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Four weeks into the school year, 60 students are already becoming bilingual. At the Hall County Early Language Development Center, four classes of kindergartners are learning half of the day in English and half of the day in Spanish. "The basis here is that children learn English faster if they're literate in their first language," said Lois Myers, who heads up the new center and is principal at Lyman Hall Elementary School. The four teachers — two English and two Spanish — pair up with 30 students to teach reading and math objectives in English and Spanish each day. The science and social studies objectives are included in the reading portions of the day.

As y’all know, the Reading Tub® is a nonprofit for children’s literacy. Our goal is, quite simply, to bring reading home to families. Although we tend to equate literacy and reading books, it is much broader than that. For better or worse, Literacy (with a capital “L”) is parsed into lots of subsets: 21st Century Literacy, information literacy, life literacy, etc. Financial literacy is also one of those labels.

In mid-August 2010, I received an email from a young woman who wanted to volunteer with us. Cady North is passionate about helping kids become successful as adults. In her introduction to me, she wrote:

I am specifically interested in improving the financial literacy in America’s youth and underprivileged families. I would like to work on research or projects that help expand awareness of personal finance issues such as savings programs, how to make and keep a budget, how to properly complete tax forms, how credit works, etc.

Voila! A project is now off the ground! For more than a year now, I have been trying to find a way to create a project that overlays math and reading. Learning your numbers and understanding how they fit into “real life” is a process that parallels learning your letters and ultimately learning to read.

Cady has jumped in with both feet and I am excited by all of the great stuff she’s found already. With September nearly here – and school underway (or about to be) – it seemed to be the perfect time to launch our series. Over the next few weeks, we will be featuring Cady’s work in a series I am calling Reading Plus … as in Reading + Math. Our goal is to explain the symbiotic relationship between math and reading, link you to some great resources, and – most importantly – invite you share your ideas!

Image Credit:

Intersection of Two Cubes by Colt Mazeo at OpenClipArt.com

Copyright © 2010 Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@childrens-literacy.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Technorati Tags: Cady North, financial literacy, learning to read, math reading, READING TUB STUFF

I have two pieces of news to share today.

First up, Aaron Mead, who blogs at Children's Books and Reviews, recently featured me in his ongoing series of children's book blogger interviews. You can find the interview here. While Aaron asked a number of interesting questions, my favorite was: "If you were standing on a soapbox full of children’s books, what advice would you give your audience?" You'll have to click throuugh to read my answer (though regular readers won't find it a surprise, and Reach Out and Read was kind enough to tweet the soundbyte). Aaron also interviewed Marya Jansen-Gruber last month, and has more interviews to come.

Second, and much more important to the Kidlitosphere at large, the Cybils (children's and young adult bloggers' literary awards) just issued the 2010 call for judges. For all you children's and young adult book bloggers who have seen the amazing Cybils shortlists and winners, and envied the bloggers who select them, this is your chance to get involved. It's a lot of work, but participation is a tremendous opportunity to participate in the Kidlitosphere, and read and recommend excellent books. I'll be continuing my somewhat nebulous position as Literacy Evangelist for the Cybils (something along the lines of a cheerleader and promoter). I'll start that by saying: isn't the new logo, designed and updated by Sarah Stevenson, beautiful? You can download it here in various sizes. To participate as a judge, please follow the instructions here.

And that's two posts in one day, which makes me very happy. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington Hands Out the One Millionth Book in Reach Out and Read “Summer of a Million Books” Campaign

(New Orleans, LA) August 27, 2010 – The nationwide school readiness initiative Reach Out and Read kicked off the summer by announcing its goal of distributing one million books to children nationwide before Labor Day.  Today, more than one week before the deadline, the Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington joined Reach Out and Read CEO Earl Martin Phalen to hand out the one millionth book, “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” to a child at the Tulane Pediatric Clinic at the Covenant House, a homeless shelter in New Orleans, LA. 

Reach Out and Read developed the Summer of a Million Books in conjunction with the United We Serve: Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative, which aims to promote community service and combat illiteracy and childhood obesity.  Reach Out and Read is a national partner of Let’s Read. Let’s Move., an Administration-wide effort led by First Lady Michelle Obama, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and five federal agencies. 

“United We Serve and Reach Out and Read provide a powerful example of using service as a solution to address childhood illiteracy,” said Corporation CEO Patrick Corvington.  “The Summer of a Million Books campaign is proof positive of the problems we can tackle when we come together and focus efforts toward real, measurable results.”

“This is an incredible achievement for Reach Out and Read’s 30,000 doctors, nurses, and volunteers nationwide,” said Earl Martin Phalen, Chief Executive Officer of Reach Out and Read.  “Together, they have helped to put one million more children on the path to school success by providing parents with the guidance and the tools they need.  We stand united in the dream that one day, every child in America will benefit from the Reach Out and Read program.”

Reach Out and Read targets children who are at greatest risk for school failure and illiteracy, and provides them with high quality children’s books and their parents with reading tips and guidance on the importance of reading aloud.  Fourteen research studies confirm that Reach Out and Read works – families served by the program read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed, with larger vocabularies, stronger language skills, and a six-month developmental age over their peers.

