Every year, on January 27, families and communities across Canada celebrate ABC Canada’s Family Literacy Day.  There are special literacy-themed events coordinated by literacy organizations, schools and libraries.  You’ll find details at the ABC Canada website

 http://www.abc-canada.org/fld/

Are you familiar with the five finger rule?

This simple procedure might be the easiest way to decide if the chapter book your child is reading is ‘right’ for his or her reading level.  Ask your child to read a page aloud.  Each time he struggles with a word, he should raise one finger.  If he raises five or more fingers per page, the book is too difficult.  However, if he raises fewer than five fingers, the book is probably a good choice. 

Ideally, we would like our children to choose books the same way Goldilocks would; we’d like them to select books that are ‘just right’ rather than ‘too difficult’ or ‘too easy’ but ‘easy’ can be relaxing – a bit like browsing through a magazine. 

Remember, if a chapter book is too difficult for your child to read independently, it might be perfect for you to read aloud.  

When your child gets stuck on an unfamiliar word, here are some strategies we’d like her to use... 

Winter finger plays and rhymes (sources unknown)

 Five Little Snowmen

Five little snowmen happy and gay

The first one said, “What a lovely day.” 

The second one said, “We’ll never have tears.”

The third one said, “We’ll stay for years.”

The fourth one said, “But what happens in May?”

The fifth one said, “Look! We’re melting away.”

The Mitten Song

“Thumb in the thumb place

Fingers all together”

This is the song we sing in mitten weather,

When it’s cold

It doesn’t matter whether

Mittens are wool

Or made of finest leather.

This is the song we sing in mitten weather.

“Thumb in the thumb place

Fingers all together!”

Valentine’s Day Finger Plays and Songs (sources unknown)

 If You're Friendly...

Sung to: "If you're happy and you know it"

If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're friendly and you know it, and you really want to show it,

If you're friendly and you know it, clap your hands!

Four Friends

Two little friends are better than one

(Hold up two fingers on left hand and one finger on right hand)

Three are better than two

(Three fingers on left hand, two on right hand).

And four are much better still

(Four fingers on left hand)

Just think what four friends can do!

Five Pretty Valentines

Five Pretty Valentines waiting at the store.

(name) bought one and then there were four.

Four pretty Valentines shaped like a "V"

(name) bought one and then there were three.

Three pretty Valentines said "I love you"

(name) bought one then there were two.

Two pretty Valentines, this was so much fun.

(name) bought one and then there was one.

One pretty Valentine sitting on the shelf.

I felt sorry for it, So I bought it for myself

Storytime Standouts is part of three Webrings; the Early Childhood Webring, the Children’s Literature Gathering Webring and the Canadian Book Ring.

If you find this newsletter and site helpful, I do hope you will consider supporting it by purchasing a book (or many books!) through Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

Happy New Year!

Carolyn Hart