Happy Birthday United States on this 4th of July! To celebrate with picture books, I hope you enjoy two picks with an Asian twist. Both families are immigrants from China. The children in each book , like all children of immigrants, straddle between two worlds trying to be “more-American-like-their-friends” while immersed in the culture and traditions from their home country. But what is lovely in both these books is an acceptance that there is no one correct way to celebrate being an American. This is a homage to the United States of America, the great melting pot nation. Happy Birthday!
Summer Curriculum to Boost Your Child’s Confidence
Use the unscheduled time this summer to strengthen your child’s weaknesses whether it’s social, academic or creative. What does that mean exactly? I’ll illustrate with my kids:
Best Non-Fiction for Kids: Fangs!
Fangs! is an appealing non-fiction series for preschoolers through 1st graders, particularly for reluctant young boy readers. The text is larger than most books and is composed in short sentences, usually about 3.
Top 10: Picture Books That Teach Life Lessons
I read the loveliest Top 10 Picture Books that Teach Life Lessons on the Simple Mom blog. She’s out on maternity leave so this post was from Simple Homeschool editor, Jamie Martin of Steady Mom. Click here for the link.
Teach Gratitude with A Small Child’s Book of Prayers
And so this book, A Small Child’s Book of Prayers, is especially sweet. It’s a collection of prayers (and really some are poems) but authors, poets and the anonymous authors of prayers that are especially well know. As in: I see the moon. And the moon sees me; God bless the moon. And God bless me.
Picture Book Teaches Perseverance Through Karate (ages 4-8)
Julie Black Belt, The Kung Fu Chronicles by Oliver Chin is the kind of picture book I wished we read as we were taking karate. I really like that the main character is a girl who has dreamy notions of becoming a black belt like her favorite movie star but gets daunted by the actual training. This is the reality of karate — it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Learn Alphabet in Spanish: Fun for Preschoolers!
Spanish Flashcards has a great post from the CleverLittlePeas. It’s a uTube video of the alphabet in Spanish. It’s fun for kids and best of all, it’s free.