Whisper Phones to Increase Fluency

It's Tips on Tuesday time!!   How many of you out there have some robot readers?  Here's an easy and fun way to increase fluency and expression with your young readers.

1.  Head to your local home improvement store.

2.  Look for C-shaped pieces of PVC pipes.  They're called elbow pipes and range from $1 to $10.  Try some on for size!

3.  Have your child use these "phones" to practice reading.  Just hold them up to your ear and start reading!  Even if you're whispering into the "phones," you'll be surprised at how well the sound travels around the bend!

Whisper phones will make it easier for your child to hear exactly how they sound while reading.  Sometimes it's hard to fix something if you don't know exactly what you're fixing!  Hope this helps!  Have fun!

5 Ways to Enjoy TV Turnoff Week

Turn off those TVs and screens this week!  It's that time of year again!  Take this opportunity to get your children in the habit of  READING instead of watching!  Try a few of these ideas this week while you're taking a break from the screens!

1.  Find a poem that you like and have  a poetry snap cafe...it is still National Poetry month!

2.  Make up a skit with your friends about a favorite scene from the book you're reading.

3.  Find a new cozy spot to read...outside in the shining sun, under a new blanket or while enjoying a new snack!

4.  Play a game of book charades and try to guess some titles of your family's favorites.

5.  Read a book aloud to the family instead of settling down for some TV time.  Give everyone a chance to read throughout the week!

Even if you can't part with your screens for the entire week, try to stay away for at least one!  Good luck and enjoy!

Take your MAMA to Work Today!

How many of you sent your kids off to work today with Mom or Dad?  K gets to go with mommy and Daddy today! We're splitting the day in half!  I just came across Amy Reichert's Take Your Mama to Work Today.  Violet gets to spend a day at work with her mother and gives her own input on how a work day should go....she designs business cards, answers phones (or hanging up), eats plenty of doughnuts and makes her own special copies...of her face.  I can only imagine how things are going in Daddy's office right now, but I think Violet and K have some things in common!  Enjoy your day with your little ones!  Hopefully you'll get some pointers on how to make your day a little more interesting...I'm sure I will!

The Croods Movie Book Prize Pack Giveaway

Who's excited for Dreamworks Animation's new movie, The Croods?  I know we are!!  The Croods is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world's first modern family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always been their home is destroyed.  In their travels, the Croods are rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts as they discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures--and their outlook is changed forever.  Voices starring in the movie include Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.  Here's a clip!

Even more exciting for us are the books that are being offered by Simon and Schuster!  They have released some great new books based on the movie.  You can enter below for a chance to win 4 titles that the whole family will enjoy!  Check them out!  

The Croods Movie Novelization is a book geared for 8 to 12 year olds.  It's a 136 page book to get you hungry for the movie.  We just love reading these novelizations before the movie or even after the movie to increase our excitement or to compare the two stories.

Grug's Survival Guide (The Croods) is a survival guide for living in the Croodacious period.  This book includes stickers, tips and tricks to living, eating and dealing with all of the crazy creatures of the land.

Here Come the Croods (Ready to Read: Level Two)  This one is perfect for the younger readers in your house.  Kylie has zipped through this one a few times already!

Family Road Trip (The Croods) This one is geared towards the slightly younger crew.  Brynn has enjoyed checking out all the detailed pictures as we read!

Visit the official website

Like The Croods on Facebook

Follow @DWAnimation on Twitter #TheCroods

Re-pin great DIY tutorials, printables & more from The Croods on Pinterest!

 Comment below for a chance to win The Croods Book prize package giveaway:  The Croods Movie Novelization, Grug's Siurvival Guide, Here Come the Croods and Family Road Trip.  Two lucky winners will be selected by Betterwithabook.com.  This prize packs are valued at $20.96 each and are open to US residents only.

1.  Please leave a comment below by April 7th, 2013

2.  You can also Like Betterwithabook on Facebook  and leave a comment telling me you liked our page.  

3.  For an additional entry, follow betterwithabook on Twitter and tweet:

@betterwithabook I hope I win @DWAnimation's #thecroods book prize package!

4.  Daily comments allowed for additional entries.  Good luck!

Disclosure:  Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Dreamworks Animation for providing The Croods prize package for us! All thoughts and opinions are my own.