Lucinda's Library Notes

Definitely Letters of the Alphabet! With the children I tutor, I often use the letters of the alphabet to challenge them to expand their vocabulary. I may ask for people, places, things, adjectives or verbs to be the category and then for each letter of the alphabet they are to write 1-3 words depending on the category. It is great for expanding their vocabulary. For example, with even one to two words, the child now has 26-52 adjectives to use to build up their storyline. I use the letters of the alphabet to decide on my topics for the week.  There are endless options so narrowing the list down to a particular letter and then brainstorming my list based on a single letter is typically quite helpful.  Occasionally I am not as inspired by the topic I choose that particular week but once I get started the ideas usually flow and I trust they are interesting to those of you reading. There are endless activities to do with the letters of the alphabet, some of which are listed below...

 Lion King had a lot of life lessons to share with you, far more than what I included in the post, but life lessons are to be found in everyday life too.  They can be good or bad, that isn't the important thing. What matters is that the experience taught you something that will help you shape the time ahead with more purpose and skill. Maybe you learned that you were not as prepared for the experience as you thought you were and so you had to call in reinforcements to get you through that moment in time.  But you also learned that others were there to support you when you needed to call on them which is a reminder that you too should be there for others in their moment of need. One person's act of kindness contributes to the recipient also performing an act of kindness for someone else. This is a key lesson that I do not see as often in the younger generation as compared to the older generation.  Simple examples are holding a door open for the next person or cleaning...

It was grade 4 I think, when I did a project on lions, and I remember sitting at the table working hard on drawing a lioness for it and being proud of the finished product for the animal project as a whole. Lions are incredibly beautiful animals with majesty and grace, fierceness and loving playfulness. It is meaningful that lions live in prides/ in family units where they work together to ensure each other's survival and well-being. It is a good example for us and is well portrayed between Mufasa and Sarabi in the Lion King. It is a classic tale where not every member of the group is equally loyal and trustworthy.  There is an uncle whose jealousy and desire for power corrupts him and causes a rift in the family that is a major part of the storyline that unfolds in the book.  Learning how to carry on and be resilient in very difficult circumstances, finding your inner strength and learning who to keep by your side are major life lessons Simba learned.We cannot control everyth...

There is a Melissa and Doug house with 4 dolls and 4 doors and each door has it's own doorbell and it's own key to open the door.  I adore this toy and its versatility in play.  It is definitely a good 'key' toy! Another one is a square shape sorter that has a key attached for use to unlock the box and open the door to get all the shapes out again.  This is also a popular toy with a key and shape sorters are classic toys so definitely worthy to be on your list of activities to do that include a key.  Using a key to open a toy cash register as part of a shopkeeper or banker activity is fun too. Of course, a set of keys that shake and make different car sounds is a popular toy for infants that comes in a variety of designs and materials.  Oh! and there are also 'key cars' that use a key to cause them to propel forward. I forgot about them! My next thought is of a book, Goodnight Gorilla because the zookeeper's keys are prominent in the story as they are used t...

       I wonder what I was thinking when I created this topic?  Probably that families and educators whose children are prone to temper tantrums need some skill building to help them self-regulate better and handle their emotions more effectively.  Kicking and screaming, unless it is a soccer player cheering loudly after just scoring a wild goal, is not generally a positive thing. When the body needs to physically express the stress or anger that is building up, it may seem like a natural outlet to kick and scream.  It is ok if the actions are aimed at a pillow but not okay if it is aimed at a person.  Redirection of the emotions to an inanimate object is one choice. Replacing the actions with other more acceptable ones is another option. This might look like stomping feet or going for a run instead of kicking and doing a silent scream or making a growly sound instead of screaming. However, Reacting to the need to kick and scream with Rational tho...

Angela Wilkes retells the Adventures of King Arthur at the beginner reading level (ages 5-6).  I like Usborne's Young Reading Series because it includes books like this one that is interesting for older children who are still early readers.  There are counterparts to this book at a higher level. For example, Usborne has a graphic novel (7+), an illustrated tale (7+) and a chapter book of the classic book retold. The advantage to this is that there is something for every reading level/style where children can read at their level and then converse with others at higher or lower levels on the same subject material.  Just because you are not at a chapter book level doesn't mean you cannot find out the main storyline and details of King Arthur.  Who was he and what made him famous?  This is perfect for sibling groups who want to do a unit study on medieval times, kings, queens and knights...or more specifically on King Arthur himself. King Arthur is said to have live...

  Here is a visual list of the first forty books highlighted in Lucinda's Library.  For each   of them there are ideas shared with you about how to use this book to build your child's skills.  Be sure to search it for some good resources!  The post dates are listed in the Pages page and books are in alphabetical order.     coming up... Bonus Books:   Clap Your Hands, The Night before New Year's

  Mercer Mayer wrote one of the first books that my eldest son read independently.  I still can feel my joy as he accomplished this milestone so it etched the book series in my heart as a result.  I have read them with many other early readers since then. There is a whole series of Lil Critter books at different reading levels but they all focus on being suitable for early readers.  They use high frequency words with phonetic spellings along with rhyming patterns to help simplify the text.  They also use motivating themes that young children can relate to: like what they do with their dad. The book is short and sweet yet full of concepts so it can be read as a simple book or expanded on for a rich discussion and series of related activities.  These books demonstrate that things do not always go according to plan.  It is sometimes because the child doesn't have the skills needed and sometimes just because life happens and we have to accept that.  I...

 J is for Joy .  I wish you great joy in this new year and a journey that is meaningful and memorable for you and those you love. Jars of Clay   make me think of our precious children. When in Israel we brought home a small clay jar that commonly held oil that was lit as a lantern.  That little bit of light made a difference in the room.  It dispelled darkness and brought light in the same way that a small child enters a room and their presence brings joy to those around them. Their presence makes a difference and their laughter lights up a room. Jellybeans -  We enjoyed some very flavourful jellybeans this year.  Two years ago we had a jellybean game called beanboozled in which you were instructed to eat the colour of the jellybean that you got on the spinner, without knowing if you were to ear the one that was a delicious flavour or the one that was a disgusting flavour (eg. spoiled fish or coconut).  Jellybeans are one of the best candies to ...

Short and sweet!  Just join in.  If you want to grow as a person, you need to develop your skills and the best way to do that is to just join in when you have the opportunity to try new, positive things.  Standing on the sidelines can teach you a lot but the more senses you engage, the more your brain is able to process and learn from the activity.  Even if it doesn't go as well as planned or you do not actually enjoy the process, you still learn so much more by doing than by simply observing. If you take the example of travel to a foreign country, a book smart person may have a good understanding of the history, geography and sites to be seen during the trip.  However, a guide who can walk you through the sights and sounds and knows from experience interacting with the people which locations are safest or offer the best value is more helpful.  When you travel you do not want to sit in your hotel room but you want to meet the people and experience the sight...

  The Night Before New Year's has a great rhyming pattern to it. Written     by Natasha Wing, it is a book I never read before but recommend to others.  As we read the book we do not just go through a single day's events but we are inspired to try many activities throughout the year. The book starts by answering two basic questions: when and what. It is the month of December and the last day of the year, the bridge to a new year.  Right away we find an activity as this is a good place to go through the months of the year song and practice being able to recite them all in order. If you know them in English, why not try to sing it in French?  It seems to fit the tune quite well when I try! The children then do what children do.  They beg their parents, "PLLLEEEAASSSSSSE!" They want to stay up late. You can practice time at this point.  What is your child's bedtime?  How much longer do they need to stay up to make it to midnight? Can they d...