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| Barefoot Book Story in Concord, Mass, where you can Step Into A Story! Read article from Boston Globe! |
Sunday, March 27, 2011
At Barefoot Books, stories come to life - The Boston Globe
Friday, March 25, 2011
Barefoot children in the rain - Jimmy Buffett
Spring has Sprung and April Showers bring May Flowers but maybe the Spring Rains Also Bring Barefoot Children! Enjoy Jimmy Buffet's song and then go to http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com and shop for your own Barefoot Children. There's still Free Shipping for all online orders $60.00 and over! Enjoy!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Find the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow this St. Patrick's Day with Barefoot Books
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
Love This and Wanted to Share It!
This is from the website: http://the good stuffguide.com Please visit them!
10 Tips for Raising Readers
"March 1, 2011 We continue our celebration of National Read Across America Day with the following ideas to promote reading in your home:
1. Read aloud to them.
It’s never too early to start, there is no good reason to stop and you can’t possibly do it too much! Even when your kids are proficient readers, there are always books above their reading level that are still appropriate to be shared, and some stories are just plain more meaningful when you read them aloud together.
2. Make reading part of your routine.
When reading is part of your family’s routine, it becomes a child’s healthy habit. It is as natural and satisfying as a meal. Whether you choose morning books, naptime books, afternoon books or bed time books, when certain times of the day have always included reading, it doesn’t feel like reading is an infringement on time otherwise spent.
3. Use your library.
If your son loves construction or your daughter is obsessed with bugs, I challenge you to walk in your door holding 30 books about the subject they live and breathe. Watch their excitement for reading explode before your eyes and note the impression your gesture made on him or her. Visiting the library is wonderful for kids, as we’ve discussed before on The Good Stuff Guide: It’s Library Time! (It’s Heidi here: make sure you read the comments section of this post – you will cry with laughter, I promise. Oh, and there are fantastic ideas in there too. Sorry for interrupting!) Reserving books from your home or work computer has its place, too; you can make quick work of refreshing your home library by choosing books by subject or author from your library’s website and running the quick errand to pick them up when they’re in.
4. Change the way you read.
Use silly voices, make faces, exaggerate your tone and let your own enthusiasm and suspense show. Don’t rush it. Savor the story and the illustrations if applicable. Children’s book author Sue Fliess (www.suefliess.com) finds that “…stopping every now and then during a story at suspenseful parts to ask [her] kids what they think will happen gets them excited and keeps them paying attention too.” When you do these things you are modeling good reading and encouraging reading comprehension for your listener.
5. Get your kids hooked on stories.
Help your kids appreciate a good story. Children’s librarian and storyteller Nancy Schimmel (www.sisterschoice.com) recommends using “Family stories, stories about themselves when they were younger, made-up stories, or easy to tell standards like The Three Bears…or Little Red Riding Hood…” to help get kids hooked. Grandparents, aunts and uncles are a good resource to tap for help with this!
6. Find reading opportunities everywhere.
Kids naturally want to help with adult tasks from a young age. Instead of pointing to the buttons on your dishwasher, washer or dryer for your little one to push, try spelling the words out and have them find the right one. They will get used to looking for letter combinations. When you’re baking together, examine the back of the cake mix box with your child. Ask where they think it explains how many eggs to add. Knowing how to navigate instructions like that is a great pre-reading skill. So is brand and logo recognition! In the car you can ask what stores they see as you pass.
7. Demonstrate that reading is valued in your home.
Do this by making sure that books are plentiful and readily accessible in different rooms of your home. Participate in Scholastic Book Fairs to build your library and help your child’s school. Respect books by taking good care of them and handing down outgrown titles to younger children. Give books as gifts, within your family and to others. As Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Personal Child Stories (www.personalchildstories.com) points out, “Books are a special gift. Make sure your kids know that you believe that as much as they need to.” Shara encourages parents to model reading in their homes. “If they see you enjoying a book, they will be more likely to pick one up and read it.”
8. Help your child make their own book.
I have never met a child that isn’t full of stories! Use a notebook and basic art supplies to let them write, or help them dictate, their very own story. Add illustrations too! Susan Kapuscinski (www.makinkbooks.com) notes that, for kids, “Telling their stories and expressing their feelings makes them writers which in turn gives them a new appreciation as readers.” Visit www.makingbooks.com for information and tutorials.
9. Use technology.
Karen Robertson, author of the ‘Treasure Kai’ Series (www.treasurekai.com) touts the success of using book apps for iPhones, iPads, etc… with her sons. “…the really good ones engage kids on many levels that regular books can’t like; tactile (touching things in the book to make things happen), auditory (with narration, sound effects and music), visually (with illustrations and animation).” Use websites like www.abcmouse.com and www.starfall.com when your child is learning computer skills. Set them up with an e-mail address and give their spelling words to grandparents so they can drop a few in a message to their grandchild!
