Mini-Book Reading Log Merges Fun, Learning and Discernment

Fun Little Mini-Book Helps Children Keep Track of Their Favorite Reads.

Encourage children to read and log their titles with this easy to make mini-book reading log. Each page requires children to list the title and author of each book read as well as to determine if the book they read was uplifting or not. Kiddos simply circle the cross for a positive and uplifting book that helps encourage good Christian behavior, or they can circle the snake if the book left them feeling not so nice, or had a plot or characters that weren't very virtuous. This resource can help children practice discernment in their reading, which is a very valuable skill.

Download and see the full instructions on how to create our Mini-Book Reading Log.

Blessings, Kalei

Hands-On Literature and Reading Notebooking Pages

Interactive notebooking pages can help children keep track of what they read and their thoughts about it.

This eight-page download lovingly created by Shell from Thinking Love, No Twaddle blog is designed to help children track what they read or audio books they listen to by using notebooking sheets with distinct sections as well as illustrations of book covers.

Space has been left to glue in book cover pieces.  Some titles are included in this educational download to get you started. Art loving learners could also draw in their own version of book covers, the author, or even a favorite scene from the book.

This is a very tangible and fun way to track reading progress for a variety of subjects like religion, science, history, or nature study.   

You can download this Literature and Reading Notebooking Pages pack now. 

To see all the resources that Shell has created and so willingly shared with us all, visit her Thinking Love, No Twaddle contributor page on our website.


Blessings,
Kalei

Is it Possible to Cook Up a Book Report?

If you say the words 'book report' to children, you are usually met with drones and sighs. Many learners are not strong readers, but want to enjoy books. So how can we help those children love to read for a specific purpose without feeling overwhelmed by the process of picking apart a book?

A Tip from the Chef

Just as the book The Jumbo Cookbook by Judi Gillies and Jennifer Glossop aims to help develop chefs from the very beginning introducing the art of cooking, cooking terms, useful utensils, safety procedures and even menu planning, our recipe book report and recipe book report writing paper helps to develop confident readers and writers.

Now I can't take credit for the recipe book report idea as I have seen numerous versions of this idea online, but I did want to give it my own flair making it very visually appealing and easy for children to understand and complete.

By reading the "recipe sheet," readers will be inspired to think about concepts such as the plot, characters, and favourite portions of the story. It also reminds them about the core things every good book report needs: title, author, publisher, etc. The stylized writing paper provides a fun and authentic feeling to the recipe book report. Just as the cookbook above has been a big favourite with one of my girls (especially the corn chowder recipe), this writing resource has been a hit with my children as well as other homeschooling families over the years.

Visit our Book Report page to download our Recipe Book Report or other favorite book report helps. 

Blessings,
Kalei

One Colourful Way to Help Inspire Reading

It is a well known fact that colour affects our mood.  Brighter colours make us feel energetic and ready to take action.  Can we apply this theory to inspiring our children to read?  Yes.

They tell us not to judge a book by its cover, but unconsciously we all do that anyway.  We naturally want to interact with vibrant visual interests when given a choice. 

Our colourful reading log can help encourage readers to keep reading all year long by inviting them to keep track of all of the titles they read.

There are three easy steps to create this project.

Simple log sheet sample

1. Prepare the Log Sheets

Select the genre sheets that you want your child to focus on in their reading this year. With almost thirty different genres to choose from, there is bound to be something for your favourite reader. You may even want to introduce a new genre to them for them to explore as well.

Older learners may enjoy using the specialized literary genre focus sheets that not only serve as a spot to log their reads, but also as a review of the particular literary genre too.

Print out our coloured sheets either one per page as a single sided version or print them out double sided for a log that looks more like a traditional book.

Feel free to print out as many sheets as required for your child's reading needs.

2. Create the Covers

Select one of our colourful reading log covers to use and mark your log.  Current colour schemes include: aqua, green, orange, rose, and yellow.  Print out one and then fill in your child's name and grade or the calendar year. 

Hint:  We suggest using heavier bond paper or cover stock for your cover.



1" 3-ringed binder with clear overlay



3. Assemble the Log

There are a few ways that you can assemble this log. 

The first way to assemble this resource is for the slightly older learner who is comfortable using ringed-folders.  For fast durable assembly that allows you to quickly add additional sheets to your log, we suggest you use a vinyl 1" 3-Hole View Binder with clear overlay.

Slip the printed cover into the front overlay.  Order your selected log pages, punch with a three hole punch and insert into binder.

