Tuesday June 7 2011At 7:00 pm
To Benefit
Most Holy TrinityVoracious Reader will donate 10% of the sales for
the evening to Most Holy Trinity!
Hosted by
The Voracious Reader
1997 Palmer Avenue,
Larchmont, NY 10538
Phone: (914) 630-4581
Please RSVP by June 3rd 2011
An evening reminiscent of the classic Victorian Tea party, let
us revisit this charming tradition together!
By the time children reach 8 years old, most have a strong sense of what they think ‘looks good’. They enjoy making things they can actually use, and have the motor skills and co-ordination to start creating quite complicated projects.
When you’re thinking about arts and crafts for children in this age group, think of projects which provide a practical use once the creative part is over. Give your kids the ideas and materials, and then let them explore and experiment on their own. While art and craft techniques can be taught, the only way your child will truly learn is to try it out for themselves.
Cool Clipboard
It’s about this age that children start to really take ownership of their room, so they will enjoy making this clipboard to hang on their wall or door. The clipboard is like a mini notice board where you can leave them messages, or clip on important notes and things to remember. They can also use it to clip on certificates, photographs, and reminders of their own.
You will need:
- A Plain Wooden A4 Clipboard (from a stationery store)
- Masking Tape
- Blackboard Paint (Available from hardware stores)
- An empty film cannister or other small container
- Patterned Paper (Scrapbooking and wrapping paper works well)
- Double Sided Tape
- Clothes Pegs or Bulldog Clips
- Hot Glue and Glue Gun
- Ribbons, Stickers, and Embellishments for decoration
- Small Notepad
- Use the masking tape to run a line across the clipboard about 2/3 of the way down.
- Paint the bottom 1/3 of the clipboard with blackboard paint. (Blackboard paint comes in either brush on or spray on versions, and both types will require at least 2 coats).
- Once the blackboard paint is dry, remove the masking tape to reveal a nice straight line. Make a chalk holder by gluing a film canister to the side of the clipboard using hot glue.
- Using double sided tape, stick the patterned paper over the remaining part of the clipboard, and decorate down each side using ribbons, stickers and embellishments.
- Using hot glue, stick clothes pegs or bulldog clips across the bottom of the clipboard. If you like, you can also glue pegs or clips down each side.
- Secure the notepad under the clip and your child has a ‘cool’ clipboard for their room.
‘Do Not Disturb’ Signs
Every child goes through a stage of wanting to keep everybody out of their room, so this sign will definitely come in handy. Simply
download our door hanger template (see below), glue it on to heavy card, and then cut it out. Let your child decorate it and add their own words - depending on the message they are trying to get across, and what you think is appropriate. They could make several signs, so they have one for every circumstance (or mood!).
Popular messages are:
- No Boys Allowed
- No Girls Allowed
- Homework in Progress
- Sleep in Progress
- Please let me Sleep-In
- Call Me for Dinner
- Knock Before Entering
- Please Knock
- Tidying My Room – Do Not Disturb
- Tidying My Room – Help Wanted
- Booby Trap Set – Enter at Own Risk
Junk Jewellery
Jewellery Making is undoubtedly popular with girls at this age, but even some boys like to make surfie styled bracelets or charms for their bags. There are great jewellery making kits available to get you started, but you can make some interesting jewellery using everyday items from around the home. These ideas are a great place to start.
- Stitch or thread buttons on to a piece of narrow elastic, and tie the ends together to form a bra
Alice’s Pawfect Tea-Party ™ teaches
Bee a Buddy, not a bully!
Storybook Tea Kit Company is aware of the epidemic of children being bullied by their peers. Just as manners were taught to Alice, so too, our children must be taught how to be inclusive with their classmates. Exclusion is a behavior which should have zero tolerance in our schools — Bee a buddy, not a bully!
When reading Lewis Carroll’s, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, there are numerous bullies throughout the story. Alice comes in contact with several of them at the Mad tea-party. When Alice approached the table the guests all cried out, “No Room, No Room!” This is the very essence of a bully — to exclude, and Alice’s Pawfect Tea-Party, shuns this behavior.
