Ideas for your Child
More to come, so check back here as time goes on. You might like to visit the songs and games page.
Book of the month
September
Childrens Book Council Australia book of the Year 2011 Winners list
Childrens Book Council of Australia
Winner early childhood picture book:
Maudie and the Bear Jan Ormerod Author, Freya Blackwood Illustrator, published by Little Hare books. Scholastic teacher notes available, these are for older children but could be adapted. |
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Cut outs from scholastic available,
Link to Walker books Jan Ormerod short biography http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Authors_and_Illustrators/Jan-Ormerod
4-year-old Maudie has her first adventures with her loving companion Bear. She has 5 separate stories to experience, a good way of introducing chapters to young readers. In one of the chapters Maudie visits the Three Bears house. Bear has to look after her when she runs home after being discovered! A lovely lead in to reading The Three Bears as the next story.
Find a longer review here:
http://www.childrens-books-to-love.com/maudie-and-bear.html
Honour early childhood picture book CBCA book of the Year Look, See Look at me by Leonie Norrington, illustrated by Dee Huxley, published by Allen and Unwin, has won the early childhood honour book of the year award. 3 Aboriginal communities were involved in the development of the book-Wugularr, Barunga and Manyalalluk Author Leonie Norrington grew up at Barunga Aboriginal Community north of Katherine. |
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On her website
www.leonienorrington.com/aboutme
She explains how important indigenous stories are for children. The Allen and Unwin website gives more information
http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=94&book=9781741758832
Dee Huxley has also written Tom Tom.
Rosemary Sullivan & Dee Huxley Working Title Press
The book talks about going to Preschool, being with family and swimming- having fun.
It was also the Honour Book 2009 CBC Book of the Year: Early Childhood
ISBN: 978 1 921504 10 5 250 x 240 mm PB 32
Tom Tom teacher notes
The Little Big Book Club
http://www.thelittlebigbookclub.com.au
Look under ages and stages section -4-5 years
Local Sydney illustrator book
(Book in the newsletter Early Words Giveaway book draw September 2011.)
Marmaduke Duck and the Marmalade Jam, Juliette MacIver Author, Sarah Davis Illustrator, Published by Scholastic. This is one of our most favourite books for fun and rhyming and patterned language. |
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Scholastic review:
Rollicking rhyme with superb illustrations, this book will become a firm favourite in any household.
Then down to the river came a little green frog and a hog from the bog and a dog on a jog, all a-quiver by the river where Marmaduke swam
Marmaduke Duck eating marmalade jam.
Wonderful rhyme and hilarious action makes this a truly wonderful read-aloud title-wait till you come across llama farmer Palmer!
https://www.scool.scholastic.com.au/store/Jadehttp.dll?Store&PrdId=8015119&H04=3
Sarah attended an event for Preschoolers at Hawkesbury library and talked to parents about great books for kids.
Find out more about Sarah, who lives in Western Sydney here: www.sarahdavisillustration.com/
Find more about the author here:
http://www.juliettemaciver.com/my-books.html
Alphabet Resources
Try to choose Alphabet resources where the letters stand out clearly from the pictures. This helps children who find it hard to look at text. (Try our looking and listening videos for ideas to encourage looking) Try to find picture of things children know- how many young children know what an X ray is? You can make your own alphabet using children’s names, photographs or junk mail. Use sandpaper to cut out large letters to trace the shape. |
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Children’s books:
W is for wombat by Bronwyn Bancroft
E is for echidna by Bronwyn Bancroft (no text but could be used as a matching exercise with letters)
Alphabet ice cream an a-z of alphabet fun, by Nick Sharrat, Sue Heap
Discovering letters and sounds, Christine Topher, Research in Practice series, Early ‘Childhood Australia. Volume 14, no 1, 2007.
Chicka chicka boom boom, by Bill Martin Jnr
Little Big Book Club
It’s abc time picture and activity book
It’s abc time reading pack
http://www.thelittlebigbookclub.com.au/products
CELLcasts A is for apple
Alphabet cards
Sisters Dreaming has lovely indigenous cards
http://sistersdreaming.com.au/shop/cart.php?target=category&category_id=60
Leave it to leslie Alphabet wall chart
http://www.leaveittoleslie.com.au/index1.html
Make a sand tray with glitter. Make some snap or matching cards.
Neil Thorne has a CD that can be ordered of Aboriginal animals with letters and numbers. These can be printed up onto documents and used in programmes.
Neil Thorne
69 King Street
Gloucester NSW 2422
Email: ngthorne@bigpond.com
Ph: (02) 65589766
Cost per CD is $50 (includes postage)
Alphabet jigsaws and magnetic letters are also useful. Try and show both upper and lower case letters so children can see the difference.
We use Quercetti magnetic letters, as they are clear and simple, with a raised ridge for children to feel.
They come in both upper and lower case.
For a funny look at letters, and maybe a game you can do with children, look at this YouTube video where people make alphabet shapes with their bodies!
Books with booklists and practical information
- Read to me
- Illustrated by Michelle Katsouranis. ACER Press, Melbourne 2001. This easy to read book is full of practical information, ideas and resources by Australian author Gloria Rolton. The chapters cover developmental stages, selection of appropriate books, examples of suitable books, preparation for early reading and children with special needs.
- The parent’s guide to storytelling: how to make up new stories and retell old favorites
- Margaret Read MacDonald
- Don’t leave childhood without…
- A guide to the best books for children, specialist childrens booksellers, exib.i.t Harbord NSW 2002
- Reading Magic
- Pan Macmillan, Sydney 2001. Advice on the importance and skills of reading aloud to children, with practical examples by Mem Fox, author and literacy consultant. Mem has a website where you can listen to her reading books aloud as an example of reading to young children: www.memfox.com/welcome.html.
- The website has a read-aloud section on the menu on the left hand side.
- The Read Aloud Handbook (5th edn)
- Jim Trelease, Penguin, New York 2001. A motivational book on the importance of reading with helpful suggestions. (Updated version due in 2006.) There is a section at the bottom of this web page with substantial excerpts from Jim’s 2001 book.
- The Reading Solution: Making your child a reader for life
- Paul Kropp with Wendy Cooling, Penguin (may be out of print). Encourages parents to foster a love of books in their children from infancy to adult-hood, written with margins with book lists, research, statistics and advice. Includes Australian references.
- The Reading Bug, and how you can help your child to catch it
- Penguin. Australian author Paul Jennings helps parents with a ‘do it yourself’ combination of cartoons, anecdotes, booklists and a clear explanation of the reading process and the critical importance of parents from the early years.