Monday, June 25, 2012

A-B-See

Here's a cool alphabet book for all the "car riders" of the world. (Actually, you could ride a bus or a bike and still enjoy it.)  
Backseat A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout.



Many children are plugged into video games and DVDs during car rides. I understand why.
We're all in our cars more than we'd like to be, and finding a form of entertainment can be challenging sometimes.

This book encourages us to unplug and look out the window to see what we can see as we ride down the road.
As if that's not good enough, it offers practice identifying letters. A great pre-reading skill.

While it was written with young children in mind, especially those fascinated with the theme of transportation, older children can benefit from this book as well.

What do all those signs mean? Are they new or have they been around for a long time? How do they assist us as we travel?

You could turn it into an "I Spy" game for signage, keeping track of how many of those from the book you can identify on the road.



The author shares additional information in her book.
Did you know...
The graphic design of road signs has an impressive history.
Some were designed by a team of graphic artists and received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence in 1984.

I told you it was cool.

Writing Extension Idea:
Create your own road sign.
Materials:  Heavy Paper, markers, scissors, glue, masking tape or other strong tape, magazine pictures, photos, paint sticks, etc.
Procedure: Create a sign for a road in your neighborhood or your own driveway! Think about what you want the sign to do. Give a warning. Give directions. Share other information. (Pet Crossing, Watch out for bunnies!, Steep Driveway, Tricycle Lane)
After you complete your sign, tape it to your paint stick.




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