The Text Evader

Don't you just love reading the same book over and over and over again to your child? Especially a Dr. Seuss book?? Me, too...NOT.


It is perfectly normal for a child to want to read the same book over and over. And perfectly and insanely normal for a child to ask you to read the same book over and over. They obviously enjoy the book and spending time with you.

This is all part of the reading process and truly helps develop your child's reading skills.

You read a book for the first time to your child. You know they enjoyed it because they ask you read it again. Most of the time we are happy to oblige (unless we don't like the book then it's best to hide it immediately). Every night for the next week, we read the same book again and again even though we've tried many times to introduce a new one. After the 10th time reading it, we attempt to skip chunks of text (don't deny it) or even pages (we all have). Maybe the first time, we get away with it.
Then the reading police are on to us, the TEXT EVADERS.

"You skipped some words!"
"You forgot a page."
Or they wait until the last page to say, "Wait, where's the part about...?"
Big text evader mistake. Now you have to read it again.

This is all because they have started to memorize the text. This is a good thing. Once they start to memorize the text they begin to notice some things.

-Those black symbols have meaning.
-The pictures on the page have some connection to those black shapes.
-We read and move through a book from left to right.

Now your child wants to impress you by reading the book by themselves. We know they've memorized it but we cheer them on and give them encouragement. Important!! As they read the same book over and over, they begin to notice more things.

-Those black symbols form words that are separated by spaces (like stones in a river).
-Some of those words repeat themselves throughout the book (sight or high-frequency words- the, and, are...).
-The words match the pictures on the pages.
-There are patterns in the text.

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Read this text: 我有一只狗。

What?! It says, "I have a dog." That is what they see at first. Imagine how difficult it would be if someone gave you a new Chinese or Spanish book every time you sat down to read before you knew how to read the language. It would be frustrating and cause anxiety. This is why reading the same book over and over helps to develop a confidence in reading which is far more important than learning new words too fast.

Allow your child to enjoy books at their speed and encourage them to read with you. Again, it is important to model reading to your child by reading aloud to them and letting them see you enjoying your own books.

Things to do with your child early on while reading...

-Talk to them about the parts of a book (cover, author, illustrator, read left to right.) It doesn't seem important now but it will give them a leg up...a word up, when they go to school.

-Point to the words while you read so they can see that those symbols having meaning.

-Have your child point to the words as they read to teach them one-to-one correspondence (each group of letters separated by a space have meaning).

-Before reading a page, talk to your child about what they see in the picture first to teach them to use the pictures as clues.


More about how to become a better reader here: http://amberhousey.blogspot.com/2013/04/kids-who-read.html

Watch for future educational posts to help your child. Let me know if this was helpful to you. Feel free to ask questions. 

I have degrees in Early Childhood, Elementary education and a Masters in the Art of Teaching. I taught preschool through 2nd Grade for many years. I have been trained in Orton Gillingham. I am an award winning children's book author and creator of Flip Side Stories®. 

Read, re-read and read again!! Read On!

Kids Who Read...

How do young children become good readers? Well, of course they need to learn the basics like phonics (letter sounds) and learn sight words or high-frequency words (and, the, from, etc.- words that appear most frequently and should be known automatically by a reader)
but...

Reading (and being read to) makes you a better reader. And that means reading anything and everything from signs on the road to comic books and novels. The more you read, the better reader you will become and the more fluent reader you will become.

As young children read, they become more familiar with patterns in the text and in words themselves. They begin to notice the words that appear more frequently (sight words). When they listen to someone read to them, they learn about expression and how words and sentences should sound.

Many people tell me that their child (of all ages) doesn't want to read and they show no interest in reading. It is important to figure out what inspires or interests your children no matter what age. If they like sports, give them sport magazines or books. If they like cartoons and comic books, let them read those. Another option if they aren't confident readers is to buy books on tape. Let them read along in the book with a tape. They will be able to hear another reader using expression while they track the text on the page. A great series on tape is Harry Potter. The reader on the tape does a great job changing his voice to match the characters. It is a fun read on tape. My son started with that and began reading the rest of the series on his own.

Books on tape are great for older children (middle school and older) as well. Many older children claim they are too tired to read and there may be truth to that. They do sleep a lot. Or, they are just not interested in reading. So a book on tape is great on the go or while laying in bed while they read along. Be sure it is not the abridged edition if they are reading the full-length book. Hearing someone else read it can make it a little more interesting. I think it is important for the reader to have the book in hand when they can to read along. This strategy may be helpful by opening them up to books they didn't know they would like. Obviously, the best option is for them to read on their own, but we are trying to inspire those kids who don't have an interest in reading.

