Build Your Child's Vocabulary through Reading with Scholastic

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Building up vocabulary is important for the children to have a wider repertoire of words to describe, explain and express their thoughts. One way to build vocabulary is through reading. Here are 3 tips on how we help our children to build their vocabulary during reading time.

1. Use dictionary
Reading a book without understanding some of the words would hinder the process of linking the context. When our children were younger, we explained the words to them. I would have the dictionary on my handphone with me, just in case I was not sure how to explain that word. As our children are now older, we let them use the dictionary on our handphone when they are reading. Of course, the ground rule is that they cannot use our handphone for other purpose!

2. Write down the words
We ask our children to write down the new words or phrases in their "word bank" book. In addition, the meaning and an example of sentence are included. This collection would also help them in writing composition.

3. Use the words in daily conversation
Sometimes when my children ask me about new words, I would take note of that, and try to talk to them using some of those words, or ask them questions to get them to use those words in their response.

Here are our children's current reads of Scholastic books which are useful in building the vocabulary. Check out the discount code at the end of this post!

Geronimo on Ice!

Author: Geronimo Stilton

Age: 10 - 12

Synopsis:

Mouse Island was getting ready for the winter Ice Skating Championships! The prize for this year's champions was a pair of antique silver skates that were said to contain clues to a hidden treasure! Just before the championships, we learn someone wants to steal the Silver Skates to search for the treasure! I had to join the competition to help keep the skates safe. But I didn't know how to ice skate! Would I be able to learn enough tricks on the ice to save the Silver Skates?

Highlight: This title has a new cover design!

Product url: http://www.readershouse.com.sg/product/geronimo-stilton-71-geronimo-on-ice/

The Missing Ace

Author: Cosentino
Age: 10 - 12

Synopsis:

Cosentino's performances at his run-down old theatre attract the wrong kind of attention when the Ace of Spades dashes through the door begging to be saved from the clutches of the evil two-headed King! When Cosentino is captured he's thrown into the dungeon at the bottom of the castle, which no one has ever escaped.

Product url: http://www.readershouse.com.sg/product/the-missing-ace


Mermaids to the Rescue: Nixie Makes Waves

Author: Lisa Ann Scott
Age: 10 - 12

Synopsis:

Nixie can't wait to join the Royal Mermaid Rescue Crew. Along with a magical seapony partner, she'll save merpeople in danger and use her natural creativity to keep the seas safe! But then Nixie gets matched with Rip - a super-speedy seapony who's at the top of his class, but also a strict rule-follower. Rip and Nixie couldn't be more different! Will Nixie be able to befriend Rip...or will she have to look for another fish in the sea?

Highlight: Fans of Rainbow Magic and Mermaid Tales will love this new series full of adventures under the sea!

Product url: http://www.readershouse.com.sg/product/nixie-makes-waves/


Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas

Author: Dav Pilkey
Age: 10 - 12

Synopsis:
When a new bunch of baddies bust up the town, Dog Man is called into action -- and this time he isn't alone. With a cute kitten and a remarkable robot by his side, our heroes must save the day by joining forces with an unlikely ally: Petey, the World's Most Evil Cat. But can the villainous Petey avoid vengeance and venture into virtue?

Highlight: Dav Pilkey, the creator of  Captain Underpants, his wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of being true to one's self.

Product url: http://www.readershouse.com.sg/product/dog-man-lord-of-the-fleas-dog-man-5/


Discount Code for Scholastic Books at Reader's House

All PeiPei.HaoHao readers can enjoy 20% off discount for Scholastic books on Reader's House website!
Discount code: PEIHAO20
Website: http://www.readershouse.com.sg
How to use: At the cart checkout, type PEIHAO20 and then click Apply Coupon
Terms and Conditions: The discount code is applicable to only Scholastic books on Reader's House website, it is not applicable to the shipping fee.

