A Tale For Kids Who Like Creepy: Coraline

  (recommended for ages 9-12 ) 
     If you are the type who likes creepy, bizarre, and mysterious tales with a bit of black magic thrown in, you will enjoy Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.
     Coraline lives in a house with some very other strange inhabitants. On the floor above her and her parents, there is a crazy old man with a big mustache. He says he is training a mouse circus, but he won't let anyone see it. He says they are not yet ready and rehearsed.
     Downstairs, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible live with a number of aging Highland terriers. They say they used to be famous actresses.
     There are a few weeks left before school starts again, and Coraline is bored. So she sets out to explore their new house. She explores the garden and ponds and finds an old well. But when a rainy day keeps her inside, there is nothing else to do. Her father is working on the computer and has no time for her. Neither does her mother.
     She goes into the drawing room, where there is a locked door that her mother says goes nowhere. Her mother gets the key, opens the door, and sure enough, there stands a brick wall. It was build to separate their side of the house from the empty side next door.
     One day Coraline is again bored and opens that same door. This time it opens onto a corridor. She enters and discovers a mirror image of her own side of the house. But here her "other mother" has cooked delicious roasted chicken and potatoes. Her real mother hardly cooks at all. Here her father is happy to see her, whereas at home, he doesn't even look at her when he says hello.
     In this "other house," her room is full of wonderful toys. At home she has almost nothing and is always bored. What could be better than this other house? But slowly Coraline realizes all is not well. Her other mother says she loves her and wants her to stay. When she captures Coraline's real parents, she knows she must free them.
      This is an eerie, mysterious story that is full of things that go bump in the night, drams that scare you, ghosts, and other oddities. Children who like a bit of a scare will enjoy this.
     In 2009, there is an American stop-motion 3D dark fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's novel "Coraline".

13 Spooky picture books for Halloween

Halloween is right around the corner, and with it conjures up frightening images of eerie graveyards, grinning jack-o-lanterns, and cackling witches on their brooms. It's the perfect time to curl up with a spooky book that will give you chills and thrills and send shivers down your spine!

1. The Bones of Fred McFee, by Eve Bunting
In this rhythmic story, an unsuspecting brother and sister bring a toy skeleton home from the harvest fair. They name it Fred McFee and hang it from a sycamore tree. Soon, eerie things begin to happen. And then on Halloween night, Fred vanishes!
Ages 5-8

2. Halloween Night, by Charles Ghigna
It's Halloween night and all are preparing, for a wickedly wonderful evening of scaring. With zombies and banshees and mummies galore, read this book once and you'll come back for more! This spooky and humorous collection of Halloween poems will fright and delight young readers. Ages 4-8

3. The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams.
A clever reworking of a classic story.The little old lady’s fearless attitude and her clever solution as to what to do with the lively shoes, pants, shirt and pumpkin head that are chasing her will enchant young audiences. With brilliantly colored, detailed folk art illustrations. Ages 4-8

4. Piggie Pie, by Margie Palatini
When Gritch the Witch takes a trip to Old MacDonald's farm to find plump, juicy piggies for her piggy pie, she finds a Big Bad Wolf instead. Ages 4-8

5. A Very Hairy Scary Story by Rick Walton, David H. Clark (Illustrator)
Sarah's walk home is perfectly safe, but you know how creepy things can look when it's getting dark. Shadows take on lives of their own, any noise can make you jump, and a perfectly normal yard can seem pretty scary indeed.
Witty verse propels Sarah from fright to fright while with each page turn, kids can see the harmless everyday objects that inspire her fear. Kids won't ever look at grills or skateboards the same way again!

6. One Dark Night by Lisa Wheeler, Ivan Bates (Illustrations)
Evenings at home with Mouse and Mole are always safe and cozy, until one dark night they venture outside for a moonlit
walk and find something waiting for them.  With its satisfying ending, this adventure is a perfect read-aloud for every
night.

7. Who Will Haunt My House on Halloween?  by Jerry Pallotta, David Biedrzycki (Illustrator)
Spooky bats and zombies. Spiders and skinny skeletons. These are just some of the scary creatures that show up at a little girl’s door to trick or treat on Halloween night. But are they real? A suspenseful story and colorful illustrations make this book a fun Halloween choice.

