Reasons They May Tell You They Don’t Like To Read

1. They are learning to read.  If your child is just learning to read, it is hard work and it can be frustrating.  When they are learning, they will go through a period that is seems like someone is always correcting them.  How fun is that?  Try having them read the lowest level books.  Encourage them to read for about 15 minutes and if they show signs of frustration, read the next page and take turns.  Have them pick out books they want to read or look for books that include their interests.  Do they like comics, funny stories, suspense, sports or history?  Find their interest and give them time.  I think it is normal for many children to say they don’t like to read when they are learning.  Keep an eye on this, because eventually they should show signs of improvement and enjoyment.
2. They have a learning difficulty (disability).  Once they learn how to read, if they continue to struggle or show little interest, talk to their teacher.  Pay attention to their reading.  Do they show consistent signs with their difficulty?  Ask them questions to see if you can find out what may be causing the frustration.  Rule out any possibilities such as a speech issue, dyslexia or ADD/ADHD.  If this is the case, the sooner they can be treated the sooner they will begin to enjoy reading.
3. They haven’t found the right book.  Become an investigator of great books with your child.  Make a fun activity out of this with your child.  Think of all the different types of books and subjects.  Ask questions and find your child’s interest.  Do they enjoy fiction or non-fiction stories?  Let them investigate, read a little and if they don’t like it, have them try a different book.  They can keep a journal and write notes about what they did or did not like, start them out with books below their reading level.  It may take awhile to find the right type of book that will introduce your child to the love of reading.  But the search for books that cause you to love reading is well worth it.

I have to admit, it was hard for me to understand why my kids didn’t like to read.  I love to read!  I enjoy the escape and relaxation it provides.  I love it when a story consumes you and you find it difficult to put down.  I love it when you are so moved by a book that you find yourself laughing out loud, highlighting portions, taking notes and even finding yourself so emotional you cry.  Those are signs of a great book! 

I noticed on one of our trips to our favorite bookstore that what I considered friendly conversation was actually investigation.  They asked my kids questions about what they were reading, what they liked and pointed out a few books.  They told them to see what books looked interesting to them.  They pointed out the summary of the book on the jacket.  Then they told them to take the book, sit down in a chair or on the floor and read a couple of pages.  If they still wanted to read, that would be a good choice.  They taught my kids how to pick out a book.  They even told them that sometimes they may start a book and if it isn’t holding their interest, read a little further, just in case it picks back up.  But if it doesn’t hold their interest, put that book away and find another one.  They may end up liking it later.

Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop,  mentioned that when it comes to reading we need to be a role model for our children.  Think of the impact you have when you are reading a book and you laugh out loud or you are moved to tears.  They want to know what is so funny or why you are crying.  This is an opportunity to show them that some stories can effect you emotionally and pull you deeper into the story.

This summer, I will join them during reading time.  You might find us outside (in the shade on a blanket) or on our sofa in the family room.  We might be reading our own books or sharing a story out loud.  You might even find us in a deep discussion or laughing out loud. 

Will you join your kids in reading time?

Please comment below if you have any thoughts or ideas on this subject.

You can register for free and then start editing your pictures.  You can take the red eye out, lighten or darken pictures, bring out brilliant colors or turn it into a black and white photo.  You can crop, add borders and take advantage of some of their special effects – like tinting, adding graphics, speech bubbles, etc.  You will notice some features are listed in the “premium” service which is about $25 a year.  All the pictures I did below were included in the free section.  

Log on to Picnik upload some pictures and start editing. 

You can take your pictures from this…

      to this… 

Here are some additional photos I created

Check it out and let me know what you think.

An “ADD” Mommy Site? Got Your Attention?

MomsMaterial.com Offers a Fresh & Special Perspective for Family Fun and Creative Parenting Ideas

Houston, TX – March 23, 2009 – MomsMaterial.com has launched their website offering a unique community with fun, creative parenting ideas and support with all of the everyday struggles experienced as moms. MomsMaterial.com is not just another mommy blog. MomsMaterial.com provides a different perspective due to the founder’s own struggle as an ADD mom parenting one child with ADD and another child learning to cope with developmental and speech delays. This site targets moms looking for great ideas, advice, reviews on parenting, education, books for children and moms, gifts, parties and style. MomsMaterial.com provides information on these topics and includes a forum that moms can access to ask questions or reach out with support, advice and ideas.

