Education
World Early Childhood Education Newsletter Volume 3, Issue 4
THIS
WEEKS THEME: LIBRARIES
Shelves and
shelves of books! The library is an “exploratorium”-- a place to explore
facts, feelings, and fun found on the pages of books! Whether your
students regularly visit a public library, a school library, or a
classroom library, they are beginning to understand the value and
enjoyment of books. With your help and encouragement, they will also
develop a lifelong love of books and of reading. We hope our suggestions
for sharing books with your children will spark their interest and
encourage their imaginations. Happy Reading!
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ACTIVITY
IDEAS
INVITE A GUEST
Remember that the library offers more than books. Invite a
children’s librarian to talk about children’s books, invite a storyteller
to visit your class and share his or her talents and knowledge, or invite
a special member of the community to read his or her favorite book.
ORGANIZE
IT
Change the books in your classroom library regularly. Try
placing strips of different colored tape on bookbindings to organize books
by theme or season.
FOLLOW THE THEME
Coordinate your book or reading center with the theme you are
teaching. If your unit is Bears, your reading center could be called the
“Reading Den.” Students could settle in with a few pillows and a book. Be
sure to have plenty of teddy bears in the den for children “to read to.”
READ AND DO
Try these hands-on activities after sharing books with
children.
-
Read a book
about COLORS, and set up a simple experiment. Using muffin tins, fill half
the cups with primary colors of food coloring and water. Fill the
remaining cups with just water. Invite children to use plastic eyedroppers
to mix and discover secondary colors.
-
Read a book
about FEELINGS, and create or collect a variety of feeling picture cards.
Encourage children to identify each feeling and to sort the cards into
different feeling groups: scared, happy, lonely, excited.
-
Read a book
about TRANSPORTATION, and invite a trucker to bring a “big rig” to school
for children to tour.
-
Read a book
about FOOD, and help children create food collages by cutting out pictures
from magazines and newspaper ads.
ON
THE WEB
Check out the following Web sites for more background and activities.
Reading Fun
http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/reading.shtml
A broad collection of articles and ideas to help teachers bring reading to
life.
Lessons from the Library
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson261.shtml
You’ll find activities organized by grade level as well as additional
library Web sites to visit
Helping Your Child Use the Library
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Library/index.html
The U.S. Department of Education offers some helpful tips on inviting even
very young children to learn about and use the library.
StoryPlace Pre-school Library
http://www.storyplace.org/preschool/other.asp
Visit this site for activities, online stories, and suggested reading
lists -- all organized by theme.
Association for Library Services to Children
Recommended Resources and Web Sites on Children’s Literature
and Reading
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/childrenslit/childrensliterature.htm
Find links to online children’s libraries, booklists, great web sites for
kids, and a host of other resources.
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