The key to Reach Out and Read’s success is the messenger: pediatricians and family physicians.  Participating doctors and nurse practitioners incorporate the Reach Out and Read model into every regular checkup for children between 6 months of age and the time they enter kindergarten.  Because 96% of U.S. children see their doctor at least once a year and because of the trust that parents have in their child’s doctor, the pediatric checkup is the ideal opportunity to promote early literacy and school readiness.  Last year, Reach Out and Read’s 26,500 participating medical providers served 3.9 million children and families at 4,500 hospitals, clinics, and pediatric practices nationwide.

At the event, Phalen also announced that Scholastic Book Clubs would donate an additional 500,000 children’s books to Reach Out and Read through the ClassroomsCare program, in honor of the Summer of a Million Books campaign.  ClassroomsCare is a philanthropy-based literacy program that teaches schoolchildren the joy of reading and giving.

“We are absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of Scholastic Inc. CEO Dick Robinson, Scholastic Books Clubs, and the hundreds of thousands of children nationwide who participate in ClassroomsCare,” said Phalen.  “These students are helping to ensure that every child in America grows up with books and parents who understand the transformational power of reading aloud.”

Phalen added that there’s still time for all Americans to join the “Summer of a Million Books” campaign and help ensure that every child arrives at kindergarten ready to read and prepared to excel.

The profile of the 4 million children starting kindergarten reveals the startling changes the USA has undergone the past decade and offers a glimpse of its future. In this year's class, for example, about one out of four 5-year-olds will be Hispanic.

Though some children can barely contain their excitement as they choose an outfit for the first day of school and gleefully shop for new supplies, many other students feel anxiety in the weeks before September, wondering what the new school year will bring.

"The Little Engine That Could" is pulling into the area with the local inception of singer Dolly Parton's Imagination Library — in part to instill an "I-think-I-can" attitude in Flagler County's youngest residents. The Flagler County Chamber of Commerce & Affiliates, in partnership with several other agencies, is unveiling the program in which a free new book is mailed every month to children from birth until they turn 5.

American music legend Judy Collins has turned her musical talents to a children's book entitled "Over the Rainbow," which also features a three-song CD. In this interview, Collins describes her personal connection to the beloved song and shares some of her favorite illustrations from the book.

“Let this groove set in your shoes … [background singers: just move yourself ] …” [lyrics from Earth, Wind and Fire's "Let's Groove Tonight" from the Raise! album]

Yep! It’s Monday, the first full week of school and I’m grooving.  I am starting to tackle the reader, got my Hootsuite dashboard up, I’m polishing up a post by one of our volunteers, and cleaning off the desk! So, here are a few groovy things (okay, I’ll quit now) I have found so far.

Let’s start with some Cybils bling.  Nominations will begin shortly, but in order for it all to work, we need panelists and judges! If you are interested in participating in the process, the Call for Judges for the 2010 cycle has gone out. You can also keep up-to-date with @CYBILS or search #cybils on Twitter.

Continuing with event announcements, Michelle wrote a Save the Date post at the Book Blogger Convention blog! BBC 2011 will once again be affiliated with BookExpo America, which is held the last full week of May. The innaugural event was terrific, so if you’re going to be in New York (or thinking about being in New York), be sure to keep Friday 27 May 2011 open!

Over at The O.W.L. (Outrageously Wonderful Literature from the Middle Grades), Jill has a survey about book reviews. She created the survey to figure out how best to tackle ten reviews, but naving now seen oh, maybe 50 review of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, I am happy to share a few thoughts on seeing the same book reviewed over and over.

In the last couple weeks, Mitali Perkins has been talking about selling multicultural books over at The Fire Escape. In her first post, she asked for ideas about selling multicultural titles.  It is worth reading Mitali’s post and the comments, but if you only have time for a digest version, then check out Tips on selling “multicultural” kid/YA books. Although Mitali’s described audience are publishers and booksellers, her tips are valuable for the library and even at home, too!

Last but not least, I have posted the second part of my series about reading together as a family over at Booklights. As you may have seen, Gina Montefusco (our cheerleader and PBS mentor) announced that we’ll be finishing up our run at Booklights in the next few weeks. I can’t say enough about what a great opportunity this has been, and I’m looking at this as shalom, not goodbye.  So for now, I’m just going to keep on dancin’!

Copyright © 2010 Scrub-a-Dub-Tub, a Reading Tub Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@childrens-literacy.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Technorati Tags: Booklights, Cybils, family literacy, middle grade readers, Mitali Perkins, reading aloud

I was browsing the web this morning, innocently looking for ideas for a baby shower that I will be hosting...and I was surprised (and kinda' irritated) that one site which included a list of gift ideas recommended crib bumpers as a possible gift idea for the mom-to-be.

HUH? {scratching my head}

Crib bumpers? Really? Even after  the Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, First Candle/National SIDS Alliance, and the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development all recommend AGAINST using them? Now, perhaps the writer on this particular website didn't know about this. Or perhaps she was referring to the newer "breathable" bumpers (but based on the context, I doubt it). In either case, I am surprised that bumpers were recommended as a baby gift. I was even more surprised to see how many retailers are still selling those thick, fluffy bumpers.

