Bringing up Bebe

Vive la France!!

As a new parent for the second time, I often think about the successes and failures of the first run-through. I often ask, "Am I doing a good job? Should I do this differently?" The list of questions can be extensive.

Needless to say, I often look for information and strategies that will help me be a better parent (oddly enough, some of the information and strategies help me improve as a teacher. Something about classroom management and patience). Lately, I began reading Bringing up Bebe and can't put the book down. Pamela Druckerman, author of Lost in Translation, compares the parenting styles of French and American parents and notes differences in the behavior of French and American children. According to Druckerman, French parents are doing a great job, which leaves me to think that not only are the French great soccer players, make great fries, and sound sexy every time they speak, they are also great parents. Who knew?!?

I haven't finished the book, but have noticed reoccurring ideas: 1) talk to your kid as if he/she is a rational person who can understand and deal with concepts, b) be very firm with a few rules but give kids lots of freedom to explore, grow, and be kids, and c) don't let parenting get in the way of you being an adult. Parents also need their space, individuality, and entertainment.

From little princess to little diva!

"Whatcha looking at?"

Toddler and Mommy Book Selection

April Book Selection

Finding engaging, culturally diverse, and entertaining books for Camila is always a top priority. Though I have mentioned it before, I strongly believe that a love for books and literature will prep Camila for a successful academic and professional future. Thus, Camila and I regularly search the aisles of local book stores or the public library for something catchy and interesting. This month, I want to share two great books.

Priscilla and the Pink Planet by Nathaniel Hobbie:

As with many little girls, pink is the color of choice. Camila is no exception. Priscilla focuses on a little girl who lives in a pink world but eventually decides to search for other colors.

Camila loves the book because Priscilla and the butterfly happily walk away after achieving their goal. I love the book because of the book's allusion to Alice in Wonderland.

Noddy and the Sunny Day by Enid Blyton:

On Camila's first birthday, a friend gave her the book. Since it is a pop-up book, Camila, at the time, destroyed many of the ages, but it still remained one of her top choices.

Camila loves the story line...a little boy who unsuccessfully tries to entertain himself only to realize that the best activities are those shared with friends. I, on the other hand, love the book for its diversity. Noddy, at the end of the story, leaves his toys behind and decides to join his friends for a game of soccer. Yes, soccer! On Sundays, Camila and hubby watches Globo Esporte, a Brazilian version of ESPN Sports News. Consequently, Camila is very familiar with soccer but has no clue of football or baseball. When we reach the last page, she often yells football (Portuguese accent) or Vasco, hubby's favorite soccer team.

Benefits of Being Bilingual

Bilingual

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm surrounded by bilinguals, trilingual, and polyglots. It's great! When I get yelled at in traffic, it's often in some foreign language that make "Fuck you!" sound eloquent and pretty. You may find it strange, but it's true. Next time you yell at someone in traffic say, " Merde" (maird) and note all the great smiles you get in return ;)

Needless to say, speaking additional languages brings great benefits. Check out a New York Times article on the benefits of being bilingual.

For Portuguese/Brazilian parents, I recently discovered the Instituto Brasilia de Educacao e Cultura (IBEC). It's a cultural center that teaches kids Brazilian Portuguese. For more info go to www. ibec-ca.org.For those interested in combining their love for Brazilian music, martial arts, and Portuguese, ABADA Capoeira in San Francisco is the place for you or your kids. For first and second generation Brazilians, you may want to ask about Ponto de Cultura. Click on the links above for more information.

Personalized Story Book

Personalized Story Book

I strongly believe that by exposing Camila to a variety of texts she will grow to be an avid reader, good student, and successful individual. Well, to maintain my goal and add a little extra oomph to the reading materials we read, I composed a story book for my little girl. I combined my love for reading with a project--can't get better than that!Using Kodak Projects, I composed a fairy tale that blends text and photos. In the story, relatives and friends are transformed into magical characters who help Princess Camila along her journey. The end result is fabulous and we are having fun reading it.The photo book cost less than $30 and we love reading it :)

Literacy and Kids

I'm fortunate to have a daughter who loves to read. Ever night, she selects 3 of her favorite books, we lay in my bed, and we read together. During this time, I assess her reading skills by asking simple comprehension questions. I'll point to a horse and call it a cow. She immediately corrects me--this is a fun game!

e-books:

At the library:

Though she loves to read, I like to keep the excitement and importance of reading constant. We visit the library once a month so to check out new books. I make it a point of letting her check out and return the books--she loves doing this. I also make it a point to give her a book as a gift on her birthday and Christmas. I want her to think of reading as a fun activity and not a task she needs to complete.

I do this because I am well aware of the benefits of reading. Regularly, I tell my students that a good reader is a good writer, speaker, and thinker. As a teacher, it's clear which of my students read for pleasure. They often have a more elaborate vocabulary and writing and critical thinking skills than students who seldom read. Studies also show that students who enjoy reading do better academically. Go figure!

Here are some of Camila's favorite books and a great article on literacy and kids. I'm also including an article on parent involvement and academic success and on Finland's school success--it has strategies the U.S. educational system should consider. Enjoy.

• Goodnight Moon. Since birth, I have read this book to Camila. She loves it and knows all the words. I read that the consistency and repetitiveness of reading the same book helps kids build their confidence. By knowing the book well, the kid feels confident letting mom know what will happen next.

• Search and Find books. This type of book allows kids to look at an item on a picture bank and then identify it in the story. Since there are few words, I end up making elaborate stories before asking Camila to find the pictures.

• Daddy's Girl by Garrison Keillor. Both Camila and I love this book. The little protagonist has curly hair like Camila. On one page, the little girl is without a diaper so Camila and I make it a big deal that her tushy is showing.

FYI: In the past, I read an article encouraging parents to tell stories to their kids. According to the article, which I can't find online, kids who enjoy listening to stories told by their parents get some of the same benefits as those who read with their parents. Since young kids are still too young to actually read and decipher words, they pay attention to the narration of the story and from there build their cognitive skills. In other words, you don't always need to read a book. Use your imagination and create a story in which your kid is the protagonist ready to save the world!