Amazing Storytelling at Cleveland Elementary

Earlier this week, Raising A Reader staff was invited to take part in a literacy event at San Francisco’s Cleveland Elementary School, where RAR will launch its program soon. Antonio Sacre, a fantastic storyteller and book author, was there to help celebrate the day. Among other stories he shared with the children, Antonio told the story from his book, “The Barking Mouse.” His way of sharing the story was mesmerizing to watch and had the kindergarteners completely engaged. The children absolutely loved the part about Mama and Papa “smooching,” and the room erupted with giggles and shouts of “ewwww!”

Click below to see an example of his recent performance:

Celebrate Latino Heritage Month!

September is Latino Heritage Month and what better way to celebrate than through great children’s books! Latinos account for 24% of children ages 0-5 in the U.S. currently. The following book reccommendations provide a way for children of every ethnicity to see themselves and/or develop intercultural understanding and empathy.

“Hairs/Pelitos” is illustrated by Terry Ybàñez and written by Sandra Cisneros, acclaimed author of “The House on Mango Street.” Cisneros’ book rhythmically and bilingually celebrates the diversity of Latinos. Publisher Weekly describes “Hairs/Pelitos” as: “rendering the family members in a variety of unusual skin tones as well as with distinctive hairstyles. Purple-faced Papa has hair ‘like a broom, all up in the air,’ while Nettie’s ‘slippery’ orange hair contrasts vividly with her blue skin. The narrator waxes lyrical on the subject of Mama’s hair: ‘sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, [it] is the warm smell of bread before you bake it.’ Each spread is framed by bright borders ornamented with everyday objects — shoes and bikes; steaming cups of coffee; dice, jacks and jumpropes. Inside, the characters seem to float across swirling blocks of color. A spirited and buoyant celebration of individuality and of the bonds within families.”

“Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English” is written by Alma Flor Ada and illustrated by Simón Silva, one of Mexico’s most influential contemporary painters. The book delights readers with short, bilingual poetic vignettes for each letter of the alphabet. From Cesar Chavez to Yucatan, children will enjoy the beautiful illustrations while learning new words and letters.

Junko Yokota, professor of children’s literature, explains the importance of diversity in children’s books: ”Mirrors let people see reflections of their own lives: windows let them see others’ lives. Seeing oneself represented in literature engenders a sense of pride, it encourages a reader to take more interest in a book and feel a sense of involvement in literary discussions that follow a reading selection. Books that act as windows allow readers to see experiences that are different from their own lives and stretch the range of experiences that we have had.”

Parents and educators can provide those book experiences that truly serve as as windows and mirrors!

Family Reading Programs

Local public libraries have wonderful programming for children and families-make it a goal to participate in at least one library activity before the end of summer!

The San Francisco Public Library features a wide array of events, with a heavy concentration on storytime for toddlers, preschoolers, and families. Some programs are bilingual.

The Oakland Public Library also features terrific programming for children of all ages, and multiple read-alouds almost every day.

According to the Applied Research Center, sharing books with children regularly and interactively is the single most effective way to develop a child’s brain architecture and the language, emotional, and behavioral skills that prepare them to learn.

Take advantage of the fantastic, free programs the libraries in your community offer, in addition to the wealth of books and resources. If you haven’t yet made it a family tradition to visit the library, start today!

Finding Time to Read

Families commonly cite busy schedules as the greatest obstacle to establishing a 15-minute daily reading routine. What if reading became part of the rhythm of everyday activities?

Here are a variety of creative strategies to build early literacy skills.

1. License to read. As you walk, take the bus, or drive around the neighborhood, turn reading into a game! Read street signs, license plates, store signs, and billboards.
2. Songs and poems. Songs and poems help children recognize language patterns. Ask your child to teach you a song or poem in any language or sing along to music together. Clap out new or multisyllabic words.
3. Read and buy. When you go to the grocery store or farmers market, read the names of foods. Ask your child to help you group food together before putting items away, e.g. fruits, vegetables, drinks, dairy products, and canned goods.
4. Better than TV. Connect with your inner performer. Instead of watching TV, read a fun book together and act out the story. Ask all family members to participate.
5. Listen and read. If you prefer to listen to a book on tape, make sure to sit with your child and follow along. Although reading and discussing a book together is most effective for bonding, books on tape is another way to encourage reading.
6. Fun with labels. Write the names of household objects on sticky labels or post-it notes. Each day add a new label, such as bed, game, table, rug, chair, etc.
7. Pack books, too! When you visit the doctor’s office, ride the train, or visit any place where you will wait, pack books along with snacks and essentials.
8. Recipe for reading. Ask your child to help you gather ingredients for your next family meal or dessert. Ask him or her to identify each ingredient and describe specific qualities. This activity helps with classification and identification tasks.
9. Reading pockets. Surprise your child by putting comics, notes, cards, etc., in a special pocket of her or his backpack.

Reading with Your Children

Many parents share common challenges when sharing books with young children. During Raising A Reader workshops, parent often share that their children won’t sit still to listen during storytelling, or that they treat their books carelessly. Parents also cite a lack of time, energy or limited resources as a barrier to establishing a reading routine at home.

Below are some tips to make reading time work for your classroom or home.

1. Follow the child’s lead

If he/she decides to move around and play, then continue reading so that the child can hear you. Children often enjoy listening to a story and playing at the same.

2. Make it a conversation

Connect the story to personal experiences and discuss the illustrations. This also helps sooth the child by talking about the story’s connection to his/her life.

3. Reading is fun!

The most important part of reading is that the child associates it with fun! Reading should not become a chore. Tap into your inner performer to use different voices for each character, sing songs, and move around as you read together.

