Over our summer breaks we Fox’s love to play and go on tons of adventures!
But we never forget to keep connected with our studies and continue to practice the skills taught in school this past year.
Summer bridging means to keep up with skills that your child has touched on or masters in their previous school year so that they don’t forget or regress over the summer break.
An easy and fun way to bridge over this summer for preschoolers, kindergartners and early elementary readers is by using the new BOB Books & VersaTile sets.
BOB Books has inspired reading success for over 40 years. I remember reading them as a child myself and love using them with my kids now that they are leaning and practicing reading. By using repetitive concepts and phonics BOB helps guide kids in their early reading days making it fun and easy to grasp.
What makes this set so successful is the extended learning with VersaTiles. The kit comes with a VersaTiles workbook that takes the phonic skills that are touched on in the BOB Books and applies them in a fun and interactive manner. Open the workbook and you will see a question and answer grid using the VersaTile case. Read the questions, locate the answer in the grid below and place the correct number tile in the answer key. You can check your answers when completed by flipping the VersaTile case and seeing if your red and yellow images match the books answer key.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss
As a child I hated reading! I remember it being hard, I remember being made fun of for making mistakes, and I remember my heart pounding whenever I was asked to read aloud.
It never really became a huge issue until I hit high school and was struggling in my honors math and science classes!
MATH and SCIENCE!
The problem was I couldn’t read fast enough to complete my tests. I eventually took speed reading classes to better improve my efficiency and develop better strategies for tests and note-taking.
After high school I pursed my dream to become an elementary teacher and quickly became passionate about children’s literacy. I took additional classes on phonics as well as studied children’s illustrations, language arts methods, and best practices for teaching in a pluralistic society. After graduation I took my first job in the inner city as an academic specialist. My job: get title 1 3rd and 4th grade students to read at grade level.
The love for literacy only continued to grow as I taught elementary school kids, after school programs, and then eventually my own children.
I was the determined teacher training first graders to read silently for 45 minutes a day.
I was the innovated dance teacher incorporating literature into tap class.
I was the passionate mom reading books to my 1 day old baby in the hospital.
I am THAT homeschool mom checking out the maximum number of books from the library.
I have experienced first hand how reading can actually change your life for the good or bad. I’ve seen the facts, statistics, and testimonies how early exposure to books can build a beautiful foundation for children.
PC: Cherish’s Literacy Corner VIP’s
So when I met Cherish, I was instantly inspired by her love for literature and learning! As a past high school English teacher her knowledge of literature is extensive, while her heart for student learning is enormous. As a mom, Cherish has establish a home that invites learning with fun and engaging activities
But her passion for education doesn’t end there, Cherish works to enrich the families around her by helping bring high quality books in their homes through Usborne books.
As an Usborne book consultant, she is passionate about equipping parents with the best resources for raising life long learners!
In 1973, Peter Usborne saw TV and comics controlling the attention of kids and wanted to give non-fiction books a fighting chance. This led to the birth of Usborne books and the mission to make both reading and learning fun, not intimidating. The magic of Usborne books is that they break down children’s resistance to reading and learning at home. In return, it opens the door for parents and children to explore and absorb the world of learning together.
Today Usborne books are high quality, innovative, engaging, and educational! There are over 2000 titles to choose from covering a wide variety of subjects and age ranges.
Usborne in my Home
As a past educator, a mom, and homeschool teacher I can’t express the amount of times I’ve been grateful for Usborne products in our home.
It all started with the That’s Not My collection. From a young age my children were drawn to the high contrast but simple illustrations. They loved to feel each new texture as well as look for the silly mouse hiding on each page. We read the same book too many times to count until I happily discovered Usborne had a HUGE collection of That’s Not My books. I honestly did not love reading the same type of book, but I persevered because those books helped open a world of reading to our children. At a young age they were exposed to the wonders of reading and built stamina to sit through 2-3 long picture books each night.
Now with preschool aged kids, Usborne’s collection of activities are a real hit. Usborne provides hands-on educational activities for babies to middle school aged kids. My family uses their sticker books for long car trips, water painting books for quiet independent play, and craft books for art projects.
As a homeschool mama I’ve only just had a tiny taste of how Usborne can enrich and support our curriculum.
Each month we study a different theme that supports and connects to the Core Curriculum standards for preschool age children. Some of the topics include family units, habitats, space, hygiene, and plants. I was delighted to see Usborne’s books align with State Standards and therefore I could find at least one developmentally appropriate book for each of my units.
