How to Keep the Kids Reading Over the Holiday Even if All They Want to Do is Stare at a Screen12/16/2015 Most kids still love books. Sometimes, though, they need encouragement to sit down and spend the time to get into the reading mode. During library classes there are precious moments, after everyone has checked out their books and found their 'secret spot' with a cushion, on a couch or at a table, when everyone is finally quiet and engrossed in their chosen book. It's magical...and fragile. With only "visual" input, many - and I think now, most, students are easily distracted, so I make an effort to keep the atmosphere of stillness for as long as possible. This is not always easy to do - even in a school library. At home, especially during busy holiday time, it can be even more difficult to ensure that your children have this uninterrupted time to read, a skill that many are still just developing and must continually practice. Sit them in front of a screen, however and the story is often quite different. Therefore, it makes sense to find screen-based options that give them that essential reading practice. Here are a selected few as well as some trusted links for other recommended lists. Specially Available SitesSHS students are lucky to have access to many resources that aren't available for free online. The Alberta government subscribes to the resources in the Online Resource Center. The holidays would be a great time to peruse the many databases there. BookFlix is one which pairs fiction and nonfiction books that kids can read online. You need our username and password to log in at home, but feel free to contact me, Mrs. Kilpatrick for this. Tumblebooks is one of the great sites available through our free membership with the Public Library, that local business sponsorship has made possible. Log into the Swan Hills Public Library site with your library card number and password. Click on the eResources tab and scroll down to "Kids". (Call the library for assistance if needed.) Don't forget you can borrow thousands of eBooks and audio books with your public library membership through the Overdrive app. Apps Recommended by Common Sense Media""Weird But True is a fun adaptation of the popular book by National Geographic. The free app comes with 25 facts, and you'll have to pay to get additional packs (ranging from 99 cents to $1.99; unlocking all the content will set you back $5). Each fact is presented as a page with fun fonts, sound effects, and occasional illustrations. On the fact page, kids can tag a fact as a favorite, rate how weird the fact is on the "weird-o-meter," tap to see and hear an animal float across the stage saying "that's weird," share the fact with a link to the app on email, or visit the menu. Kids can swipe from fact to fact, visit their favorites, or scroll through topics alphabetically. Kids can also see a list of the weirdest facts as rated by other users during the past week. A few facts mildly mention violence, such as ants that explode when they're attacked." "Ocean Forests is a digital resource -- far more involved than a typical ebook -- that teaches kids about kelp forests. They can read or listen to text, explore an animated world to learn about animals and features of the kelp forest environment, or play ocean-themed games. The ebook section includes a vocabulary component that defines some of the words, and kids can record themselves reading. Each game includes three levels. Further related activities are on the website." "Ultimate Dinopedia includes a section on meat-eating dinosaurs that contains graphic illustrations of dinosaurs killing and eating others. Younger kids might also be frightened by pictures of some of the scarier-looking predators. The interactive encyclopedia with information on hundreds of dinosaurs, and about 75 of the most popular dinosaurs (like theT. rex, triceratops, stegosaurus, and brontosaurus) get a full-color illustration, fun facts, and a narrated info blurb on top of basic stats. There's a lot of information but it's presented in a way that shouldn't go over kids' heads." See the full list for ages 2 and up: Best Book Apps for Kids Online Multimedia Book/Reading Sites
The Best Free App of AllI know - this post is supposed to be about screen-based reading...but I can't resist putting in a plug for the single most important and multi-beneficial literacy app out there. When you snuggle up and read with your child, (whether this child is 2 weeks or 16 years old) you are not only getting in some fabulous feel-good time, you're imparting a love of the printed word, which is the first factor that needs to be in place for reading excellence to develop. Don't worry that you're not an excellent reader yourself. Kids are not critical. It's good for them to see that anyone can struggle over a word. It's the fact that you figure it out or work around it and still enjoy the story that counts. Just enjoy the pictures, if that's what it takes. Enjoy your time together. Even if your child is past the typical age when we're tucking them in at night - don't stop reading to them. In Bedtime story is key to literacy, says children't writer Cottrell Boyce, Sally Weale states, "A recent survey, by YouGov for the children’s publisher Scholastic, revealed last week that many parents stop reading to their children when they become independent readers, even if the child isn’t ready to lose their bedtime story. The study found that 83% of children enjoyed being read aloud to, with 68% describing it as a special time with their parents." So perhaps you can read the traditional Twas the Night Before Christmas together on Christmas Eve. If you don't have it at home, or didn't get it from the library - here it is online. You may have to wait until the rush is over, but I hope you'll find 15 minutes every now and again to turn off all the media and snuggle up with your child to read a good book together.
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AuthorLibrary manager of rural K-12 school in Alberta, Canada Archives
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