The Reading Railroad is a free newsletter for parents, caregiver's and teachers.
Fun reading ideas & activities for preshool and primary grade children
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1. Gifts That Stimulate the Brain
2. More Fun Gifts for the Whole Family
3. Prereading - The Best Gift - And it is FREE!
4. December's Winner of the Car Train Drawing
GIFTS THAT STIMULATE THE BRAIN
{!name}, it is the season of giving and the question that seems to come to mind is what to give your child, grandchild or that favorite kid in your life. With all the hipe and vast assortment of games and toys it is difficult to choose.
I have 3 grandchildren, and even when my children were growing up, the questions that I asked myself was and still are, "What gifts am I going to give that will make a difference in their lives, will stimulate their thoughts, will introduce them to a new idea, will support positive vaules of giving, loving honesty, and sharing? You may have other ideas as to how you make your choices, but for whatever it is worth, here is my list.
Being a former reading teacher it is always important to me to give books... books the kids can read or the parents can read with their children. Books that are timeless....
Here is one of my favorite books. It is perfect for the holiday season and is non-denominational.
The Little Soul and the Sun: A Children's Parable Adapted from Conversations With God is a powerful, yet easy to understand story that brings children a very profound truth: there is not absolute good or bad--that underneath all that happens in the world, all that we call "good" and all that we call "bad," is love. Your child will discover a God that she or he can love, because God is love, as are all the Little Souls who are a part of God. And perhaps parents, too, will rediscover who they really are. Ages 6 thru adults.
On my list each year always is some kind of science gift.
Each of the The Young Scientists Club Science Kits comes with 3 different experiment kits where you child is able to use their imagination. Each set approaches a different area of science. For children 5-12
The Powerhouse Experiments Science Kit helps 10 - high school age students explore the environment, renewable energy. With over 90 experiments your child will enjoy this science gift for a long time.
The 3D Periodic Table is a favorite, inexpensive gift for that favorite student or teacher who loves chemistry. One executive purchased it to use as a pencil holder on his desk! And this item ships international for the same price it is shipped in the U.S.
Fun Gifts for the Whole Family
What "kid" doesn't love a Christmas Holiday Train Set. Last year when I purchased one for my grandchildren, I think the people who had the most fun playing with it were the adults. This is a gift that will be past down from generation to generation. And the fun conversations we had telling our children of our past Christmas train experiences.
It is not too late to build a toy wooden train table with our train table plans . You can get the plans today via email and build it in 3 hours. And your child will enjoy hours of creative play.
If you've built a toy train table, why not build one and give it away as a gift to a child who doesn't have one or a day care center. We have had so many people all over the world build our table and donate it to their favorite charity.
If you're more interested in RC cars or airplanes Discount RC cars is the place to be with their vast selection. You may wonder how this is related to reading, Did you know that eye hand coordination is a big factor in reading success?
PREREADING - THE GIFT OF CONVERSATION
The greatest pre-reading skill that you can give your child is to engage him / her in conversation - without music, without TV - just you and your child. Why? Because you are their most important teacher and this time of year you can impart important critical thinking skills which is the most advance reading skill in the school curriculum.
The media bombards kids with advertisements, and each company is vying for your dollars via your kids vulnerability and peer pressure.
Things. The more of them the better -- Pokemon cards, CD's, fashionable clothes, the hotest toy of the season! It's important that children learn to distinguish between the things the TV tells them they "must" own and what possesses enduring value and meaning. While playing a game or eating dinner, in a casual conversation you can help your kids recognize what's truly important by asking questions because questions are the answers....
Q: "If we were going on trip for a year and you could only take thing, what would it be? What is your reason?"
Purpose: This question will trigger a discussion of which possessions are just things and which ones are precious and meaningful.
Q: "This year we are going to ask you to choose one of your toys to give away that is in excellent condition to a child whose parents cannot afford to give their child even one gift for the holiday. What would you like to give? How did you choose that toy or book?"
Purpose: This question taps into your children's natural spirit of generosity, kindness, and compassion. It turns all things into potential gifts, encouraging your kids to focus on how good it feels to give to others. And it teaches them how to make choices. Remember those multiple choice questions in school and on standardized tests?
Q: "If you could invent something, what would it be? What would it do? How would it help people?"
Purpose: This question asks kids to evaluate how necessity and creativity can lead to the invention of some wondrous things. Their inventions might be very imaginative, hysterically funny, or downright ingenious. And you are asking them a question that is about cause and effect.
Q: "If you were alone on an island for one year and could take only one book to read, one song to hear, and one photograph to look at, what would they be and why?"
Purpose: Some things have continuing value and importance to us. We want to read them, hear them, and see them again and again. Pausing to think about why these particular things have such lasting meaning might reveal what your children hold dear and what lifts their spirits. A great lesson in values clarification and critical thinking.
Participate and volunteer your own answers to these questions and to answer your kids' follow-up questions. This discussion naturally could lead to talking about what your children value most -- beyond things. It's a good way to check out how "shared" your family values really are.
And VERY IMPORTANT .... DON'T JUDGE, CRITICIZE OR BLAME. Whatever your children comes up with is important to them and is an expresssion of who they are.
My greatest teachers have been, and continue to be, my children.
And the most important learning experiences for all of us have been conversations around the dinner table, playing a board game, reading a book and traveling in the car.
DECEMBER'S WINNER OF THE CAR TRAIN DRAWING
Greg Zitek who signed up on 09/19/07 at 1:36pm. It pays to confirm your subscription.
Congratulations Greg!
Each of the 
What "kid" doesn't love a 
