Sunday, December 19, 2004
Here's the book on great gifts
" From kids to adults, great reading is a good present.
With the holiday season upon us, many shoppers are searching for the perfect gift for those on our Christmas list. Books make great gifts any time but especially at the holidays.
While giving books as gifts is always a good idea, it is not always easy to know what to buy. Nursery rhymes are a great choice for young children as well as any book with repetition, such as "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?" by Bill Martin Jr.
For others on your list, before you head out shopping, find out what your recipient likes to read. If your reader likes a particular series, such as the Magic Tree House books or Harry Potter, see whether there is a new book in that series that may have been published recently.
For those on your list who don't do much reading, find out what their interests or hobbies are and buy a book on that subject. Books about sports, dinosaurs or pets may be the perfect choice for these people.
Often we think that only fictional books with a storyline make good presents. However, there are a lot of nonfiction readers out there, and there are definitely a lot of great nonfiction books available. If you still don't know what to give a child on your list, choose something you enjoyed reading.
Giving books to children and reading aloud to them is a wonderful gift. Research has shown that children do better in school when books are available in the home and children are read to often.
So while other gifts may shrink, get eaten or break, books will often have a profound and lasting effect on a child's life. They are an excellent gift for anyone on your holiday list, and the message being sent is loud and clear. Reading is important!
Annelise O'Hara is the school library media specialist at Broadway Elementary School in Elmira. She is a member of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley.
Just for starters
Stuck on what books will make good gifts. Here are some suggestions from Annelise O'Hara to get you going:
" Young children: Look for these authors: Bill Martin Jr. ("Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?"); Eric Carle ("The Very Hungry Caterpillar," "The Mixed up Chameleon"); Jan Brett ("The Mitten," "Annie and the Wild Animals"); or Tedd Arnold ("Green Wilma," "Parts," "More Parts," the Huggly books.)
" For children moving into chapter books, try Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge books, David Adler's Cam Jansen series or James Marshall's Fox series. The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne are a great choice for your second-, third- or fourth-grader.
" For older elementary children, the Dear America Series makes a good choice as well as books by Bruce Coville ("Jennifer Murdley's Toad," "Jeremy Thatcher" and "Dragon Hatcher"), Roald Dahl ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," "The BFG") or Judy Blume (The Fudge Series.)
" For nonfiction readers, "Guinness Book of World Records" and Ripley's Believe it or Not books make great choices. Books of poetry also make good gifts. Some of the more popular poetry books for kids in grades three through five are by authors Shel Silverstein ("Where the Sidewalk Ends," "Falling Up," "A Light in the Attic") and Jack Prelutsky ("The New Kid on the Block," "A Pizza the Size of the Sun.") The children love the zaniness of the poems.
" Subscriptions to magazines are also a great idea. There are magazines available for just about everything. Some of the more popular magazines for elementary school children are Zoobooks, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Girls' Life, Boys' Life, American Girl and Nickelodeon.
This series
Annelise O'Hara of Broadway Elementary School in Elmira writes today about choosing books as gifts this time of year. This is the fourth in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Jan. 23.
On the Net
Hear Annelise O'Hara read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, November 21, 2004
Make a diet of books part of child's daily menu
" Regular reading should be family activity.
For young children, visiting the public library can be as enticing as going to the candy store. The shelves are filled with varieties of every shape, size and flavor. Tasting the samples, however, won't decay their teeth. Instead, it will nourish their minds and take them on a trip through a vast world of knowledge and imagination.
Introducing children to books is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their child's success in school and life. Having reading materials at home will inspire and motivate children to read on a regular basis. You don't need to own a house full of books, however, when you have a wonderful public library.
A 2001 research study done by the Pennsylvania Library Association emphasized that public libraries play a major role in fostering literacy in our country. The library provides free materials to citizens that are purchased with tax dollars. Quality books, well-reviewed and written by respected authors, are selected by librarians for the library shelves.
There's no need to wait until children are ready to learn to read; libraries are no longer hushed places where young children are considered a disturbance. Visit the library with the whole family, plan to stay for a while and find books that are appropriate for everyone. Babies and toddlers will enjoy board books made with sturdy cardboard pages that are easy on little hands.
Preschoolers will find many picture books about familiar and unfamiliar subjects, both necessary for their expanded knowledge of people and places. Beginning readers will benefit from the wide variety of easy books to encourage their independent reading skills.
Older readers have the freedom to choose and explore areas of interest. At home, parents can stay tuned to children's curiosities and suggest they find out more the next time they visit the library. Whether it's dinosaurs, volcanoes, castles and knights, skateboards, football, faraway countries or just pure fantasy, library books appeal to all. And parents should not forget to select something for themselves.
At home, establish a special shelf or basket to keep the books together and safe.
Share the books daily before bedtime or in the morning. Parents can build a close relationship with their children by reading together. The love of books is contagious and can be demonstrated with excitement and pleasure. If a child begs to borrow the same library book each visit, that's the very book to buy as a gift for birthdays or holidays.
Public libraries exist to foster the love of reading in our communities. They open a door to the whole world available at no cost. Like visiting a candy store, introducing children to the abundant collection of library books will make their mouths water for more.
Visit your local library soon.
