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