P is for pigeon: A simple way to build phonemic awareness skills

Well, move over David, there's a new favorite on the bookshelf this week. 

Since this past October (when baby bookworm turned 10 months), she has been fascinated with the "p-p-p" sound.  I think her fascination began with a 1st trip to the pumpkin patch and the numerous pumpkin books that followed.  Every time we would pass a pumpkin on someone's stoop while we were out on walk she would exclaim "p-p-p" and I would say, "yes, a pumpkin! You're so smart" (or some other obnoxious proud-mother remark).  Now that baby bookworm is a little older we have been working on associating these sounds that she makes naturally with the corresponding letters - another phonemic awareness activity (for a similar activity see the Nursery Rhymes post).  Yes, baby bookworm is a little young to completely understand the full spectrum of phonemic awareness skills (knowing when two words rhyme, knowing if words begin with the same sound, understanding syllables, and knowing that words are composed of sounds and these sounds can be blended together to form words), BUT I figured she does know that a word like pumpkin begins with "p-p-p"... why not associate the letter with that sound?  A letter is just another symbol, and she can identify lots of symbols.  Plus, and most importantly, there's lots of research showing that phonemic awareness activities can enhance reading ability.  So, what better way to introduce a phonemic awareness activity than with a book!  She is a baby bookworm, after all. 

So....books highlighting the letter p, that are fun, easy to read, and have a simple story line.  Hmm.....I am a huge fan of Mo Willems' "words and pictures" and knew of these pigeon books but we had never read them.  So on our usual Monday trip to the library we checked out 3 of his books in the pigeon series: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! (board book).                                          .

We read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog first.  This is a book where you can use lots of expression and really develop your own pigeon character (because he has quite the big personality).  I emphasized to baby bookworm that the main character was a "p"igeon and that word started with the letter "p" and makes the p..p..p sound like pumpkin.  Then we read The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too....a perfect book to teach baby bookworm about the differences among happy, sad, and angry feelings.  She loved my happy, sad, and grrrr...angry faces and even tried to make her own (how cute).  Then I asked her what makes her happy, sad, and angry?  But answered myself, of course.  With this book, again, I highlighted that pigeon starts with the letter "p".  Then last but not least, we read the The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, and this is where I let the message drive home since this book has wonderful "p" sounds in it (like puppy, piggy-back, possibilities).  After reading the book one time through, I showed baby bookworm where all of the letter p's where in the book (and puppy has 3 that we could count!).  We practiced saying "p...p...p" and as I read each p word, I emphasized the p sound.  Then, on baby bookworm's Alphabet letter chart (a great find at the Dollar Tree) I pointed out the letter P.  After a few times, she could correctly identify the letter P on the chart!  Of course, I let the "p" lesson go throughout the rest of the day.....I played the Pigeon song from Sesame Street, she ate pudding for snack, and we (well, mostly me but she did help) tried to find p words in magazines. 

So if your baby bookworm-to-be has a favorite sound.....go with it!  Make the whole day "brought to you by" that letter.  Here's the books that helped us have a day of the letter P. 

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
Words and Pictures by Mo Willems
A picture book about the pigeon wanting a puppy, until he realizes what having a puppy is all about.

The Pigeon Finda a Hot Dog!
Words and Pictures by Mo Willems
A picture book about the pigeon who doesn't want to share his hot dog with a duckling.

The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!
Words and Pictures by Mo Willems
A board book (smidgeon of pigeon) about the pigeon and a bus driver who tricks him into showing us his happy face.

For information about other Mo Willems' books, check out his website at:

http://www.mowillems.com/



Tubby Time Books and More: Learning From Books Anywhere, Anytime

You should choose a comfortable place to read to your baby bookworm, and chose a time when your baby bookworm is fed, rested, and attentive.  HOGWASH.  OK, so according to my educational psychology books this is the "proper" way that a shared storybook session should go down, but in reality I don't really believe this is the only way that a child can learn through storybooks.  Yes, baby bookworm and I do have a "formal" story time in the morning after she eats breakfast (so she is fed, rested, and attentive) but we share many teachable book moments throughout the day.  I learned from one of my professors in graduate school that to be a “good” instructor (or teacher, have you) you must take whatever conditions you are given (such as a small classroom, not enough materials, or sometimes in my case a long line at the supermarket and a cranky baby), apply the appropriate method (or delivery strategy) necessary to get the desired outcome (whether that be factual knowledge or some kind of problem solving strategy).  So, in other words, I shouldn’t worry too much about my fussy baby bookworm in the back seat of my car or that I selected the cheapest book that I could find (i.e., at The Dollar Tree) because a good educator’s main task is to find the appropriate method of instruction, given particular conditions, to achieve a desired learning outcome or goal.  I guess that sums up the magic of this thing we call learning!  It can occur even in the darndest places and most unique situations.