8. Can You See What I See? On A Scary Scary Night by Walter Wick
Mr. Wick dazzles the senses with spooky scenes that achieve new levels of aesthetic excellence! This book offers readers lots of search and find fun as they peer through pages and pages of brilliant photographic compositions looking for fascinating toys and objects.
This highly collectable book is a must.

9. Your Skeleton Is Showing by Kurt Cyrus
The spectacular rhymes of Kurt Cyrus, paired with the deliciously grim illustrations of Crab Scrambly, take readers on an adventure through the friendliest and wackiest graveyard you'll ever find! This collection of dead-pan poems is sure to be a perennial favorite and is the perfect off-beat introduction to poetry.

10. The Nightmare Before Christmas written and illustrated by Tim Burton
Meet Jack Skellington. He’s in charge of making Halloweenland the coolest creepy place around. But when Jack suddenly grows bored with tricks and treats, he goes searching for new ways to celebrate… and he finds them in Christmas Town! Christmas, Jack decides, is just what Halloweenland…and the world…needs! He sets out to take over the role of Santa. But can anything good come of a tall and lanky skeleton dressed up as everyone’s favorite jolly old elf?

11. Frankenstein by Rick Walton, Nathan Hale(Illustrator)
This laugh-out-loud funny and devilish send-up of Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline is for little monsters everywhere.
Frankenstein is the scariest of all the monsters in Miss Devel's castle. He can frighten anything--animals, parents, even rocks. Until one night, Miss Devel wakes up and runs downstairs to find that Frankenstein has lost his head!

12. Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Paquette, illustrated by Adam Record
A ghost, mummy, monster, skeleton and witch all must leave the haunted house when they're terrified by a young boy who shows up in his pajamas. The art and rhymes are just right for younger children.

13. Skeleton for Dinner by Magery Cuyler, illustrated by Will Terry
Big Witch and Little Witch have made stew, and now they want to have their friends for dinner! But when Skeleton mistakes the guest list for a menu, he takes off running, and soon Ghost and Ghoul join him too! But poor Little Witch has no idea there's a misunderstanding. Luckily there's one creature in the haunted forest who can help everyone figure it all out.
This spooky and silly read-aloud is just right for Halloween.

Picture book review : The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo was first published in 1999 and has won many awards as well as a place in my children's hearts! Julia Donaldson has written other children's books but for many this is the best! It's got a whole collection of soft toys, games, room decorations, and other items inspired by the brilliant artwork of Axel Scheffler.

The book tells the simple story of a mouse who takes a walk in the forest and has to avoid becoming lunch to the various animals he meets. He creates what he thinks is an imaginary scary monster to keep them at bay and it turns out that the Gruffalo really exists!

The story is one parents will enjoy reading to small children. It's easy pace and alliteration make this a fun book too! Children will request this book at bedtime again and again! The story will appeal to children from an early age and it'll be one of their preferred books to be read because of the rhymes and fun storyline.


This story can be one that helps your child learn to read too. When they love stories they learn the words and when they sit with you to read the book you can put your finger on the words so they can start to learn to read. This technique is very easy to do and can start your child off learning their letters and beginning to recognise words.

The Gruffalo is a scary monster when the mouse finally meets him but the mouse is cunning and shows the monster how the other animals are all frightened of him and scares the Gruffalo away.

Gruffalo toys are available for fans of the Gruffalo at Cartoon Network.

There also a short animated film based on this classic children's picture book released by BBC on 2009.

Year 2014 marks the 15th anniversary of the Gruffalo. Join in the Gruffalo’s birthday celebrations with the special edition, which comes complete with exclusive bonus content, including early drawings from Axel’s sketchbook, some of which have never been seen before, and a new, specially written foreword from Julia herself.

