Book of the Week GIVEAWAY: ABC Animal Jamboree by Giles Andreae
Why we love this book:
I’m back from South Africa and I’m trying to wrap my brain around everything I experienced. I’m busy sorting through the hundreds of pictures I took and I’m putting together my thought for some upcoming posts on my adventure!
This week I thought I’d combine a little South Africa Animal Safari preview and a Lego alphabet lesson my grandsons worked up all on their own. ABC Animal Jamboree could be considered the little brother to the catchy Rumble in the Jungle. Bright, bold animal illustrations introduce children to animals one by one through a rhyming alphabet romp. Another fun read aloud from Giles Andreae!
Literacy Learning with Legos
Legos have long been a tradition in our home. Many years ago, Grandson #1, now 14 years old, brought some Legos to Grandma’s house. My collection has been growing ever since. There are two huge bins full of these enticing little pieces and a lot of fine motor skills have been developed by Grandsons # 1, 2, 3 and 4 while creating with Legos.
How many toys can a 3 and 10-year-old truly enjoy and play with together side by side? Well, Legos are one answer!
Grandson #3 (10 years-old) ask Grandson #4 (3 years-old), “Can you point to the letter C?”
Grandson #3: “How about the L?”
Grandson #4: “I have two L’s in my name.”
Grandson #4: “This is A.”
Leave it to the children to teach me a literacy Lego lesson! Who knew you could use Legos to learn the alphabet?
Life with Joyce
We’re GIVING AWAY one copy of ABC Animal Jamboree by Giles Andreae
To enter this contest, just answer the following question in the comments section of this post.
How do you engage children of different ages? Have you found a toy that truly spans different ages? (Or just say “Hey.” We’re flexible around here.)
The Rules:
One entry per person, please.
No entries after 8:00 pm Central Time, Sunday, July 29, 2012
The winner must be a resident of The United States.
The winner will be selected at random and announced Monday, July 30, 2012. Check back to claim your prize. It might be you!
FREE printable Alphabet Guides
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Definitely legos – Duplo bricks as well as the little ones!
And, while I’m not particularly into electronic toys in general, we got sent some hexbugs to review a while back and I have yet to meet a kid (or adult, honestly) who doesn’t find them intriguing.
With only 2 children pretty close together, we haven’t really had to worry too much about spanning the ages – but my favorite toy/activity that does work for all ages is Play-doh…. with a plastic mat down of course!
Similar to legos – but Lincoln Logs. We use the same set that my sister and I both played with as kids. So they span the generations as well as multiple ages!
Of course, everyone can enjoy painting, too, as long as Mom can handle the mess!
Lastly, certain books can engage kids at very different cognitive levels, as this site has gotten us to understand really well. In addition to the great advice found all over this blog, I’d also like to mention wordless books as ways to reach out to children of different ages. Younger kids enjoy the pictures while older kids can relate the story themselves …
I can’t wait to here more about S. Africa!
Hey, we’re flexible around here! We only have one kiddo – so it’s not usually an issue unless a cousin is visiting. Blocks are a hit, plus physical activity such as trampoline, etc.
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
The chunky Melissa and Doug wooden puzzles are great for all ages, because the puzzles are challenging for younger ones and the pieces can be used in pretend block play for older children!
Legos are the best toys in our house and have been for years. All three of my children from 8-4 love creating their own masterpieces using their imaginations. But they have also found a great sense of accomplishment from using the instruction booklets to build something. The amount of stamina/patience they’ve learned from playing with legos is a blessing!
Paper and pencil (or colored pencils) are the “toys” that always appeal to my kids the most… They can fold it, tape it, build with it, color on it…the possibilities are endless.
The almighty stick in the back yard. I have two boys 3 and 10. Sticks have been guns, Harry Potter wands, saws, drills, bug investigation tools, machetes, an old man’s cane, swords, a horse and so on.
Our boys like Legos as well. Ususally, I can get all the boys (ages 3, 5, 7, 8, and 10) to like the same crafty things.
Citiblocks do for us, as well as Lincoln Logs, and Legos
Going to the playground or beach keeps all of our kids happy