BabyReading.org » Take

Reading Take 2

Michelle — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:08:45 +0000

Maggie has progressed and can pick out close to 100 words now.

Writing Children’s Books: Take Chances To Get Published

Michelle — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 10:56:16 +0000

In an editorial several years ago, I described a tree house in the backyard of a local restaurant. I wrote, “The entire structure has been pieced together from recycled lumber, much of which still bears the paint, logos or posters of the original walls from whence it came. The generous platform is ringed by a sturdy fence that includes branches of the tree itself, random two-by-fours, wooden signs, and even a pair of moose antlers. The ‘house’ is more of a lean-to, tall enough for kids (but not adults) to stand up inside, with a screened door and two screened windows positioned so occupants can easily spy on the diners below or out over the adjacent parking lot. A green padded bench that looks like it had once belonged in a diner adequately furnishes the space. Underneath the tree house hangs a rope swing, from which kids can fling themselves into a thick layer of hay on the grass.”
Fast forward to this summer. The restaurant revamped their backyard, including the tree house. The railing now consists of uniform boards about three inches apart. The house is reached not by a ladder and trapdoor, but via a bona fide staircase. The screen door is gone, the windows are covered in glass, and several of the tree’s branches have been pruned back to discourage climbing. But the worst part, according to my 10-year-old, is that the rope swing has disappeared. Matthew declared the whole structure “boring.” In today’s world, kids have far less freedom than in previous generations. Their lives are more controlled-sometimes because of parents’ fears of an increasingly dangerous society, but often because we’ve somehow come to believe that to grow into successful adults, children’s activities must be channeled, scheduled and programmed from infancy.
Danger comes in many forms, from a stranger encountered on the way to school (who may be a neighbor out walking his dog, but you never know), to free time not filled with “enriching” activities. But, in my opinion, kids need a little danger in their lives. They need to test their boundaries, to learn how to climb a ladder and squeeze through a trapdoor. They need to hurl themselves into a pile of hay and learn it’s best not to land on your face. If grown-ups clean up their world too much, kids will never learn how to push themselves. They’ll never have the satisfaction of trying things that are a little scary, a little off their parents’ radar, and accomplishing something that belongs just to them.
One of the few places kids can still push their limits is with books. It’s possible to step outside your safe life with a story, or try new ideas on for size. But many adults want to clean up their kids’ reading choices as well. I know parents who abhor Barbara Park’s perennially popular Junie B. Jones chapter books because the spirited Junie isn’t a good role model, or won’t read Winnie the Pooh because Christopher Robin can’t spell very well. I also know a lot of authors who are afraid to write books that are slightly subversive because they worry editors won’t publish them. But for every parent who insists on only “safe” reading for their child (and it’s every parent’s right to do so), there are at least two parents who believe it’s okay for kids to wade into the danger zone through fiction. I’m not advocating murder mysteries for preschoolers here, just books that might be considered slightly uncivilized, or more entertaining than educational. Let’s look at some popular examples:
When I first saw Walter, the Farting Dog by William Kozwinkle and Glenn Murray, illustrated by Audrey Colman (a picture book whose plot needs no explanation), I was worried that children’s publishing might be sinking a little too low. But as it started winning awards and spawning sequels, I changed my opinion. Let’s face it: farting makes kids laugh. And if your child finds this book hysterical, you should be glad. In order to get the joke, kids need to know that noisy bodily functions are considered impolite. Laughing about them is one of the perks of childhood. Don’t worry, they’ll outgrow it.
A picture book coming out this December that’s already creating a buzz is 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. The heroine utters such statements as “I had an idea to staple my brother’s hair to his pillow. I am not allowed to use the stapler anymore.” She also glues her brother’s bunny slippers to the floor, and shows Joey Whipple her underpants. Both big No’s. This ingenious story should satisfy two camps of parents; those who want kids to see consequences for inappropriate behavior, and those who don’t mind letting their kids live vicariously through a curious, mischievous character. A pop-up book due out later this month from three publishing powerhouses-Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks and Matthew Reinhart-lets young children face the monsters hiding in their closets and come out on top. In Mommy?, a young boy wanders into a haunted house looking for his mother and encounters creatures like a goblin, a mummy, and Frankenstein. Instead of running scared, the boy pulls pranks on each monster, deflating their power and showing how humor conquers fear every time.
Speaking of scary, if you haven’t read any of the enormously popular Series of Unfortunate Events middle grade novels by Lemony Snicket, do so. With titles like The Bad Beginning, The Miserable Mill, and The Penultimate Peril, and cautions from the author such as, “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book,” these are clearly stories where adults dare not tread. But children brave enough to venture between the covers will find hilarious plots full of nail-biting twists. The intelligent Baudelaire orphans have unusual skills (Violet for inventing, Klaus for reading and researching, and baby Sunny for biting) that make them admirable heroes.
Lauren Myracle enters the private world of teen girl talk in her young adult novels TTYL and TTFN. The titles alone might raise some parents’ suspicions because unless they’re well-versed at IM (instant messaging), they won’t know what the abbreviations stand for. In fact, the entire novels consist of conversations between three high school girls written in emails, text-messaging and IM’s, using the standard computer shorthand that includes abbreviated spelling and quirky syntax. If you’re not an IMer yourself, you’ll find the books somewhat difficult to read. But you and I aren’t the target audience here. And though the format might keep adults from examining the books too closely, the plots are standard upper young adult fare-relationships, family trauma, peer pressure, even drugs and alcohol-handled in a believable manner that conveys growth of character by the end of each story.
As an author, if you’re inspired to delve into the slightly dangerous, dark or subversive corners of childhood with your books, feel free to do so. Don’t limit yourself to all that’s bright, safe and up to code. Allow kids places where they can wander away from their parents’ watchful eyes and have an adventure. If the adventure’s in a book, they’ll always come home safe and sound. And if you’re still not convinced, consider this: In the backyard of the restaurant, the tree house now sits empty. But the books I’ve described above are flying off the shelves.
This article excerpted from Children’s Book Insider, The Newsletter for Children’s Writers. More information at http://write4kids.com

Wondering What to Do with Your Baby Einstein Refund? ? Take a Look at Music is?MATH!

