Bout of Books Read-A-Thon, August 2016

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 28th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 17 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Bout of Books 17 is just over a week away!

I've really gotten a lot of reading done with this read-a-thon the last two times I have participated, so I'll be joining in again the week of August 22-28. My goal this time is to read a bunch of the "Old School" titles that have been piling up on my coffee table, plus the handful of chapter book ARCs I've received for the Fall. There are 29 books on my tentative list, but a lot of them should be quick reads, so hopefully I'll be able to meet that goal without too much difficulty. 

Check back a week from Monday to follow my progress! 

Early Literacy Around the House: The Kitchen

Parents of small children spend a lot of time in the kitchen, often with kids at our heels fussing because the food isn't ready yet, or wanting to explore the garbage can, refrigerator, or hot oven. Add a little structure to these times of the day with some simple early literacy activities.

• Read cereal boxes. Ever since I could read, I have always read the cereal box while I eat my cereal. Sometimes, they have puzzles and activities printed on the outside, which make them naturally appealing to kids, but even if they are just plain boxes, it is still fun to check out all the different fonts and styles of writing, as well as the interesting scientific words that appear in the ingredients. With pre-readers, the cereal box becomes an instant opportunity for a scavenger hunt. Assign each child a box and a letter of the alphabet, and see how long it takes them to find it somewhere on the box. With very young kids, take a moment to show them the letters of their name, or a letter they have just started being able to identify. 
• Put on a cooking show. When a toddler is waiting impatiently for her breakfast, it can be fun to turn your preparation into a little cooking show where you are the star and your child is the viewer at home. Explain every step you take, no matter how small and then make a big show of completing each task. Your child will become so interested in learning the words for objects like "plate," "measuring cup" and "spoon" that she might forget to be upset that she has to wait two minutes to eat. 
• Follow a recipe together. Kids who are more verbal and have decent motor skills can join you in your cooking adventures by helping you to follow a recipe. If you have time, this can be a more elaborate project - baking cookies or cake, marinating chicken, mixing up spaghetti sauce - but you can also create recipe cards for the simple everyday meals you make all the time, and allow your child to help identify each ingredient required. 
• Take out interesting gadgets and teach your child their names. There are so many random gadgets in the kitchen, most of which we use without thinking much about their names. For young kids, though, these fun items - spatula, whisk, tongs, etc. - present opportunities for learning new vocabulary they will want to hear and repeat again and again. They also provide you with the chance to talk about other concepts, such as  sizes, colors, and shapes. 

25 Ways to Play with The Pea Patch Jig

The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd was one of my favorite books in childhood, and I have loved sharing it with Little Miss Muffet. The book includes three linked stories about a baby mouse, whose mischievous behavior almost spoils her family's Midsummer Party, until it unexpectedly saves the day at the last minute. Here are 25 activities to do with your kids to delve deeper into the story and its themes.