Scholastic Asia

Website: http://scholastic.asia/en and http://www.readershouse.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScholasticAsia

Disclaimer: We received the books for review purpose. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

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How to Help Your Child Start Reading Chapter Books

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It is a new milestone for the children - transition from reading picture books to chapter books! In this post, we are sharing how we helped our children to start reading chapter books.

1. Look for engaging chapter book series

For the start, look for chapter books that have easy-to-read text, as well as simple plot lines. Do not be too eager to get books that are full of text! Get chapter books that have purposeful illustrations which would help the children to comprehend the story.

2. Choose chapter books that are age-appropriate

The children usually choose books with attractive cover. However, the reading level may not be age-appropriate. Some books indicate the suitable age, so that you do not need to read the entire book to check. You can ask the children to read the first few pages of the book, and check whether they understand the story by asking them to tell you what the story is about.

3. Check the children's understanding about the story

Reading a chapter book is different from reading a picture book, it often takes more than one reading session to complete the book. Therefore the children have to remember what happened in the story in the previous reading session, otherwise, it would be difficult to follow up in the next reading session. To help the children in this aspect, you can ask them to share with you what happened in the story after they have read the book, or, you can do this before they continue reading the next part of the book.

You may ask, so what chapter books are suitable for the new independent young readers? Branches from Scholastic is a unique line of books that bridge the gap between the leveled readers to traditional chapter books.

Sharing with you some of the books from Branches that our children have read:

Eerie Elementary #1: The School Is Alive!
Authors: Jack Chabert and Sam Ricks
Age: 6 - 8
About the story:
Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is ALIVE! Sam finds this out on his first day as the school hall monitor. Sam must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? He'll find out soon enough: the class play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it's too late!

Kung Pow Chicken #1: Let's Get Cracking!
Author: Cyndi Marko
Age: 5 - 7
About the story:
Gordon Blue was just an ordinary second grader—until he became the superhero known as Kung Pow Chicken. Now Gordon must put his super powers to the test…. He is having a blast at the Fowl Festival, but then POOF! Feathers fill the air and naked chickens fill the streets. Is the Evil Granny Goosebumps up to no good? Kung Pow Chicken is about to find out!

Owl Diaries #1: Eva's Treetop Festival
Author: Rebecca Elliott
Age: 5 - 7
About the story:
Eva Wingdale gets in over her head when she decides to create a Bloomtastic Festival at school. Even with her best friend Lucy's help, there is no way she will get everything done in time. Will Eva have to ask Sue (a.k.a. Meanie McMeanerson) for help? Or will the festival have to be cancelled?

Missy's Super Duper Royal Deluxe: Picture Day!
Author: Susan Nees
Age: 5 - 7
About the story:
It's almost picture day, and Missy has her outfit all picked out. It will have ruffles, rainbows, ribbons, and sparkles! But Mom has a different outfit in mind. Will Missy's picture day turn into her worst day EVER?

Hilde Cracks the Case #1: Hero Dog!
Author: Hilde Lysiak with Matthew Lysiak
Age: 6 - 8
About the story:
Nine-year-old crime reporter Hilde Lysiak is starring in her very own early chapter book series -- inspired by news stories Hilde wrote in real life! In this first book, there's been a break-in on Orange Street! Cupcakes have been stolen, and soon a pie goes missing, too. Hilde and her sister/photographer, Izzy, must interview witnesses and follow the clues. Can Hilde crack the case in time to post her news story online? Joanne Lew-Vriethoff's personality-filled illustrations appear on every page, bringing Hilde's adventures to life for young readers!

The Notebook of Doom: Rise of the Balloon Goons
Author: Troy Cummings
Age: 6 - 8
About the story:
Alexander Bopp has just moved to Stermont, and already, he thinks it is one creepy town. First, he finds a notebook filled with monster drawings. Then he starts seeing balloon goons—those arm-waving balloon men—all over town. Are they after him? And what's really in that notebook? Alexander is about to find out!

