As Annemarie gets older, we are building new routines and her ability to comprehend is growing by the minute. She loves story time, especially when she recognizes things she knows in the pictures like animals. That's why we once again partnered with Safari Ltd. to bring some of Annemarie's favorite characters to life!
We used the following books for story time:
Miss Mingo and the First Day of School by Jamie Harper
"If there’s an elephant in the classroom — along with an alligator, a koala, a centipede, an octopus, and who knows what else — it must be Miss Mingo’s class on the first day of school! Miss Mingo, a flashy flamingo, starts off the year by inviting all creatures big and small to share something special about themselves. Did you know that Cricket hears with his legs, Snake smells with his tongue, and Frog enjoys eating his own skin? Visit this multi-species classroom for a nonfiction storybook filled with learning — and laughter."
Annemarie loved pointing at each animal and placing the figurine in front. It's like she couldn't believe she was holding the animal from the book. Her favorite was of course Miss Mingo the Flamingo, which we used the following from Safari https://store.safariltd.com/products/flamingo and the elephant https://store.safariltd.com/products/wild-safari-wildlife-african-elephant-figurines-270029 .
As we brought each character to life, we went through their different characteristics like color, what kind of animal it is, what noise does it make and much more. Since I am trying to build on Annemarie's vocabulary, I thought this was a great way to get her talking and thinking of all the different words she can use and has at her disposal.
Other Safari products we used:
Click, Clack Quack to School by Doreen Cronin
" Farmer Brown has been invited to be a guest at the elementary school’s Farm Day! The animals excitedly practice their best classroom behavior: standing quietly in line, using their inside voices, and learning how to share. But then they find out that farm animals aren’t actually allowed in school (who knew they were considered a health code violation?!). Rules are rules, so Farmer Brown goes to school solo—or so he thinks…for while our favorite barnyard bunch don’t get high marks in rules, they do excel in disguise."
This book was great because I also linked it with nursery songs like "Bingo Was His Name-O" which had Annemarie very excited. We continued with the same concept as in the previous book, naming the animals in the story and talking about their characteristics to continue working on her vernacular skills - practice makes perfect.
In the end, the biggest take away is to make sure you make reading fun for your little one. Watching Annemarie giggle, sing and enjoy herself was the best thing ever! As a former English teacher, I saw so many students come into my classroom hating to read and I'm happy to say that most if not all, left loving to read. It may not have been the classics but it was some kind of aspect of reading and even writing, they enjoyed. I want to do just that for Annemarie and build not only her reading skills, but her imagination! After all, she is only 2.5 years old.
Don't forget to use our discount code BambinaDiaries at check out for 20% off your Safari Ltd. order
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