Luck o' the Readers

If everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, what we need is a patron saint of reading. Then, at least one day a year, everyone would be a reader.

Oh, I can dream, can't I?

Goodreads has some seasonal recommendations to get young readers into the spirit of the holiday - whether you want to impart some actual historical information about St. Patrick or stick to lighter fare.

And - this is especially for homeschoolers, because I just assume all elementary school teachers know about this treasure trove of a site - for anyone with young children, I highly recommend you turn on the printer and visit Enchanted Learning for some free printable books, St. Patrick's Day activity sheets, coloring pages, and read-aloud stories.

Now as you go off to read, be sure you're whistling a happy tune. 

Asking Questions about Reading

No matter how good their reading skills, little kids aren't big kids; they're just not ready for many of the books for older readers. So what's a parent to do?

Ask questions.

My son's teacher recently shared this very simple advice, and guess what? It works.

Last week we returned to reading quite a few of the picture books I'd (sadly) assumed we were "done with" because his reading skills have improved so dramatically.

Asking questions about what he's just read builds comprehension skills, said the wise teacher.

And his answers could be quite entertaining, thought his dubious mom.

After reading Ribbit (a HOWL! by Bender and Bender), Hi, Fly Guy (by Tom Arnold), and Wemberly Worried (by Kevin Henkes) I asked my little reader, "which was your favorite?"

He thought for a moment, then chose Hi, Fly Guy.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's about pets, and I like pets. And it's about friendship, and friendship is important."

"Really?" I said, bested by a first-grader.

OK. I'll read it again. Clearly, I need to work on comprehension.