Fun Beginning Readers!

Crew's favorite part of each day is his D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time.  (Okay, mine too!  It is super quiet and so peaceful to just have everyone reading quietly =) )  And starting yesterday he loves it even more!  He has always loved books; being read to, looking at the illustrations and reciting the stories through his picture walks.  Well, now that he is REALLY reading (as he calls it) independently he asks for more and more D.E.A.R. time.  He has found his first favorite series.  This is exciting to me as a teacher!  I always loved when my students really got into a series of books and just went with it book after book.

Crew has discovered "The Fly Guy" books by Ted Arnold.  These are cute books about a boy and a fly who meet and become great friends.  The different stories take you through their silly adventures with colorful and fun illustrations.  Check them out on Amazon...... 
http://www.amazon.com/Theodor-Seuss-Geisel-Honor-Awards/dp/0439853117/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287804121&sr=8-1 

Other favorites are any of the Clifford books.  Good old reliable Clifford!

I was a school teacher for several years before I had my own kiddos and used a great program called Accelerated Reader.  For those who are not familiar, it is basically a program where students read a book (at their level) independently and then take a comprehension quiz on the computer.  My students always loved this time during the day and were so super motivated to read.  Though Crew is already super motivated to read, I came across a free program called "Book Adventure" that is similar to what I was using in my classroom.  

 Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by and is maintained by Sylvan Learning.

Parents can monitor book levels, scores, etc.

In two days, he has read and taken 7 quizzes on different books.  And yes, they have quizzes for some of the Fly Guy series!  He LOVES it!  It is super exciting to see him grow as a reader and we are cherishing every moment. 

Goose got her very own book box for D.E.A.R. time tonight at the dollar store too!  She says soon she will be able to read like brother =)