It's the time of year when many of us are considering wading into that sea of humanity known as the mall and maxing out our credit cards on holiday gifts.
Here's a great idea for an easy bulletin board for your library space that also supports early literacy skills!
Thanks to Elisabeth Wright at the Arapahoe Library District for sharing this idea with us!
Put up a message on a blank board that says, "I am thankful for..." and offer blank shapes for your families to add their thoughts. The blank shapes could be die cuts, or name tags, or just simple rectangles.
A researcher at Ben-Gurion University in Israel has discovered that performing hand-clapping rhymes and songs helps children develop improved writing, spelling, and cognitive abilities, among other results. We know that clapping out syllables helps very young children develop phonological awareness. This study, however, looked at children in first, second and third grades, so it seems continuing this simple activity beyond kindergarten produces even more benefits.
"Waiting for Superman" is a documentary about our educational system, and the frustration parents feel when they want the best for their children, but have to deal with the worst of schools. Dr. Gabrielle Miller, National Executive Director for Raising A Reader, refers to the documentary's title in her blog post, "Superman Can Wait: Parents Hold the Power." While parents can feel powerless when dealing with their children's education, Dr. Miller says,
Just a reminder: The CLEL Annual Meeting is only 2 weeks away! Have you RSVP'd to clelorg@gmail.com? We're excited to see you there!
A couple of things to remember:
I'm sure many of us are familiar with Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook, a guide to sharing books with children which has served teachers, parents and librarians well through many years and editions.
Education.com
Are you attending CAL this year on Oct. 8-9? Join us for an early literacy unconference! 
