It's Time to Learn Some CHRISTMAS Carols!

The previous post didn't reach very many, and since the Christmas season is now upon us fully, I'm going to mention this topic again because it's such a great idea! It will get you in the Christmas Spirit, get your children exposed to the look of written music, and all while helping your kids learn to read! Choose songs they are familiar with so they can easily read them. Do them often, and they will learn many words through recognition and repetition this way. 

Don't have Christmas music?  Then go get some!  A book of Christmas carols is not expensive, then sing along with a CD if you can't play the piano.  This is not limited to Christmas music, but we love to sing more at Christmas time than any other time of the year.  So, don't let this opportunity pass you by!  

"...Jingle all the way!!!"

I would love to have some feedback on this one!  I really think you will have a lot of fun with your kids this way and they will think you just want to spend time singing Christmas carols with them, and teaching them new carols; not that that isn't true also.  Therefore, this is doubly effective and your child's reading time per day will fly by . . . faster than Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve!

Doreese

Music Strengthens both Reading and Musical Abilities!

Well, we are officially in the holidays!!!!  Oh my Stars!  I can't believe it!  I'm excited for it though.  I've all ready gotten a bunch of cute Thanksgiving items for gifts for myself and others!  They were clearanced at 90% off, so I went crraazzyyyy!  If you need something cute for Thanksgiving, come and see me!

One great way to help your children work on their reading is through music!  If you are church-going people, have your child sit with you and point to the words as they sing the Hymns.  If they are too young for that, then you point to the words while you both sing.  My granddaughter goes to church with us, and I've had fun singing with her.  Plus, it also develops their musical abilities!

Having just celebrated Veteran's Day, I choose this piece of music.  And, a big, hearty thanks to all those who have served our country so bravely and willingly.  I'm so very grateful for what you have done to make my quality of life so top-notch!

With the preparation for Christmas, children are learning lots of beautiful, fun, spirited Christmas carols.

If you play the piano, have your kids gather round you and follow along, with any songs, any time of the year.  Or, put on a CD and open a Christmas song book, or just sing any songs with any written music you have.  Of course, you do not tell your children you are doing this to help them with their reading skills!  And, by seeing the written words as they sing them, they will learn the songs much quicker too!

Happy Singing, and Merry Reading;
        from Doreese

Did You Know Coyotes Can READ??? And, your kids are like coyotes!

So, I came across this book about Coyotes written in 1946!  I'm not sure why I have it. Probably to educate myself and grandsons on the wild outdoors since the men in my family spend so much time in it.  Anyway, I learned while reading it that Coyotes can read!  Yes, it's true!  Let me share some of the examples where they do this.  By the way you can say it as "ki-ote" or "ki-o-tee."  I've always used the latter.  And, speaking of the great outdoors, this beautiful picture was taken by my sister-in-law just yesterday in Sardine Canyon, right next to the valley I live in!  Ya gotta love the fall colors!

"His [coyote] black-lidded eyes are amber.  They glow greenish-gold in the night,  they are very good eyes.  But, like other dogs, a coyote reads mostly with his keen, wet nose.  With a sniff he reads the air and can tell if friends or enemies are near, or where his supper may be waiting.  Or, sniffing the ground, he may read which way his supper has been traveling, and  follow and catch up with it.  By sniffing special stumps and clumps, he can read the latest 'Dog-World News.'  He learns of every other coyote or wolf or dog that has come along his favorite trails, if it was male or female, old or young, well or ill, happy or worried.  For each one, first reading 'the latest,' also leaves his own sign there before going on.  Some also scratch the ground with all four feet, as though drawing firm lines under their names to make them look more bold.  And a coyote carefully sniffs a strange coyote, reading his character to find out if he cares to be a friend." 

Next, the book tells about the musical qualities of the coyote.

"Coyotes are the most musical of  all dogs, wild or tame.  A wolf howls.  A tame dog barks and sometimes howls.  But sometimes a coyote seems to bark and howl and sing bass to his own tenor all at the same time.  To human ears one coyote sounds like a whole quartet gone crazy.  But, to the coyote it is a lovely noise, and his sharp ears hear even more of it than ours do.  Often just at sunset he may serenade his wife."

Yes, I said "wife!"  Coyotes mate for life.  That's pretty cool, huh?

