::::::::
If every parent even did #2, I believe we could change the world in one generation. Nurturing young people cannot be overemphasized; the return for the investment is infinitely and immeasurably greater than all the wailing and gnashing of teeth we presently do to in our seemingly futile efforts to alter the course of human history.Living off the grid as my family did, when my two sons were younger, limiting tv was not too difficult in our home, though I admit it did drive them to visit friends more often. And I did read a lot to them, but in retrospect if there is one thing I would have done differently, it's read a lot more to them. Being sure I had several books from the library all the time, and a regular time to read, such as after dinner, would be at the top of my list for raising kids.
Thus when I saw Jane Stillwater's article today, I was prompted to type up the following, which has been sitting by my computer for probably six months. I consider it a plug for Houghton Mifflin books, so I trust they won't sue me for plagiarism--indeed, they deserve great credit for putting these ideas to print, and I hope you'll feel free to pass them around. Thus it is with slight modification, that the passages below are taken from a Houghton Miffflin book, titled Whales, that is part of their Soar to Success Program:
Adults greatly influence a child's attitude toward reading. When a child sees you read, or when you share a book with a child, you're sending a message that reading is important. Show your child that reading a book together is important to you. Find a comfortable, quiet place. Turn off the television and limit other distractions like telephone calls.
Be prepared to start slowly. Take turns reading parts of the book. Stop and talk about what you're reading. Talk about the photographs. You may find that much of the share time is spent discussing just a few pages. This discussion time is valuable for both of you, so don't move through the book too quickly. If your child begins to lose interest, stop reading. Continue sharing the book at another time. When you do pick up the book again, be sure to revisit the parts you have already read. Most importantly, enjoy the book!
Encourage your child to be a word detective and search for the words as you read the book together. Talk about what the words mean and how they are used in the sentence. Do any of these words have more than one meaning?Use questions to make sure your child understands the information in this book. Here are some suggestions:
What did this paragraph tell us? What does this picture show? What do you think we'll learn about next? How are whales different from fish? How do whales breathe? What do whales eat? How is a whale family like your family and how is it different? How does echolocation work? What do you think it's like living in the ocean? What is your favorite part of the book? Why?
No doubt the ideas above will spark countless others of your own. The only other point I'd add (after 20 years in the elementary classroom) is to go slowly and with emphasis and variation. It is extremely easy to read in a fast monotone that loses a child's interest, when they can't process the words and ideas coming their way.
(My third and fourth ideas for helping with a child's education, should anyone be interested, is to regularly do things with kids and keep your eyes out for educational toys.)