1. Listen to the song. The Pea Patch Jig is the name of a folk song. On the final page of the book, along with the music to play the tune, the author recommends listening to the version by Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Dave Holland. Hear it on YouTube. 
2. Make up some dance moves. Encourage your kids to come up with their own version of the pea patch jig to match the music.
3. Make a salad. Farmer Clem nearly chops up Baby Mouse when she hides in a head of lettuce that he picks for his salad. Include lettuce and some other veggie favorites in your own salad. 
4. Explore peas in a sensory bin. Fill a tub with peas and provide your child with cups and spoons to scoop and pour them. For added fun, hide letters or toys and have your child hunt for them. For inspiration, check out these posts from Lessons4Learners.com and Gift of Curiosity.
5. Make a pea shooter. Your (older) kids can pretend to save the day just like Baby Mouse with a simple pea shooter of their own! Instructions are available from Acorn Pies and Le Maison de LouLou. 
6. Plan a midsummer party. Invite some friends over to join you for late afternoon celebration of summer. Be sure to serve fresh veggies and consider reading the book aloud to your guests.
7. Cook and serve a dish made with peas. Kid-friendly recipes can be found on the Food Network's website.
8. Make vegetable costumes. Baby Mouse and her family dress up as vegetables and dance at their Midsummer Party. Make your own costumes using patterns like the ones from burdastyle.com. Want to keep it simple? Try these fruit and vegetable masks from PrimaryTreasureChest.com.
9. Plant your own vegetable garden. If you're like me and can't garden outdoors due to lack of space, try a container garden. 
10. Make garden markers. If you already have a garden, or have a close friend or relative who has one, make some garden markers to clearly label what has been planted. I especially like these painted stones from Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons.
11. Learn the names and uses for gardening tools. Whether you have a garden or not, you can still teach your child all about the tools gardeners use. This garden clip art set from kizclub.com is a great teaching tool. 
12. Try some new vegetables. Each time we go to our local market for produce, we try to expose Little Miss Muffet to some new vegetables. If your kids are adventurous eaters, consider bringing home something new and different to taste.
13. Visit a farmer’s market. If you're not sure where to find one locally, fear not! There's an app for that, as well as a national directory of farmer's markets.
14. Compare Baby Mouse to Peter Rabbit. Both characters make mischief in gardens that do not belong to them. Compare and contrast these two stories to find out how else their main characters might be the same or different. 
15. Read Keith Baker’s peas books. Keep the pea theme going by enjoying some of these wonderful books by Keith Baker: LMNO Peas, 1-2-3 Peas, Little Green Peas.  
16. Play fruit and vegetable bingo. Print out these cards from Mama's Learning Corner and play a game of bingo.  
17. Play fruit and vegetable I Spy. The Pleasantest Thing has a perfect printable to print out for this game.
18. Make a farmer’s hat. Use these templates from First Palette to construct a paper hat, so you can pretend to be Farmer Clem. 
19. Take a moonlit walk. Experience the atmosphere of the Midsummer Party by taking a walk outside under a full moon. 
20. Retell the story. Use clip art to make cards or flannel board pieces of a baby mouse and some vegetables, and use them to retell the story or write a new one of your own. Kizclub.com has a mouse that would work well, as well as a set of vegetables.
21. Do a pea-themed fingerplay. Five Fat Peas is a fun rhyme for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
22. Sing Oats, Peas, Beans, and Barley Grow. The lyrics and tune can both be found here, as well as on Raffi's Baby Beluga album.
23. Sing I Want to be a Farmer. This catchy folk song performed by Pete Seeger is fun to sing while acting out what a farmer might do. 
24. Act out the African Planting Chant. This full-body action rhyme has a fun rhythm and a focus on planting seeds.
25. Find out about foxes. Use a library book, database, or education video to learn more about the habits of foxes. 

For more ways to play with favorite children's books, check out my posts about Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Whistle for Willie.  

Read Around Town: The Farm

In my latest blog series, Read Around Town, I'm highlighting picture books that celebrate the people and places in a young child's immediate community. These would work well for preschool classes or homeschool groups taking tours of local businesses, or for any child interested in learning about his or her neighborhood. Today's books are all set on farms.

Stanley the Farmer by William Bee

Stanley the hamster uses many tools - and the help of his mole friends - to accomplish a good day's work on his farm.

My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor
A group of adorable baby animals invite the reader to visit them on the farm, where they provide interesting facts about their habits.

Hello, Day! by Anita Lobel

All the animals on the farm greet the day in their own voices. 

Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Farmer Brown is enraged when the cows on his farm begin using typewriters to demand better working conditions in exchange for their milk.

Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin

While Tom Farmer sleeps, the animals take over the whole household.

Hurry, Hurry by Eve Bunting, illustrated Jeff Mack
When a new baby is born on the farm, all the animals go rushing off to meet the new arrival!

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

The other animals scoff when they see Duck riding a bike, until they have an opportunity to try it themselves. 

Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
Old MacDonald has a farm, and a wife, and some animals, and... a baby!

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Felicia Bond
This simple story tells of the activities from dawn to dusk of a group of animals living near a big red barn.

I Love Animals by Flora McDonnell
The little girl in this story loves her dog, Jock, as well as many other animals she meets on the farm.