Lifestyle Triple P : Helping You Raise Healthy Kids

For more information on the Positive Parenting Program, click here.

National Simultaneous Storytime Title Unleashed!

Remember - National Simultaneous Storytime will be held at the Busselton Public Library on 23 May 2012 at 10am. 'The Very Cranky Bear' by Nick Bland will be read, along with some complementary stories and a special craft activity!

No bookings are required for this event, and participation in all storytime events at the Busselton Library is FREE - for more information, contact the library on (08) 9754 1588.

Would you like a sneak peek at the book selected for this year's National Simultaneous Storytime?

Nick Bland’s award winning and much loved children’s book, ‘The Very Cranky Bear’, is now an animated, interactive app! Narrated by well-loved Australian actor Angus Sampson with an original music score by Helen Croome. Join Moose, Zebra, Lion and Sheep as they try to hide from the rain in a cave, but accidentally disturb a very cranky bear…

Special Features:

* You be the narrator: Record and play back your own voice!
* Tilting the device on special pages adds depth to wonderfully animated pages.
* Find 5 hidden cards to unlock a secret surprise!

Check out this promo vid here of the app:

Back to School

The holidays are over, the kids are back to school - and for some, this means beginning year one, taking the first exciting steps into "big school", and wading a bit deeper into the refreshing waters of lifelong reading!

To help your child have the best chance of learning success at school, give them lots of opportunities to read aloud at home. Inspire your young reader to practice every day! Reading Rockets has put together some tips for parents of first-graders that offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader.

Try a new tip each week, and see what works best for your child.

Don’t leave home without it.	-	Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor’s office. Always try to fit in reading!
- - -
Once is not enough.	-	Encourage your child to re-read favorite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.
- - -
Dig deeper into the story.	-	Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, “Why do you think Clifford did that?”
- - -
Take control of the television.	-	It’s difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.
- - -
Be patient.	-	When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind your child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.
- - -
Pick books that are at the right level.	-	Help your child pick books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.
- - -
Play word games.	-	Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.
- - -
I read to you, you read to me.	-	Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.
- - -
Gently correct your young reader.	-	When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many beginning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.
- - -
Talk, talk, talk!	-	Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house. Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you’ve talked about in the past.
- - -
Write, write, write!	-	Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home. When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he or she is learning at school.

Visit www.ReadingRockets.org for more information on how you can launch a child into a bright future through reading.