Press Start! #1: Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy!
Author: Thomas Flintham
Age: 5 - 7
About the story:
Uh-oh, Animal Town is in trouble! Meanie King Viking has created a dreaded robot army to spread No Fun across the land. On top of that, he has stolen the happiest and most fun animal ever, Singing Dog. There is only one person who can save the day -- Super Rabbit Boy! Super Rabbit Boy is super fast and super brave, but he's also a video game character living in a video game world. What will happen when Sunny, the boy playing the game, loses each level? Will it be game over for Super Rabbit Boy and all his friends?

Other than these books, there are other series in Branches. Check out the books at Scholastic's website http://www.scholastic.com/branches/index.htm

Disclaimer: We received the books for review purpose. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

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Using Picture Books for Primary School Readers

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When the children were younger, we read picture books with them. The children were engaged by the beautiful and vivid illustrations, and the pictures helped them to visualise what was going on in the story. 

Our children are now in primary school, but we did not put away our old picture books, because we see the values of the picture books to our children. While the language in the picture books is now too simple for them, the pictures empower and inspire their creativity.

Recently, we received two award-winning picture books from Scholastic for review purpose - The First Journey and Wandering Off . The former was the winner of The Scholastic Picture Book Award 2015, while the later one was a finalist.

Let's share with you how we used these two picture books to educate our children:

The First Journey

Author: Phung Nguyen Quang & Huynh Kim Kien
ISBN: 9789810992736
About this book:
During the Mekong Delta's "floating season", when the great river overflows, An and others like him must brave the floods to attend school. When An sets out on his own for the first time, he faces heavy rain and the mysteries of the dark Melaleuca swamp. Although strange dangers lurk in the water, An takes comfort in knowing that his friends are waiting for him at the end of his first journey alone.

How to use this book for primary school readers:

• Discuss the different way of life of children in Vietnam and Singapore
• Discuss the qualities of An, and why these qualities are important
• Create a boat using recycled materials e.g. straws, cardboard

Wandering Off

Author: Wendy Aw 

ISBN: 9789810992743
About this book:

Lucas faces a long, boring wait when his Mum goes shopping at the wet market, but a new friend helps him turn a dull afternoon into an exciting, fun-filled one. This energetic and colourful story celebrates the power of the imagination and how it can transform the world into anything at all.

How to use this book for primary school readers:

• Discuss examples of daydreams that the children had
• Discuss what the children would like to do with no one stopping him, and why

Disclaimer: We received the books from Scholastic Asia for review purpose. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

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Using Fidget Spinner to Teach Children Art, Science and Mathematics

To be honest, I did not like the idea of getting fidget spinners for my children. They requested for the fidget spinners when many of their friends had those. However, I did not see the purpose of fidget spinners at all - what was the great deal of balancing the fidget spinners on the fingers? Does it really help the children to relieve stress or to stay focused? 

Eventually, we brought the fidget spinners for our children. It was because we thought that they had put in effort in studying for the semestral assessment, so we wanted to reward them for their effort. While the children were happily spinning the spinners, I saw the opportunity to teach them art, science and mathematics!

Using Fidget Spinner to Teach Children Mathematics

The children learnt about the meaning of diameter and radius of a circle. They measured the diameter of the outer circle, and marked out the diameter on a white cardboard. I helped to cut the circles using a circle cutter. 

The children then used blu tack to mount the circular cardboard on to the fidget spinner.

Using Fidget Spinner to Teach Children Art

By placing a felt tip marker at the same spot of the cardboard, a beautiful pattern can be created.

The children also did an experiment by drawing a straight line from the centre to the edge of the circle, and they were thrilled to see a spiral pattern!

Using Fidget Spinner to Teach Children Art

We made spinner colour wheel a few years ago using marker pen. The effect was beautiful, however, the marker would stop spinning shortly. The children have learnt the colours of a rainbow, and they were excited the effect of blending the colours!

Do you have any ideas on how fidget spinners can be used to educate the children?