So, having said that, baby bookworm and I have stumbled upon some unique reading environments outside of our regular morning story time (which occurs next to her very own “library”).  Here’s just a few situations where baby bookworm learned from books in the darndest places:

1)      In the car.  I keep a stash of board books in the front seat of our SUV.  Why? So that when baby bookworm starts screaming as I’m trying to drive from point A to point B, I can pass a book back to her for her enjoyment, entertainment, and my peace of mind.  Not every book is best suited for a car ride though.  Board books work best because they are small, sturdy, and easily memorized (so you can read them to baby without having to READ them). I have found that Sandra Boynton’s books work best.  So, I tell baby bookworm to open the book and then I “read” it (from memory).  My baby bookworm even knows now when to turn the pages because she has memorized the books too. Often times I’ll say, “What comes next?” and she’ll moooo or whatever comes next!  Now, of course, I don’t recommend this strategy necessarily as you’re driving on I-95, but use your best judgment.  Here’s a few of our favorite Sandra Boynton books. 

Moo, Baa, La La La

The Going to Bed Book

Belly Button Book

Fifteen Animals (even has a downloadable song)

2)      Waiting in line for anything. I have found that the first word books work well in these situations.  Again, there’s not much to “read” BUT there is a lot to learn.  So, I stash a board book in my purse as I head into a store.  This past fall, our favorite was Fall (not so ironically) – a bright baby touch and feel book.  The great thing, though, about these books is that your baby bookworm can associate the word with the picture but also with other things you see in your environment.  So, with a book like My First Words, baby bookworm can point to the boy in the picture, then if we see a boy in the store, I can say, “hey, look over there, there is a boy.  Just like in our book.”  Yes, thanks to this book, I was convinced my then 11 month old was boy crazy because she loved to point and say “boy”. 

3)      In the bath tub.  My baby bookworm loves the bath to begin with, but once she realized that someone created books that she can get wet, she loves it even more!  The other day I picked up two bath books at the dollar store that have been a big hit. One is a book about opposites, the other is a book about colors.  They have kept her entertained and learning. I think it’s wonderful obviously to read all of the up and coming children’s books, the good ol’ classics, and the award winners, but you can STILL learn from a book that you got at the dollar store, Walmart, or Target. Amen.

So, the moral of this post is…..learning can happen anywhere!  While it may happen ideally snuggled up next to your baby bookworm right before bed – that’s not to say it can’t happen otherwise. You just need to be creative.

Part of Baby Bookworms "Library"

Nursery Rhymes: Helping Your Child to Build Critical Reading Readiness Skills

As a child I LOVED nursery rhymes and I credit this in part to a truly magical place known as Story Book Forest located in Idlewild, a small amusement park.  For a baby bookworm like myself, Story Book Forest was one of the coolest places on earth.  Nestled in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania, it is a place where the nursery rhymes literally come to life.  Here are pictures from a recent visit of some of the classic nursery rhymes.

Jack and Jill

Humpty Dumpty

Hickory Dickory Dock

Old King Cole

So, having had this childhood love (and slight obsession really) with nursery rhymes, I had to get baby bookworm a copy of "The Real" Mother Goose - the same book of nursery rhymes that I had as a young girl.  She not only needed this book so that when we took that first trip to Idlewild Park she would recognize some of mommy's favorite rhymes, but turns out, she needed it because nursery rhymes aid in a child's development of phonemic awareness. And mommy bookworm knew that, and now so do you.  But why is that important?  Well, phonemic awareness, or the ability to distinguish the sounds within words, can be learned through rhyming words.  More importantly, phonemic awareness happens to be related to reading ability. So Mother Goose is really a win win situation for my baby bookworm and yours!

I try to read a few nursery rhymes to baby bookworm each day.  She seems to love them, no doubt thanks to their sing-songy silliness.  Now that baby bookworm is a little older, I have been trying to specifically point out the rhyming words to her, and we even go over them on a chalkboard.  If your child is even older than mine, maybe he or she can think up their own original nursery rhyme.

Here are a few of our favorite collections:

The Real Mother Goose
Illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright
This is a very complete collection of some very well known, and less well known nursery rhymes.

My First Real Mother Goose Board Book
Written and Illustrated by Blanche F. Wright

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: And Other Favorite Bedtime Rhymes (Board Book)
Illustrated by Sanja Rescek

Humpty Dumpty and Other Nursery Rhymes
Better Than Broccoli Books

Here's a few other books with great children's rhymes:

A Children's Book of Verse
Illustrated by Eric Kincaid
A collection of children's poetry accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

Poems for the Very Young
Selected by Michael Rosen and Illustrated by Bob Graham

A colorful collection of poetry and rhymes including both classic and modern writers.