The second way to assemble this log is much simpler and designed for use over a smaller period of time.  Order the cover, then log sheets, and finally a blank piece of white paper.  Gather and staple all sheets on the left hand side of the page to mimic the placement of the holes in binder paper.  You could also three hole punch the pages and put them into a duo-tang.

The last way you could easily assemble this log is by using a comb or wire binding spine.  We have used this method for years.  It is one of the most polished ways to present this resource, however, you cannot easily add additional pages to specific genres if needed.

How to Use the Log

To use the log, simply have the kiddos read their selected books or parts of a book and note down their progress and accomplishments in their log under the appropriate genre sheet.  Parents could easily note down reads for younger children by noting either pages read or reading time.  A simple check mark in the box at the right proclaims they have completed the book, if it is a chapter book or a longer read. 

This colourful project serves as a great place not only to log books read, but to serve as a proof of learning tool, if required.

Click HERE to begin creating your log now.

Blessings,

Kalei

Fun Printable Reading Resources for the book Maybe You Should Fly A Jet! by Theo LeSieg - and they AREN'T just for the 2nd grader

Resources to help learners of all ages think about What they want to be when they grow up.

The summer break from formal learning offers children the opportunity for long blocks of imaginative play.  Often times children will act out what they hope will become the occupation of their choice later in life.  It is always a hoot to watch the kiddos pretending to be everything the can think of including the 'Flying Nun', an archaeologist,  an explorer, a baker making mud pies, a mum walking her baby in a stroller or even a professional soccer player. 

When we think about learning about occupations in a more formal way, we cannot overlook the humorous work of Dr. Seuss (writing as Theo LeSieg) called, MAYBE YOU SHOULD FLY A JET! I Can Read All By Myself Beginner Books.  This easy to read book is a fun imaginative work that exposes children to a plethora of different occupations all the while providing a solid rhythmic pattern of text.  We really enjoyed this read in our little homeschool and shared it among our various grade levels.  I then created a few little fun go along worksheets to help the children explore the work a bit more.  The sheets require the children to think about all the different kinds of jobs from the book as they answer some simple questions are to be shared amongst themselves later on.  This activity can be used with just about any level that wanted to participate for fun.  This could also be a fun writing co-op activity or even a party game.  Really!!

Here are what the sheets look like.  (Click the image to get a close up view.)

There are lots of jobs and occupations mentioned in this book.  Ask your learner to test their memory skills by recalling either the first twenty or the last twenty occupations.  Younger children can use this portion as simple copywork if necessary.  There is a sheet for either the first or last twenty.  Learners simply write out the job and then tell whether they would like to have the job or not by checking the appropriate box.  Fun colourful graphics remind children of different jobs.  You could also do this job additionally by just having children name twenty jobs that they would like to have.

Children of all ages enjoy expressing their opinion about things.  This sheet asks the reader to think about all of the different occupations that they saw in the book.  It then asks them to complete statements the jobs and their perceptions about a few of them.   The simple  statements include which job the think is the best, dullest, hardest, strangest, requires the most training, is the most rewarding and so on.  Our kiddos really enjoyed this activity and it could even serve as a writing co-op activity or as the ice breaker to a new class or party.

Click Here to download the worksheets for Maybe You Should Fly a Jet!

I hope that these sheets help your kiddos explore what they want to be when they grow up a bit more or at least have a few laughs learning about the possibilities that await them.

Blessings,

Kalei

A Few More Mystery Themed Resources

Bookmark, reading log sheet and worksheet help bring mystery stories to life.

Since we began sharing resources about mystery stories yesterday, we thought that we should highlight a few of our other mystery themed resources in case you would like to take some time to focus on this literary genre.

If you or your learner likes to keep a reading log in on a full sized sheet or in a folder, then our Mystery Reading Log sheets may be just what you have been looking for.  Each page has a space for the date, title, author, amount read and completion column.  Pages are available with a definition of the genre as well as a simpler version with just the genre and graphics.

Click HERE to see these and other reading log sheets.

Our Reading Log Book Mark (left) can help readers keep track of the mystery stories or books they read.  It also highlights some details about the specialized genre.  Children can easily fill in the info and gain confidence and practice in reading.

Click HERE to see this and other reading log bookmarks.

Have a child who really loves to read and loves a good challenge?  How about trying our Book Detective Report?  This report requires learners to meet different grammatical tasks using the text of their story.  For example, learners may need to find a proper noun, tell what page it is on or find and list three adverbs.  You get the idea.  It is fun and always challenging.

