My young readers just can't get their hands on enough books these days. As their Mom, I try to carefully select what they read, the stories and content is important to me. It is a real bonus when I find reading material that they both enjoy and can learn from.
Both my Kindergarten and 1st grade student love books and since I discovered the Hands-on-Prints we have a few more great titles in our personal library.
One of my favorites is "Do I have to? What if I don't want to..."
This talks all about emotions and not wanting to do things that are expected of us.
This was very age appropriate for my 5-year-old. She is still learning healthy ways to express her emotions. She wants to be independent and isn't always happy about house rules. This book gave us a lot to talk about while we read the story together.
So, ..."what if we could do whatever we wanted all day long!!!"... this was a great ice breaker in the story. All the colorful photos gave us examples on ways we would much rather spend our day.
Then the story talks about the things we need to do, what could happen if we don't and ways to deal with the emotions that come from making those hard choices.
I enjoyed this book as a parent because it is all about cooperative listening and behaviors. There is a a small leaflet about collabrative communication in the front cover, a section for Grown-ups to read before they begin and a summary in the back that discusses emotional awareness and how to build those important listening skills.
my daughter really enjoyed the scenarios in the little mini stories inside the book. There were four possible scenarios and what might happen if, "I wouldn't get up" or "I wouldn't eat vegetables" etc.
and then later in the book 4 more scenarios that talk about validating feelings when, " I really don't want to go to bed", etc.
I think she enjoyed hearing that her feelings are normal and that her frustration in situations she has no control over is normal, too. The book also gave her several healthy ways to deal with her anger or frustration like taking a deep breath or hitting pillows
And beyond just what was in the book, it was a great way to start a conversation about appropriate ways to act and our daily responsibilities..
All three of us sat down to enjoy A Persistent Vine by Han Tran and Christina Cheung. This book is part of a 4-book set of a Montessori inspired botanical series. Set in 9th century Japan, the story is about a persistent morning glory plant and the complex ecosystem of the garden.
My son read the story and my daughter was mesmerized by the colorful illustrations of the garden and it's plants.
Because all of the stories in the Hands-On-Prints books take learning to a deeper level, this one included illustrations of plants with cordate leaves. It was a great chance to explore other plants and talk about invasive species as well as characteristics that plants share within a certain family.
My budding botanists had a lot of questions and I look forward to seeing the other stories in this series.
Hands-on-Prints are different. Author Christinia Cheung has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and wrote her Hands-on-Prints books after establishing a Montessori school that celebrates differences in personality, learning and various cultural backgrounds.
The 5 books that I was sent included, A Persistent Vine and Do I have to? I don't want to..., and are vibrant, hands-on learning experiences for young readers. From the themes of nature to complex emotions and then out into the wider world, these books are both stimulating for the mind and conversations as a family.
I enjoyed all the books we were sent and I encourage you to try them out with your young readers as well.
Giveaway Time!!!
I have (1) Hands-on-Prints book to be given to one (1) giveaway winner here on the blog. Would you like to see how engaging and educational these books are for yourself? Giveaway open to the US and winner must be 18 or over. Giveaway ends
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