Why, all this talk about how coyotes read?  Well, first off I just thought it was interesting that the author put it that way as he described the above situations that coyotes find themselves in.  And, then I thought that it's so very true, that there are other ways to read than by written symbols.  Just like the coyote has learned to "read" different situations to keep himself safe in the wild, we too need to read harmful situations, and be able to teach our children how to read the new situations that will be at school, where they face a completely new and different environment.  Mostly, they need to be able to read another person's character, to know if this person is helping him/her to be a good student and citizen.  Or to know if this person is sad and lonely and could use a good friend.  Also, help your child to understand that they are sending out a message that others read about them.  What kind of message does your child want other people; teachers and children, to get from them?

Something to think about, and you can use this little coyote story to launch a discussion on the matter.

Doreese

What Did Miss Renee, Kindergarten Teacher, Say About "See abc's®" Being Used in Her Classroom

Back to school nights are going on and the meeting of new teachers.  I would highly recommend talking to them about being a volunteer in their classroom.  I volunteered all last year in a Kindergarten class and loved it!  Read what the teacher had to say about it.

Dear Doreese,
I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation to you for what you have done for my students!  You have opened up the world to them and your program has filled the void in their learning.  I have loved having you work with me too!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  
Love, Renee

You could receive this kind of gratitude from a teacher, and make a difference in some children's lives.  I was even able to save one child from having to repeat Kindergarten!  This child caught up quickly using See abc's, and even exceeded some of the other students.  It's so exciting to teach beginning readers how to take shapes of letters, decode them and put them together into words!  That only happens once in their lives, and the less frustrating it is for them, the more they will want to do it!  That word want plays a huge factor in all of the rest of their educational life.

Now, off to school you go!  What new and exciting adventures await!

Doreese

Need to Brush Up Your Child's Handwriting???

Oh my stars!  That's my new catch phrase and go to phrase for enthusiasm!

So, Oh my stars!  I can't believe I've gone over a month without a post!  Is summer slipping from you as fast as it has for me?  School draws near, very near!  One skill that little ones need to really work on is their handwriting skills.  I have posted a couple of cute, little videos of little ones using the "ABC's and 123's See How to Trace" book, and their "magic finger."  See how much fun you can have while working on handwriting.

But, there are several other skills they are learning at the same time without knowing it.  With my program, they are actually drawing the letters instead of writing them!  So, they learn how to draw.  They learn the picture clues that will help them learn to read.  And, they are developing their fine motor skills through a tactile experience that enables them to easily "draw" the letters just getting the feel of it into their little hands and fingers before having to use a pencil.

Also, they are taught how to easily connect the two cases together; which upper case shape belongs to which lower case shape, through short and simple stories.  Enjoy watching these cute kids!

Handwriting video of 2-year old boy

Handwriting video of 3-year old girl

I have posted these videos before, but a long time ago.  Even if you have seen them, it will get you excited to work on it again.

Doreese

An Impromtu Neighborhood Read-a-thon on the Lawn!

This was a cute, impromptu neighborhood read-a-thon.  My grandkids took their blankets, pillows and books out for their "read-a-thon."  Shortly after, the neighbors wanted to join in.  They brought their books and it was so fun to see them all sitting out there reading!

They did this shortly after school let out for summer break.  I would suggest this as a great idea for promoting summer reading and a love of reading.  It's not so much about the amount of pages that actually get read, as it is about the fact that reading is a fun activity.  You can have the older ones read to the younger ones.

Or, if they have a book that they are serious about reading, they can snuggle up and read by themselves.

So, rather than having play dates for the kiddos to get together and play, which is great; but try having a read-a-thon date with a few neighborhood kids.  You can let them read for 20-30 minutes, and then give them a treat to eat while YOU read an exciting book to them!  In the heat, you may have to have it indoors. If you try this, please share your experience with us.

HAPPY READING!

And, with it being Independence Day for our country, try reading some history of the beginnings of the birth of our great nation to your children!

Doreese

See abc's® Class Reminder

Just to remind everyone of the class I'll be teaching on my See abc's reading method tomorrow night at the Smithfield recreation center - Sky View. Come learn how easy it is to teach your child to read, and write and draw! Door prizes too! Hope to see you there!

And, for the first time ever, we have a See abc's BINGO game available!


June 7, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.


Doreese

See abc's® "Learning to Read Awareness Class"

Hi, Here is the flier with information for the class I said I would be teaching next Thursday.   We'll learn lots of great things to help your child in learning how to read, and learning hand writing skills.  Plus door prizes!

Hope to see you there!

Sorry, my flier disappeared and I can't figure out how to re-attach it.  But, here's the details:

Thursday June 7, 2012

Smithfield Recreation Center (Sky View)

7:00 p.m.

Below is the message from the company that is sponsoring the class.  Call or email her to reserve your spot. That would help me know how many handouts to plan on.  But, if you forget to call, still come!

