Jilliane is going to be 4 this year and it's certainly time to get her more interested in reading. I'm glad that my little girl enjoys being read to, but I know it's now time to introduce her to r-e-a-d-i-n-g, to expose her to phonics.
I've been deliberating if I should send her to phonics classes. I've heard from friends that in this time, it's vital for kids to have a firm grasp of phonics as without it, they will do badly in Primary school, especially for Maths. It has been months and I'm still thinking. At this point, I'm really glad that Julia Gabriel has written a book, specifically on linking 2 alphabets, to teach kids the sounds and to entice their interest in reading!
Rainbow Bear's Dinosaur Discovery Book - wow! This is just in time as Jilliane has mastered single alphabet sounds in school and part of the syllabus this year will be sounds like "ch", "th", "sh" etc. And what makes it even more exciting for children is that this set comes with a story telling cd! So Jilliane need no longer listen to only my voice, which may come across as monotonous after a while. Moreover this book has many tongue twisters, so I'm actually grateful for the cd :)
So off we went "sh sh Shamini Shunosaurus. Shamini Shunosaurus shows shiny sea shells" & "th th Thecocoelurus throws three thick thistles". It was alot of fun as we giggled through all the sounds, rhymes & twisting fun.
I've in fact, even starting reading this to Jenson, indirectly. I'll place him on the bed beside Jilliane and me, hoping he will catch a phase or 2. I'm sure this will be one of those timeless classics, where he will still enjoy it 3 years later. Given that this theme is on dinosaurs, he, being a boy, should be even more excited about the book!
If you happen to read this post in time & are looking for something to do as a family this Saturday, head on down to The Dinosaur Stomp, from 10am to 5pm at Forum The Shopping Mall. There will be a special book signing sessions with Julia Gabriel, lively performances by Rainbow Bear and friends, and a Dinosaur Stomp. In addition, there are going to be art and craft activities, face painting, great goodie bags and prizes to be won from the Dinosaur Egg Treasure Hunt and Lucky Draws. To top it off, this book package will be sold at a 15% discount! Thumbs up! :)
