God Gave Us The World

Reading is an extremely important past time in our house and I'm always on the lookout for quality material to add to our ever growing collection of books.  I recently had the opportunity to review a wonderful piece written by Lisa Tawn Bergren.   God Gave Us the World is a book filled with Biblical principles, child-friendly prose, and a celebration of diversity.  The story centers around Little Cub and her mother as they visit a museum filled with exhibits celebrating bears from around the globe.  As Little Cub contemplates the many differences she sees, she begins to wonder why so many of the bears are so vastly different from her.  Her mother explains that, as the creator of this world, God chose to fill it with incredible diversity so that we would understand both how amazing He truly is and the scope of His love for us.  The unique celebration of differences we see in the world shows us the extent of His power and provides us with unending beauty to appreciate during our time here. 

I was particularly impressed with the author's ability to discuss such an expansive topic in a very child-friendly way, touching on everything from geography, to physical characteristics, to individual likes and dislikes. She does a very good job of implying that these differences are to be celebrated and can make for strong and lasting friendships.   The illustrations are colorful and whimsical and perfectly suited for this story.  All 4 of my children (from almost 7 to almost 2 yrs.) enjoyed this book and have requested it numerous times since our first reading.  I have also used it in our collection of works for my 1st grader's reading practice.

You can purchase God Gave Us the World for $10.99 from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  You can also stop by and visit them on Facebook :-)

* Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of this review.  All views expressed are based on my own honest experience with this book.

Why Won't Our Boys Read?

Having trouble getting your boys to read? Check out this wonderful article in the Wall Street Journal titled "How to Raise Boys Who Read (Hint: Not with gross-out books and video game bribes)". Though not entirely surprising information, it's a good read and reinforces what most moms of boys already know deep down...the reading gender gap between boys and girls these days is due less to the content of reading material and more to the amount of time many of our kiddos spend "plugged in" to things like video games and the internet.

My philosophy? If you don't start them on the road to mindless electronic stimulation, they won't be sucked into the timeless vortex that seems to help many children fritter away the day. Enough of my soap box for today...I don't know how long this article will be available on the WSJ website, so be sure to check it out now. It really is great stuff!

Stepping Stones Together Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review a wonderful reading program created by Erika Burton, Ph.D. called Stepping Stones Together. This particular program was created as a valuable parent-child resource for developing beginning reading skills and is designed for children between the ages of 3 and 7. My husband and I firmly believe in encouraging a love of books and learning from a very early age and have used many different techniques to do so with our 4 little ones. Although reading came very naturally to our oldest son (now 6), I was anxious to try the Stepping Stones Together program with my 4 year old to see if it would be another effective tool to add to our teaching arsenal (Note: Although our children do attend school outside of the home, we believe that learning starts at home and are always looking for ways to supplement what they receive in the formal classroom).

The Stepping Stones Together program teaches children to read using high frequency words that are used every day (often referred to as "sight words") and have been found to make up 58-75% of all words in children's books . One thing I really like about this program is that your child can choose the particular reading topic in the series that peaks his/her interest, whether it be animals, sports, fairies, superheroes, or a whole host of other subjects. As with all learning, when a subject matter, in this case words, is learned in a meaningful context that the child enjoys, it happens faster and easier and tends to be retained with increased accuracy.

Once your child has selected the topic that interests him/her, you can print the black & white formatted 8-9 page book from your computer. With 4 little ones, I love that the books can also be saved in PDF files for future use! For optimal retention and to help develop fluidity of reading, it is recommended that you spend more than a few days on each book with your child and that each reading session take roughly 15-20 minutes. I used a progression format in which I read the entire book to my son the first 2 times (as he followed along), he assisted me with familiar words the next 2 times, and finally, he tried sounding out the less familiar words on the final day or two (we chose to spend a week on each selection). The program also comes with flash cards, comprehension questions, and writing prompts, which seem to be quite helpful.

We had a wonderful time trying out the Stepping Stones Together program, and I look forward to not only continuing to use it with my 4 year old once the school year starts in a couple of weeks, but also using it with my other children in the future.

Try it for yourself: Stepping Stones Together is offering this program in 2 very affordable options. For $19.99 you can purchase their 60 Day Program (which actually gives you access for 90 days) or for $39.99 you can receive unlimited access for a whole year! Not sure if your child is ready for reading? Check out their helpful FAQs for some guidance.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The makers of this program provided me with access to the 60-day program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are based upon my own experiences and those of my son. No other compensation was received for this review.