is used. Here are some tongue twisters that I remember as well as found in the book 'Creating Readers' by Pam Schiller. You can always google 'tongue twisters' and will find many pages full of fun tongue twisters to use.

The Baker

If a baker bakes for another baker,

Does the baker who bakes,

Bake the same way as the baker she is baking for?

Activity Connection: Can you write the same rhyme for a teacher, a doctor, an actor?

Peter Piper

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

How many pecks of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

Activity Connection: Try some pickled peppers for snack. Make up a similar tongue twister for another name like Silly Sally.

She Sells Seashells (my most favourite one!)

She sells seashells by the seashore,

By the seashore she sells seashells.

Activity Connection: Put out some seashells with magnifying glasses for the children to explore!

How Much Wood

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck

If a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Stories

A My Name is Alice - by J. Bayer

More Bugs in Boxes - by D. Carter

Six Sick Sheep - by Joanna Cole

The Z Was Zapped - by Chris Van Allsburg

I also found this amazing website that I assume belongs to a teacher. She has taken a picture of a recipe for creating tongue twisters. You can check out her link here: 

How to Write a Tongue Twister