Tag Archives: Parents

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Welcome to TLE’s Storytime, for some courage-themed fun!

Featured Story: After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)

Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened after?

~ by Dan Santat

Craft Activity: Courage Heart

Create a courage heart with ideas of courage that can be used when children are faced with situations in which they need to be brave.

Materials

  • markers
  • glue
  • scissors
  • yarn
  • Paper + hole puncher (2 paper hearts)
  • assorted decorative pieces: pom poms, stickers, jewels, etc.
  • tissue paper
  • stamper
  • courage cards

Directions

NOTE: You can decorate the hearts before they are sewn together or sew and then decorate. If you are going to use lots of glue, it is best to sew the hearts first.

  1. Take the long piece of yarn and thread it through the plastic needle. Pull through eye until the piece is doubled over and equal in length. Tie the ends into a knot.
  2. Place the two hearts over each other so the holes line up.
  3. Starting at the top hole, leave approximately 12 inches of yarn hanging out (see picture below). This will be used as the other half of the bow once the hearts are sewn together.
  4. Thread the needle through the holes in the two hearts. Pull the needle in, out and around the hearts. Don’t connect the hearts at the top. You should have approximately 12″ of thread left on each side.
  5. Decorate the heart (you can also do this BEFORE sewing them together):
    • Use the markers, stamp, pom poms and sticky buttons to decorate
    • Tear or cut pieces of tissue paper and scrunch into pieces to glue on the heart
  6. Cut the shapes from the Courage Paper.
  7. Draw or write down words or pictures that made you think of ways you could be brave. Invite other members of the family to include words or pictures. Place into your heart.
  8. Tie the remaining yarn into a bow over the middle of the heart. See example below.
  9. Hang on a door handle, bulletin board or wall.
  10. As a family, revisit the words and pictures. Discuss and have fun!

Related Stories Online

Plucky Irene, a dressmaker’s daughter, braves a fierce snowstorm to deliver a new gown to the duchess in time for the ball.

Recipes

Cooking with your kids can help boost their development:

Increases language development

Enhances fine motor skills

Improves reading development

Introduces children to science and math skills

Let the kids decorate their food with sunny egg faces. Cut templates for the faces out of a simple omelette using round cookie cutter, then animate using olives for eyes, shredded cheese for hair, and cherry tomatoes for noses and smiles. ~ eggs.ca

Activity Ideas

Songs and Music

Song: ALL ABOUT COURAGE Educational Content: This song encourages students to show courage, by being brave and trying new things. Some examples include: getting through your first dance recital, trying out for a t-ball team, reading a book independently, singing a solo, going on a scary ride, going down the highest slide, raising your hand to answer a question in class, standing up to a bully, saving someone in danger, trying a new vegetable, etc.
~ HARRYKINDERGARTENMUSIC.COM

Information & Fun Facts


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Welcome to TLE’s Storytime, for some friendship-themed fun!

Featured Story: The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Dan Santat combines classic storytelling with breathtaking art, creating an unforgettable tale about friendship, imagination, and the courage to find one’s place in the world.

~ by Dan Santat

Craft Activity: Friendship & Family Frames

Materials needed:

  • markers
  • scissors
  • assorted decorative pieces + stick ons
  • fancy tape
  • jute or string
  • picture frames
  • clips
  • pictures or drawings

Directions:

  1. Use the assorted decorative stick on pieces and fancy tape to decorate your picture frames.
  2. Use the markers to colour or draw on the frames.
  3. Find a picture of you with a friend or family member for your frame doing something you love.
  4. Cut the picture to-size.
  5. Add the pictures to the frames.
  6. Use the clips to hang the frames to jute or string.
  7. Hang your string of frames on a wall, bulletin board or door. Enjoy!

Related Stories Online

The Rainbow Fish is an award-winning book about a beautiful fish who finds friendship and happiness when he learns to share. 

Recipes

Cooking with your kids can help boost their development:

Increases language development

Enhances fine motor skills

Improves reading development

Introduces children to science and math skills

Bring the kids together with their friends to help make this kid-friendly fruit salad into a cooperative friendship salad.

