Books I Love: For Teaching Feelings & Relationships

I'm back with another Books I Love post! This time, we're talking about feelings & relationships. These books teach how to appropriately identify feelings (anger, frustration, jealousy) as well as how to interact with others (sharing, new siblings, bullying). One of the best relationship authors for the preschool crowd is Kevin Henkes. His books talk about things that hit at the heart of preschoolers so you'll see many of his books below!

Books About Feelings

Books About Relationships

I warned you there were a lot of Kevin Henkes books! He is the master. Happy Reading :)

What We're Reading: July

Up to my eyeballs in stuff this week. The big boys started football practice & it's four. nights. a. week. Seriously, it is. I wouldn't joke about this stuff. I have some fun posts planned for us if I can ever get them together but for now, you'll have to settle for this. Or, I guess you don't have to... either way, I'm not real exciting this week. Sorry, some weeks are just like that.

What We're Reading in July

I'm always looking for a new book to read so I thought I'd share what we're into this month. Enjoy!

Me

Some friends recommended this book to me. Normally, it's a book I wouldn't go near. Who wants to learn stuff while in the throws of a good book? I typically go for something light & easy. This is surprising light & easy & I find myself googling these people to learn more. Fun! 

Will

Again, another recommendation. It's about vision (der) & leadership & stuff. I think he digs it. He's not here for me to ask, so I'm assuming he's into it. 

The Boys

This is what they're reading (all 3 of them):

I know, right? I can't even discuss it.

A teacher friend recommended this series for them.

I found book 1 at the library. It's getting dusty on the bookshelf. Whatever. I'll force it upon them next week.

The Baby

How long do you think I can call him the baby? 

He's discovered Eric Carle & is smitten. He's definitely my kid ;) 

Hope your families are enjoying summer reading as well. We finally made it all the way through a library summer reading program log- whoo hoo! It's amazing how much easier it is when they can read to themselves! 

What We're Reading, June Edition

It's camp week at my house, which means we're off our schedule & I'm elbows deep in some home improvement projects while I'm down a few kids! I wanted to squeeze out a quick post for y'all to let you know I'm still thinking about you ;)

I'm always looking for new reading material for myself & the fam so I thought I'd return the favor & share what we're currently reading with you! So without further ado...

What We're Reading, June Edition

Me

I currently have my nose buried in this book:

This is a freebie from my father, from whom I learned all of my book-wormy-ness. It's international spy-thriller, quick & easy to read & it totally sucks you in. I give it a B+.

Will

The Hubs isn't a big reader but he'll tune in when something is worthwhile, like The Hunger Games. Didn't see him for a week when he read through that! Got a tiny glimpse of what it must be like to be married to me- kinda felt sorry for him... kind of... 

We gave him this book for Father's Day & it seems to be a hit:

You know it's funny when he reads it aloud to me. Any book with a side hug on the front cover is worth opening, in my opinion :) I think he'd give it an A but he's not here for me to ask.

Owen

This travels in the car with us & generally keeps the peace. Thumbs up from me!

He gives it a B. That's all the info I can get from him while he plays Wii. You'll have to check that one out yourself.

Jack

My darling child has blessed us with the plethora of potty jokes from this book:

It's exactly what it looks like. I'm sure he'd give it an A+ but I'm not asking.

Quinn

Quinn loves Bad Kitty, but I think he loves Uncle Murray more. This is the latest:

These are pretty funny to read aloud & a fairly quick read. He gives it an A but then again, he gives everything an A. 

Miller

The baby likes this one:

It's pretty sweet to listen to him "read" it to himself. These books always reminded me of a tamer Garbage Pail Kids* so I stayed away from them at first but then I discovered that kids LOVE THEM! Mills & I give this one an A+.

Enjoy!

Tune in tomorrow for more Fine Motor Friday! 

*There's a blast from the past! Did you know they still make them? We got them for our boys & they were totally grossed out. Kids are soft these days.

I'd loooooooveeeee a good book recommendation. Share with me what you're reading!

Why I'm Embracing Underpants

Captain Underpants

Come on, people. This is a family show. (eye roll)

Anyhoo, back in the day, BC (before children), I was kind of a book snob.

Okay, let me try that again. I'm kind of a book snob.

In the spirit of honesty, I'm just going to own it: I'm a total book snob. I can't help it, it was how I was raised. When your father is a high school English teacher, you learn to respect books. Good books. Books worthy of reading. We've already established that I love books. (Books I Love Link) I won't continue to go there but I just wanted to make sure you had the background to appreciate where I'm going with this. Stick with me.