Alice, in this story of Alice’s Pawfect Tea-Party lovingly explains to all tea guests, that there is plenty of room for everyone. She teaches this lesson very cleverly. She states the word mad is exactly the same word as paw. All you do is turn mad upside down, reverse the letter a, and it becomes paw.
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By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 5/12/2011
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From the small genius of The Borrowers to the giants of children's books, the Narnia stories, Lucy Mangan and Imogen Russell-Williams pick their must-reads for 8-12 year-olds
This was the first original Puffin published in 1963. The story of eight-year-old loner Barney who befriends Stig, a remnant of the Stone Age hidden in the local chalk pit, has not been out of print since. The two boys grow to appreciate each other's eras and skills as they contrive ingenious solutions to Stig's various problems living out of the junk that is thrown into the pit. A modern classic.
"'Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother" is probably the most famous opening line of any
children's book. He is going to dispatch Wilbur, the runt of the litter, until Fern pleads for clemency. With the help of Wilbur's wise and devoted friend, Charlotte, the spider is able to live out the rest of his days in safety. You may feel like warning your child that Charlotte dies "as spiders do" at the end of the summer. You should resist. It's a book that teaches you that characters can be made to live for ever simply by turning back to the first page and starting again.
This episodic collection of the adventures (in the late 1930s) of the multitudinous Ruggles family (seven children, two parents) was one of the first books for this age group to take working-class life as its central theme and to depict it with charm and without condescension. They remain as fresh as the day they were penned.
One End Street was Wilson's favourite book as a child and its influence can be seen in all her wildly popular books, which speak just as directly and unpatronisingly to and about the kind of children underrepresented in young fiction. Tracy Beaker is their totem, an irrepressibly imaginative child (though the staff in her care home say she has "behavioural problems") who writes the story of her life while waiting for her mother to come and get her back.
It's almost impossible to choose between Dahls but Matilda is one of the most borrowed by children so let us pick her – especially as it helps refute the charges of misogyny occasionally aimed at Dahl. Matilda is the superbright daughter of horrible parents who helps free her schoolmates and her lovely teacher Miss Honey from the tyranny of Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress. All of Dahl's exuberance and cartoon brutality is on display here, just the way kids like it.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 5/9/2011
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Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about Alice's nonconformist attitude. How does she buck cultural expecations? In what ways does her adventure in "Underland" change Alice?
- What do you think about Mr. Kingsleigh, and later Alice's adage that "all the best people" are a bit "mad"? What do you think the Mad Hatter means that things are only impossible if you believe them to be?
- The Red Queen is cruel but sad. What are some reasons she's so mean? Are there compelling reasons to be angry at her younger sister, the White Queen?
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 5/4/2011
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Did you know that by attending storytime, you’re getting much more than just a fun activity? Storytime is a wonderful way for your child to acquire the six early literacy skills researchers identify as laying important groundwork for learning to read.
The skills are:
Print Motivation
Print motivation is the enjoyment of reading and books. Encourage print motivation by keeping reading time fun – have your child participate in the story and read books on subjects of interest to her. If your child isn’t enjoying it, take a break.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is knowing the names of things, concepts, and feelings. Practice vocabulary with your child by naming the things you see during your day, asking him to point out shapes in the books you’re reading together, and spending time just talking and reading with your child. He’ll learn a lot of words just by hearing you speak!
Phonological Awareness
Phonological awareness is being able to hear smaller sounds in bigger words and being able to manipulate those sounds. This will make it easier to sound out words when your child is learning to read. Encourage phonological awareness by playing word games with your child, singing rhyming songs, and reciting nursery rhymes and poems.
Letter Knowledge
Letter knowledge is just what you’d guess – knowing letters! It also includes knowing what sounds the letters make and that letters are different from each other. Learning letters doesn’t have to be a trial. Point out letters in books, on street signs, look for things that have the shape of a certain letter, or make letter shapes out of clay.
Print Awareness
Print awareness is knowing how to hold and manipulate a book, knowing that we read from left to right and top to bottom, and knowing that words and print are all around us. Encourage print awareness by pointing out words on signs, reading books where writing is part of the story, or running your finger along the words as you read.
