ECRR: Reading and Writing!

Our final post on the ECRR daily practices is Reading and Writing! Because reading and writing are tied together more tightly than any of the other five daily practices, I’m going to talk about them together. Reading and writing go together. They draw upon the same shared knowledge bases and to learn one, you haveContinue reading “ECRR: Reading and Writing!”

Storytime: Weather!

There are a lot of components to weather, especially if you live in the Midwest like I do! Seriously, we have snow, 70 degree sun, and a tornado warning all on the same day here. That’s what makes weather a fantastic themes, though! You can talk about seasons, rain, snow, ice, wind, clouds, sun, storms,Continue reading “Storytime: Weather!”

ECRR: Playing!

Here’s another one of my favorite ECRR practices! Playing! It helps children think symbolically. A ruler becomes a magic wand. Our surroundings become prehistoric times with dinosaurs and a playmate becomes a t-rex! Their imagination is the limit! Just the act of this kind of play reinforces the code deciphering children will do later onContinue reading “ECRR: Playing!”

Storytime: Soup!

Whether you’re using it as part of a sickness/illness theme or just on its own, Soup makes for a fun storytime! I have a few absolute favorites among this script, hopefully they’ll become some of your favorites, too!

Graham Cracker Houses

Around November and December of each year, I start getting excited about the holiday season. There’s something about the crisp air, lights and vivid greens against the otherwise gray world, and the anticipated time with family. I love the feeling. But I know not everyone celebrates the same way I do, so I try toContinue reading “Graham Cracker Houses”

ECRR: Singing!

The second in our series on Every Child Ready to Read’s five daily practices is here! If you missed last week’s edition of Talking, find it here! This week’s practice is Singing. This is one of my absolute favorite ways to promote early literacy. Singing comes so natural to kids and it helps them learnContinue reading “ECRR: Singing!”

LGBTQ+ Positive Chapter Books

Here’s part two of my LGBTQ+ positive booklist series! This booklist features chapter books for kids ages 7-12 years. If you missed the first post of picturebooks for ages 2-7 years, it can be found here.

LGBTQ+ Positive Picturebooks

Get ready because this is a long one! Plus, it’s a two-parter, as I’ve separated picturebooks (for 2-7 yr. olds) and books for older readers (7-12 year olds) into two different lists. Though there are classics such as Heather Has Two Mommies or Daddy’s Roomate, publishing has really done well lately with focusing on positiveContinue reading “LGBTQ+ Positive Picturebooks”

ECRR: Talking!

For the next few weeks, I’m going to talk a bit about one of Every Child Ready to Read’s five daily practices and some examples of how to incorporate it into programming. This week’s practice is Talking. Children learn about language by listening to parents and adults talk and by joining in the conversation. SoundsContinue reading “ECRR: Talking!”

Let’s Talk About Racism and Bias Booklist

With everything going on and our current political climate, racism, prejudice, implicit bias, and microaggressions are more rampant than they’ve ever been. Or maybe that’s my privilege showing that I’m only noticing it more now. We’re all privileged in some way or another, so why not self-reflect and see if we can use those privilegesContinue reading “Let’s Talk About Racism and Bias Booklist”