Tickled Pink

For a good while now, I’ve been doing a monthly program called Tickled Pink.  On the first Tuesday of each month, I have simple storytime, craft, and playtime for young children ages 1-5.  I focus on one of the six early literacy skills each month. 

One of the reasons I started the program was my preschool storytime on Tuesdays dwindled.  I would have 2-3 children each time if any came at all.  My Lil’ Peeps storytime on Thursdays for young children was growing.  So, I decided to have the special monthly event for them.  Sometimes I get quite a crowd, but other times I get a very small showing. 

Today, we focused on the narrative skill.  We read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert and All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle.  We sang Once There Was a Snowman, and we recited the fingerplay about the chubby snowman.  Then, we crafted snowpeople.  We stapled three paper plates together, distributed cut out shapes, and packing peanuts.  The kids had a great time gluing things on their plates.  Afterward, there was a playtime with the early literacy toys I received from a Contra Costa First 5 grant a few years ago.

Some of my favorite resources for this:

Crafty Kids by Rosie Hankin – nice, simple projects.  I often precut, and the kids assemble – not the best way to use imagination, but fun once in awhile

Big Book of Stories, Songs, and Sing Alongs by Beth Maddigan has some nice, simple crafts

Vocabulary – Early Literacy Skill

I like to track things to help me with early literacy education.  I heard an interesting news clip several months ago, and I wanted to document it before I forgot!  The clip cites a 1995 study indicating that young children with a large vocabulary have a better chance at doing well in school.  The story goes on to tout a new device called a LENA which will track the amount of words a child hears in a day.  I don’t really advocate this expensive device; I don’t think it is necessary.  However, it is necessary for parents and caregivers to talk to their children.  Books are a great tool for giving parents vocabulary for their children to hear.  Back to the study – it says that the during the first four years of life, children should hear 25 million words or 17,000 words a day.  Very interesting…