Chris Harbison is a librarian and storyteller at the Steele Memorial Library in Elmira. She is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Library tips
" Allow plenty of browsing time and have children choose books for themselves. Choose an ample amount to take home, something for everyone in the family.
" Plan regular trips to the library and make daily reading a family habit.
" Attend the free story times or special events available to children and families.
" Don't hesitate to ask library staff for help. They are trained to assist in finding ageappropriate materials.
" When children are 5 years old, get them a library card of their own. Make it a special event that will be remembered and cherished for a lifetime.
Source: Steele Memorial Library
This series
This is the third in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Dec. 19.
On the Net
Hear Chris Harbison read her column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, October 17, 2004
A Rx for success: Read to your children
" Health care providers say daily sessions will promote development.
Pediatricians are concerned not only about the health of their patients but also about their development. They especially want their patients to develop the skills necessary to achieve their full potential. An important phase of development is learning the literacy skills of reading, writing and communicating clearly.
Research has shown that reading aloud to children starting in infancy is the single-most important factor in raising children to be readers who enjoy reading. Good readers become good writers and good communicators and are off to a good start in fulfilling their potential.
It is of great concern that literacy research has shown the following:
" Nationally only 39 percent of parents read to their children on a regular basis.
" Locally, in Cortland, Ithaca and Elmira, 20 percent to 25 percent of children enter school having little or no experience with books in their home.
" In Elmira, between 2000 and 2002, only 50 percent to 52 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded New York state reading standards.
During the last six years, pediatricians, family practitioners and nurse practitioners in Chemung County have addressed this problem by participating in the Reach Out and Read Program. This program encourages health care providers to talk with parents at well-child visits about the importance of reading aloud to their children every day.
Bookmarks are given out at the time, and they provide suggestions to parents about how to best read to children of different ages. Also, at each well-child visit from age 6 months to 5 years, an age-appropriate book is given to children to emphasize the importance that health care providers place on reading. More than 40,000 books have been given to children in this community since 1998 when the Reach Out and Read Program began.
Over the last year pediatricians have joined with educators, librarians, authors, literacy advocates and interested people in the community to form the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The goal of this organization is to promote children's literacy through various programs in many different community locations. This goal will be accomplished by continuing to educate parents and by providing new and used books to all interested families.
It is the hope of pediatricians that the programs of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley will result in all children developing an early and long-lasting love of books and becoming good readers. It is also hoped that the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley will create a community that values and encourages literacy development, and that this, in turn, will help our children achieve their full potential.
Ralph B. Moore is a retired pediatrician. He is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Tips for parents
" Read every day: Even a few minutes at a time to start is OK. Toddlers like the same story again and again.
" Read everything: Find pictures of animals in magazines; infants love to point to familiar objects. Read labels and signs wherever you go.
" Read everywhere: Read to your child at bedtime, at the breakfast table, while waiting for appointments.
" Have fun: Children who love books learn to read.
This series
Retired pediatrician Ralph Moore writes today about the importance of parents helping their children develop by reading to them regularly, even during infancy. This is the second in a series of monthly columns written by members of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley. The next column will be Sunday, Nov. 21.
On the Net
Hear Ralph Moore read his column and learn more about the Star-Gazette's Need to Read program by going online. Go to www.stargazette.com and click on "News to Use." Under the "Help Yourself" heading, find "The Need to Read" heading and click on it.
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Sunday, September 19, 2004
Early reading habits will last a lifetime
" Children with adult guidance succeed at reading, schoolwork.
Other than helping our children to grow up healthy and happy, the most important thing that we can do for them is to help them develop their reading skills.
How well children learn to read affects not only how successful they are in school but also how well they do throughout their lives. The community benefits when it has citizens who have strong literacy skills.
Children are more likely to become successful readers when supported by family and community members.
Research reviews by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development conclude that more than 90 percent of all children have the ability to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
Why is this an important goal? Educators know that the emphasis begins to shift from "Learning to Read" to "Reading to Learn" somewhere around third to fourth grade and continues to grow as children progress through the upper elementary grades to middle school and high school.
Children who have not mastered reading by this time find it difficult and frustrating because their textbooks require them to read at grade level. In other words, a fifth-grade science textbook requires fifth-grade reading ability.
Many families in this community struggle with getting the basic essentials for their children, and parents often do not have time or lack the know-how to support their child's reading. As a community, everyone must begin to value this goal for our children.
Whether a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor, childcare provider, caseworker or friend, we must ask each other the following questions:
" Are the children you know, love and care for on track to be reading at grade level by the end of third grade?
" How do you know that?
" What are you doing to keep them progressing toward this goal?
The Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley is one example of many organizations in our area that are committed to providing books and other resources to families and children.
Future articles will focus on specific ways parents and caregivers can find answers to these questions, learn about early reading skills and help their children to reach this important reading goal.
Ellen Hicks is a retired elementary school principal from the Elmira district. She is part of the Family Reading Partnership of Chemung Valley project.
Staying on track
Here are some early signs that can indicate how a child is progressing with reading:
" Beginning kindergarten: Child can identify and produce words that rhyme (man-can, hat-mat).
" Beginning grade one: Can identify by name all 52 letters of the alphabet (small letters and capitals). Knows all letter sounds.
" Beginning grade two: Can read quickly and accurately 100 to 150 high-frequency words.
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