Literacy Lalapalooza 5 – The ♣ o’ the Irish Edition

Our Literacy Lalapalooza is a 14-month celebration of the Reading Tub’s 10th Anniversary. It is our way of thanking you for sharing the gift of literacy. Each issue will have

Idea for literacy and reading.
Tools and/or Resources suggestions (e.g., websites, games, toys)
Book ideas, one for each reading group: 0-4, 5-9, 10&Up

Sign up for the newsletter edition and DOUBLE the creative literacy ideas. Subscribers already got their email with a completely unique set of recommendations. You must select “Literacy Lalapalooza” in the Sign Me Up For … section

1 Literacy Idea: Pass Me a Word

Here’s a dinner table idea that pays homage to the master of letter sounds and silly words: Theodor Seuss Geisel, whose birthday was March 1. Grab a piece of paper so someone can write down all the words. Ask one person to say a word, then go round the table creating words that rhyme.

It can be a real word or a made-up word.
If its made up, ask the wordsmith to give you a definition.
At the end of that round (let everyone go twice) vote for your favorite made-up word.

This is a game that would make car trips speed by, too! Someone could “grab” a word from a road sign.

2 Literacy Tools / Resource Suggestions

Did you know that National Potato Chip Day is March 14, just three days before St. Patrick’s Day? Potatoes and Irish … how lucky is that? National Chip and Dip Day is on March 23. That’s timed perfectly for college basketball fans who will be following March Madness.

Grab a cookbook!
Whether its baking your grandmother’s Irish soda bread or putting together your famous 7-layer dip, letting the kids help in the kitchen is a great way to show them how we use reading.

There are great cookbooks for kids, but your recipe box is a great resource, too!

Tell Tale Story Game
The cards in this game act as visual story prompts. Players take a select number of image cards from the deck and then let their imagination take over as they create stories from the pictures.

3 Books Recommendations

So we’ve talked about Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Saint Patrick’s Day, and a couple foodie holidays … but all March long we’re celebrating National Women’s History and Music in Our Schools months and hoping winter ends soon. This month’s book selections come from these themes.

Infant / Toddler Audience (ages newborn to 4)

Fin M’Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill
written and illustrated by Tomie De Paola
Holiday House, 1981

When the bad giant Cucullin comes to humiliate Fin M’Coul, Fin and his wife have a surprise waiting for him! This book relates an Irish legend from the days when Giants roamed the land.

This book is another De Paola treasure. The story is told with humor and lightness, the illustrations are a pleasure to behold and the lessons are many. It has different lessons for kids of different ages. Read the full Reading Tub review.

Emerging & Developing Readers (ages 5 to 9)

A Very Special Snowflake
written by Don Hoffman
illustrated by Todd Dakins
Cartwheel Books, 2008

Jeff and Veronica are excited and want to take their new puppy Snowflake outside in the snow. They saw her tail, but then they lost her. Everyone they asked for help only heard part of what they said. No one understood they were looking for their dog. Where did that puppy go? Two kids and a lost dog take center stage in this picture book for developing readers.

Everyone from preschoolers through second grade will enjoy this light-hearted story about a puppy and a snowstorm. The illustrations are colorful and the book is just the right length for reading by new readers. The characters are very friendly.Read the full Reading Tub review.

Middle Grade & Young Adults (Ages 10 and Up)

100 American Women Who Shaped American History
by Deborah G. Felder
Bluewood Books, 2005

Meet some incredible women. Learn how they dedicated their talent; expended their effort; sacrificed their comfort and ease; and made a life-long commitment to make a positive contribution to life in America. The book includes descriptions of the women, as well as pictures, timelines, maps, a trivia quiz, and an index to reinforce as well as present the information in a unique way. This is a compilation of biographies.

This book is geared mostly toward young adults of 9 to 13, and would be valuable in classrooms as well as at home. Deborah Felder has masterfully combined knowledge and inspiration into this book.The selection of the heroines is all-inclusive, be they politicians, artists, doctors, scientists, astronauts, athletes, journalists or poets, all fields of human endeavor are represented. Read the full Reading Tub review.

Wrapping it Up

To those who have also subscribed to the Literacy Lalapalooza newsletter we hope that the new ideas here complement the recommendations and tips you got in your mailbox.

If you didn’t get the email version, its not too late. We’d love to have you join us for the next ten months of our Literacy Lalapalooza..

Have some favorite children’s or young adult books that seem to fit perfectly with March? Have a recommendation for a gift for a reader? Please share your ideas, recommendations and blog links here! Its not a party without you.

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