Most Popular children's picture books

Illiteracy among kids is one of the greatest problems that educators face. If you want the best for your toddler, you should start reading to him or her from an early age. This will help acquaint your child to the written word, and it will help build vocabulary and language skills that will help your toddler succeed once he's in school. Choosing books that are fitting for preschoolers should be regarded critically. After all, what a child encounters during the formative years will have an influence to his or her personality in some way.  Here are some treasure-worthy picture books for your reference.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
This heartwarming tale narrates the story of a mother who always sings the same song to her son. The son eventually grows up and becomes independent but the mother is still persistent in showing her love. Inescapably, the woman becomes old and frail giving the son a chance to take care of his mom at last. Love You Forever only goes to show that time cannot stop a parent's unceasing love.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Due to his mischievous acts, Max gets sent to bed without any dinner. Just when Max thinks that things will get boring, a forest suddenly appears in his room wherein he meets and befriends a bunch of monsters. Sendak's creation is something that imaginative children can certainly relate to.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
She might be tiny and powerless in other's eyes but this little engine is determined to spread joyfulness. With her size, nobody expected that the little engine could pull and deliver a trainload of toys to kids but she did. The classic narrative provides inspiration to kids that regardless of who they are, they have the power to go beyond their limits.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This tender story shows the bond between a boy and an apple tree. Each day, the boy visits the tree to play on her trunk and branches as well as eat her crisp apples. However, the boy matures and begins to wish for more things from the tree. The tree, despite her pain, gives without hesitations - this is a clear example of what love and sacrifice is.

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
Toddlers will truly giggle with this colorful interactive book that can be touched, sniffed, and explored. Two sequels namely Pat the Cat and Pat the Dog followed which only proved the book's success.

The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret Ray
Curious George is known for his naughty antics, that's why kids can't stop but be intrigued by him. Even if the playful monkey is present for over four generations now, kids can't still resist following his adventures.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
As the night finally breaks in, an affectionate little bunny says "good night" to the things he sees in his dimly-lit room - from the three miniature bears down to his socks. At the end of the day, this book can double as a lullaby that will calmly take a child off to Dreamland.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
There's something about caterpillars which make them so interesting - their magical transformation. This book vividly chronicles how a caterpillar finally finds his real self in the body of a captivating butterfly.

Corduroy by Don Freeman
When all the people in a department store finally leaves, a teddy bear named Corduroy goes down from the toy shelf to look for his missing button. What he doesn't know is that he's up for an adventure that will ultimately bring him to the arms of a new loving owner.

Big Book of the Bernstain Bears by Stan Berenstain
Following the journey of this bear family is not only fun but also meaningful. This collection includes five classic stories including: The Berestain Bears in the Dark, The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room, The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor, The Berenstain Bears and the Sitter, and The Berenstain Bears' New Baby. The endearing bears show that family members should care for each other at all costs.

The Great Dog Wash by Shellie Braeuner

This picture book invites toddlers to come to the most fun dog wash in town. Dogs of all shapes, color, and size are invited, and so is your toddler. The playful rhyme in this book will help build your child's early literary skills, and the illustrations will keep toddler's attention.

Freight Train Big Book by Donald Crews
This Caldecott Honor book is perfect for your toddler. Toddlers love trains, and this concept book has gorgeous illustrations that show and labels all of the cars of a train. In addition to learning about trains, your toddler will also learn about the six basic colors.

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess
Toddlers will love this classic Dr. Suess tale. Follow Sam I Am and his wacky quest to get his doubting friend to eat green eggs and ham. The repetition will get your toddler reciting this great book back to you in no time flat.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin, Jr.
A great concept book that toddlers will enjoy reading with you. You'll love the amusement in your child's face as he or she turns the page to see what animals Brown Bear spots.

Have You Seen My Potty? By Mij Kelly
Perfect for the potty training little girl, this picture book will get your toddler laughing hysterically as they follow Suzy Sue as she asks animals if they've seen her potty. Both you and your toddler will enjoy the rhymes and bathroom humor.

Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli

If you've got a picky eater, you will have to read this book to your toddler. What better way to teach the difference between "yummy" and "yucky" to your toddler than with this creative board book?

Top 10 toys for creativity

Which playthings best help your child unleash his imagination? Let’s see what child development experts suggest.

1.    Puzzles
These allow your kid to problem-solve at his own pace. You might offer a tip about the edge pieces being flat, but then step back. Let them come up with their own strategies.

2.    Pretend food
Food play is all about thinking beyond known combinations. Kids inevitably blend food together in unexpected ways.

