Excellent Online Literacy Game Resources For Parents and Teachers to Use With Their Students

I hope your children find these online games fun and entertaining....not to mention educational!  I thought I should share these Online Literacy Games sites since the weatherman forecasts intense heat nationwide and drenching rain where I live.  I hope these help your children beat the boredom blues and  retain their academics from last school year.

PBS~Zoom

pbskids.org/zoom/activities/playhouse/

 
PrimaryGames/
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www.primarygames.com

Many, many different choices for the children to choose from...not only literacy games but many other academic areas are addressed.

www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/games/
Many games to choose from for your children.  Many of the games use popular book characters in the games on this site.  There are also many other intersting things to do on this site...author interviews, videos, updates on new books for kids, and this is created to draw in the kids.

STORYLINE
www.storylineonline.net/
Grades K-6 Free.  Some favorite children's books read by famous actors. This is such a neat site numerous famous actors read aloud popular stories for children.  Some of the titles you will find on this site are...The Rainbow Fish, Harry The Dirty Dog, Stellaluna, The Night I Followed The Dog, A Bad Case of Stripes, and Brave Irene....just to name a few.

ict games  www.ictgames.com/literacy
This site provides educational ICT activities linked to the English National Curriculum.  Numerous beginning reading games and several writing game activities.  Scroll down a bit to about the middle of the page and then you will see the different game choices.

Your Family Can Enjoy Arts & Cultural Events Nationwide For Free

       I was wondering what kinds of budget friendly activities there are available for families this summer...I was excited when I discovered the following & I hope you are too! Did you know that Target sponsors programs, exhibits and performances that make artistic and cultural experiences more visible and accessible to children and their families? I had no idea....I knew that they did a great deal for education via grants and supporting literacy in the schools and was thrilled when I read about their community outreach in support of the arts and cultural events. Thanks to Target our families will be able to participate in a variety of artistic and cultural events across the United States.  Click the link Celebrate Arts and Culture to check out the events in your area. Scroll down to about midway on the page and then enter your city in the search box.  If you found this information helpful....share it with a friend:))

Here are just a few sample events I ran across while checking out the site....

(1) Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago        
     Target Free First Sundays of the month
      chicagochildrensmuseum.org                       

(2) Glazer Children's Museum, Tampa, FL      
     Target $2 Tuesday 1st Tuesday of the month
      glazermuseum.org                                       

(3) Children's Museum of Houston, Houston     
      Free First Sundays of the month
      cmhouston.org                                               
                                                                              
(4) Arden Theatre, Philadelphia                         
     Target 2-for-1 Family Series-various dates
      ardentheatre.org                                            

You will be surprised at all the many events that may be offered in your area!  Good Luck and enjoy!

  

     

 

 

Dads Make A Difference When They Read To Their Children

One of the biggest impacts a dad can have on their child's literacy development is by reading to and with their child.  Reading together will help you child become and remain a life long reader. Studies show that boys who are read to “by their fathers scored significantly higher in reading achievement, and when fathers read for pleasure, their sons read more and scored higher than did boys whose fathers did little or no recreational reading” (Trelease xxiv).  However, possibly the most important reason for dads to read out loud to their children is the positive bond that they’ll create as they spend quality time together. 

Benefits:

1. Nurtures imagination and self-confidence.
2. Greatly improves your child's vocabulary.
3. Builds "background knowledge"-  develops a basic understanding of the world around  your child.
4. Helps to develop the concept of basic story structure - beginning, middle, end, plot, characters.
5. This child-centered activity encourages warm and positive interaction between parents and children (U.S. Department of Education, 1999).