written by homeschooler, writer, and mother, Patricia Zaballos Writing Idea for Kids: Ultimate Guides Ultimate guides are well-loved around here. Currently Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide has been found sprawled in various settings around the house, attesting to its popularity–with my ten-year-old son, Theo, anyway. An ultimate guide is simply a rather cockily titled … [Read more...]
A World of What If
written by Luke Reynolds, teacher, and author of The Looney Experiment After being a student for many years, and now in my 12th year of teaching, I am in a state of constant amazement at what students e-mail to say they remember after years away from our classroom. It makes me recollect what is most vivid about my own schooling experience. Way back in fifth grade, I had a teacher named Mr. … [Read more...]
When White Kids Call Each Other the “N” Word
After reading a post on a (black) friend's Facebook page about his kids sharing that their white classmates call each other the "N" word, I asked my friend Karen DeGroot Carter to share her thoughts since her (biracial) kids go to that same school. Read what she thinks. Then, please comment to share your own thoughts! ~ Melissa When White Kids Call Each Other the “N” Word written by Karen … [Read more...]
Learning to Read: Sight Words and Phonics Together
by Becky Spence In the world of literacy, the idea of learning words by sight has been highly debated for a few decades as the literacy pendulum has swung back and forth between phonics and sight words. I believe, based on reading research, that kids need both sight words and phonics as they are learning to read and write. But sight words (I'm using sight words interchangeably with high … [Read more...]
What to Read or Not to Read, That is the Question
written by Tara Lenga, Strategy Consultant at Exceptional Kids Note from Melissa: I asked Tara to write this after a fascinating Facebook conversation on the Imagination Soup page about censorship and what books young kids who are advanced readers should or should not be reading . . . Go here for that conversation. Books for YOUNG Advanced Readers As parents, we are constantly on top of … [Read more...]
Early Signs of Dyslexia
Blog post written by Lenka Vodicka, mother, teacher, writer, and photographer. A Dyslexia Story I looked forward to reading with my daughter. We would cuddle together with a stack of books and she would say, “again, again” and we would lose ourselves in favorite stories. I was shocked when that never happened. What is it about reading to children, I thought, that’s so complicated? Reading … [Read more...]
Today’s Free eBooks for Kids
Hi! I'm Bethany from the kid lit and play blog No Twiddle Twaddle. Imagination Soup is one of my favorite blogs, so I am thrilled that Melissa has invited me to share my list of free kids' eBooks with you today. Many people don't realize that you can download hundreds of free children's eBooks a week through the Amazon store. With the free Kindle app, you can then read these books on most … [Read more...]
How Rhyming Teaches Kids Literacy Skills
I mistakenly thought that rhyming books were meant for little kids. They aren't. Rhyming books are valuable and important for literacy skills. Rhyming and Literacy There are two kinds of books for little kids: long books and short books. My daughter (almost four) prefers the long books, with tons of words on every page, I want reading to be fun for her, so I always let her choose what we … [Read more...]
Money Savvy Tips for Kids
Guest post by Emily Kirkpatrick, vice president of the National Center for Family Literacy. How can parents teach children about money with real-life learning opportunities? Here are 3 tips to try. Money doesn’t grow on trees. We all heard that from our parents growing up. And although it’s true, that saying falls far short of preparing children to make smart financial decisions. With … [Read more...]
The Runaway Wok – Not Just for Chinese New Year
Guest post by Jenni Fischer, mom and filmmaker. The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compesten takes place during the celebration of the Chinese New Year, but it can be shared with children at any time. As an avid traveler pre-kids, now I travel using books like this one. Plus, this fun book gave me an excuse to stir fry (not that I needed one). Stir-fried rice is a significant dish for children at the … [Read more...]
Painting With Nature
Guest post by Kristin Autry, preschool teacher turned stay at home mom who blogs at Sense of Wonder. When looking for inspiration for your next art project, I suggest you look no further than your own garden. The beautiful colors, textures, and shapes make the garden an excellent source of material to explore through art. My mother-in-law recently gave us several pomegranates that had fallen … [Read more...]
Family Summer University (Game Show Family Fun!)
written by Dr. Harley Rotbart, pediatrician and author of No Regrets Parenting. Bob Stewart, the legendary “father” of TV game show classics such as “The Price is Right,” “To Tell the Truth,” “Password,” “The $10,000 Pyramid,” and countless others died on May 4, 2012. In his memory, I fondly recall Rotbart University, now renamed Family Summer University (FSU) and ready for your enrollment. It … [Read more...]