Click Clack Moo: The musical

The children’s book, Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type , has been adapted into a fun musical for pre-kindergarteners. The story centers around a group of rebellious cows who refuse to give milk until they get electric blankets to keep warm.

Directed by Erin Merritt, the play is presented by the Bay Area Children’s Theatre (BACT), which aims to “enrich children’s lives, inspire imagination, and open the curtain on lifelong enjoyment of theatre.” The theater group was founded in 2004 and features theater productions for pre-kindergartners year-round.

The play runs now through Aug. 5 at the Children’s Fairyland in Oakland with morning and afternoon shows on Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, check out BACT’s website at www.bactheatre.org.

Thank you, Volunteers!

As the 2011-12 Raising A Reader program year draws to a close, we would like to extend sincere gratitude to all of our volunteers. We appreciate all of the time, energy, and talents that volunteers offer in service of our students, teachers, and families.

This year, over 70 volunteers supported Raising A Reader’s literacy efforts through annual events and ongoing projects. We’re also excited to announce the addition of professional internships that support fund development and research, as well as program coordination.

Volunteer work and events included:

• The annual book sort
• Library blue bag stuffing
• Storybook activity preparation
• Survey data aggregation

Volunteers helped make 2011-12 a banner year. If you’re interested in supporting Raising A Reader as a volunteer, please contact Veronica Flores Malagon at [email protected], or (415) 683-5464.

Happy Birthday ‘Caterpillar’ author Eric Carle!

Beloved children’s author Eric Carle was born June 25, 1929, in Syracuse, New York.

He has written and illustrated over 70 children’s books in his lifetime, many of which can be found in Raising A Reader red bags!

Celebrate Eric Carle’s life and work with this book activity from one of our favorites, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”:

Butterfly Ring

Materials needed:

-Plastic sandwich bags

-Colorful snacks (e.g. jelly beans, rainbow gold fish)

-Pipe cleaner

Activity:

Put the colorful snacks into a sandwich bag with half of the snacks on each side of the bag. Close the bag and gather it at the center.

Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Twist one-half into a ring big enough to fit around your finger. Cut off the excess pipe cleaner. Bend any pointed ends so that they won’t poke out.

Thread the second half of the pipe cleaner through the ring. Then place it on the gather of the bag, wrap it around, and twist it to hold.

Bend the tips of the pipe cleaner to form the butterfly’s antennae. Slip the ring onto your finger. Wiggle your hand to make your butterfly fly!

Listen to the author reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

A list of Eric Carle’s books can be found here — also be sure to check more ideas for activities for home or school, based on Eric Carle’s books.

Last year, we commemorated Mother’s Day with staff book recommendations.

Do you remember this song…

M is for the million things she gives me

O means only that she’s soft to hold

T for the things she tries to teach me

H is for her heart of purest gold

E for her eyes with love light shining

R means right and right she’ll always be

Put them all together they spell Mother

A word that means the world to me.

This year, we would like to share some early literacy tips in honor of Mother’s Day.

M is for Mother Goose

Mother Goose rhymes are a great way to introduce language to children. Songs, chants, and rhymes help build phonological awareness. Learning to distinguish sounds and letters is a precursor to reading.

O is for Opportunity

There are many opportunities at any time of any day to promote early literacy: In the car, look out the window and ask your child what do you see? Waiting for appointment, you can share a magazine in the waiting room: Talk about the pictures, make up your own story or, better yet, ask your child to tell you a story (this activity develops narrative skills). Trips to the grocery are an opportunity to develop vocabulary.

T is for Talk

The more language your give your children, the better prepared they will be to read. Rich, descriptive language is recommended. See our blog post from March 2011, Read, Talk, Sing, Play.

H is for Home -School Connection

Early literacy skills lay the foundation for kindergarten readiness. We are not suggesting you to teach your child to read but to simply reinforce the developmental activities she or he experiences in preschool or daycare. Children’s whose parents are involved in their education and check in regularly with teachers about social, emotional, and language development, are better prepared to succeed in school.

E is for Everyday

Some experts recommend sharing a book with a child 15-20 minutes a day. No matter how much time one spends sharing books with children, having a routine is key. Some families share books at the breakfast table, during bath time, before bed time, or before nap time. Find a routine that works best for your family.

R is for Repetition

While adults may get bored with reading that favorite book again and again, repetition helps strengthen brain connections. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The more time a child spends engaging in a specific activity, the better he or she will be at it.

Happy Mother’s Day and if you’re still looking for a gift, you can Make Mother’s Day Extra Special This Year – Dedicate a Book to Your Mom!

The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of the Week of the Young Child™ is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The 2012 Week of the Young Child™ is April 22–28 and the theme is Early Years Are Learning Years®.

Click here for a Calendar of Events in San Francisco

RAR staff will be celebrating this week at the following events:

Tuesday, April 24 : Children’s Council Resource Fair
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Families and providers can learn about community services related to small business management, child care, credit management, financial support, support for special needs, early literacy, housing, health care and nutrition. The fair features snacks, prizes and cooking demonstrations. This is a free event

Thursday, April 26: Jumpstart for a Day
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Selected preschool children and teacher’s jump into this annual festival of fun at Civic Center Plaza, opposite City Hall. This event features many hands-on learning stations, each one inspired by a popular children’s book. Due to space limitations, this event is by invitation only.

Friday, April 27 : Head Start Day at Children’s Fairyland
9:00 am– 3:30 pm
All families who participate in Oakland’s Head Start programs are invited to spend the day at Children’s Fairyland in Oakland in celebration of community, literacy, and school readiness. Raising A Reader staff with be there leading interactive read alouds!