Book for Kids Day

Here in Baltimore, we have a wonderful organization, Baltimore Reads, that hosts Book for Kids Day every spring. Teachers, schools, children, and families benefit from the monetary and book donations made by members of our community. I am asking all of my readers to do one thing to help get books in the hand of a child/family in need. Here are some ideas:

1. Call your local literacy organizations and ask them how you can help.
2. Donate your gently used children's books to a school in a low-income neighborhood. I'm sure there is always a teacher who will be grateful for them.
3. Look for a non-profit or family child care center in your area and ask if they need book donations.
4. Contact a local women and children's shelter and ask them if they are in need of any book donations.
5. Start your own book drive and donate books to a local foster home or other agency in need.

Product Give Away:

Comment below to tell us what you are doing to help  children in your community get access to books. A random winner will be selected to win two sets of Counting Cards from Child Up.

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BOOK OF THE MONTH: Spring Goes Squish

BOOK OF THE MONTH: Spring Goes Squish

My absolute favorite time of the year is spring!! I love seeing flowers bloom. I love the spring weather - not too hot, not too cold. Open windows...walks in the parks...what's not to love about the season? Well, according to Marty Kelly there's lots not to like: disappearing kites, runny noses, chirping birds, splashing buses...this humorous and rhyming tale will get more than a few chuckles from your preschoolers!

Related Activities:

• Introduce the word "onomatopoeia." Children just love BIG and funny sounding words. And it's a big word for something that they already know! What other words are also sounds? Squish, tick-tock, chirp, splash... the list will get longer and longer. Keep a long piece of paper hanging in the classroom and add words to the list as children think of them.
• Introduce some letter blends. SPLASH begins with the /sq/ sound. Let the children list other words that begin with this sound: spring, spend, space, speckle, spaghetti, sparkle, etc. SQUISH begins with the /sq/ sound: squash, squid, squat, square, squeal, etc.
• To simulate mud, use brown fingerpaint.
• In the sensory table, add soil, fake flowers, and gardening tools.
• Go on a spring walk and allow the children to take photographs (this may work best in small groups if you have a large class). Make a class book with the photos! You can also post them online for parents to see at home.
• Make spring flowers. Preschool Express has lots of craft ideas for flower-making!

Bonus Book of the Month

This book is one in a series that brings concepts to life for young learners. In this book, children lean about insects and multiplication at the same time. "Nine brilliant fireflies twinkle in the dark - glowing lights flash on and off, How many in the park? 9 x 1 = ?" Children have large, beautifully illustrated pictures where they can count the fireflies. If I were introducing multiplication, I don't know an easier, more vibrant book to use! Ok..here's another one: "Four hungry honey bees dance a buggy beat - tappin' with six furry legs. How many dancing feet? 4 x 6 = ?" This book will be hard for me to give away - my four year old niece loves it! I thought it would be a bit above her head but she really gets it and loves counting each page. For adults and older students (just like Animology and Hey Diddle Diddle), there are six activity pages in the back and more activities online.

The first person to comment on this post will win this awesome book!

More Spring Posts:

• March Comes in Like a Lion...
• ...And Goes Out Like a Lamb
• Teachable Moments
• Bring on the Birds