Encourage your Child to Read

Reading is a rewarding activity for people of all ages. Reading is a skill that children develop in school with expert instruction. Children can also learn a great deal about reading from their peers. Children learn best when they are having fun and books that trigger their imagination and love of action and adventure work best for encouraging reading. But reading can be difficult. Here are some strategies to encourage children to use when reading:

1. Skipping: This means skipping over difficult words. Skipping words allows readers to continue reading. You might want to encourage your reader to make note of the difficult words.
2. Stretching: This means encouraging your reader to sound out the word or stretch the pronunciation of each consonant and vowel.
3. Summarizing: It is good practice to encourage your reader to summarize what they have read after a few pages. 
4. Thinking aloud: This is about encouraging your reader to verbally think through what they have read. You can also use this as an opportunity to have your reader clarify certain points in the story.
5. Visualizing: Ask your reader about their mental images of the text. Help them create images or assist them in correcting images. Words form images in minds and if a word is misinterpreted your reader may have a radically different image. You can help your reader correct different images.

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.

Reading Helps Children Become Independent Learners

ONCEKids, the publisher of the Fujimini Island Adventure Series, understands that the goal of teaching reading involves helping children become independent learners. Reading is a skill that requires children to venture into new worlds and learn. Being an independent learner does not mean learning alone but it does mean that students receive effective instruction before they wander into books. What does effective instruction look like when it comes to teaching reading?

1. Teacher modeling: This involves combining explicit, direct instruction with discussion. 
2. Scaffolding: This means building from what students know. A great way to scaffold is to do pre-reading diagrams or mind mapping. 
3. Group practice: After instruction and mind mapping, pairs or small groups read texts together. This helps students learn more reading strategies from their fellow students.
4. Peer teaching: Invite students to become teachers. This helps engage students in the task of reading gives them the power to help form reading strategies together.
5. Integration: This basically means combining all of the above strategies with writing and read-alouds.

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.

E-books are the future! Celebrate with ONCEKids!

Borders Bookstore, with over 19,000 employees and stores in nearly every state, is having financial difficulty. Sales at Borders have been declining over the past five years and they have posted losses for each earning period. Borders is in the process of closing 30% of its stores. Interestingly, Barnes & Noble has posted gains and continues to do a brisk business. Why is Borders having problems and not Barnes & Noble? Experts say it has much to do with the rise of e-books and Barnes & Noble’s success at marketing their e-book readers. Barnes & Noble’s claims to have had a great holiday season and attributes their profit to high e-book reader sales. E-books are the future of reading.

ONCEKids recognizes the power of e-books. ONCEKids will be launching their Fujimini Island Adventure Series books on iBook. Young children will be able to enjoy the series digitally.

Stay tuned for the launch date!

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.

The Power of iPads!

iPads are making a splash in education in a big way. One school district in New York placed iPads in all their humanities classes. Students learn about history and the arts through interactive games, puzzles and books. Some people have questioned the value of using iPads in the classroom. Detractors have commented that there is very little statistical proof that computers in the classroom have improved learning. Additionally, detractors have commented that in our age of steep budget cuts iPads seem like an extravagance. But many educators are singing the praises of iPads and are distributing to kids starting in kindergarten. Some educators have indicated that there are thousands of uses for iPads and that iPads are undoubtedly beneficial in streamlining education regardless of the lack of studies.

ONCEKids recognizes the power of iPads. ONCEKids will be launching their Fujimini Island Adventure Series books on iBook. Young children will be able to enjoy the series digitally.

Stay tuned for the launch date!

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.

Holiday Fun with Your Family

Looking for a great activity to share with your kids during this holiday season? How about dusting off those snazzy aprons and stirring up some cheer and warm memories. Cook with your kids and prepare for a wonderful time. Here are some benefits of cooking with your kids:

Allowing your kids to help with the cooking gives them a strong sense of contributing to the family’s well being. Cooking is an important daily activity that provides nourishment to the family. When kids help with this activity they feel important and needed.

Cooking helps sharpen their reading skills and ability to follow directions. Find an easy to follow recipe or modify an existing recipe and read along with your child. Point out new words, phrases and use the opportunity to start a conversation with your child.

Cooking explores creativity and imagination. Don’t be afraid to veer from a recipe. Cooking requires thought and improvisation. Allow your child to think of yummy ingredients to add to a recipe. Let your child’s imagination reign in the kitchen.

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.

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Holiday Cooking with your Kids

The holidays are right around the corner and kids are excited about sweets, parties and ribbon wrapped gifts. Want a great holiday activity with your child that triggers thinking and encourages reading? Try cooking with your kids. Here are some great benefits of cooking with your children.

Cooking helps children learn about food or nutrition. Even if you are making cookies kids can learn a great deal about the benefits of good food. By teaching kids to cook you are instilling a respect for food that will have lasting benefits through adulthood.

Cooking can help children gain self-confidence. Cooking is a task and like any task a successful completion can create boost in esteem and pride. Let your child help with holiday dinners and make them feel great about themselves.

Cooking carves out time to bond with your child. Cooking with your child creates warm memories that they will cherish for many years to come. Pull out those recipes and the aprons and set to work building a wonderful experience for you and your child.

For more family ideas, please visit: www.ONCEKids.com