Narrative Skills
Narrative skills include being able to tell or retell a story, recount events, and give descriptions. Encourage narrative skills by having your child say repeated phrases with you as you read a book or do a motion for certain words or phrases in the story (arms out for “the great big bear”, for example). Also, ask your child questions about the book you’re reading. For example, ask “What kind of animal is this? What is this truck doing? What do you think will happen next?”
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 5/3/2011
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About the Author: Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, third of eleven children of an Anglican priest, was a mathematician and a logician who was a lecturer at Oxford for some 26 years. He was also an accomplished photographer, and a Church Deacon. Dodgson's pen name, (and the name by which you will undoubtedly know him best), was Lewis Carroll. He is best known for his whimsical tales, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Alice
Pleasance
Liddell In Carroll's original (1862-1864) manuscript for the story, Alice's Adventures Underground,
which he personally illustrated, Alice was not the little blonde girl in a pinafore we have come to know from subsequent illustrations.
Instead, she was originally a winsome, dark haired child, whose likeness had been patterned after ten year old Alice Liddell, the child of a church colleague, for whom the Alice stories had been originally created.
Dodgson wrote
four versions of "Alice".
Dodgson first told the story during a pleasant summer outing with friends. Reverend Dodgson, along with a Christ Church colleague, Robinson Duckworth, and the three young daughters of the Dean of Christ Church at Oxford, (Alice, Lorina, and Edith Liddell), in a rowing boat hired from Salter's boatyard, near Folly Bridgehad all set out on a lazy, 2½ hour rowing trip down the river Isis to Godstow, that July 4th in 1862.
Dodgson entertained his fellow passengers with a story he created on the spur of the moment for 10 year old Alice. Alice and her sisters were enchanted with the tale, and Alice later pleaded with Carroll to commit the story to paper, which he did, but he did not complete it until until the following February.
Lewis Carroll - 1832-1898
Sometimes to tease us, Mr. Dodgson would stop and say suddenly, 'That's all till next time.' 'Oh,' we would cry, 'it's not bedtime already!' and he would go on. Another time the story would begin in the boat and Mr. Dodgson would pretend to fall asleep in the middle, to our great dismay."
0 Comments on THE MAKING OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND as of 1/1/1990
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 5/2/2011
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You will learn how to capitalize on routine story time and turn it into precious moments that you and your children will cherish forever. Reading stories to young children is an important part of their day. It can be a family activity or a chance to have one on one time with each child.
Some ways to make stories come alive is to:
1. Arrange a special setting: outside under a tree, on the porch, sit on the steps. Gather the family together, make up costumes or special props to highlight your story characters. Mom or dad who reads the story may be dressed for the occassion.
2. Give a different voice to each character in the story. Family members may be assigned to play the characters' voices. When the story has been read, allow children to roll play the characters and express what emotions they may have felt.
3. Insert children and family's members names in the story. Change the name of the town and characters to a familiar setting. After reading the story, then tell the story and allow children to fill in the blanks or finish the sentences.
4. Using the imagination is very stimulating for young children. Family time can be fun by having each person close their eyes as you sit in a circle. The leader might start by saying, " I see A red, brick house with ten doors and no windows, sitting on a high hill. each person can adds something he sees that pertains to the house. They can take turns opening a new story and imagine something happening. You can add some drama by saying, "Someone is walking toward us; fast (make motions), slow, whistling,(make sounds) singing, laughing. Good family fun!
5. Tell a, "Once upon a time story." It can be a real life story or a story about a favorite character. Allow the child to pick a fairy tale, such as, Little Miss Muffet." Make up a story about Miss Muffet's life after she was frightened away. Encourage children to make up their own story about their favorite character to dramatize
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/29/2011
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You’ve all seen the stereotypes that occur often in literature and then there are those times when children break the “mold” and they surprise you. As an educator I have often had the opportunity to watch children grow, develop and explore the learning environment. It is often “pink” and “blue” – but there are those times when the children explore other options. The girls often want to play with the dolls, kitchen and the pink & purple sparkly dress up shoes. The boys want to build with the blocks, trucks and cars. However, I often see the children as a whole playing with the dolls, diapering the dolls, wrapping the dolls in blankets, feeding the dolls and patting the dolls to sleep (as seen at naptime).