Family Fun: Craft and Activity Ideas

Songs and Music

Information & Fun Facts

What is friendship? Friends play together, share together, and dance together! Elmo and Rosita know all about friendship because they are the best of friends!


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Welcome to TLE’s Storytime, for some gratitude-themed fun!

Featured Story: The Grateful Book

There is so much to be grateful for.

~ by Angela Kohler

Craft Activity:

This gratitude jar is a fun, easy family activity. Add to the jar weekly, daily or monthly and have everyone to write down one thing each time they are thankful for.

Materials needed:

  • jar
  • ribbon or yarn
  • markers
  • gratitude cards or squares of paper
  • scissors
  • label for jar

Directions:

  1. Decorate a family gratitude jar
  2. Cut out squares of paper or use the gratitude template
  3. Write or draw what you are grateful for, people and things you love.
  4. Read/share as a family, and put in jar
  5. Revisit contents of jar once full

Using the gratitude jar and writing down what we are thankful for can happen around the family dinner table. Pass out small paper cards and some pens and ask everyone to write what they were most thankful for that given day, week or month. After reading the cards out loud, place them in the jar and watch the gratitude jar fill up. It can be fun to lay all the cards out and revisit each one as a family monthly.


Related Stories Online

In this autobiographical story, Little Trisha, overjoyed at the thought of learning how to read struggles when she finds that all the letters and numbers get jumbled up. Her classmates make matters worse by calling her “dummy.” Finally, in fifth grade, she is lucky enough to have a teacher who recognizes Trisha’s incredible artistic ability, understands her problem, and takes the time to lead her to the magic of reading.

Recipes

These heart-shaped shortbread cookies are light, buttery and topped with royal icing. They are perfect to make for gifts and you can also use lollipop sticks to make cookie pops with this recipe. ~ KidSpotKitchen

…these muffins taste amazing and look beautiful when arranged in a love heart. Decorate with pink icing and heart sprinkles! ~ KidSpotKitchen

Family Fun: Craft and Activity Ideas

Songs and Music


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Family Reading Club

We’re BACK! Join the Sunday Gummy Bear Family Reading Club! Spend an hour Sunday mornings with The Learning Exchange for stories, songs, craft time and parent resources to engage you and your child with fun interactive stories starting with a fun Halloween-themed dress-up day October 31st!

Registration

You can register for all Sunday sessions or just one or two. You will receive a Zoom link for the session/s after you register. FREE for all families! Children registered will receive* a free Gummy Bear activity bag, complete with the items needed for the weekly craft!

Date and theme:

Gummy Bear Song

Gummy Bear Activity Bags

Children will receive a Gummy Bear Club membership certificate, Gummy Bear jellies, a Scholastic book, craft supplies for weekly crafts, and Gummy Bear ears to wear for each Sunday morning reading! *Quantities are limited

*Gummy Bear Activity Bags (quantities limited) can be picked up, in advance, in the Laval area. You will receive more information after registration.

Gummy Bear ears made by Party Ears, one of TLE’s literacy supporters


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Welcome to TLE’s Storytime for some Halloween-themed fun.

Featured Story: Pop-Up Peekaboo! Pumpkin

Can you find Little Black Cat and her friends hiding under the flaps? Let’s look behind the cauldron. You better watch out! They might jump out at you. ~ by DK

Craft Activity: Halloween Treat Bag

Design your own Halloween Treat bag:

Materials needed:

  • craft glue and/or glue stick
  • assorted foam shapes and pieces
  • assorted googly craft eyes
  • Halloween stickers
  • small paper bag
  • assorted decorative craft items
  • Halloween goodies

Directions:

  1. Select foam pieces and stickers to decorate your treat bag.
  2. Use craft glue to attach them to the bag.
  3. Add eyes and fun craft items to finish your creation.
  4. Fill your treat bag with goodies!
  5. Seal the bag with a sticker.
  6. Give the treat bag to a friend or family member.

Related Stories Online

This story is about a little girl who is a witch, and it’s fair to say that it’s more sweet than spooky.

