All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[hquek]

DS1 enjoys a game called \"I Spy\". One party spots something in the vicinity and asks the other \"I spy something that begins with letter ?\". Other can ask questions like what does it end with, but not much more than that.


I find it's a good game cos it helps him realise what are the beginning or ending letters. eg, he recently asked me \"I spy something beginning with letter B, but I dunno what is the last letter\". Answer is Barbeque... :lol:

[tamarind]

hquek:

DS1 enjoys a game called \"I Spy\". One party spots something in the vicinity and asks the other \"I spy something that begins with letter ?\". Other can ask questions like what does it end with, but not much more than that.


I find it's a good game cos it helps him realise what are the beginning or ending letters. eg, he recently asked me \"I spy something beginning with letter B, but I dunno what is the last letter\". Answer is Barbeque... :lol:

That's a good idea. Kids love games and it is best to integrate games with learning.

[tamarind]

//Editor's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/boxcar-children


Another great book for children : The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CTD4SV8CL._SS500_.jpg\">

This book is available from the National Library. http://www.nlb.gov.sg/ Enter Author or name: Kate Deal, Keywords : Boxcar children. You can place a reservation and collect at any branch near you.

I have been trying to find this book in local bookshops like Kinokuniya, but it is not available. I managed to borrow it from the library.

It was a wonderful book. Here is a review from amazon.com.
This pleasant story opens as four tired and hungry siblings, aged 5 to 15, press their noses against a bakery window, eyeing the lovely goodies inside. They have recently lost their parents and are on the run from their mean grandfather, whom they have never met. They find an abandoned boxcar in the woods, set up housekeeping, and live quite happily on berries, bread, and a little meat bought with the oldest boy's gardening pay. Life is very good until one of the girls becomes sick and they must tell an adult about where they live.

The book was written in the 1942 by a teacher who cleverly used only the 500 most common words in the English language to create a very easy to read, yet exciting, beginning chapter book for 7 and 8 year olds. Most of the story concerns the children's sense of fun and boundless resourcefulness, as they take care of themselves, all the while being cheerful and thankful for what they have. Children who are ready for a chapter book will be delighted to find this one is very easy to read. They will enjoy the children's adventure of living in the woods without adults, and, of course, it has a very happy ending. This book is the first (and I think the best) of a very long series of adventures for the Boxcar Children.


My 6 year old girl finished reading the book within 3 hours one night. The next day, she took out the book and started to read from the beginning again.

As an adult, I was really moved by the book too. It teaches children about poverty, how to survive when parents were gone, independence, and sibling love. This book is excellent.

This book is roughly equivalent to Ladybird Peter and Jane series book 10. It is very easy to read. I highly recommend parents to let their kids read this book, together with My Father's Dragon :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/09/books-they-love.html

My 5 year old boy has finished reading My Father's Dragon, and he insists on reading the 2 sequels : \"Elmer and the dragon\" and \"The dragons of Blueland\". It is really a joy listening to him read every day

[smurf]

feel so frustrated now. because we are moving hse soon, I can't buy more books for boy! cos i hate to move more things.argh! :stupid:


hmm...a question: do u clean/wipe the books that u borrow from the library?? :?

[clarabella]

Haha, smurf, I always do, after I witnessed a preschooler wiping a big gob of snot on a library book!

[tamarind]

smurf, clarabella,

My mother will wipe using a cloth. First she soaked the cloth in Dettol then squeezed out the excess liquid. After she wiped the book, she let it stand to dry.

I am too lazy to do that ! I only make sure that the kids wash their hands before they eat anything.

[smurf]

Hi Clarabella and Tamarind,



do you/or your mum wipe the front page only or every page in the book? :?

think some little kids wll pee on the book or smear something on the book.

[concern2]

tamarind:

My mother will wipe using a cloth. First she soaked the cloth in Dettol then squeezed out the excess liquid. After she wiped the book, she let it stand to dry.

lol! I thought I am the only one who does that! Actually, I had valid reasons - I suspected one case of my kids' HFMD was from the library books. And you know how kids love to read before they sleep, they'd bring them to the bed too, which my husband is so against :x \"You don't know the 'history' of these books\" he said.

So every time I visit the library, I'd be a KSP and grab the newest releases first before proceeding to the usual kids' section.

I'd wipe every page if it isn't a new book, and I usually avoid those that are torn, tempered with (shows little respect for public facilities you won't want to know what else they might have done to it), and too 'seasoned'.

[tamarind]

smurf,

My mother will wipe every page if it is a picture book with very few pages.

Now that I am borrowing chapter books with a few hundred pages, it is not possible to do that ! But these books are usually read by older kids, less likely to be \"contaminated\".

concern2,
I also KSP, always try to borrow brand new books

My hubby is different from your hubby. Once he went to library sales, and bought back many old books ($1 or $2 only) and gave them to the kids !

[lizuan76]

Hi Tamarind


Thanks for your recommendation. Bought the three tales dragon, very nice book.

I bought the book from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk and is cheaper than the local bookstore. The price include of free delivery to Singapore.

Mummies that love to purchase books maybe can consider the website that i recommend to save some money.

Thanks