When I was a kindergarten teacher, I carefully chose the books that graced my shelves. If there wasn't a Caldecott* or a Carle** on the cover, I scrutinized it very carefully. Only the best books made the cut & I felt great about it. Everyone didn't share my sentiment. Scholastic book orders would go home & come back with multiple orders of Dora the Explorer. I used to think to myself, "Didn't they see the beautiful book on page 2? Why would they order that junk?" Obviously, they didn't know what I knew about good literature.

When I decided to become a SAHM, those same beautiful books came home with me. I immersed my children in detailed, vibrant stories with award-winning illustrations. I scoffed at the "junk" in the book orders. My goal in all of this: to instill a love of reading that mirrored my own. I wanted my boys to run to the library & get lost in the sea of words & rich language. I wanted them to eagerly anticipate the arrival of the next book in the series, to wait with baited breath to find out what happens next.

Be careful what you wish for...

Fast forward 7 years & it's curriculum night in my son's first grade class. I'm there basically to make sure I don't miss something vital,  but I'm prepared for a snooze fest since I already know most of this stuff. I'm a veteran teacher, I've got this.

The teacher starts talking about reading & how the school assesses reading levels. She talks about the goal for the end of the year & how she's going to challenge children who are already reading at or above that goal.

And then she said something that blew my mind:

"When children reach a certain reading level, I no longer monitor what they're reading. They can choose from any book bin." 

Uh.... okay. I can get on board with that, I guess. A little freedom is always a good thing.

And finally came the kicker:

"I don't care what they're reading as long as they're reading." 

I'm sorry... what?

You don't care what kids are reading.

Is this for real? I'm sitting in a classroom with a highly regarded teacher in one of the best school districts in the state & she doesn't care what my kid is reading?

I'm going to need a minute.

She went on to finish:

"In my experience, I've found that children are more likely to enjoy reading when they are reading something of high interest. Once your child has mastered the necessary skills, I want to develop a love for reading that extends throughout your child's lifetime." 

Okay, now I can get on this train.

I decided to go with it. God has blessed me with bright kids so we met that goal quickly & my son was free to choose whatever he wanted to read. He bounced along a couple of different series before landing on this one:

The irony is not lost on me.

But you know what? He loves to read, like I love to read. He eagerly waits for the next book in the series & buries himself in it until he's finished. He can't wait to find out what happens next. His Captain Underpants is my Babysitters Club. And that I completely get. 

Read on, caped wonder. Preferably with your pants on.

*Caldecott is an award bestowed on only the best in the kid-lit world

**Carle is Eric Carle; if you have little kids & don't know him, shame on you 

What's on your bookworm's list? Share with me in the comments or on twitter @preschoolmomma 

Books I Love: for Teaching Math

Wow, thanks for all the positive feedback on my 1st Books I Love post! Continuing with the series, today's post focuses on books that are great for teaching math concepts. These books cover everything from counting, to shapes, to telling time. Bright, vivid pictures & catchy rhymes make the path to learning fun. Enjoy!

10 Great Books for Teaching Math

There you go! If you want activities to go with the books, head on over to Pinterest. I may or may not be pinning matching activities... I feel unprepared to commit to anything binding, ha ha!

follow me on Pinterest @ joy riley 

Books I Love: for Learning Letters

As you already know, I tend to run late with my posts; but I wanted to give a quick shout out to my fab mom readers. Hope you had a celebrated day & that you didn't have to cut anyone's meat but your own :)

Let's get down to it:

Books I love: for learning letters

I love books. No, wait. I REALLY love books. I love books more than I like most people. Maybe I need some new friends...kidding! Anyway, there's nothing that peaks my interest more than a good book. It's the only thing that will make me ignore my children. Not now, honey. Mommy's reading. No, you get the baby out of the street. You can catch him. I'm empowering you. Sometimes I'm a great mom. 

I'm a sucker for a book. A trip to the bookstore always ends in a purchase. It's the only thing I'll freely spend money on without batting an eye. It's the only thing I'll say yes to every time my children ask. Needless to say, we own a tremendous amount of books; especially children's books. When I "retired" from teaching, I came home with literally hundreds books. I weeded out the good from the bad. Sold some, donated some, recycled some that were shabby. What was left was the best of the best and I'm bringing those to you. 

Below are my recommendations for books that help children with letter learning. 

Books that teach letters

That's my top 10. Hit up your local library/bookstore for these great finds. I recommend a snuggly chair, a cup of coffee & someone small to enjoy. Just watch the coffee around the baby unless, of course, you're really engrossed. Then, get your 8 year old to do it. Happy reading!

Did your favorite make my list? If not, share it with me! I love promoting good books. 

tweeting daily @preschoolmommma