Literacy in the LibraryTOOLS FOR INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME LIFELONG READERS AND LEARNERS |
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Book FeastNovember/December 2008The smell of fresh baked pumpkin pie coming out of the oven. The fragrance of apple and cinnamon as you ladle hot cider into a warm mug. With the holiday season approaching, our thoughts turn to spending time with family and friends and food is often at the center of many of our celebrations. Food is also a great way to grow your child’s vocabulary! Vocabulary, knowing the names of things, is an essential skill for children when they’re learning to read. The more words children hear, the more ready they’ll be to make connections when they read. One way to grow your child’s vocabulary is to talk about daily activities in detail and involve your child. On your next trip to the grocery store, you can say something like, "We're going to buy some fruit. Look at all of the shiny apples. Can you say apple? Let’s get three Golden Delicious apples. Help me count -- one, two, three!" Cooking together is another great way to expand your child’s vocabulary. If you’re making cookies, name and describe each ingredient as it goes into the mixing bowl. “Here comes the white flour and next the brown sugar. Let’s mix the flour and sugar together!” If cooking with your preschooler sounds like fun, but you don’t know where to start, try Mollie Katzen’s preschool cookbooks Pretend Soup and Salad People. Katzen, of Moosewood cookbook fame, includes several healthy, kid-tested recipes along with tips for adults on how to encourage kids’ creativity in the kitchen. Looking for a good food-related read aloud to share? Toddlers will enjoy Linnea Riley’s Mouse Mess, the story of a little mouse with a big appetite! Preschool picky eaters will find a friend in Benny, the hero of Alan Durant’s Burger Boy, who hates vegetables and eats nothing but hamburgers. No matter if you’re cooking or reading together, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to share lots of new vocabulary with your child this holiday season and each new word you share helps your child get ready to read! By Ann Schwab, Senior Librarian, Central Children's Library, the Denver Public Library
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