For most subjects I have a variety of titles and forms to choose from; peek-inside, lift-the-flap, Big Books, wipe-clean, young beginners, and so much more. Cherish even went the extra mile to examine my preschool syllabus and offer book recommendations for my units.
Usborne wipe clean books have also been instrumental in developing my children’s fine motor skills as well as practicing and refining their writing. The lively illustrations and game-like set up makes handwriting drills a fun reward rather than a frustrating mundane task.
Working with Cherish
Cherish is not just an Usborne consultant that throws parties and sells books. She works almost daily to post innovative ways to bring reading into your home.
Cherish posts fun activities she is doing with her little ones and ways she incorporates reading into her home.
In addition, her literacy corner keeps followers up to date on Usborne new releases! Often when there is a big release Cherish goes live on social media to give followers an inside look into the books. If there is a book you have your eye on but not quite sure, Cherish helps to provide you with a real view video so you can fully see the illustrations, text, and story line.
Last but not least, her page provides insider deals and specials!
Check it out!
I’ve truly only scratched the surface on Usborne’s collection. Their website is a must see when looking for quality literature to bring into your home! To take it the next step further follow Cherish’s Literacy Corner to join a community of families who love and pursue the benefits of reading!
I See Me! provides the highest quality, most personalized children’s books available. I See Me! was started by founder Maia Haag and her husband Allan after they received a personalized book as a gift for their first son in 1998. While they loved that it was personalized, they thought that the illustrations could have been much better and the story more customized to the child. Thus I See Me! was born.
Their goal was to produce an educational book that would teach young children how to recognize letters and spell their names.
They are pleased to say their books have become popular among celebrities including Courteney Cox, Brooke Shields and Jessica Alba along with every day parents like me.
Their mission is to increase self esteem in children through personalized books that celebrate the uniqueness of each child. The goal of I See Me! books is to show each child how absolutely unique and special he or she is, to teach the child how to spell his or her name, and to build vocabulary skills.
Having a book or item personalized for a child is a very special gift. There are many questions people have and most have been answered at the I See Me! FAQ page. A few notes to highlight are:
What about adopted children? Yes, there are custom options for the arrival day instead of day of you were born.
Can you select certain fairies, animals, sea creatures or countries to be used in your book? Yes, we can accommodate this request if you send an email to [email protected] within 4 hours after completing your order.
More information in these topics and many others can be found at the FAQ page. Click here for a link.
Here are some of the questions which make your book personalized:
Childs first name
Childs last name
Childs gender
Childs birth month
Childs year of birth
Dedications (examples being: I love you! Happy Easter! To a Wonderful Big Sister! Merry Christams! etc….)
“Celebrate your favorite little preschooler with this adorable new personalized storybook, The Very Important Preschooler (V.I.P.)! Your child will learn that being a “V.I.P.” means making new friends at preschool, sharing, helping out, cleaning up, learning new things and more. The Very Important Preschooler is filled with lots of great messages for your little preschooler and is personalized throughout the story and on the cover with his or her name! Written by Jennifer Dewing, Illustrated by Jill McDonald.” – I See Me!
This book is so beautiful. The illustrations are bright and bold. Perfect for a toddler to be fully engaged while reading.
When you child hears their name being read aloud during the story their eyes perk up and eyes open wide. I showed my daughter that her name was in print right there in the book. She thought that was too special. She loves this book because it truly is about her. The book will forever be a cherished part of our home library.
The personalized storybooks range in price from $29.99-$34.99
“Our personalized lunch boxes make your child feel special every day! Each one of our lunch boxes features your child’s name on multiple sides. On the inside lid, there’s a chalkboard where you can write a personalized note to your child each morning!
Safe for storing food, our lunch boxes are made of tin and contain no lead. They’re also great for storing toys and other treasures!
Hand wash with dish soap. Do not put into dishwasher. Chalk is not included.” – I See Me!
My daughter has seen many photos of lunch boxes in her expansive 2 years. She knows what they are. But, she has never had her own. We typically use a cooler when going to the zoo or vacation. We share a large container for the whole family. She had no idea that she was getting her own lunch box.
When I showed my daughter her lunch box she got so excited. She wanted to hold it and carry it around with her. She even showed her little brother new prized possession. She has loved purses and bags for ever, so it was natural that my little girl would want to tote around her new lunch box. I sat her down and showed her that her name was on the box she got giddy with excitement. It was all hers. She didn’t have to share this one with her little brother. Having it personalized created a confidence and independence in her. I highly recommend getting a personalized lunch box from I See Me!
Lunch boxes are normally priced at $29.99 but are currently on special for $17.99! That is a 40% savings and this is a super limited time offer.
