I’ve been reviewing quite a few board books lately, and I’m back with another round for the littles. These playful books are especially suited for infants, and bigger babies who aren’t quite toddlers yet.
Continue reading “Baby Gym Board Books (A Timberdoodle Review)”
According to several recent studies, pandemic-era children are talking less than their predecessors1. As a parent to a pandemic toddler — Lochlan turned six months old in March 2020 — this concerns me deeply.
I’m not an expert in speech pathology, but some data seems to show both a measurable uptick in referrals to speech therapy2 and “a decline in verbal functioning”.1 One starts to wonder if maybe the kids are not okay3 in our current pandemic-response environment. (Researchers in at least one study indicated “factors related to the pandemic had ‘by far the greatest impact on infant and toddler neurodevelopment.'”1 )
It’s easy to feel helpless when the the broader global situation remains so complex and convoluted. But there is an immediately actionable response in our grasp: read books aloud, and talk to our kids!
Continue reading “Did the Pandemic Increase Speech Delays? (plus, Board Books for Speech Therapy)”
As tempting as it might be, none of us can ignore this novel coronavirus any longer. Schools are closed all around us — our county has more than half of Tennessee’s total COVID-19 cases. But here’s the thing —
Writer Lore Wilbert reminds us, “It is not panicking to practice social distancing, avoid crowds, wash your hands more frequently and for longer. Even if you fall in the not-at-risk-of-dying category, over 20 million Americans ARE at risk of dying because their immune systems are weaker. We should love our neighbors by showing restraint and care in our own normal schedules.
The world will keep spinning if you opt out of the conference, stay home from church or other large gatherings for a few weeks…
It’s a sacrifice, but it’s not panicking.”
Continue reading “Weekly Recap: Waffles, Viruses, and E-Books”
Our week began with the devastating Middle Tennessee tornadoes. Here, just south of the city, we escaped the damage, but so many of our neighbors in Nashville and Cookeville were not as lucky.
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Continue reading “Weekly Recap: Journal-Free Nature Walks & the Cold War”
If you’re raising an eager little reader, you know how hard it is to keep up with that voracious appetite for reading material. And you also know the only thing better than finding a good book is realizing the book is part of an entire series. MOAR BOOKZ!
If you’re looking for early chapter books with just the right amount of adventure (time travel! kid-sized explorers! Biblical lands!), I think you’ll love this series. It’s especially perfect for early-grade readers, but my kiddo who usually gravitates toward middle -grade novels is still SUPER excited about it (I mean, look at that face!)
Continue reading “Secret of the Hidden Scrolls (AND a BOOKLIST of my favorite series!)”
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