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How to Involve Children in Planning Family Overseas Trip

When we travel with our children, our focus is always on experiential learning as a family. When the children were younger, we would carefully plan the itinerary so as to expose them to different experience. Of course, we would still "play safe" by asking them first. Pointing at the pictures of the place of interest on a book or website, I would ask them, "Do you want to visit this place?"

Now they are primary school students, and have their own opinion in defining what an enjoyable trip would be, so we would involve them in the planning of family overseas trips.

How do we involve our children in planning our family overseas trips?

Reading and Watching Videos about the Country / Place

Reading and watching videos help the children to have a better understanding about the country / place that they are going to visit.

Before our trip to Okinawa (Japan) in June 2016, we got some books to introduce Japan to the children. They learnt about the Japanese culture and language through reading.

In addition, the children watch Japan Hour on Channel News Asia with me on Saturday evening. They can now speak a few basic Japanese sentences!

Shortlisting the Places to Visit

We borrowed some travel books from the library, and asked the children to choose the places that they want to visit. 

For our upcoming trip to Kyushu (Japan) in June 2017 (Yes, we are going to visit Japan again), I couldn't find many English travel books, but I could find some in traditional Chinese published in Taiwan or Hong Kong, so I asked the children to choose where they would like to visit by looking at the pictures! They happily tagged many pages with sticky notes!

Researching Online on the Shortlisted Places

After shortlisting some places, we asked the children to search the internet for more information about those places - the entrance fee, opening hours, activities, and so on.

For example, for the upcoming trip to Kyushu (Japan), our children had shortlisted African Safari from the travel book, so I asked them to read the official website, and did calculation on the admission fee for the family. They also checked what the animals that they can see there.

Calculating Budget
As usual, we would prepare a spreadsheet to estimate the budget for the trip. The children learnt that the trip would not be possible if we do not save money. When we told them about the air fare, they were surprised by the amount!

Packing

The children have to learn to make decision on what to bring, based on the weather, number of days that we are staying, and the type of activities.



How would you involve your children in planning the family overseas trip?

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Write a Letter to Santa Claus - Santa's Address Around the World 2016

Last year, one of our Christmas activities with our children was to write letters to Santa Claus (read our post here)! We wrote to Santa at Engelskirchen in Germany, Slovakia and Canada, and we sent an online card for Santa at France. Guess what, all four of them replied us!

This is from France!

This is from Engelskirchen in Germany!

This is from Slovakia! It comes with a music CD!

This is from Canada!

This year, we will be sending an e-card to French Santa, it is free! Read the tutorial at the end of this post!

Tips on Writing to Santa

Tips #1
Remember to write your name and return address on the top left hand corner of the envelope!

Tips #2
If you do not want to spend too much on the postage, try to make the letter or Christmas card as light as possible (less than 20 grams). Refer to SingPost's airmail postage rate:
http://www.singpost.com/send-documentparcel/postage-rates.html#Airmail

In 2015, we paid SGD1.30 for each letter to Canada, Slovakia and Germany.

Tips #3
If your children are too young to write letters on their own, you may prompt them to write the followings:
What is your name?
How old are you?
What are your Christmas wishes?


List of Santa's Address Around the World

Germany
There are 7 addresses in Germany! I read that some of the German Santa sent 3-4 postcards and a letter to the sender in the past.

Website: https://www.deutschepost.de/de/w/weihnachtspost/weihnachtsmann-christkind.html

Address of various German post offices:

Himmelpfort
An den Weihnachtsmann
Weihnachtspostfiliale
16798 Himmelpfort
Germany

Himmelsthür
An den Weihnachtsmann
Himmelsthür, 31137 Hildesheim
Germany

Engelskirchen
An das Christkind
51777 Engelskirchen
Germany

Himmelpforten
An das Christkind
21709 Himmelpforten
Germany

Himmelstadt
An das Christkind
97267 Himmelstadt
Germany

Nikolausdorf
An den Nikolaus
49681 Nikolausdorf
Germany

St. Nikolaus
An den Nikolaus
66351 St. Nikolaus
Germany


Canada
This address is cool! I read that some lucky senders received dry maple leaf in the past! But we didn't get one last year.

