A Giveaway for Your Little Scholar!
August 16, 2008 by Caryn
*Update*
This giveaway is now closed. Thank you so much for stopping by and entering. The winner is Meredith Peters (#19). Check back this week for more giveaways!
Children are made readers on the laps of their parents
~ Emilie Buchwald ~
It’s amazing to me how crucial twenty minutes of reading aloud to my son is. By the time he turns five, he will have had over 600 hours of instruction time, which is more than one academic school year. I admit that I haven’t always been perfect about reading to him daily, but more and more I’m making it a priority. Reading out loud to young children promotes family bonding, encourages listening and language skills, and gives children a strong reading foundation (The National Children’s Reading Foundation).
Scholastic, the most trusted name in learning, has a wonderfully rich developmental program for children from birth to three years of age called Little Scholastic. The program introduces babies and toddlers to a lifetime of reading, learning, and interaction at an early age. As your child grows and develops, you as the parent can read the book in new and exciting ways to build on concepts. Babies start by touching the textures and pointing to the images. Between the ages of one and two, toddlers are starting to listen and repeat the words. Older toddlers, ages two to three, learn the concepts and connect the meaning of the words and images. Each book in the Little Scholastic series features:
Rhyming, repetive text
Vivid contrasting colors
Familiar subjects and surroundings
Simple, easy to learn concepts
Interactive components
My son received Numbers, Peek-a-Zoo, and Rhyme-a-Round, courtesy of Scholastic. As soon as I opened the package my son was grabbing at the books. He LOVES books just like mommy. I was immediately impressed by the vibrant colors and textures. My son is fascinated by detail…he immediately noticed the contrasting textures on the tree in Rhyme-a-Round. He also found out that the trunk on the elephant’s nose and the wing on the bee in Peek-a-Zoo can be ripped off! We’ve been saying the alphabet and counting to 10 for a while now so the Numbers book was familiar to him. We have a lot of books for our little boy but hadn’t really bought him any board books with textures. I appreciate the fact that they’re extremely durable since my son likes to tear and bend anything he can (it’s part of exploring I assume!). I also like that the concepts and songs are familiar. It’s definitely age-appropriate and easy enough to read in a time frame that keeps his interest.
The Little Scholastic website is filled with useful information including expert advice and articles, downloadable games and activities, videos and more. Check out their site for tips on reading with your baby and/or toddler.
Win It! One lucky reader will win 5 books from the Little Scholastic series (tailored to your child’s age), courtesy of Scholastic. Head on over to the Little Scholastic website and check out how truly fabulous it really is : ). Come back and leave me a comment indicating the name of a book you’d like to read with your child AND one interesting tip or piece of advice you found. Comments will close on August 26, 2008 at 10 pm PST and I will announce the winner here the following day. One comment per person, please. US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.
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I love scholastic books and any kind of reading becuase it lets kids and adults go places and have adventures thru reading. It can be alot of fun imagining you are in the story or feeling like you are there.
Thanks for this great contest and prize!
For a restless kid, in order to read to him in peace, make sure that s/he is well fed, went to the bathroom, and played for a while before, so that he used up all his/her energy.
We love Scholastics!
I also got the idea of making a personalized book for my toddler using family photos- cute idea, huh?
Thanks!
oreo89[at] gmail [dot] com
gkstratos@yahoo.com
legacyofbrutalitysa{AT}gmail.com
I will start to track their relaxation time and try to get them after I’ve wore them out at the park.
Good tip and wonderful giveaway.. Now, someone needs to let me win a bookshelf
2. make storytime a special treat!
being a teacher any mommy, scholastic has always been one of my favorite lines of boks!!
i blogged you at prizeatron!
thanks!
moore.g at insideconnect.net
matter appealing and are the illustrations appealing?!
The book “Five Shiny Stars” seems very good. A child
learns to count down from 5 to zero. A song play on the
last page. I would love to win this book contest. Please
enter me in your delightful drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
My son is speech delayed and I have found using picture books to be a wonderful way to explore language with him. He is a visual learner and so seeing the picture with the word is very helpful to him.
Thanks for the great giveaway
heatherlbrandt (at) verizon (dot) net
I would love to read The Crawly Caterpillar to my son.
My son doesn’t like to sit still to read, so the advice to give him opportunities to use up his energy and then sit down in a cozy place was very helpful.
I learned that you shouldn’t read in the same place all of the time.. so as not to bore kids
I have learned with children that it is best to give them 5 minute warning before you tell them to stop playing. Who wants to be told you have to stop in the middle of doing something? With a little warning it eases them into a new activity.
onlycancan at hotmail dot com
I really liked this site, particulary the numerous times it cheerleaded parents to just keep reading – even to busy busy toddlers. I work with little ones and it’s too easy for parents to give up. They (we) need all the support they/we can get!