Picture books, chapter books and novels could easily be used in succession to build confidence.  This could be a great grammar review for older learners.

 
Click HERE to see this book report and others in our collection.
 
 
May you and your children always explore the mysterious fun of reading!
 
Blessings,
 
That Resource Team
 

Dino Themed Resources Continue With Game Play and Reading

Encourage themed reading and exploration of prehistoric animals with simple but challenging game play.

Game play is a great way to teach and learn.  Really!!  If you have never thought of using game play in your teaching, you may want to reconsider this idea.  In our little homeschool we have used simple games to teach some very important concepts very successfully.  Think back to your own childhood.  How many things can you remember learning through game play?  Can't think of any?  How about your alphabets using hand clapping games, multiplication tables using rhyming tunes, counting money or giving change using board games or playing store, remembering number order playing card games, skipping rope to learn rhymes and poems, vocabulary using crossword puzzles, spelling playing hangman, and the list could go on and on.  We have all learned a lot of information over the course of our lives using game play, even if we don't realize it.

Today we offer the new game quest sheet, A-Z of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals to help children learn the names of prehistoric animals. To play, simply provide the name of one animal for each letter of the alphabet.  Points are given for letters completed.  Any age could play this game as you simply use the resources you may have on-hand to complete the sheet.  The player with the most points wins.  A family could also play it together trying to complete it together without the use of points.  Our second grader finished all but one letter on her own, and then we looked up a Dino for the last letter on the Internet together.

You will notice that answers are not provided for most A-Z Quest sheets. We do not provide the answers as many times there can be more than one answer and we don't want to limit players or stifle their creativity. This also allows for open minded thinking and good research opportunities. Learners can play alone or in teams and keep track of who gets the most letters or play for points using the point gauge.
Words Beginning With the Letters/Points

AEIOUW 1
DHLNRST 2
CFGMPVJK 3
QXYZ 4

Total score for a fully completed A-Z Quest is 60pts.*

*Note: You may decide that extra points can be given for more than one answer in a letter. Establish rules at the beginning of each quest and feel free to make changes subsequent quests as research skills improve.

Are you looking for a way to keep track of the Dinosaur themed books your child reads or perhaps a fun way to track and encourage daily reading?  How about using our new Dino themed reading bookmark?  This little bookmark has been a favourite daily task for our second grader to independently fill out and keep track of her daily Dino reading.  Simply print out the file, cut out, fold, glue and fill in.






Click Here to download our Dino themed reading log bookmark.  See our collection of bookmarks here.
Click Here to download the A-Z Quest of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. 
Learn more about A-Z Quests here.

We hope you have a joyful learning day!!

Blessings,

That Resource Team

Dr. Virtue's Literary Check-up Discussion Cards

Cute discussion cards to help kids make connections between virtues and literature.

Purposeful reading can make learning easier and more rewarding.  Many times we read books for different purposes.  We read to entertain, to relax, to educate ourselves, to find particular information and so forth.  Children must also come to know that they can read for different reasons as well.  This can, at times, help them to read more carefully and pay attention to details in characterization, plot, etc.  In the case of our book suggestions for Our Virtue Lessons, we have offered a light list of books that spans different age groups that some how relate to the intended virtue.  Sometimes the books serve to show good examples of virtuous living and at other times they serve to illustrate poor examples that we should try avoid imitating in our own lives.  Our goal was to have our children be able to recognize good and poor examples of virtuous living in all of the books they read not only those we suggest.

We wanted to provide a fun resource that could challenge children to figure out the connections between the literature selected and the virtue they were studying.  We created Dr. Virtue's Literary Check-up cards, a simple printable discussion card set that asks children to give each book "a once over check-up" looking for key information that applies to their virtue lessons.  This set can accompany any of Our Virtue Lessons and helps children find and make connections between virtues and the books they read.  We ask questions such as:

• Who is your favourite character in this book? Why?
• How could you change this story to make it more faith-filled?
• Who is the most virtuous character in this story?
• Does this story glorify God in some way?
• What things does the main character do or say that illustrates this virtues in some way?
• What is your favourite part of this story?

There are eighteen cards in all that can be used with virtue study or with any book or literary discussion.

To use this resource, simply print it out and cut apart on the lines.  Laminate pieces for durability and longevity.  Turn cards face down and have the children take turns picking and answering the cards.

We hope this helps extend the joy of your reading time and bring more meaning to the books you share with your children.

Click Here to download these discussion cards in UK/Can Eng.

Click Here to download these discussion cards in U.S. Eng.

Blessings,

That Resource Team