Michelle — Mon, 31 May 2010 03:08:37 +0000

The idea of providing young children with tools to increase their intelligence is, of course, an admirable one and very appealing to parents who want the best for their children. And the Baby Einstein product did that in some cases when the parents took an active role in the learning process.

Baby Einstein’s demise was not just in the failure of the material to provide real food for intelligence increases, but very much in the way parents and caregivers used it as a simple “babysitting” tool. This proved effective since, as a video product, the child tended to be absorbed into it both visually and audibly.

But that may not be the best way for an infant to learn. ScienceDaily, in February 2009, reported on an EU-funded research project, called EmCAP, which brought together what many would consider an unlikely consortium comprising both neuroscientists and music technologists. Project coordinator was Susan Denham.

“The babies were presented with sequences of sounds of different tone colour – different musical instruments, if you like – but all of the same pitch. Occasionally, you play a sound of a different pitch and watch the EEG to see if they produce a distinctive reaction to this deviant sound,” explains Denham.

“Similar tests were done to see if babies were sensitive to rhythmic and melodic patterns, too. Denham says while this sort of technique has been used for many years on adults to measure pre-conscious detection of unexpected events, it has seldom been used with newborns. The big advantage is that it can work even when somebody is unconscious. So, the babies being asleep was not a problem.”

“The results were exciting, demonstrating newborns had a sense of pitch from birth, and this was not something learned through experience as had previously been thought. The experiments showed they are even sensitive to the beat in music.”

“The bottom line is we come into the world with brains that are continually looking for patterns, and telling us when there is something unexpected we should learn about,” says Denham

Enter a product called Music is…MATH! developed several years ago by two world class musicians, composers and sound engineers at a company called Sound-Science.com. What Jay Oliver and William Lenihan did was to create an audio product that gives the babies a “preview” of such concepts as math, spatial relationships, symmetry and motion, among others.

Using a proprietary technology they call rhythm/pitch mapping, they created an audio learning system that does exactly what the above scientific study says happens. The CD-based program is an ambient & scientific audio experience that delivers stimulating intellectual concepts to the early developing brain.

This is not to be confused with the so-called Mozart Effect which worked in some tests with college students. Mozart’s music may be mathematically symmetrical, but it’s way too complex to be processed and understood by a newborn baby’s brain. Neither Mozart, nor any other classical composer, ever created their music for this purpose.

Music is…MATH!, on the other hand, uses scientifically-constructed musical sequences and tones, tailored to the baby’s cognitive understanding at that stage of his/her development. Oliver and Lenihan have created a passive learning system that compliments the essential stimulation of interaction with parents or caregivers.

Since the “music” is presented in the background, the baby can choose to absorb the information at their own pace and time. Further, each CD is tailored to match the specific stage of development for the infant, progressing in 6 month steps from 0-6 months up to 18-24 months.

Read some of the research here to discover how remarkable this technology is. Then put your Baby Einstein refund to good use.

How to Take Great Baby Photographs

Michelle — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:02:23 +0000

Related posts:Teach Your Baby Math – Do Not Let Any Idiot Tell You You Can’t! Baby Gift Baskets Are Great For Presents Choose a Great Baby Name! Related posts:

How To Take Your Baby’S Temperature

Michelle — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:57:38 +0000

If you suspect your baby feels warmer than usual you may need to check for fever. Always use a modern digital thermometer to take your child\’s temperature. These are not only more accurate and easy to use, but also avoid the risk involved in older designs that use mercury.

While the rectal temperature is the most accurate method for babies and very small children, parents often opt for the less accurate armpit reading because it is easier to do for a first reading. You can take your child\’s temperature in the following ways:

* Rectum: Let your baby lie down on the stomach or on the side. Then apply a little petroleum jelly on the thermometer tip and gently insert it into your child\’s rectum. Avoid the use of force and take care not to insert more than about an inch from the tip. Keep the thermometer in place until it beeps, then remove it and take the reading.

This method usually gives the most accurate results. It is best for children who are older than three months old. For reasons of hygiene, do not use a thermometer that you insert rectally, inside your child\’s mouth. However, if you must, clean it with rubbing alcohol before you do so.

* Mouth: Position the tip of the thermometer under your child\’s tongue. Ask your child to close his mouth, while keeping it in place with the lips so that it does not shift from under the tongue. Keep the thermometer in place until it beeps, then remove it and take the reading.

This method is ideal for older kids; those over four years old.

* Armpit: Position the thermometer under your baby\’s armpit in such a way, that it lies in direct contact with the skin. Hold your child steady. Keep the thermometer in place until it beeps, then remove it and take the reading. This is the least accurate method. It is ideal for a primary reading in case of babies who are younger than three months old. If on the higher side (above 99° F), it can be followed up with a rectal reading.

Call the doctor immediately if:

* Your child under 3 months old records a temperature of 100.4° F or higher.

* Your child over three months old records a temperature higher than 104° F. Nobody ever said single parenting is easy.

As parents, we all learn with time. However, too often, the pressure of single parenting can be so overwhelming that it\’s easy to make mistakes.