Storybook Quilts Rocks! » reading

Read Across America Day: March 2nd

Nancy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:00:50 +0000

Reading. As adults, we take for granted the ability to read and what we learn from reading. Those of us who love books know that nothing is a better escape than a good one — reality flies away and we inhabit an entirely different world.

Reading, and literacy in general, is an essential component of everyday life. Anyone who’s traveled to a country where the language is unfamiliar is suddenly struck by the importance of reading.

Passing this skill and love of reading on to children is not just a good idea, it’s essential to their development. Brain cells are turned on when a toddler is read to; reading aloud to children is essential to the development of literacy; and learning to read English, a recent study showed, requires “a rich home literacy environment” and that reading “lots of books to children. . . is absolutely necessary.”

Reading the Luna the Turtle Storybook Quilt

So, just how much time should you spend reading to your child? The National Children’s Reading Foundation recommends 20 minutes a day.

A Storybook Quilt is a great way to achieve at least half the daily goal! Each story takes about 10-15 minutes to read; each also provides an additional opportunity for building language and visual skills by matching the events in the story to the fabrics in the quilt.

Oh — one last thing. Do you know why Read Across American is celebrated in March 2nd? Why, it’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday, of course!

Read, read, read!

Today is Tell a Fairy Tale Day!

Nancy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:00:06 +0000

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Albert Einstein supposedly said that. He evidently was read a LOT of fairy tales!

Just what is a “fairy tale”?
A fairy tale is a fictional story that usually centers on magical tests or quests and often involves spectacular imaginary beings (not just fairies, but also dragons, trolls, women with very long hair, mice that turn into horses, wolves that can blow down houses, and so on). Originally, fairy tales were passed on orally at a time when only a few people knew how to write. Many of the traditional ones we still tell are literally centuries — perhaps millennia — old.

Are fairy tales just stories or is there something else behind them?
Fairy tales are one way that cultures endure. They teach children about what the culture values and about acceptable behavior. Take Cinderella, for example. From this, children learn that people who are cruel lose in the end and that honest, humble people reap the greatest rewards. In Snow White, the seven dwarves (can you remember their names?!) all worked together cheerfully; each had his own thing to contribute to society. The Three Little Pigs also has a clear message: work hard and build a strong foundation or you will be in danger from evil creatures.

Do cultures share fairy tales?
Interestingly, the same fairy tale may appear in different cultures, but with slightly different twists. “Dr Jamie Tehrani, a cultural anthropologist at Durham University, studied 35 versions of Little Red Riding Hood from around the world. Whilst the European version tells the story of a little girl who is tricked by a wolf masquerading as her grandmother, in the Chinese version a tiger replaces the wolf. In Iran, where it would be considered odd for a young girl to roam alone, the story features a little boy,” according an English newspaper. Amazingly, it appears that the common ancestor of all these fairy tales is 2600 years old!

Are all fairy tales “old”?
No, new fairy tales appear constantly. One great resource I found in writing this post is another blog — “Once Upon a Blog . . . Fairy Tale News.” It’s a fun collection of ideas and information about fairy tales old and new.

Michael with the Winnie the Frog fairy tale Storybook Quilt

Does Storybook Quilts create fairy tales?
Oh, yes! Several of our stories involve quests. A good example is Winnie the Frog, whom Ryan accompanies on his quest to obtain fairy cakes from the fairies — supposedly to cure Winnie’s sick mother. Their adventure is a quest to find what the fairies demand as a price for their cakes and it takes them to magical places. In the end, Winnie disappears and leaves us all wondering whether he really was a frog or a little boy . . .

One wonderful thing about Storybook Quilts is that children make up their own fairy tales based on the fabrics in the quilt — just as I did when I designed them.

Wouldn’t your child or grandchild love a new fairy tale, complete with cozy quilt?

What’s in a Name? For a Child, It’s a Lot!

Nancy — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:47:19 +0000

His or her name often is the first word that a child truly “owns.” Response to the sound of his own name begins in infancy; it isn’t long before the child realizes that the sound is only used to talk to him, that it is “his.” This awareness is important in developing a sense of self, the beginning of understanding interpersonal connections and relationships.

It isn’t long before the child can recognize his name, perhaps not the letters as letters, but certainly the overall shape. Seeing one’s name “in print” becomes a thrill, providing a sense of self-validation. Personalized children’s products, from pencils to baseball caps and even books, are important to children in part for this reason.

At Storybook Quilts, we go beyond personalization. Our customized versions make your child the hero or heroine in the story, which also may include sayings and interests that are particular to your family. The child’s name also appears on the quilt, embroidered on a square with the occasion, date and name of the giver. These are the things we treasure for a lifetime.

Here’s what one mother had to say about the Storybook Quilts given to her daughters by their grandparents:

“About the stories: [my two daughters] loved that their names are in the stories. Their eyes lit up when they heard the stories were about them.”

Until the end of August, we’re running a contest to win a gift certificate for a Storybook Quilt by suggesting a name for the latest theme character, a sea turtle. Join us and provide the child in your life with the thrill that lasts a lifetime!

Read Just 20 Minutes a Day to Your Children

Nancy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:21:03 +0000

The National Children’s Reading Foundation is a great source of reliable information about reading to children and its benefits. “It takes hundreds of hours of ‘lap time’ for a child to gain the pre-literacy skills necessary to learn to read early and well,” according to the Foundation. They recommend spending just 20 minutes a day — and not necessarily all at once.

The wonderful poem below comes from their website.

20 Minutes A Day

Read to your children
Twenty minutes a day;
You have the time,
And so do they.
Read while the laundry is in the machine;
Read while dinner cooks;
Tuck a child in the crook of your arm
And reach for the library books.
Hide the remote,
Let the computer games cool,
For one day your child will be off to school;
Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice.
Let them hear their first tales,
In the sound of your voice.
Read in the morning,
Read over noon,
Read by the light of
Goodnight Moon.
Turn the pages together,
Sitting close as you’ll fit,
Till a small voice beside you says,
“Hey, don’t quit.”
– Author Unknown

Mom reading Maggie the Dog theme Storybook Quilt to her daughters

Remember, you can win Maggie the Dog or any of the Storybook Quilt themes by entering the Name the Turtle Contest!