Archive - Sep 2009

Johnson County Library in Kansas has recently launched a new early literacy initiative called "6 by 6".  Their website for the initiative includes parent-friendly descriptions of the 6 early literacy skills, book lists for each skill and videos of librarians demonstrating how to use fingerplays and share wordless books.  Check out the oh-so-darling animal illustrations that were created for each skill

Alarming News -- There is a major misconception among 73% of parents across the nation regarding the importance of early literacy.  Most adults feel that if a child starts kindergarten behind their peers, they will eventually catch up at some point during their years in elementary school.  Unfortunately studies prove that most children will NEVER catch up.

Telling stories together has always been a great way for grownups to play with their children. We know that telling stories and talking about stories helps develop children's language skills. Storybird is a brand-new online experience that gives parents, grandparents, caregivers a fun way to tell stories with their children--whether they live together or are thousands of miles apart!

I came across this article in Science News while I was restocking our library's magazine display! In 2-year-olds Possess Grammatical Insights, Bruce Bower writes, "Budding toddlers recognize the difference between nouns and verbs in simple sentences, even though the kids don’t utter such sentences for at least another year."