Recipes

Cooking with your kids can help boost their development:

Increases language development

Enhances fine motor skills

Improves reading development

Introduces children to science and math skills

Vocabulary


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To encourage family literacy in the home, ABC Life Literacy Canada is encouraging Canadian families to have “15 Minutes of Fun” learning together. Learning can happen at any time. Practicing literacy together for just 15 minutes a day has tremendous benefits for both children and parents. Here are some great ways to get started:

  1. Create your own comic strip about your family.
  2. Invent two new endings to your favourite book.
  3. Make up a new recipe together and post it online.
  4. Tell knock-knock jokes together while doing the dishes.
  5. Sing five songs really, really loud!
  6. Invent a new game while playing at the park.
  7. Read a story to your pet (or favourite toy).
  8. Make a paper fortune teller with eight fortunes.
  9. Write a silly poem and tell it to your family at dinner.
  10. Log on to your favourite word game – can you beat your best score?
  11. Create your family tree.
  12. Play rhyming “I Spy” – “I spy something that rhymes with…”
  13. Play a board game together.
  14. Text your friend and tell them about your holiday.
  15. Find 15 things that begin with the letter “S”.

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

TLE’s Cat-in-the-Hat Returns: Storytime in the Community project will take place in an informal, supportive, story-rich environment with guidance from family literacy volunteers, storytellers, educators, authors and facilitators. Community family literacy events will include Cat-in-the-Hat themed reading events and parent information sessions, pyjama storytelling nights, interactive school reading visits, author’s visits, and How-to-Make a Fabulous Writing Kit workshops, to name a few. As well, family literacy team members, wearing Dr. Suess T-shirts and fun accessories, will visit schools and daycares in the Laval area to generate excitement around reading. The objective of this project is to strengthen family literacy practices within the community ultimately impacting school perseverance and the literacy level of children 0-12 years old through early and ongoing reading interventions. Through informative and fun prevention and intervention activities TLE will develop a synergy between the community, the school network and partners in order to bring family literacy resources, support and services to families. These amazing experiences will inspire the whole family and excite young minds, making the project integral to the English-speaking community.

OBJECTIVES

In 2018/2019, impact the literacy level of children 0-12 years old by reaching 2000+ families/children in the Laval and Northshore community through innovative family literacy services/events, parent support, improved access to storybooks and family literacy resources, resulting in good literacy practices in the home.

  • Strengthen family literacy practices within community
  • Impact school perseverance and success through early reading interventions
  • Instil a love of learning and a desire to read together as a family

STORYTIME & STORYTELLING EVENTS

  • Cat-in-the-Hat themed reading and storytelling events
  • Parent information and resources sessions
  • Pyjama Storytime nights for the family
  • Interactive school reading visits
  • Book distribution within the community of free English children’s books and Family Literacy information
  • Family literacy themed workshops and information for example: How-to-Make a Fabulous Writing Kit

PURPOSE/IMPACT

  • Help develop interest in reading/writing among children and their parents, including early learning for children aged 0-5:
  • Help to instil a love of reading and learning at an early age
  • Teach participants how to integrate good literacy practices in their home with their children
  • Support new immigrant families and parents with low literacy skills: Provide innovative literacy instruction to parents/families in need, to be able to read and animate family literacy activities at home
  • Help parents learn to be more comfortable reading and telling stories to their children
  • Widely distribute English storybooks within the community to children and their families
  • Increase public awareness and sensitization to the importance of early reading and writing practices at home
  • Provide storytime workshop sessions to parents/families and their children to help establish family reading and writing practices at home
  • Inspire families to learn together: Help families create reading/writing kits for use at home with their children

 

A LEARNING EXCHANGE project funded through:


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The Cat in the Hat is BACK at SWLSB!

We had another fun Story Time in the Community at Twin Oaks Elementary School in Laval!
Story time events take place in the evening making it fun for all to wear pyjamas, robes and slippers…and don’t forget the teddy bears and other stuffed animals. The Cat-in the-Hat is always on hand to greet and interact with the families!

We had lots of fun stations for the children and their parents or other family members to visit:

  • Making a bookmark
  • Interactive stories in the reading tent
  • Word and alphabet puzzles
  • Exchange-a-Book
  • Story Wall drawings
  • Pick-a-Book
  • For parents: Creating a Writing Kit | Two kits were drawn for two lucky winners

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