Once Upon A Time and Happily Everafter

When reading to my own children it seemed as if all the first stories they loved began with, "Once upon a time......." and ended with, "and they lived happily everafter." As time went on their favorite books were more realistic, age appropriate, and were not fairy tales. There are so many lessons that children can learn from books. Books can inspire children to rise to amazing heights, to gain hope for a better life, and expose them to many professions and occupations. Books can also be an escape for children who live in unfortunate circumstances, and books can comfort them in learning that their situations are not hopeless. Biographies describe successful lives and how great and small obstacles can be overcome. Books can teach children about other cultures, other countries, and also open a world of imagination. Books can teach children the importance of integrity, ethics and even good manners. The children of today are our future so let's give them the very best possible foundation for learning........the ability to read is that foundation regardless of the subject matter. Start reading to your babies and toddlers. It is never too early. You too will enjoy that time with your little ones.

The Cow Jumped Over The Moon

Nursery rhymes are an important part of childhood. The same nursery rhymes I learned as a child were later learned by my own children, and then again by my grandson. The cadence of nursery rhymes can be soothing to a baby or toddler. Illustrations that accompany rhymes in books can create indelible impressions on children. Recently I was selecting flannel fabrics for our line's receiving blankets, and smiled to myself as I picked up fabric with a repeat pattern of a cow jumping over the moon. Immediately the nursery rhyme came back to me: Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such a sight, and the dish ran away with the spoon. There are so many things you can do to create happy memories with your children. Teaching them nursery rhymes will help them as they learn to talk, and memorizing rhymes will help them as they grow to pre-school and elementary school ages. Sometimes early artistic attempts will be images they have seen with the rhymes. Your public library is a great place to find nursery rhyme books to borrow. I remember teaching my son nursery rhymes when he was learning to talk. We reached a point where he could finish each line. I was very excited to have him share his new-found ability with his father at dinner that evening so we practiced throughout the day. You can imagine my disappointment when I said, "There was an old ________ (he immediately said, "woman") who lived in a _________" and instead of saying "shoe" he said, "garage" ... a word he had never said before and one which we were unaware he had ever heard since we did not have a garage. As a family we laugh over that anectdote from time to time and all because of a nursery rhyme. Sometimes small things create great memories so nursery rhymes are a good place to start. Enjoy!