Website: https://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/campaigns/holiday/default.jsf#santa

Address:
Santa Claus
North Pole H0H 0H0
Canada


Slovakia
We received music CD from Slovak Santa!

Website: http://www.vianocnaposta.sk

Address:
Ježiško
999 99 Ježiško
Slovakia


Austria
I read that Austria Santa sent small story book to the sender in the past, but it is written in German.

Website: http://www.christkindl.at/postamt-christkindl/die-geschichte-des-postamtes/

Address:
Postamt Christkindl
4411 Christkindl
ÖSTERREICH
Austria


United Kingdom
I read that British Santa sent Christmas card to the sender.

Website: http://www.royalmail.com/letters-to-santa

Address:
Santa/Father Christmas,
Santa's Grotto,
Reindeerland,
XM4 5HQ
United Kingdom


France
This is the most IT-savvy Santa - you can write to him online! And he would send you his reply in snail mail! There are also some games on the website!

Website: http://www.laposte.fr/pere-noel/

Don't worry if you don't understand French, we have painstakingly prepared the tutorial for you!

For each of the 5 boxes, you can choose different colour of the Santa's outfit by clicking the left and right arrow at the circle.

Ton prénom : Given name
Ton nom : Surname
Ton adresse: Address
Ton numero appartement: Unit no.
Ton Immeuble: Building
Ton lieu dit – Boîte postale : Mailbox
Ton Code postal : Postal code
Ta Ville : City
Ton Pays : Country (Choose SINGAPOUR if you are from Singapore)
Ta date de naissance: Date of birth
L'adresse email de tes parents oude ton tuteur: Parent's / Guardian's email

Click on the box "I'm not a robot", and click on the yellow circle to submit.

[Update on 1 December 2016]
Santa Claus from France is super efficient! We received his reply 10 days after we sent our e-card!

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Benefits of Audio Books for Children

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When I was young, my parents bought me a series of story books that come with cassette tapes. Oh yes, speaking of those good old days, when cassette recorder was still available! Nowadays, instead of cassette tapes, we have audio books in digital form! What are the benefits of audio books for children?

1. Improve fluency and pronunciation

I admit that I mispronounce words at time! When the children listen to the audio books, they learn to read aloud fluently with proper pronunciation.

2. Develop varied styles of reading

Different narrators have different style of reading, children can learn to be more expressive when they read aloud or when they speak.

3. Enhance the multi-sensory experience

In addition to the pictures, the audio helps to enhance the children's reading experience with music and sound effect.

Here are some Scholastic titles that come with CD, my children enjoy reading these books and listening to the CD that come with the books!

Fly Guy Fun Readers

Author: Tedd Arnold
ISBN: 9789810985011
Ages: 3 and above
About this set of books:

A humorous, easy-to-read series about a boy and his fly! Using hyperbole, puns, slapstick, and silly drawings, the book is fun to read!

My Daddy Ate An Apple 

Author: Craig Smith
ISBN: 9789810943516
Ages: 4 and above
About this book:
So what happens if you eat an apple with a green worm inside? Not just any worm, of course, but a fuzzy one, a buzzy one, a great big fat juicy one! Children will love this story about Daddy Zebra's trip to hospital - and the surprise ending!


Willbee the Bumblebee

Author: Craig Smith
ISBN: 9789810943509
Ages: 4 and above
About this book:

A catchy song with endearing illustrations that will have you buzzing! And as Willbee flew away, he did not stop, his jersey unraveled from the bottom to the top, and when he realised this, he lost his hum. He was showing the whole garden his bare bum! Well, with no jersey, and being late in the day, Willbee was so cold he couldn't fly away. Willbee the bumblebee is so embarrassed when he realizes his stripy jumper has caught on a rose thorn and completely unraveled...

Disclaimer: We received the books from Scholastic Asia for review purpose. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and photos are mine. 

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