I hope that hospitals, birthing instructors, social service agencies, child care centers, and other agencies working with parents are informed about crib safety and that they are more importantly, educating parents! Hopefully agencies that work with minority populations are also committed to educating others on crib safety because there is some racial disparity when it comes to infant mortality rates.

Also read: Crib Bumper Pads: Are They Safe?

Ok... I'm off of my soap box now. What's the point of having a blog if you can't rant once in a while ;-)?

Be safe people...and protect our little ones who are too young to protect themselves!

Playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Quiara Alegria Hudes has gone back to the basics — the very basics of the ABCs. Her latest project, a children's book called Welcome To My Neighborhood! A Barrio ABC, follows a young girl who takes her best friend on an alphabetical tour through her North Philadelphia neighborhood.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) recently visited the Arlington Pediatric Center to read to children as part of "Reach Out and Read," a national initiative designed to encourage young people to become lifelong readers. "There's one thing that is more effective than anything else you can do" to help children in their formative years, Moran said. "That's for their parents, or for another caring caregiver, to read to them on their lap."

As soon as Deana Vega felt strong enough, she was back in the hospital where she'd spent nearly a year of her life battling leukemia to cheer on other young patients. Now Deana, 11, has recruited the help of two committed teachers to write a children's book about her experience for others coping with cancer entitled How My Sun Got Its Smile.

Sandals and bare feet were the dress code at the Maple Shade Municipal Building recently. That's because there was a beach party going on. Children who participated in the Maple Shade Library's Summer Reading Club at the library were invited to the End-of-Summer Reading Beach Party complete with leis, live music, and reading certificates.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn: "In this contemporary classic Chester Raccoon seeks love and reassurance from his mother as he ventures out into the world to attend his very first day of school."

The first day of school is often challenging for children, but more often for parents! Parents and teachers working together can help ease some of the anxiety related to the first day of school. Here are some tips:

1. Have time for parents and children to visit the classroom together before the first day.
2. Remind parents to ALWAYS tell their child before they are leaving and to NEVER sneak out of the classroom. Sneaking away may be an "easy out" for the parent; but the next day, it is likely that the child will just cling closer because they are unsure when/if their parent will "disappear!"
3. Help parents to create a routine for drop-off time and stick to it.
4. Encourage parents to bring in family pictures BUT instead of posting these pictures on a bulletin board, place them where children can reach them whenever they want. For example, ask parents to bring in a small photo album (dollar stores are wonderful for goodies like this) filled with pictures of family, friends, pets. Or, teachers can laminate the photos and put them on a loose leaf ring. Place photos booklets in a wicker basket on a shelf of the classroom so children can have access whenever they need to see their family.
5. Make a class book to send home with each child. Using a digital camera, take photos of each child and teacher and write a sentence about each person. Print the pictures (laminate them if you can) and bind them. Send them home with each child so that parents can read them to their children!

Click here for more First Day of School books and activities.

Museums provide a unique interactive experience of getting up close to things we only see in books or on television. But for some families, because of language, cultural or economic barriers, museums may be seen as intimidating places where engaging children with art is a challenge. ArteJuntos/ArtTogether aims to remove those barriers. The bilingual program is designed to expand the literacy skills, social assimilation, and connection of new immigrant families — primarily of Hispanic origin — to museums.

In the National Writing Project, teachers are trained, examine their classroom practice, do consultancy work (at a fraction of what outside 'experts' charge), and continue as lifelong students of successful teaching. School buildings grow in-house literacy experts who model and spread strong classroom instruction throughout the faculty (and district) and remain in the building as ongoing resources and models of professional learning. The National Writing Project is the gold standard in professional development and has often been heralded as such over its 36-year history.

In May, the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County launched an ambitious program to mail a free book a month to every child from birth to 5 years old who lives in two targeted neighborhoods around Franklin and Dr. Weeks elementary schools. The intent of Imagination Library is for families to use books together, which builds the early literacy skills children need to succeed. Syracuse school district data show that half the children in the target area, and 51 percent citywide, lack early literacy skills.

Little Bunny Press creates personalized children's books with your child's photographs!



"Each Little Bunny book contains characters you create - either your child alone or with family members or friends, depending on the storyline. All books are 8" x 8" square and available in durable Softcover or beautiful Hardcover formats. As part of our commitment to environmentally responsible practices, we use only all partially or fully recycled papers manufactured with earth-friendly sustainable wind energy."

Room to Grow Readers get a 15% discount* on all orders by entering ROOMTOGROW when asked for the coupon code. Some available titles are:

Other Titles are available at Little Bunny Press.

*This offer is good until August24, 2011.

So today is a good day, as most days are, and I reached 70 Blog Followers today. And as promised, I've randomly selected two followers to receive a Sid the Science Kid DVD.


How did I select the winners?
1. I made a list of all 70 followers and assigned a number like this:

2. I used Random.Org to randomly select two winners...and the winners are:


Congratulations to the winners and thanks for following me!