Vancouver Mom » family literacy day

Design Schooled Kids and the Art of Writing

Christine — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:00:17 +0000

In a world where we are tweeting, status updating, instant messaging, texting and emailing, it’s easy to believe that writing in long-hand is a dying art – or is it? Personally handwritten thank you cards are commonly expected forms of etiquette. Well-composed notes are still touching. And of course there’s always those shopping lists.

According to an article titled “The Writing On The Wall,” published in Newsweek in November 2007, children think and write at the same time. “If they struggle to remember how to make their letters, their ability to express themselves will suffer.”

It seems that even in our digital age, handwriting is still essential in kids’ development. ABC Canada is an organization that advocates family literacy and suggests that parents encourage their children to write to a relative and friend – just one of several activities that families can use to develop and use literacy skills.

Tracy Sullivan, principal and creative director of Design School Kids, founded her company in the hopes of using letter writing as both an art and skill to recapture for children in the modern age. “I feel that in the age of emails and text- and video-messaging, letter writing has become a lost art.” says Tracy, who after years of finding the “big idea” for clients while in advertising, decided to launch her own company. Young children can use the Design Schooled Kids’ Printing Note Cards to help learn printing and etiquette through the joy of old fashioned letter writing. “The Printing Note Cards are a great way to give kids a head start on learning the skills they will need throughout their lives.” says Tracy, mom of an almost four-year-old and a one-and-a-half -year-old.

Its launch timed with this year’s Family Literacy Day, Design Schooled Kids produces pre-printed cards on which children can trace dotted letters to write notes that say “Thank You”, “Hello” and “Happy Birthday” and more. There’s something refreshingly formal about the cards themselves. I adore the classic writing paper with the blue dashed and red lines – it reminds me of the joy I had when rounding out my name’s capital C as a child. The cards come in high quality card stock along with a brightly coloured envelope that are perfect for adorning with a stamp and popping into a mail box for a grandparent or friend – or just giving to someone special in your own home.

Children not only practice printing, but they also gain a sense of accomplishment as they finish the letter and mail the card themselves – and they’re also learning proper manners at an early age.

Design Schooled Kids Printing Note Cards can be found in store at Once Upon A Huckleberry Bush located at 4387 Main Street, Vancouver, or or online at www.designschooledkids.com.

Design Schooled Kids

www.designschooledkids.com | Twitter: @designschooled

Family Literacy Day: Sing a Song for Literacy

Erin Stringer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:00:09 +0000

It’s Family Literacy Day on January 27, and this year’s theme is “Sing for Literacy.” That’s right: raising a good reader has more to it than reading books to your child. There are many different activities that help literacy: word games, writing, and singing. Singing helps your child practice literacy skills because it encourages vocabulary and helps kids with sounding out aloud when they start reading.

“Singing is a great literacy activity for families because it provides a fun way to expand spoken vocabulary and creates a strong bond,” says Ashley Tilley, Communications Coordinator at ABC Canada Literacy Foundation. “Singing allows you to learn patterns of words, rhymes and rhythms, and is strongly connected to language skills.”

Have you ever heard of the “Mozart Effect?” There was a study done in 1993 that showed listening to Mozart increased the intelligence of babies and young children – which is why the shelves are stocked with classical music DVDs and CDs for kids!

One of the essential parts of learning literacy is something called “phonological awareness.” This has to do with the understanding of words being made from sounds. Your child is hearing the sounds that make up different words, which aids in not only reading but spelling, and with vocabulary development. Same goes for talking to your child – the more you can talk to them and get them involved, the better their vocabulary will grow.

Storytelling and singing songs help your child organize thoughts and words. In a story, events go from beginning to end, and usually a song is similar.

Besides popping the CD of baby tunes when you’re in the car, make up your own songs to sing with your child. Don’t worry if you don’t have a great voice – your child will just be happy to bond and interact with you. Make up silly songs as you take a walk, or make tidying up toys a fun activity with a song.

There are many great musical CDs for kids to encourage language skills. Go for favourite nursery rhymes and songs, or even old favourites like Raffi – Baby Beluga and Old McDonald. Put on CDs while your child is colouring, or while the two of you bake in the kitchen.

Use song books to encourage reading and singing. Use illustrated books of song lyrics like The More We Get Together (Glazer, 1990) or Old MacDonald Had a Farm (Rounds, 1989) to help your child make the connection between singing and reading. Repetition in both singing and reading helps your child retain language and become more familiar with the abstract symbols present in both songs and books.

