Kōrero through pictures

Recently, I have noticed several kōrero that have been represented through pictures. I first connected with this method at the recent TedxAuckland event. Gavin Blake from Fever Picture intricately captured the Tedx Talks through images. All of which can be seen here.

You can see more about what Fever Picture are about in the video below.

Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Ken Robinson kōrero presented through animation. I particularly enjoyed this version imagery. I'm hoping that this will become more and more popular in coming months.

Tips of fun maths, reading and writing at home

The lovely R.Jensen flicked this out on Twitter this morning. So I thought I would share the links here for those teachers that visit this blog. There are several links to resources for families to support their children's learning at home. While they are aimed at children attending school there are some lovely tips for families with children of all ages i.e. Make reading FUN!

Supporting your children's learning:

- After 1 year at school

- After 2 years at school

- Ways to get involved

The websites themselves are text heavy but the downloadable PDF's look great. (Scroll to the very bottom of the page to find the link). You can also email 'orders@thechair@minedu.govt.nz for hard copies.

Banned Books Week

An interesting title? Yes, well this is the exact same title that caught my eye this afternoon in my daily flick through my blog lists. The source of this title: Reading Today Daily. The post highlights a number of books that have caused controversy in the last year. They write;

To Kill a Mockingbird...the Twilight series...Catcher in the Rye...The Color Purple--these are just a sampling of the most frequently challenged books of 2009, according to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).

So after further investigation into the ALA Website I learned the difference between a 'challenged book' and a 'banned book'. See full post here. Basically, a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.

So what kinds of classic stories have been banned over the years?

The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

Catch-22, Joseph Heller

Beloved, Toni Morrison

The Color Purple, Alice Walker

The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger

I’ve read all of these stories and some of them more than once. If you want to see the full list of ‘banned and challenged’ classics go here. You may be surprised at some of the books that are in the Top 10 challenged books for 2009.

However, the purpose of this post is not to delve deep into the Banned Books List. The list is certainly interesting, but it has prompted me to think about early childhood settings and the books we provide for our young children.

While we don’t go as far as contacting an association to ban stories in our centres (not that I have heard of anyway), there is some level of power that teachers have in their day to day activities that actually limit children’s literary experiences.

Here’s an example:

What are your initial thoughts of the following book?

It's a book about a mole who goes around trying to find out who 'poohed' on his head. When I first read this I thought it was funny, however, when I shared it with a colleague she didn't find it funny she found it offensive. Who gets to choose whether this story is available for young children?

What about more controversial topics and books like "Where do babies come from?" or "Heather has two mummies". Who chooses whether or not children in your early childhood setting are exposed to these stories? What are your thoughts?

Rules at School

This afternoon my 5-year old daughter and I enjoyed a casual conversation about school. It was interesting to see the amount of 'rules' that she could recall about school. For her this was important. I have tried to capture this with a Voicethread. We may add to this over the coming weeks.

Brown Bear

I recently visited Akomai, a blog created by an awesome colleague. Her gorgeous daughters have put together a Voicethread re-enacting the popular Eric Carle story "Brown Bear, Brown Bear".

Recently I have been looking at the notion of literacy and creativity. This story for me captures both very strongly, the way the girls have used everyday clothes to interpret their animals is very creative and the rich language experience of re-enacting stories is so powerful.

Here are some of the links shared on Janine's blog to extend on the story "Brown Bear, Brown Bear".

A forum for teachers with ideas for each book.

The official Eric Carle website.

Thank you Hannah and Bryony! Tau ke!!

Kiwi Book Reviews

I especially enjoy finding new blogs to subscribe to that have a hint of Kiwi or Pasifika flair. This morning as I rummaged through a series of new blogs, I stumbled across a fantastic blogsite. Oh, the joy of hyper-linking and following a multitude of pathways is sure to reveal a series of little treasures.

The KidsBooksNZ blog is a fabulous blog with reviews of books written by New Zealand authors. The team of reviewers have a vast range of experience and passion when it comes to NZ Literature. Head along to their site and take a look for yourself. They also have a link for those that are keen on writing their own children's books, Kiwi Write4Kidz.

Storylines Festival 2010

It's that time of year again! Storylines Festival: Children's Literature Charitable trust are hosting a series of Free Family Fun Days! The Storylines Festival of New Zealand Children's Writers and Illustrators has been a highlight of many families' calendars since 1993.

The festival is always great for children and adults to meet the real masterminds behind some of our favourite stories. The hands on activities are also fun and entertaining.

To check out where your local Storylines Festival is being held, check out this link.

My family and I are off to the Auckland Free Family Day at the Aotea Centre, with what looks like a great line up of events throughout the whole day.