Well, here we are...back-to-school time again...albeit from home (for us)! Whether you're heading back in-person or staying home, I'm sure there are many kids out there who are nervous about this new school year, especially those starting school for the first time. In a previous blog post I shared a lovely book that helped my youngest with her transition to school. Since then, I have discovered so many more books that are wonderful for parents and teachers to share at the beginning of the school year.
I hope this list of 10 books inspires excitement about returning to school! Let me know in the comments which book you love for back-to-school. (Click blog title to read full post)
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One of the new year's promises I made to myself and my family this year was that there would be less iPad time and I mean to keep it! Yes, they still get to play every now and again, but I have noticed that this month it's something they ask for less than ever before. How are we doing it? With help from some awesome toys that are educational, engaging and challenging!
Our friends at The Learning Journey International sent us some toys to play with, and I was fascinated by what happened!
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If you have followed me for some time now then you know I am passionate about reading aloud to children. The benefits are numerous, not just for the child but also for the reader (you and me!). So, you can imagine how excited I am that Feb. 5, 2020 is a day when readers all around the world will celebrate the act of reading aloud by making an extra special effort to read to someone, anyone, out loud!
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It's been a while since I last posted, and with the beginning of a new year I always feel like taking some time to set personal goals. Notice how I said goals, not new year's resolutions? Sometimes you gotta just put things out into the universe in order to manifest them into reality. Here goes!
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I hope you're all keeping up with your summer reads...it's Week 4 of our Soar Into Summer Reading program! Have you read "Ice Cream Summer" by Peter Sis yet? Check to see if your library has a copy you can borrow or just read along with me in the video! I hadn't read this book before and I was pleased to have really enjoyed reading it with my girls. We loved pointing out all of the different sweet treats on each page and we did learn some ice creams facts, i.e. that it was invented over 3,000 years ago!
My #1 takeaway from this story is that it is written as a letter from a little boy to his grandfather and that got me thinking about encouraging my littles to write a letter to someone. My 1st grader learned letter writing in school so I have put them to task and each will write a letter to a friend this week. Try it with your kids - everyone loves getting a letter or card in the mail!
Check out these resources for letter-writing tips:
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Have you heard of the dreaded 'Summer Slide' before? I'm NOT talking about the slide your kids want to play on this summer! Many children, especially early and/or struggling readers, lose a lot of progress they may have made during the school year if they don't read over the summer break. They may 'slide' out of practice and find it even more challenging to get back to where they were during the previous school year. Pretty much every expert recommends that parents prioritize reading as a summertime activity. So let's do it together!
I found this very informative article from Scholastic with 3 tips to prevent the summer slide:
Reading just 6 books over the summer could (click blog post title to continue reading)
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Hello everyone! Looking to motivate your kids to keep reading through the summer? I am too, so I've decided to launch a kids book club on Facebook (Story Time With Michele - Book Club) and, in collaboration with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), I'll have a suggested summer reading list for all of your PreK - Grade 3 readers. Beginning June 4, week by week I'll post a video of each book read aloud. If you can't find the book at your library or book shop, no need to worry as I will also include subtitles on the videos so that your child can read along with me!
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It's Mother's Day and I want to send some special love to all the mamas out there working hard for their families and raising healthy, bright children! Just wanted to say that I think you're doing a great job :)
I'd like to share a special little tribute to my mom, too. She has battled breast cancer twice and is very lucky to now celebrate 5 years cancer-free.
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As a mom of 2 girls whose birthdays are within 5 days of each other I am fully committed to throwing only 1 birthday party for the both of them. We'll see how long they let me get away with that! Last birthday theme was unanimous: Moana! Thankfully, it's pretty easy to locate and create 'luau' styled decorations so it was really up to me how far I was willing to take it...which was pretty far! I don't know who gets more excited about putting together a party, them or me! (Click blog title to read more!)
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Hi everyone! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted but I’M BACK! And I’m super excited to share my latest project, Story Time With Michele! I’ve had so many fans reach out to me over the past year recounting special, touching family memories involving The Good Night Show. Thank you for continuing to share those stories with me. Sadly, I can’t bring the show back since it was never mine in the first place. I have, however, figured out a way to stay connected to children in a meaningful way. The Story Time channel on Youtube is my first attempt at creating something, on my very own, for kids.
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First off, THANK YOU to all the loyal Good Night Show fans whose love for the show has led you to follow and support me!
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I’m not sure if you saw this video circulating Facebook a couple of weeks ago, but when I did I knew I had to try it. I don’t normally take the leap from ‘like’ to ‘do’ when I see these videos (the majority of which are...
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Are you preparing for the first day of school this week or next? Both of my girls are truly excited to get back to school, see their friends, and dive into new adventures. But, it wasn’t always this easy, I do remember...
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