We have many exciting new additions to the National Writing for Children Center scheduled for 2009.

One of these is our new weekly Teaching & Parenting Tips Column.

This column will be shared by four educators who are also writers: Kathy Stemke, Dorit Sasson, Amy M. O’Quinn, and Sharon Blumberg.

This Week’s Teaching & Parenting Tips Column comes from Kathy Stemke, a former classroom teacher who has recently retired to become a full time children’s author and freelance writer.

Stemke has a B.S. degree from Southern Connecticut State University and Covenant Life Seminary, as well as graduate coursework from New York Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Hanging her hat in the North Georgia mountains she has been a dancer, choreographer, teacher, tutor, writer and an antiques dealer for many years. As a freelance writer she has published several articles. Kathy’s first children’s books, Moving Through All Seven Days and Trouble on Earth Day, are slated for release in 2009!

Visit our staff and faculty page for more information about Kathy and links to some of her other work.

If you encourage reading from an early age and couple it with fun activities, your child will develop a love for reading that will last his entire life. The following three book recommendations are complete with great activities to do with children either at home or at school.

Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer, teaches kids about worms and the many benefits they provide in the garden. Here is an excerpt: “Down in the ground, under your feet, thousands of worms wiggle around flower beds and tunnel under trees.”

Make a Bookworm

1. Draw a worms head tape it to the wall.

2. On each segment of the body write the title, author and date of a book that your child reads.

3. Continue to add segments until the worm goes all around the room.

4. After every 5 or 10 segments you can offer your child a reward.

The Great Pancake Escape by Paul Many is told in rhymed verse. This is the story of three children who chase after the pancakes that their magician father has mistakenly brought to life. The pancakes try to hide by taking the form of tires, roller-skate wheels, Frisbees and miscellaneous other objects. The kids return home empty-handed, and realize that the book their father used was a magic book not a cookbook. Using one of the book’s spells, they call the pancakes back.

Rhyming Words

1. Either draw or make copies of several pancakes on thick paper or cardboard.

2. Have your child write rhyming words on the back of each pancake.

3. Place the pancakes picture side up on a baking sheet or a table.

4. Flip the pancakes over with a spatula and match up two words that rhyme.

5. Add the rhyming pancakes to the child’s plate and have the child count them.

Circumference of a Circle Activity

1. Wrap a string around the outside edge of a pancake and cut the string to size.

2. Measure the length of the string with a ruler.

3. Explain that you have just measured the circumference of a circle.

4. You can repeat this activity with different size pancakes or other circles that you find around the room.

Behind the Mask: A book about Prepositions by Ruth Heller is a wonderful book of rhymed verse that introduces prepositions and their rules. Here is an excerpt: “Prepositions have no fear. They help to make directions clear.”

Hula-Hoop Activity (understanding prepositions)

1. The parent or teacher holds up the word IN on an index card or sheet of paper.

2. The child jumps IN the hoop to recognize IN as a preposition.

3. Continue with the following prepositions: Jump OUT of the hoop, stand UNDER the hoop, sit NEXT TO the hoop, walk AROUND the hoop, hop ACROSS the hoop, step THROUGH the hoop, crawl INTO the hoop, lean OVER the hoop, hide INSIDE the hoop, step ON the hoop, lean AGAINST the hoop, sit BESIDE the hoop, lie NEAR the hoop, slide OUTSIDE the hoop, balance on one foot WITHIN the hoop.

Read with your child everywhere you go. Read signs, food cartons, magazines, and even toy boxes. There are words all around you. With every game or activity there should be verbal praise or some kind of reward. Most of all, have fun.