Whatever activity your child is doing to master beginning reading, it’s all about enjoyment. Learning to read is not about sitting and trying to decipher strings of words. It’s about music, language, and creativity.

“Having children engage in literacy-related activities as early as possible will help them develop the necessary skills for good communication later in life,” says Tilley.

You can find out more about Family Literacy Day at ABC Canada’s site.“The ABC Canada Literacy Foundation is also encouraging families across Canada to sing at various Family Literacy Day events and help raise funds by pledging online at Family Literacy Day.,” says Tilley.

Family Literacy Day: Ways to Encourage Young Readers

Erin Stringer — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:36:38 +0000

January 27 is Family Literacy Day, and to celebrate we’ve found some great ways to encourage the young readers in your home!

Helping your child develop literacy skills is not just about sitting down with a good book each evening before bed. Anyone who has a young child knows that getting your child to read is not always easy. However, there are a number of ways that you can encourage young readers with fun activities that will keep them interested and entertained.

“Children learn by example, so one of the key ways to encourage young readers is to act as a reading role model. Let your kids catch you reading books, magazines and newspapers,” says Ashley Tilley, Communications Coordinator at ABC Canada Literacy Foundation. “Another tip for helping out young readers is to take turns reading alternate pages and make sure to ask questions about the content of the story to ensure comprehension.”

Here are a few other ways you can motivate your young reader (source: ABC Canada’s online resources):

Mix language and song. The theme of this year’s Family Literacy Day is “Sing for Literacy.” Make reading come alive for your child by getting into the act when you read a book. Use different voices and expressionsm, and get your child to do the same.

Talk about the stories you read with your child. After you finish a book, ask your child about what happened, and get them to tell you the story in their own words. Also, as you are reading, ask your child questions. This not only gets your child immersed in the story, it also ensures they understand what you are reading.

Have a family word game or board game night that everyone can participate in. Have everyone take turns being the banker, scorekeeper, and reading instructions aloud.

Turn off the TV for at least an hour each night and have everyone read together, or participate in a crossword puzzle.

Use everyday situations as learning opportunities. A trip to the grocery store can be made fun by getting your child to help write out the shopping list and recognize products. Get your child to point out road signs or ask them to help you find something on a map before a road trip.

Make weekly visits to the library a date. Go pick out books, listen to the story hour, and make it an event your child can look forward to.

“It’s also a good idea to provide a comfortable space at home to encourage reading,” says Tilley, adding that “literacy is more than reading books. There are a lot of fun ways to help improve literacy skills. For reluctant readers, try incorporating reading in fun ways, such as by reading cards from a board game, following a recipe or singing karaoke!”

Nominate Your Essential Books for Your Child’s Library – Giveaway!

Christine — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:00:19 +0000

Happy New Year everyone!

January 27 is Family Literacy Day. To celebrate, I’ll be publishing our readers’ top 100 picks for your family’s library. These are the books that you definitely can’t live without and that you and your kids reach for time-and-time again. I’m not talking the books that you groan each time your kids ask you to read them – I want the books that everyone in your family enjoys whenever they’re pulled out.

We’ll be giving away a $20 gift card to Chapters / Indigo to a VancouverMom.ca reader. To enter, simply comment below. Your comment must include your top five picks, the age of the child you think would enjoy each book, as well as a quick blurb explaining why you’re recommending each book.

Here are some of my faves to kick off the list (in no particular order):

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina: Both my two-year-old and four-year-old love the monkeys in this story.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.: Terrific rhythms and wonderful illustration. My toddler loves this book.
Up Up Down by Robert Munsch. My toddler loves saying the words and finds the story hilarious. Every family needs a collection of Robert Munsch stories.
Pet Show by Jack Ezra Keats: Wonderful illustrations. Great alternative to Snowy Day, although a compilation of Keats’ is needed on every child’s shelf.
Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle: Required reading for all babies and toddlers.
My Friends by Taro Gomi: Perfect for toddlers. Sweet illustrations.
Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon: My four-year-old loves this funny story.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson: Both of my kids enjoy this story although the mouse’s antics are a bit over my kids’ heads.
Fancy Nancy by Jane O’connor and Robin Preiss Glasser: Any pre-schooler who loves princesses, fairies and other fancy things will adore any book from this series.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. A bedtime staple when my kids were younger.

Looking forward to your recommendations! The best will be compiled in a final list to be published at the end of January.