Cammie Moise came up with the idea of MomsMaterial.com after researching, testing out ideas and products, and realizing her passion to share it with others. She is the mother of a 10 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. Moise shares her struggles as a mother diagnosed with ADD, parenting one child with ADD and Anxiety Disorder and another child diagnosed with Apraxia, which results in developmental and speech delays. She shares her unique insight not only pertaining to special needs issues, but also with gifted and talented information, and extra-curricular activities including sports, arts and theater programs. Moise believes in children reaching for the stars and parents leading them in that direction.

Moise has created a home environment that the neighborhood kids label the “fun house”. It began with Summer Friday Night Movie Nights in which the kids gathered in the backyard to watch movies. Shortly afterwards, followed Tournament Nights, including Pokémon (card game) and Age of Mythology (computer). Moise spends time in the summer enriching her children’s education with fun themes that review the previous year’s progress and then introduces new material. When the neighborhood kids asked if they could join, the parents called it “Cammie Academy”. She realized the benefits and wanted to share her experience with other moms.

Moise said, “I want to provide a community for moms to share their struggles and find great ideas on parenting, having fun as a family and sneaking in educational lessons into the mix. Sharing knowledge and experience to find quality time with your family is what MomsMaterial.com is all about.” She understands the challenges of parenting and being pulled in many different directions with family, home, work and friends. Our responsibilities as a mom can be overwhelming. Moms today are reaching out like never before, to help them make decisions on parenting and purchasing. Therefore, MomsMaterial.com is dedicated to providing information to help moms make informed decisions, allowing them to spend more quality time with their family.

Visit www.MomsMaterial.com for additional information. MomsMaterial.com provides a free subscription service with multiple updates each week. You can also follow MomsMaterial.com through RSS feeds, FaceBook and Twitter in addition to several other social networking sites.

MomsMaterial.com was founded by Cammie and David Moise in 2009. David’s Moise’s IT background provides him with creative problem solving ideas for the website. Cammie Moise contributes her own experiences and struggles in raising a daughter and son. She uses her previous research analyst background to provide relevant and indispensable ideas and advice on parenting. David and Cammie reside in Houston, TX.

Contact: Cammie Moise

MomsMaterial.com

Cammie@MomsMaterail.com

www.MomsMaterial.com

It hurt me, just to look at it.  You could practically see the flames coming out of their sunburn.  Luckily, my friend had purchased Serious Skin Care Vitamin C Body Cream from Home Shopping Network.  Being the skeptic that I am on sunburn relief, I didn’t expect the results it provided.  This stuff is amazing and highly recommended!

That night she slathered on the lotion and in the morning the pain had subsided and the burn had healed.  When we asked how they felt, the response was “Fine!”.  So, we are headed back out to the beach, this time, with the rash guard shirts, lots of spf and Serious Skin Care Vitamin C Body Lotion for this evening.

I never tan (unless spray tan counts), always burn.  I prep myself with great sunscreen, cover up and limit my time.  Since I am the one that makes everyone look tan, I will purchase this by the case!  It was a lifesaver for our beach trip and great for the kids.

MomsMaterial.com Recommended

But one day, the triangle became tired of doing the same thing and visited the shapeshifter.  The triangle thought if he had one more side and one more angle that life would be more interesting.  The shapeshifter granted him his wish and the triangle became a quadrilateral.  Life was wonderful with all the new things he could do.  He could be a baseball diamond, a computer screen, a window or a checkerboard.  The quadrilateral’s favorite thing was to be the pages of a book.  He learned so many things that he could share with his friends.  Until one day, he becomes tired of doing the same thing and once again he visits the shapeshifter.

The story goes on as he continues to change, he adds one more side and one more angle.  He is happy learning all the things he can do with his new shape.  But over and over again he tires of the same job and returns to the shapeshifter.  Until he has so many sides and angles he can’t keep his balance.  He returns to the shapeshifter and asks to be a triangle once again. 

This book introduces the basic shapes and expands into the pentagon and hexagon.  As it introduces the new shape it illustrates the different uses and gives children a better understanding of these terms. 

This is a great story and a wonderful introduction to geometry.

MomsMaterial recommends this book for ages 4 to 10.

To purchase click here.

This is the story of the summer Gina started the Get Rich Quick Club.  She and her friends vow to make a million dollars by September.  Gina, Rob and Quincy are in the fifth grade at the same school and live in the same housing development.  They start discussing their plans for the summer when the eight year old twins join in!  They soon realize, unless they come up with a plan to make money, it will be one long boring summer. 