This is a great giveaway and I’d love to win “Peek-A-Zoo”. Please pick me!
Reading to a toddler lacking an attention span: Little people w/a small attention span, give them plenty of exercise during the day and lots of hugs and kisses and start out with a book with a few pages and use varied voice inflections/levels to keep them entertained.
I’ll try it!
but Twinkle Twinkle Panda Bear looks cute.
I learned that there’s a parents section on the website with tiops and articles, both geared towards reading/learning and also tips for everyday life (like managing morning mayhem!).
Loved the top about “Making you own books.” I never thought of it this way – I have always loved making collages!
jillykat12_blog [at] hotmail [dot] com
I was excited to read about the Quick tips for parents. I liked some of the ideas they had for reading to my little one. They would be quick to look at when I need a new idea to get him interested in what we are reading about.
I would like to read him The Tiny Tadpole, and my advise is to give your child lots of options to choose from and let them feel like they have a say in what you read them.
My favorite tip that I came across was to read with expression. Sounds very simple, I know, but I’m usually very tired when it’s story time at night so I just read to her without changing voices, etc. I will definitely make a more concerted effort in this area!
Thanks!!!!
Dawn
striblin@yahoo.com
solta(at)hotmaildotcom
I really liked the wordless books. Just from the pictures online, they look like they have very rich illustrations, especially Anno’s Counting Book.
Although its not available yet, I think the Playtime book and dvd look the most interesting.
Thanks for the chance to win!
My favorite tip was how to read to a squirmy toddler, only after feed time, play time how smart!
Amie
littleonesstore(at) gmail(dot) com
I like the tips, but what I enjoyed was learning how to make a homemade picture book… something so easy and classic, but I wouldn’t have thought about.
The exploration of “fear” during stories was a cool fact – it gives them something to relate to.
I learned to use more movement – I use my voice a lot, but the movement, I haven’t done.
My tip with toddlers is regular rotation of books. We are big readers and have noticed that having all of his books available to choose from makes it harder for him to pick — giving us one more thing to struggle over at bedtime. Limiting the choices to 10 or so seems to help, and you can swap out 1 or 2 every few days to keep it interesting.
(Bearing in mind, of course, that sometimes toddlers MUST read the same book over and over and over and over….)
Thanks
Jamie
The best thing I’ve learned is to make reading part of the regular daily routine. We read before bed each night, so it’s also a cue to the little one that it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed.
wedgeford(at)hotmail(dot)com
I found the article about how to read a book to a restless toddler informative. I had not thought about trying to figure out her interests before. Next time, I will bring a huge pile of books and let her choose the one she wants me to read to her!
Thanks !
One of the tips I have is to let the child choose the book according to what they like. If my son picks out a book with cars (which he loves) he will be much more attentive and sometimes he will even gaze at the pictures all by himself (while mommy enjoys the few minutes of peace!).
Thanks!
I learned that running in the house is okay?!?
This is a great contest, glad I found your blog!
I read a bit about planning for getting out of the house without screaming at each other. We’ll have lunches packed the night before.
Didn’t know I Spy books were from Scholastic!
My 6yo daughter and I would enjoy reading Good Night, Sleep Tight to my 2yo dd.
I love Scholastic and remember bringing home the order sheets when I was a kid.
My son would LOVE the book,”My First Jumbo of Things That Go” and “How to Build a Snowman.” I really liked the parents section and learned a lot in the expert advice about choosing the best books for your child. I also liked the act green section – great tips for kids! Thanks for hosting such a great contest!
Nicholewiniger at yahoo dot com
I loved the book recommendation page that I found. It definitely gave me some new ideas.
The tip I enjoyed, was to add tone and a sing-song quality to your reading. I do this with my son and he loves it. He is two and can already say some nursery rhymes that I have read to him this way.
alstr23@hotmail.com
I like the idea of using movement while reading – will have to try that!
What a great give-a-way–The gift of reading!!
I didn’t realize that their website had Magic Bus printable (a favorite at my house) or that they had what to expect in ___ Grade. That will really come in handy now that the kids are gearing back up to go to school. I also made sure to book mark the Homework Hub! Sometimes learning the”new math” isn’t as easy as I think it should be, so this could really give my grade schooler some additional help!
There are a lot of great tips on the site. I am a former pre-school/kindergarten teacher. This tip is one I liked that they included:Always feel free to shorten a story to suit your child’s ability to stay and listen. You can lengthen the amount of time spent reading as his interest in the pictures and stories grows. (You can always “tell” the story through the pictures…….my note.)
