Annie Lang's Blog!

Anyone can celebrate National Reading Month to encourage reading for all ages!  The first week of March also kicks off the Read Across America Week to promote literacy and encourages children to explore the world of books through the love of reading. You're never too young to read a good book and nobody knows this better than kids!  Reading to young children and toddlers not only helps them develop good reading skills and learning habits but it's a bonding activity that helps them explore the world through imaginative stories with each turn of the page. Whether you are a teacher, reading tutor, parent, grandparent or simply a bookworm book enthusiast, you're in luck!  Find lots of great storybooks, Bookworm merchandise, fabrics, clipart and crafting ideas for yourself or favorite reader.  Just keep scrolling to see how Annie Lang's Bookworm characters make Annie Things Possible!  " Bookworms Know Stuff Storybook by Annie Lang " was among the first storybooks I

There's a chill in the air as the calendar page turns and the pumpkins come out! In case you missed it... here's a fun post from my 2013 BLOG   I'm sure you'll enjoy if you haven't already seen it.  All month long I'll be sharing fun pumpkin projects, "JOLLY JACKS" themed posts and fun autumn themed features to keep you smiling throughout this festive season. AUTUMN SMILES, EVERYONE!

It started out as a beautiful day in the garden until the chatter got a bit out of control!  Find out how all the commotion unexpectedly turns this peaceful garden all topsy-turvy as the news of the day quickly spreads throughout this delightfully illustrated children's book. Young readers will quickly engage with vividly detailed characters and imagery as the story unfolds in the garden.   It's a timeless tale of human nature and our need to socially share everything we hear with others.  As is often the case in real life, what starts as a simple observation quickly can turn into a most ridiculous misunderstanding.   " Guess What I Heard Today " is a terrific "read it together"  publication that encourages discussion about how we communicate. Decades ago, my first grade teacher had the class sit in a circle, whisper a sentence into the ear of the student beside us as we passed our "secret sentence" from person to person.  We were totally amazed wh

A trip to Grandma's house always includes at least one fun learning activity and here's a simple project anyone can do together with preschool age kids.  All you need is a handful of pebbles, a bottle of Tacky Glue and a surface like wood or paper mache.  I just happened upon this rustic handmade birdhouse feeder while visiting a local cider mill and it turned out to be the perfect surface for our activity of the day. I began by first applying a coat of Thompson's Clear Wood Sealer to the entire surface and allowing it to dry overnight.  The next day, a pile of pebbles was placed onto our work surface where my granddaughter could select which ones she wanted to use on the birdhouse feeder. A plastic knife was the perfect tool for spreading a thick coat of Tacky Glue onto the wood area to be embellished. Pebbles were placed one by one onto the glue and gently pressed down into place.  Not only were her little fingers kept busy for an hour, but she was more than able to s

Chances are most preschoolers already know the "ABC" song. But when it comes to identifying individual letters out of sequence, they may experience a little difficulty associating the correct letter with a "sound alike" word. While my preschooler granddaughter was visiting, we came up with a fun activity which involved both of us taking snapshots with our digital cameras.  I had her find "alphabet treasures" that we could take photos of as we walked around the house and yard and we snapped away!   In about an hour, we had all the photos we needed so we sat at the computer together and unloaded the digital file that we would save.  I let her be the decision maker as to which ones we wanted to use for her book.  Thus ended the first phase of our project and we then moved on to making lunch! When she returned a few days later, Maryann found that each photo had been placed on a digital document (most likely by the digital fairy!) which featured each lett

Whether you're reading with a youngster one on one or reading to an entire group, bring the story to life and make it a memorable experience by adding a few story activities to enhance the experience!  Here are a few basic ideas you may want to try... Make up 8-10 questions about the story and write each one on a piece of paper. Draw a question and then discuss!  Enhance the story environment!  Relate a scene from the story you are reading by creating a "real life" experience.  For example, if the story is about cookies, you could share a "cookie snack".  If the story is about camping, maybe you could read the story together in a makeshift "tent". How about sharing some "Green Eggs and Ham"? If you're reading one of my Elf books, maybe you'd like to try sharing a cup of cocoa after the story.  I'm sure you can easily imagine all the endless possibilities.   Make a set of "Listening Ears" that you can wear

This toddler may be only 2 1/2 years old, but it's the perfect age to introduce some basic creative skills that she'll use throughout her lifetime.  Kids are naturally curious about the world around them and love to figure out how things work.  Today we're making our own magnets using a Xyron (Creative Station) and a printed project page from my " Annie Lang's Paper Clip Halloween " activity book. I first let my granddaughter explore the machine and she soon discovered that art needs to go through the machine and not in it!  She also felt the need to wear "glasses" because I wear reading glasses when working on projects.  I removed the lenses from an old pair of reading glasses and she now keeps them in her craft supply caddy.  Keeping in mind that most most toddlers have a 15-20 minute attention span, creative project undertakings should be structured around that time frame.  Making magnets is a perfect way to practice using scissors while creat

What could four generations of girls possibly have to chat about on their "Girl's Day In?"  You just might be surprised at how much they have in common! MY GRANDMAS, MY MOM AND ME!