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Read What They Are Reading

Many years ago, I worked with hospitalized emotionally disturbed children. One of the girls got a letter from her parents saying that were reading the same book that she was. Their letters to each other grew longer as they had more to talk about. The girl felt more important in her parents’ lives because they were taking the time to read something she liked. I made up my mind that if I ever had children I’d read what they read. For the most part I have. And it has been worth every minute of my time. When my then middle-schooler … Continue reading →

Children’s Literature – Little Miss Liberty and Adele & Simon

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Quick reviews of two wonderful kids’ books that my family is enjoying right now. Both are set primarly in Paris, France and are a joy to read aloud to a toddler. Little Miss Liberty by Chris Roberston Chronicle Books, 2005 Buy today from Amazon.com for only $4.99! You may be surprised to learn that before she climbed up onto her pedestal in the middle of New York Harbor, Lady Liberty was just a little kid growing up in Paris, France who had loving parents, went to school and loved to eat and read. All of it is true, at least … Continue reading →

Encouraging Your Children to Read

Some children take naturally to books, enjoying them from the first moment they learn how to read. Other children hate doing it and can’t be persuaded to pick up a book, even with threats or promises of reward. How can you encourage your child to read? 1. Make sure they know how. It’s not unusual, in a classroom of 25-30 children, for one to slip through the cracks. Take a few moments and have your child read to you. See if they are having difficulty or if they do it well. If they don’t know more than five words on … Continue reading →

Parents Visiting the Library: Reading to Children

Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours at my daughter’s school volunteering in the school library and putting up books before having lunch with my daughter. Eating lunch with your child at school is a great idea, my midget loves it and so far we’ve made it a weekly meet and greet. But yesterday was special for more than just going to volunteer in the library and having lunch with my daughter. Yesterday, I spent 50 minutes after the lunch hour back in the library reading to the children in my daughter’s kindergarten class. She was thrilled to see me. … Continue reading →

Chicago’s Art Scene

In the past year or so I have written extensively about Chicago being an ideal family-friendly travel destination. From restaurants to monuments, kids’ activities to seasonal festivities, it’s hard to find a place that offers parents so many kid-friendly options than the Windy City. That being said, as I looked through my article archives I noticed that I have neglected to write about some of the city’s incredible cultural attractions. So without further adieu, here are some of my family’s favorite places to have fun and learn a few lessons in the process. Art Institute of Chicago You can’t miss … Continue reading →

Prudy’s Problem (and how she solved it) – Carey Armstrong-Ellis

Reading “Prudy’s Problem” reminds me so much of my own children – they can’t seem to throw anything away! Prudy is an ordinary girl who wants to do all the things her friends do. And like most children, Prudy is a collector. There’s just one problem – Prudy collects everything. Some of her friends collect butterflies, or stamps, or tin foil. So does Prudy. But she also collects rocks, feathers, leaves, twigs, dead bugs, old flowers, and even fungi. She won’t throw away any picture she’s drawn, and she has over six hundred stuffed animals. She has scarves, pencils, fabric … Continue reading →

Volunteering can Mean Sending Care Packages

Oh, with the beginning of the new year it makes many think of things they want to do and wish they would’ve done last month. One of those things is volunteering, whether it is more in your child’s classroom, at a shelter or sending a care package. That’s right, even us military families send packages to those far away, even when our spouses are in the same house as us. For those that want to send stuff over to the troops there are many websites that will tell you items to bring, some that will send care packages for them … Continue reading →

Do you read to your baby?

When our daughter was little, my husband used to sit with her in his arm, cradled and he’d read to her from whatever he was reading at the time. He read to her from Harry Potter, Harry Dresden and more. Sometimes he’d read to her from L.E. Modisett Jr., Shakespeare and once from Kay Hooper because it was handy. A lot of people were surprised that he was reading to her at such a young age; after all she was so young, how could she possibly understand what he was reading to her? Your baby doesn’t have to understand to … Continue reading →