Over the last 4-5 years I have been closely working with a publishing company called Sylvan Dale (now called Arbordale) Publishing. They publish the nicest science & math books for kids that feature the animals & habitats of our world. Each book has a teacher's guide, are created also as a eBook in English and Spanish and you can preview them before buying. All books are aligned to standards so whether you are a teacher or a homeschooling family you can know that your children are learning what they are supposed to be learning & as a bonus Arbordale has triple checked that the information contained in the book is accurate.
In the next month or two I will be reviewing several of their newest titles and including them in Tot School for Gianna who is almost 2 years old. I know your probably wondering why I would be reading a preschool book for kids 4+ (grade level K-3) to such a little girl - let me see if I can explain:
Gianna has been reading chapter books with us this summer. She doesn't sit for the whole session but she sees me get out our latest Treehouse, climbs up in my lap and even though there aren't pictures on every page she listens. I don't think she truly understands yet but that will come through listening. Being read to has been shown to increase verbal skills, reading readiness, attention span and more and so even though she doesn't have a clue why a treehouse is spinning in a tree or why Annie & Jack are running from (or towards) a dinosaur she is listening to the inflection of my voice and seeing the other kids focused on the book and that is a beginning.
Here are some of the books Gianna will have the JOY and Privilege of reading this fall:
Now granted at almost two she won't be ready to read all of these books (I have a 4 year old that will take care of reading the whole book) but we can talk about the animals we see, count the number of "Quirrels" we see, roar like a lion and sneeze with Little Bear. We can get out the little Toob animals and play with them in our sensory bins and maybe make up a little book for Gianna to carry around with her (most of my books end up in the car) and I'm sure we can figure out some other fun things to do like a trip to the zoo.
So, stay tuned for my reviews probably in September. I am really getting excited about Tot School this fall and getting to introduce Gianna to my love of reading even more!
Articles of interest:
Why Read Aloud to Children by Jim Trelease
Disclaimer: I am reviewing this company as service to my readers.
Regardless I only recommend products or services I have personally read or used & think my readers will enjoy.
I was not compensated for this post in any way.
I loved reading with my children when they were young. I now read with my grandchildren whenever we get the chance. Instilling a love for books and reading starts with the steps that you are taking and will give your children a learning tool that many are lacking with today's fast paced society. Good Job Mom !!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I love reading to my children, and they love it even more. I look forward to your reviews!
ReplyDelete2-year olds can understand more than people give them credit for! Sometimes I start reading to my 7-year old some "grown up" stuff like Mary Poppins, while my 2-year old "busy" only to find him leaving his toys and coming over to sit on my lap and share the story time with us! He might not follow the story line but he sits and he listens and that's enough for me! Those books look very interesting. We love science books for kids. I will be waiting for your reviews.
ReplyDeleteIve reviewed probably 15-20 of their books on my former blog Classic Childrens Books @ http://familyliteracyandyou.blogspot.com - you might be able to find some on their by searching. Im on my phone so I cant search - I love these books! :)
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