Gina knows most rich people have their own company.  So she decides this is the way to go.  First on their agenda is to come up with a name.  Rob suggests GRQ for Gina, Rob and Quincy.  Gina recognizes that GRQ stands for something else, Get Rich Quick!  That is the beginning of their journey that involves a pact, a scheme and many lessons along the way.

This is a fast-paced story that will engage kids and adults. I read this story to my 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter and all of us looked forward to finding out what would happen next.  My usual one or two chapters a night became three, four or five.  I can recall several nights staying up way past their bedtime because we couldn’t put it down.

This book can be used as a fun way to introduce great conversations revolved around economics, entrepreneurship, teamwork and consequences.  My kids and I had some great discussions including one on profit and loss. 

MomsMaterial highly recommends The Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman to kids in the 8-12 age range.

To purchase click here.

This is the story of the summer Gina started the Get Rich Quick Club.  She and her friends vow to make a million dollars by September.  Gina, Rob and Quincy are in the fifth grade at the same school and live in the same housing development.  They start discussing their plans for the summer when the eight year old twins join in!  They soon realize, unless they come up with a plan to make money, it will be one long boring summer. 

Most of the rich people Gina had heard of started their own company.  The first thing on their agenda was to come up with a name.  Rob suggests GRQ for Gina, Rob and Quincy.  Gina recognizes that GRQ stands for something else, Get Rich Quick!  That is the beginning of their journey that involves a pact, a scheme and many lessons along the way.

This is a fast-paced story that will engage kids and adults. I read this story to my 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter and all of us looked forward to finding out what would happen next.  My usual one or two chapters a night became three, four or five.  I can recall several nights staying up way past their bedtime because we couldn’t put it down.

This book can be used as a fun way to introduce great conversations revolved around economics, entrepreneurship, teamwork and consequences.  My kids and I had some great discussions including one on profit and loss. 

MomsMaterial highly recommends The Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman to kids in the 8-12 age range.

To purchase click here.

What started out as just a hobby has turned into a fun-loved business. I make custom outfits for kids of all ages, including us groovy moms. Special holidays, portraits or just plain fun, your ideas or mine, I can create a one-of-a-kind outfit for your little girl or boy. My outfits are available at Bling It On Boutique, located in Cypress, TX or you may order online. 

Michelle is a (WHAM), Work at Home Mom of 5 with 2 dogs & a guinea pig!

Check out these adorable outfits…

Click on Crimson5Couture to check out her website.

I have finally found the motivation to purchase some bags, stash them in my car and use them at the grocery store.  These bags will also come in handy for many other tasks that would typically cause me to look for a plastic bag under the kitchen sink.  Now when they ask me, “paper or plastic?”, I don’t have to feel guilty.  I just have to pull out my own “green” shopping bags… that is if I remember to bring them to the store!

These bags are not only adorable and come in many options, but they are made from used plastic water bottles.  I think these will make great Christmas, hostess or birthday gifts.

Made of 95% recycled woven polypropylene. 15.75″w x 15.35″h x 5.9″d.  In addition 1% of sales fund the programs of The Nature Conservancy worldwide.  Cost $11.99.  Check these out at BlueQ.com. 

Here are a few samples

Let me know what you think.

When my daughter was in first grade, she said she wanted to be an astronaut.  In second grade, it was not only an astronaut, but the first woman to go to Mars.  Then she would add a teacher to the list.  By third grade, she added actress to the list. 

My first response (which I did not share) was, what are the odds of that happening?  That is too dangerous, a trip to Mars would take you away too long, what about getting married, having a family, etc.  Then I had to remind myself, she is in second grade, help her see that she can, if she wants to. 

So, I took a deep breath and we read about astronauts, the solar system and Mars.  Her first science fair project was based on a trip to Mars.  Her Dad took her Space Center Houston, the official visitor’s center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.  We gave her the information and encouraged her dream!

She then moved on to a teaching role and decided to “tutor” her brother in his “messy” handwriting.  She became a “Teacher in Training” in her fourth grade class, she loves to help others learn.  Now, she is in acting classes and we will soon encourage this by having her audition for roles. 

We talked about all her options and she soon discovered that she could become the first female astronaut on Mars, then play herself in a Blockbuster Movie and later teach kids about her adventure.  She also figured out how difficult it might be to take the astronaut route and devised a back up plan.  If that didn’t work out, she would become a teacher and volunteer on a flight to Mars as a teacher.  Wow, impressive! 

We don’t know what she will end up accomplishing throughout her life, but we want her to know that we support her and encourage her.  It is up to her to make her dreams come true, and as a parent I can either discourage or encourage her to reach for the stars!  What will you do?