Use different voices was a tip from the website, that I always do.
Thanks
I’d love to read my daughters Goodnight, Gorilla one of these days. It looks like a cute book.
Best advice or tip I have is just to keep reading with your kids every day. Even if they don’t seem like they’re paying attention because they’re still pretty little, don’t let that hinder you. They’ll still be listening even if they appear to be completely engaged with something else.
Nighty night all.
Rebekah
littleminx at cox dot net
Anytime is story time!
Thanks!
And something great I learned/found was from their article on how to best build your child’s library:
Babies & Toddlers
Best bets are sturdy, “chewable” books that resist being damaged by spills. Look for bold illustrations or photographs with simple or no text. Books that contain pictures of things familiar to your child will make “reading” more enticing to him. Board books featuring other babies or animals are perennial favorites — as are beloved characters such as Clifford. For toddlers, try interactive board books or book-and-toy sets about feelings and daily rituals.
I also heard the other day that babies only see in contrast, so black and white picture books are a good bet. I’m on the lookout for one of those!
We love to read and encourage both of our kids to read. The tip I liked the most was about encouraging early literacy – especially the part about using rhyming games. It reminded me of a game I played with my older daughter – a song in which we make up funny matches like a rat wearing a hat, or a bear sitting on a mare.
I like the idea of making a doll to act out a story. It would be fun to make crazy Skippyjon!
The one advice that I found true and helpful is that when choosing a book for babies or toddlers, board books constructed of sturdy cardboard & wipeable plastic titles are the best for this age group.
Thanks for a great giveaway!
And I love that they suggest the tip of snuggling with your child while reading as a tip! We are always cozy and snuggled at reading time….
one piece of advice I found comforting is that some toddlers are just squirmier than others. my two older children loved to sit and read books for hours…my third does not like to sit and listen, she will look at books by herself all day, but to sit and listen is not her favorite…according to the website i should create new ‘words’ to read and make it enjoyable at the end that we finished a book together! i will have to try that tomorrow, after she gets all her wiggles out (also a suggestion from the website)
My 3 year old has recently taken to asking me, “Mommy, how do you read this?” as he’s still learning his ABCs, but I realize now he is learning that he somehow has to do something with the words (which he calls ‘names’
He already knows a different language’s alphabet, and he’s working on English (which is harder with capital and lowercase letters), but I see he is on the right track. My husband and I both read before we were 4. We’re not pushing my son at all, but we see he has the same love for reading as we do.
As does my 1.5 year old who would read books all night if we let. I think he’d love The Noisy Egg. Looks like it’s just up his alley, and his older brother would be entertained to
One tip I learned that I think my kids would enjoy is making their own book by cutting out pictures from newspapers and magazines and then having them tell me the story that they made.
I think this is a great bedtime story book.
The tips I like are try reading a simple story for only a few minutes and Make your own books.
I think I will try this.
Thank you!
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
I thnk my daughter would really enjoy “The Very Busy Spider” as she has with other Eric Carle books that we’ve read together.
One tip for restless toddlers (of which I am mother to one) is to read stories to them about what interests them. I have found that to be true – my daughter loves animals and she loves the alphabet & therefore likes books that have those themes!
I also saw a tip to use everyday squabbles between your children as a learning tool on getting along in relationships. It will benefit them as they grow up.
homemakerhero @ Gmail . com
(If I win, please email me because my schedule is a little wacky and I might not make it back here to check. I always get my email though. Thanks!)
The best advice I found on the site was the tip that suggested to make your own book! I will try this with my girls today, would probably make a great craft project!
Alicia Webster
5webs@comcast.net
I loved what the site had to say about acknowledging his “high activity level” as a means to make him feel accepted and comfortable and engaging him with topics of great interest to him.
That being said, My First Jumbo Book of Things That Go would surely capture his attention. We’ve had the most success thus far with a book on construction equipment that has since started to deteriorate!
Great tip on working storytelling into everyday activities – Lipkin advocates storytelling in everyday situations, like during meals. Ask your kids, “If you were going to be an object on this dinner table, what would you be? Tell me about it.”
Make your own books. You might want to try cutting pictures from old magazines to create your own story.
we have books in the car too, books at grandma’s house, etc.
thanks for contest
A tip I would tell other mothers to use is to pick a certain spot, “a special spot” in you home to read the books. In our case it helps keep our son focused, and he knows exactly what it means we get to do when were in this special spot! hehe
I learned that you should keep it short if your toddler is accustomed to sitting and looking at books.
I had no idea that scholastic had so many articles and tips on reading and storytelling. Very cool reference!
cherylfrancisco@hotmail.com
I like the Dealing with Back-to-School Jitters post