Suzie and Michelle’s most recent picture of their travels is of the fountain in Central Park in New York City. There are two things I thought about when I saw this picture. One is water. Have you ever thought about how free water is and how much children love water? They love just putting their hands in water – running in water – stamping in water – getting wet in water. The best kind of water is water they are not supposed to be in as opposed to a bath. The amazing thing about water is how natural, easy and free it is. It isn’t hard. In it’s softness, it can wear down anything. It can wear down rocks and mountains. In that way, it is incredibly strong. You would never expect that it could be that strong.
The other thing I thought about this square is that if you’ve ever been to New York, or the center of most big cities, there seems to be an area where no matter when you go, there are people around it. The water seems to draw them there. There are jugglers and dancers and singers and people just sitting on the fountain, looking and watching and being with other people.
Children seem to know innately that they learn better when they are interacting with other people, especially with people they love. When it’s natural and easy, they learn easier and faster. This art of learning in a natural, easy way is what Michelle’s new book is about. “What Children Need to Learn to READ” is full of ideas and activities that make learning a part of our everyday lives. It is full of dancing, singing, playing, rhyming games that make learning to read as easy as flowing water. These are the types of activities that children are naturally drawn to and love. They do these games easily and in the process, become strong readers.
As parents, we try many different things to help our children learn. We buy videos to make our kids smarter. We purchase piles of workbooks with sticker activities that sit unused in our cupboards. Many times, we come back to those things which are simple and easy and that our kids ask for, because they fit in our lives. These are the things our children are drawn to the most. We encourage you to check out the activities in “What Children Need to Learn to Read”. Go to our website and look for our free downloads at LearnersLane.com. Let us know what you think.
In the meantime, go play in a fountain!