10. Use books to research their questions.
Children have virtually everything still to learn about their world and their capacity for understanding expands exponentially from year to year. Resist the urge to Google everything and instead agree to “look it up,” in the old sense of the phrase, and follow through! Go to an atlas, a globe, the non-fiction section of your favorite bookstore or local library and teach them the art of finding just what they’re looking for. They’ll need that skill someday and in the physical process of finding their own answers, they’ll realize that reading opens up the world to them. If they can read well, they can teach themselves anything.
How do you engage your children to read? What works at your home?
Sources:
Fliess, Sue. Home – Sue Fliess. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Schimmel, Nancy. Nancy Schimmel’s Children’s Music, Animal Songs & Science Songs. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Lawrence-Weiss, Shara. Personal Child Stories. 23 Feb. 2011 http://personalchildstories.com/.
Kapuscinski Gaylord, Susan. Making Books with Children. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Robertson, Karen. Treasure Kai. Web. 23 Feb. 2011.
Hill, Lisa. School Tech Talk. 23 Feb. 2011
Bariese, Christina. Kids and Reading. 23 Feb. 2011. Personal communication.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Happy Tell a Fairytale Day!
February 26th is Tell A Fairytale Day! I never realized that there was an actual celebration of telling fairy tales but why not? Sound likes a wonderful reason to celebrate. This got me thinking about fairy tales I liked and still like. At the top of the list are the old Baga Yaga stories that were published in the children's magazine, Jack and Jill. I wished I still had my Jack and Jill collection. Every month I remembered waiting for my magazine to arrive. My love of this magazine was mainly due to the continuing story of the Russian fairy tale character known as Baga Yaga. Baga Yaga was a witch, who lived deep in the forest in a hut, which could walk around on large chicken legs. This image has still stayed with me today. While I don't remember the specific stories about Baga Yaga I love saying her name! Baga Yaga lacked a broomstick, instead she moved around in a large mortar which she steered with a pestle. I believe she also had a very put upon black cat. I remember being enthralled and also a little scared by these stories. But I couldn't wait to get the next edition because each Baga Yaga story would leave you with a cliffhanger every month. You wouldn't know what happened until your next issue of Jack and Jill arrived. Really a marketing genius! Tomorrow, let's honor the power of a well written fairy tale with the good always winning out over the evil. A well written story and amazing art work are the bases of every Barefoot Book. Barefoot may not have any Baga Yaga stories, but maybe they will in the future since many of their books are anthologies of folktales from different countries. Take a look at The Fabrics of Fairytales, or The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales, or Storytime, or The Barefoot Books of Princesses and you will find yourself eagerly waiting for the next Barefoot story or book. What is your favorite fairy tale? |
| (click on pictures of books below for more information) |
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Barefoot Books and Home Depot?????
You may be wondering what Barefoot Books has to do with Home Depot. No, Barefoot is not starting to partner with Home Depot. The connection is about saving money. I love playing around with the double meaning of words. (as you can see with the name of my blog!) About a month ago, Home Depot was running TV ads announcing they "were lowering the cost of going Barefoot!" They were actually referring to their carpet sale. Barefoot Books is not selling carpeting but we also are lowering the cost of going Barefoot with our current
free shipping on online orders of $60.00 and over. I can't help you get your carpet cheaper but I certainly can help you save money on Barefoot Books. Go to http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com and you, too, can lower the cost of "Going Barefoot!"
free shipping on online orders of $60.00 and over. I can't help you get your carpet cheaper but I certainly can help you save money on Barefoot Books. Go to http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com and you, too, can lower the cost of "Going Barefoot!"
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Happy First Day of Spring.. Celtic style!
I just received an email announcing that today, Feb. 1st is the First Day of Spring according to the Celtic calendar. Of course to me in NW Ct. the idea of Spring starting today is hard to believe because when I look out my window snow is rapidly falling. The reason I am even home right now is that it is but yet another snow day off from my school job. But I did hear between the snow amounts being announced by the weatherman, that daylight is here until 5:00pm today. Even though is it still snowing the light is staying with us longer. So to celebrate the longer minutes of daylight in Celtic fashion take a look at a wonderful Barefoot Book, Tales From Celtic Lands and dream with Putumayo Celtic music. Step into a story, listen to some music, and know that the days are creeping towards being longer. Happy Celtic First Day of Spring! Who knows what tomorrow's groundhog has in store for us!
 Venture to the magical land of the Celtic peoples, where the spirits of the mountains, streams, seas and trees are all alive. The songs, blessing and folk tales in this collection are accompanied by notes on each story and a Celtic pronunciation guide. Book with double CDs include stories read by actress Niamh Cusack. Ages 6 and up Retold By: CaitlÃn Matthews Illustrated By: Olwyn Whelan Narrated By: Niamh Cusack Hardcover with CDs on sale $14.99 now through Feb. 8th |
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Drift into a peaceful nighttime sleep with these lyrical songs for bedtime or relaxation. Drawn from the Celtic traditions of Ireland, Scotland, eastern Canada and beyond, the ten songs are accompanied by extensive liner notes in English, Spanish, French and German. |
Sunday, January 30, 2011
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