3.    A ball
Rolling, bouncing, and kicking; there are myriad ways to play a ball.

4.    Instruments
Let kids loose with instruments, experimenting with ways to make sounds builds thinking skills.

5.    Artist’s tools
Writing instruments such as chalk and crayons let your child express his creativity through art. Using different-size crayons or markers offers inspiration. Chalk, when pressed hard enough, creates dust that can be spread to add complexity.

6.    Molding clay and dough
Not many toys start out so basic and, within minutes of being pounded and shaped, transform into something new. The best thing about dough is that if a child doesn’t like what she created, she can mash it all together and start over.

7.    Mini figures
Miniature toys are perfectly sized for toddlers and preschoolers and give children a sense of mastery over situations they create. They become role-playing props for fantasy exploration.

8.    Dress-up materials
For creative costuming, offer basic fabric pieces and let your child try out different personas.

9.    Gears
Gear toys fire creativity in a unique way, putting them together teaches cause and effect. You can see your child ask themselves, ‘if I put this gear here and turn it, what happens over there?’

10.    Toys for building
As kids build, they solve problems-for example, how to make a tower more stable. Choose a set that’s open-ended so your little architect doesn’t think she’s “supposed to” construct a certain thing.

Get ready to read: preschoolers (4 to 6 years old)

Keep focus on having fun with words and stories. A healthy vocabulary will help your child understand what they are reading once they start sounding out letters.

• Offer choices

Take out a few books and says, “which one should we read first?” letting him/her be the “book boss” helps him/her feel like he/she has a say in the activity.

• Use bigger words

Research shows having a larger vocabulary in the first grade leads to greater reading achievement.

• Go to library

Teach your child how to find and check out books.

• Check out street signs

Spotting them helps your child see how vital reading is in daily life.

• Show words in action

The next time you go grocery shopping, point out words on your list (“milk”) and on the item when you find it.

• Make connections

When your preschooler is ready to learn alphabet, help him/her to link between letters and objects. You might pull out magnetic letters B, D and F, along with a stuffed bear, a duck, and a frog, and see if your child can figure out which magnet goes with each animal.

• Create your own books

Ask your child to tell you a story, then write down on several piece of paper. Staple them together along one edge, and have them to illustrate each page.

Get ready to read: Babies and toddlers (below age of 3)

 

• Narrate the day

Talking to your baby may be the most important thing you can do to promote language development. Conversation helps your child become accustomed to hearing a stream of speech, and it stimulates the language pathways in their brain.

• Touch the text

For infants and toddlers, moving your finger under the words as you read them serve as a clue that those funny little symbols have meaning and are the source of the story.

• Be expressive 

Create distinctive voices for the characters in a story, and use sound effects (Bonk!) and exclamations (“oh!  No!”) Where appropriate.

• Let your toddler be the teacher.

Have him/her show a stuffed-animal friend how a book works. Then encourage your child to narrate the story from what they see in the pictures.

• Read with your child, not just for him/her

When you sit down with a magazine, give your toddler some broad books to look at too. You’re showing her/him that reading is important to you, and they’ll want to imitate you.

Bragging Kids

 Kids will sometimes gladly talk about how smart she or he is or all the things they can do better than their friends, such as drawing, reading or spelling. But for experts, bragging is normal. Kids are trying to figure out the differences between themselves and others, so they measure their talents, accomplishments, and materials possessions against those of their peers. Use these tips below to help limit your child’s “I’m awesome” talk. 

• Show and tell

Many 5 and 6 years old kids don’t really understand what word brag means or why they shouldn’t do it. Start the conversation by explaining what bragging is and why it can be hurtful. Try to tell them, “Bragging is when you talk about all the cool toys you own or how you can do something better than your friends. It can make people feel bad because they may not have the same toys or be able to do things the same way you can.”

Try reading books like “Well, I can TOP that!” , by Julia Cook, or “I’m the best”, by Lucy Cousins. Or, role-play different scenarios and ask your child “How do you think?” or “How would you feel” This can help your child identify bragging and understand how it impacts everyone involved.

• Watch your words

Clearly, kids follow their parents’ lead. So practice humility and resist comparing your child with others kids or siblings. That’s not to say you can’t praise your child; however, constant “Good job!” compliments can become meaningless over time and cause children think they deserve feedback about everything. Instead, be specific with your praise and emphasize effort rather the end result.