This is an act often done by the girls and boys and it is very fitting as a lot of the children have fathers who share the caregiving roles with mothers. This is not an unlikley thing. This may seem like old news but as little as a few months ago – we watched as societal stereotypes flooded the airwaves.
Watch here – Boy wants a doll. As seen on “What Would You Do? ABC Jan 21. You can
watch the full episode too! What you may not have seen was a woman who slipped the “father” a piece of paper she wrote William’s Doll and said read that book. I was intrigued so I read the book Williams Doll by
Charlotte Zolotow. About a young boy who wants a doll and how it fits the mold of todays fathers – who share the child caregiving rolls.
I fit the mold as an average girl too. I played with Barbies, dolls, play dishes etc. But I have none of my own children, my favorite color is blue and I hardly ever wear dresses. So I don’t know. But I love to see the children explore their surroundings and try to make sense of the world around them. They often surprise you with how they apply their skills to the world they know.
What do you think? Is the father right? Are the bystanders right? What would you do? Stay tuned for more on this matter this week. As always thanks for reading.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/26/2011
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Alice is wondering in the woods and trying to get to the 8th square before dark. She meets two fat boys who look like identical school boys. They have their names embroidered on their collars: TWEEDLEDUM and TWEEDLEDEE. Only DUM and DEE are showing in front . Alice is in a hurry, since she doesn't want to be in the woods after dark. But the funny little boys don't want to let her go so quickly:
"Contrariwise, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."
- Tweedledee
The boys talk in a funny way saying 'contrariwise' time and again. They say they know what Alice is thinking and this quote is Tweedledee's answer to her thoughts. But instead Alice says she was only thinking what is the best way out of the forest. Tweedledum and Tweedledee don't take any notice and begin repeating an extremely long piece of poetry for Alice.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/20/2011
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This Alice in Wonderland Quote comes from the White Queen. Alice is still in the woods and she has met the White Queen. They talk about many things; happiness, loneliness and beliefs. When the White Queen tells Alice that she is one hundred and one years, and five months and a day old, Alice cannot believe her. When the White Queen suggests Alice to try and believe, Alice says that one can't believe impossible things. The White Queen disagrees and says:
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
-White Queen
This picture shows how Sir
John Tennielillustrated the White Queen and Alice
in the original
Lewis Carroll's book.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/18/2011
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- The substantial relationship between parent involvement for the school and reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade classrooms is obvious, according to the U.S. Department of Education.7 Where parent involvement is low, the classroom mean average (reading score) is 46 points below the national average. Where involvement is high, classrooms score 28 points above the national average - a gap of 74 points. Even after controlling for other attributes of communities, schools, principals, classes, and students, that might confound this relationship, the gap is 44 points.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/15/2011
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Reading aloud to children should be fun for both the audience and the reader. Children are marvelously perceptive. If you aren't really enjoying yourself, they'll know. Put more into it than simply speaking words from a page. Make it exciting. This sense of fun will make you want to delight your children and you might even get a kick out of it. The story will become so much more than words and pictures. It's this kind of reading fun that gives children a desire to recreate that world of fun themselves. They'll have a strong need to read books for themselves.
The easiest way to read to make reading aloud fun, apart from putting some expression into it, is by using different voices for each character. This doesn't have to be difficult. Try out high pitched voices for small characters and deep voices for big characters. Sound noises aloud. If something or someone fell into the water with a splash, read the sound as spl--assshhh. Make animal noises and car sounds. Use props to liven up the story. Simple hats, scarves and even toys help children identify characters and what they do. Act out movements. A giant in the story is more fun when you stomp your feet on the floor each time he walks onto a page. If something is far off in the story, raise your hand to your face, shielding an imaginary sun, as you peer into the distance. Encourage your kids to join in with you. They might like to wear a hat or act out a favorite part. They'll have many favorites when you start to read aloud in this way.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/12/2011
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“Growing up, my parents read a story to me every night. I always assumed it was the standard in every child's bedtime routine across the country. As a teacher with my degree in Early Childhood Education, I know the importance of reading to children. The benefits associated with a simple daily bedtime story seem endless.
In a word, I was flabbergasted. I've witnessed the struggling readers and the impact that has on their daily lives. When a child has difficulties reading, everything in school suffers as a result. Would something as simple as a daily ten minute bedtime story interaction between a parent and child prevent these kids from struggling throughout their school years? Could it really be that simple?”
