IMG_9123Now that school is in full swing and the leaves are getting ready to fall, we’ll all be spending more time around the fireplace (or the kitchen table). If you’re not already in the habit, can I suggest you GET in the habit of reading fun things with/to your kids?
Whatever else you may think of Theodore Geisel, you have to admit he was a genius with vocabulary (and, like another wordsmith, Wm. Shakespeare, he made up lots of it!) We all know The Cat in the Hat, and Red Fish, Blue Fish, which are great for teaching word sounds and rhyme patterns, but there are other hidden gems for slightly older kids that are just as much fun to read aloud.
Take a look at To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street (my first encounter with Dr. Seuss, at age 8 or 9), Horton Hatches the Egg (“I said what I meant and I meant what I said. An elephant’s faithful, 100 percent.”) or The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins. And Seuss is great for slightly older kids, too. Once your student is old enough to discuss concepts like racism, war, and the like, The Lorax, Sneeches, and the Butter Battle Book will be great conversation starters.
And though we see it on TV every holiday season, pull out How the Grinch Stole Christmas and have a discussion about what’s really important: “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t COME from a store!”
Grab some cider and donuts and have a family Seuss-fest this weekend.