• Focus on the goal

A child with healthy self-esteem makes himself feel good, whereas a boastful child rely on the feedback of other to give himself a boost. So, if you hear your child bragging, think about what he trying to accomplish.

The Do’s and Don’ts of internet Safety for Kids

  You taught your child to look both ways before she crosses the street. You strap her bike helmet on securely every time she goes for a ride, and you buckle her seatbelt before you take off in the car.

      And that’s exactly why you should never let her venture into wide world of the internet without taking proper safety measures. Follow these do’s and don’ts for computer, cell phone, and tablet use to help make the web a safe environment for your child.

DO

• Keep personal information private. Teach your child never to share her name, address, phone number, or any passwords or photo on line.

• Surf together.When you spend time with your child online, you can oversee her activities and talk with her when potentially dangerous situation arises. Make sure the devices she uses are in a common area of your home so they’re in your view.

• Protects your family’s devices. Some antivirus software (e.g. Norton) protects each device your family uses from online threats and helps your kids enjoy the internet safely and securely.

• Communicate. Make sure your child knows to tell a parent or a teacher if she feels uncomfortable about anything she sees online.

DON’T

• Use public chat rooms. Teach your child that, just as in real life, it’s not safe to talk to or “friend” with strangers. Keep her online chatting to friends and family members you know.

• Trust blindly. Educational programs and apps are not necessarily risk-free. Test them out before you let your child use them. Is there advertising? Can she click a button accidentally make a purchase? Use parental controls and pay close attention to the apps she uses.

• Bend the rules. Your child should not make purchases or download apps without your permission. Make sure she knows the rule is that Mom or Dad has to be the one clicking “buy”, “download”, or “install”.

Draw with your kid...

Should we send a 3 years old children to an art class? For me, the answer is no. My daughter joined the art class on her age of 7.

There is a lot that goes into drawing ability. Self-confidence is one of them. Believing that you can draw as well as enjoying the act of drawing are MORE important than technical drawing skills. So, for the young children is more important to help them hold on to their self-confidence (in art specifically, but also in general) and enjoyment of art.

Below are some ideas I would like to share, some learnt while teaching my daughter, some learnt from reading (books, articles or blogs);

 1. Don’t ever denigrate yourself or your own drawing abilities.

Draw with your kid. If you sit down and draw and doodle beside her (and I think you should at least once in a while!), don’t say, “I can’t draw.” Doodle squares, circles, spirals, hash marks, letters, and whatever else you think of across the page. Enjoy the process. Keep your pencil moving. Whatever. But don’t utter the words, “I can’t draw” in front of your child. Children learn by example.

2. Be conscious of how you talk to your child about the art she makes.

My default is to ask children to tell me about the story of their artwork. If your child is a young three, she might not be assigning meaning to her art yet, but as she gets closer to four, she will likely be more and more elaborate with the stories that go along with her art.

3. Make art fun and exploratory.

Keep your child’s art activities as process oriented as possible at this age. Try not to expect particular outcomes but rather encourage her to explore the art materials, ideas, and techniques in her own way. Introduce new materials and techniques, but also stand back and let her explore art on her own in her own way.

4. Keep your art activities appropriate for her age and developmental stage.
I don’t think that teaching a child “how to draw” is appropriate at age three. You can guide her through the occasional observational drawing exercise if you like, preferably in a way that is as much about observing as it is about drawing. But the most important thing at this age is to encourage open-ended exploration of art materials, self-confidence, and enjoyment in art and learning.

If you really want to try an art class with your young child, I would suggest looking for one that is focused on age appropriate which is an art program for toddlers and preschoolers.

However, an art class for young children may be a good idea for other reasons.

1. It might provide you with ideas and instructions for more art activities to do with your daughter at home.

2. It might expose your child to more materials and activities than she has at home.

3. You and your child might enjoy the social aspect of the art class.

4. The art class might provide messy art experiences that you might not feel comfortable providing at home.

Drawn in kindergarten

In drawing class

In drawing class

In drawing class

In drawing class

Drawn in school holiday

Flying pants (drawn in school holiday)

Drawn in school holiday

Drawn in school holiday