-Professor Jane Carlton
Yes, it is that simple!
*Teaches Basic Listening Skills
It's true, as I experience it in the classroom everyday. Some children don't have the ability to sit still long enough to listen to a story. It can be possible that some children may have trouble because of a disability, but others may simply lack the insight to what story time is all about. Making story time at home a daily, fun and engaging activity can encourage children to get excited about reading at school which can also discourage behavior issues.
*Promotes Vocabulary and Language Skills
Just think of all the new words children hear from books. Our daily conversations do not require much use of complex language or vocabulary and can hinder the development of a child's oral language. Reading to a child can introduce so many new words, especially nonfiction titles. Children's literature provides great models of language for children. In hearing the flow of the writing and the innova
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/11/2011
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Reading aloud to children should be fun for both the audience and the reader. Children are marvelously perceptive. If you aren't really enjoying yourself, they'll know. Put more into it than simply speaking words from a page. Make it exciting. This sense of fun will make you want to delight your children and you might even get a kick out of it. The story will become so much more than words and pictures. It's this kind of reading fun that gives children a desire to recreate that world of fun themselves. They'll have a strong need to read books for themselves. Becoming involved physically in a story makes the children want to participate. They won't let you experience all the fun on your own. The best thing -- all this costs you is a little humility.
The easiest way to read and to make reading aloud fun, apart from putting some expression into it, is by using different voices for each character. This doesn't have to be difficult. Try out high pitched voices for small characters and deep voices for big characters. Sound noises aloud. If something or someone fell into the water with a splash, read the sound as spl--assshhh. Make animal noises and car sounds. Use props to liven up the story. Simple hats, scarves and even toys help children identify characters and what they do. Act out movements. A giant in the story is more fun when you stomp your feet on the floor each time he walks onto a page. If something is far off in the story, raise your hand to your face, shielding an imaginary sun, as you peer into the distance. Encourage your kids to join in with you. They might like to wear a hat or act out a favorite part. They'll have many favorites when you start to read aloud in this way.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/7/2011
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Enabling children to enjoy reading is one of the most important gifts a parent can do. Kids will learn reading skills in school, but they will come to associate reading with work, not pleasure. As a result, they may lose their desire to read, effecting their schoolwork and desire to learn. When a parent shares an exciting story with a child, and in turn, gets excited with the child, the parent is showing how much fun reading can be. Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, encourages parents to lead by example by stating; "Make sure your children see you reading for pleasure other than at read-aloud time. Share with them your enthusiasm for whatever you are reading".
Reading aloud also creates a special time for parents to bond with their children. Cuddling and having fun together for a bedtime story, you'll be helping your children develop a lifelong appreciation for reading. (Reading Aloud, n.d.)
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/4/2011
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Mrs. Magoo Reads (mrsmagooreads.com) will be hosting a contest in April and giving away one tea-kit per month!
Check out Mrs. Magoo on Facebook!
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 4/1/2011
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Whilst most commentators of course agreed that reading should be encouraged, many argued against a prescribed list of set length:
“I feel it’s the quality of children’s reading experience that really matters. Pleasure, engagement and enjoyment of books is what counts – not simply meeting targets” ~ Anthony Browne“The important aim is a reading that should be wide and deep rather than numerical” ~Alan Garner“When it comes to reading books children should be allowed – and encouraged – to read as much rubbish as they want to” ~ Philip PullmanIn response to Gove’s 50 books a year suggestion,
The Independent newspaper published an article “
The 50 books every child should read“, containing books for 11 year olds suggested by Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen and others. This list gave me lots of food for thought. Of course I want to do all I can to encourage a love of reading in my children, and one of the ways I do this is by reading lots and lots to them – if they don’t love books when they are 6 it’s unlikely they’ll love books when they are 11 or 16.
By: Storybook Tea Kit Company,
on 3/31/2011
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events.latimes.com
The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held Saturday & Sunday, April 30 – May 1, 2011 at:University of Southern California Click here for map. To locate USC on Yahoo! Maps or similar mapping software, you may use the intersection of Exposition Blvd and S Figueroa St,