Other ideas,
Give your child a recipe to read to you while you are cooking.
Find an (short) article in a magazine or newspaper that they might be interested in like about  
   an athlete they like, an event you might attend or a place to visit.
Have your child read to a younger child (make them feel like they are helping not practicing reading).
Have your child read directions for building something or putting a toy or game together.

Let them choose the books they are comfortable with and offer them opportunities to read all day.

Let me know if this was helpful to you. Feel free to ask questions. I have degrees in Early Childhood, Elementary education and a Masters in the Art of Teaching. I taught preschool through 2nd Grade for many years. I have been trained in Orton Gillingham.

More reading advice in future posts... When should I start teaching my child to read? Is it ok if my child  wants to read the same book over and over?


The more you read, the better reader you become. So, READ!

Text Evader- When your child wants you to read the same book over and over.
http://amberhousey.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-text-evader.html

Rue'd Awakening- Hungry? Bite on this!

 I am reading the Hunger Games right now. I am really enjoying it. I reminisce about an article I read about Hunger Games and the racial stir it caused which made me very sad. To think there are people in the world who still make it difficult for everyone else to live in a world of acceptance and tolerance of race, religion and uniquenesses. . 

Honestly. The sad truth is that it is that bigots are born of bigots. It is the passing down of ignorance. They aren't born with those views. Sadly, those views will be passed down again and again. Fortunately, even though we hear such racial bigotry today, it is better now than it has ever been. President Obama was elected (twice) because our country is open to a president who can do the job not a race. You can like him or not, but it isn't about the color of someone's skin, it's about people believing he is right for the job. Maybe we'll have a woman president some day. That is a good sign that our country (and world) is trying to see things from the "Flip Side". I don't see racism ever going away from all races, religions and cultures but it's changing and evolving. 
Racism will continue to be passed down (within all races, cultures and religions) but maybe it will become so diluted that they (the bigots) alone will be the minority. Hating them isn't necessarily the answer. Fighting against the influence is. Making it unacceptable is. People are who they are and it's important to surround yourself with people who make you a better person. Stand up for humanity and human race as a whole. We are a melting pot of beautiful people. A world where seeing another point of view can make a better you!


This is the article that has triggered such a stir. Racist Hunger Games Fans Are Very Disappointed http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made


What do M & Ms and people have in common?

We are all different on the outside but the same on the inside.

Flip Side Snowflake

Flip Side Snowflake

Supplies:

Scissors

Six 8x11 pieces of white paper

A pen

Tape or glue 

Stapler

glitter or glitter glue (optional)

When you watch the video, I think I made a mistake. 

You cut on the "one fold" side not the double folded side. Sorry!

In the Shadow of a Tragedy

To the families of Sandy Hook,

In the shadow of the senseless tragedy in Sandy Hook, we sorrowfully attempt walk in your shoes trying to feel your pain. As a parent, it is not hard to imagine what you are going through. As I learned of the horrendous event on Friday, I sat on a bench alone in my children's school waiting for them to finish their after school activities. I didn't hear what happened until late in the day.  It seemed to echo through the silent halls as I read the details. It sickened me to the core. I have a 6 year old, an 8 year old and a 9 year old and the thought brought me to tears. I had to hold back uncontrolled sobbing in the hallway for fear that another child or my own children would see me. 
Why? Why? Why? So senseless and almost unpreventable. It makes no sense to anyone. 

I can't imagine what those teachers in that school went through. Heroes lost their lives protecting those children. A responsibility we take for granted. They don't just educate our children. They help us raise our children. 
God Bless them. 

We watch the news, not to glorify the tragedy but to understand why it happened and to figure out how we can prevent it from happening again. We want to cry with you and be angry with you because we feel so helpless. My children's school will be wearing green tomorrow in honor of your loss.

In this difficult...in this unbearable time, you are in our thoughts and our prayers and we remember. God Bless those beautiful children and the heroes that lost their lives. God Bless the families mourning.

United States, not Divided States

I will be the first to admit that I have never taken an interest in Politics. I am way too much of a fence- sitter to really take a side and debate my case. I am always open to why people feel the way they feel and believe what the believe.

What I don't like, with this recent election, is the hostility and anger that came with it. Though, it did make me take a better look at the issues and learn a little more about how they affect me. The sometimes violent and attacking comments and posts really made me sad. There was such a division in this election that I have never witnessed before.

