Read Across America Day

It's that time of year again, time to gear up for NEA's Read Across America Day. On March 2, PBS KIDS is honoring the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, more widely known as Dr. Seuss, with a two-hour marathon of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! PBS KIDS will celebrate Dr. Seuss' 107th birthday by rhyming along with the playful Cat during two brand new episodes, "Incredible Journey/Bamboozled," where the Cat introduces Nick and Sally to two incredible creatures, Salmon Sam and Zhu Zhu the panda, and "Teeny Weeny Adventure/I See Seeds," in which the Cat takes Nick and Sally on two "tiny" adventures.

Also joining in the celebration of Dr. Seuss is Reading Rockets, a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. On the Reading Rockets: Read Across America pages you will find a video interview with Mrs. Seuss, classroom strategies to incorporate Dr. Seuss books into literacy-building activities, and a Lorax-themed family literacy bag encouraging hands-on fun and learning.

Also check out the video-enhanced activities for teachers on the PBS Teachers website and find activities by topic for even more fun!

Or, visit Seussville for printable activities, to learn about the author, and find lesson plans as well as the downloadable 2011 NEA's Read Across America activity booklet.

So which is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? I love Fox in Socks and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!  No wait, Horton Hears A Who. That's a fabulous tale. Or, I know, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It's just isn't Christmas without that story. But I also love Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. With so many great classics, it's really hard to choose a favorite don't you think?  Go on, grab a book and get your Seuss on!

Top Educational Websites for 2011

Homeschool.com has come out with their annual list of the top 100 educational websites. The full list is categorized by subject and you'll want to bookmark it as a great reference tool. I've linked the top five sites here, but check out the full list. There are some great tools for fun and learning with your kids!

The Top Five Sites for 2011

1. www.exploratorium.edu
2. www.pbs.org
3. www.brainpop.com
4. www.sheppardsoftware.com
5. www.donnayoung.org

For the full list click here.

We Love Books!

Nothing warms my heart like seeing a child with a good book. My favorite local library book sale starts this weekend. I'm so excited! We've built our (huge) children's home library through sales like this and I look forward to them every year. Be sure to check out sales at your local library for great deals on books for all ages! You can usually find information on your library's webpage or search "Friends of the Library" and the name of your city.

FREE Reading Resource

Here's a tip I just picked up from Frugal Freebies and Deals. You can download 28 children's picture books, by Hans Wilhelm, for FREE by visiting Children's Books Forever. There are books available in 12 languages!

The books can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat (also Free) and they can be printed or used on Smartboard, Powerpoint or overhead projectors. Permission is granted for non-commercial use only. Additional stories will be added to check the website for update. Also, be sure the click the links toward the bottom left for titles under "Toddler", "Humor", "Inspiration" and "Holiday".

What a great resource! Enjoy :)