"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

— Marjorie Pay Hinckley


"None of us come to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us."

--Sheri L. Dew

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Phonological Awareness




Grace and I signed up for an early literacy class through our local library and it is so cool! It runs 6 weeks and we just had the first one. Did you know that it is important to sing to your children and have them sing with you? Of course you did, but did you know why? Well, it is so they can hear different parts of words. All those syllables that kindergartners spend clapping up a storm over, and our children learn it from singing!! Have you ever noticed that songs are broken up with the syllables of words for each note? You don't ever sing, "Hi-ck-o-ry" You sing it in syllables, "Hick-or-y". Plus, the library woman said that children who had memorized 4-8 mother goose rhymes by kindergarten did the best in learning to read and the "accelerated" learning continued on after that as well. So, play rhyming games, sing songs and read lots of mother goose rhymes and Dr. Seuss and any other book that rhymes! (the coolest part is that we got a book for free, "Llama, Llama, red Pajama" cute, if you haven't read it, you should!)

3 comments:

Heather said...

We love Llama Llama Red Pajama! Sarah used to request it every night when she was 2 and after a few months had the whole thing memorized. =)
The literacy program sounds cool, especially the free book part.
And singing, who knew it was so beneficial when it came to reading?

Marilou said...

That is great information! We love llama llama. There is a whole series of llama llama books...llama llama mad at mama is my personal favorite :)

Nicole said...

Tay's favorite book last week from the library was, "Llama Llama Misses Mama". Libraries are so great!