We are the United States, not the Divided States. How could we be such opposite poles (no pun intended)? I watched people unfriend people for their beliefs. Aren't we entitled to our opinions and beliefs? That is what this country is built on. I even had a friend say that someone called her a racist for not voting for Obama and unfriend her. Seriously? She couldn't be furthest from such a person. And, furthermore, we are in a lot of trouble if that is the only reason why someone would vote for their President.

The day after the election, I posted a comment, "I am a little worried..." The follow up posts rampaged my FB page. There were supportive Republican views and very harsh Democratic views. What I did not get was, "Amber, what are you worried about?""Are you ok?" Not one person asked me what was wrong. Everyone assumed I was talking about the election.

After a day of blasts, my follow-up post was, "People! The election is over. We have a president. Stop drawing lines on the sand. When I said I was a little worried, no one asked what I was worried about. That's a problem."

Apologies streamed in, private and public.

What if I was worried about cancer or my child being injured or sick. No one asked. WHAT IF I was worried about the election outcome? No one said, "What is it your worried about? Maybe I can help you feel better about it." This is where the breakdown is. This is where division removes empathy and compassion from the equation. 

My husband is a Republican through and through. He also founded a charity that helps children and families in need, he is a hard working entrepreneur who takes great care of his employees, he is a religious man with morals and values, he is one of the most honest men with integrity that I know and he is an amazing husband and father to my children. He loves a good debate, too. He is extremely knowledgable of a lot of things including politics. He knows the issues from every angle and can debate you right into a corner. But he is also fair.

As you may guess, he was not happy about the outcome. I expected him to air his disappointment with vim and vigor. But, he didn't. He calmly told me that many of his friends are Democrats and they are great friends of his that he highly respects and that have the same values and morals that he does. He told me that if they and so many others felt so strongly about voting for our President again, then there must be some validity to that and that he needs to find out what he is missing in the big picture. He needed to look at the Flip Side more closely. It does not mean that it will change his mind but it will help him to understand and accept the outcome more graciously. 

I was proud of him for how he reacted to all of this. After speaking to a couple of his friends (Democrats), they all realized that we all have the same goals and concerns.  We all believe that there are big mistakes being made in the government and with our money. As they conversationed through the the issues, they all ended up closer to the middle where problems can start to be solved and ideas can emerge and evolve. 

This was really an exhausting election. It was a wake-up call for the People. WE THE PEOPLE... United we stand....Divided we fall. 

Remember....Seeing another point of view makes a better you!

Moms on IPhones. What are Kids saying?

It has been a while since I've posted. I  have some moments recently that have struck me and I wanted to share them.

The excitement was building for weeks. Thoughts of candy danced in their heads and costumes paraded around the house. Then the day came. Halloween! Dressing up at school, costume parades amongst peers, parties in classrooms filled with food and games and fun. I was lucky enough to be able to relive some moments in my childhood Halloween memories (in a costume even). My daughter was Merida from Brave and I was her queen mother turning into a bear.

I traveled from one room to the next to see how my other two kids were doing and let them know I was around. I was helping in my daughter's room on this day. Near the end of the party in her room, I sat down with the group of kids to read some spooky (not-so-spooky) Halloween stories that I loved when I was a kid. I love reading to kids, especially my books. wink.

When I was done reading, all of the children but one got busy putting the room back together. One young lady stood by my side. I hadn't paid much attention to her until I heard her speaking to herself or maybe to me. I heard her say, "Look at all the moms on their iPhones." I followed her gaze in the direction she was looking. Sure enough, they were all nose deep into their phones. At that moment, I was not but it could have been me too. "They are ignoring us again." UHG! Stab in the heart. Slap across the face.
The blood rushed to my feet. Guilt welled up inside me. I tried to make her feel better (or change her mind about it) by saying that maybe the mom's were taking pictures or sending pictures of the party. She didn't respond to that comment as if to tell me to stop kidding myself (I saw you on your phone earlier.)

That really hit me. My kids will tell me if they feel like I am not being present. I try very hard not be on the computer or phone when they are around (or around my family and friends for that matter).
To hear it from a child who was not mine and whose mother wasn't even there, just crushed me. She was making an observation from across the room at random parents and telling me honestly how that makes her feel. She even used the word "us" ("ignoring us") as if it to say it on behalf of all of the kids who feel this way. Wow.

I will never forget her words. It was a paradigm shift for me. We need those once in a while. We need to hear or see the Flip Side to really understand the impact we are having on others. Take a look around and see who is really watching you.