Doreese

Hello,

Our next class is targeted towards mothers with little ones.

If you want to help your preschoolers get a jump start into kindergarten, if you have little ones that need help with their reading skills, I would suggest that you come to our next class.

Doreese Severe has developed a wonderful program to help you learn and understand the fine art of reading.

I have attached a flier with all the details. 

You may forward this information on to anyone that has little ones in their home.

My grandchildren have used this program and I am so impressed with how it has helped them.

Come and see what is helping little ones start at the head of the class.

Then watch them tackle the challenges before them knowing they can conquer! 

--
Live Well,
Jamie Garner
Ollin Wellness, Executive Director
435-563-9483
ollinwellness@gmail.com

My School Year Ends - See abc's® Was Successful!

Wasn't Emily great? - in my last post.


Well, today was a bitter-sweet day for me. It was my last day of volunteer tutoring. I took the kids through a crash course of "Imletteration!" so they won't be frustrated when the vowels start saying a bunch of other vowels sounds. At least now they'll know that it's okay for that to happen. And, today, we finally talked about how 'Y' is sometimes a vowel. It's a vowel when it imletterates 3 of the other vowel sounds. See abc's has proved itself to be a huge success in the lives of these young children.  Their teacher spoke of it in terms of "Miracles" many times.  I pray they will practice during the summer now.  Kids can forget a lot over three months, at that young of an age especially.

So, how is everyone feeling about school ending; those with older kids in school?  I remember thinking of it as a tidal wave that I couldn't stop from happening.  And, soon all of my kids would be home, all day long, every day.  Oh no!  Whatever was I going to do with them!!!  But, by the time school began the next fall, I always was reluctant to send them back.


Heads up: I've been asked to teach a class on See abc's on June 7th. Reserve that date with more details to come.


Doreese

Pre-schooler Reading on 3rd-grade Level!!!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30704/emilyreading.mp4

This is a little video of pre-schooler Emily.  She finished the See abc's reading program in the fall of her pre-school year!  She is soooo adorable!  And, pay attention to the expression she uses in her voice.  She learned how to read with expression in the books Phrases See What They Say and Stories See What They Say.

She now reads on a third-grade reading level!

On another note; a few weeks ago, there was a story on TV about parents drilling their pre-school age children on very difficult things in the hopes that they would get accepted into an elite Kindergarten.  Guess how much they were paying for tutors to help their little pre-school children try to pass the tests???  $165/hr!!!  Can you believe that???!!!

$119.95 doesn't sound too bad now for a complete reading system that takes your children through a fun, imaginative and musical way to learn their alphabet, and then takes them through all the steps necessary to being able to read anything they want to!  Also, they learn their numbers.  It also includes a handwriting/art program for both letters and numbers.  Includes three sets of flash cards and a magic finger!  And... several online videos demonstrating See abc's in action.

I'm just sayin,'... you can be the best teacher your child needs with very little investment.  Plus, I'm always available to answer any questions you may have.  To prepare for next year's Kindergarten, the time to begin is NOW!!!  Remember, the goal is to finish the entire program before Kindergarten begins.

Doreese

Big Accomplishment for 4 Great Kids!!!

I want to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to my four little Kindergarten students that I've been volunteer tutoring with. They've just completed the ABC's See How to Chop and Blend book where they've learned many skills and have read 100's of words!  They're very excited for the next book, Phrases See What They Say.

I felt very rewarded when their teacher expressed her thanks to me and said that some of my kids were reading better than others in her class now.

I highly recommend volunteering to read with kids at school.  So  many of them really need one on one, or two on one help.  The monatary rewards are not there, but there are rewards worth far more than money!  


A few months ago, the Kindergarten teacher said that for sure they were going to have a hold one of my little students back a year, but now she's doing great!  Her teacher even said her whole personality has changed.  She's more confident and happy.  Being able to  read well makes all the difference in school!  And, it feels great knowing that I've saved a child an entire year of her life!!!  You can do that too!


Doreese

See abc's® is GROWING!!!

I'm soooo excited tonight! Finally, the numbers of views on our youtube channel are moving quicker! Day before yesterday, Drew - age 2 at the time, was at 1,595 views. Yesterday, it passed 1,600 and was at 1,614! And, today, it's at 1,682; the most it's EVER grown in one day!

Thank you, thank you to all of you who are sharing the existence of the "See abc's" reading program. Total views for our youtube channel have just reached over 5,000! 5,028 to be exact; that's over a quarter to reaching another 100, but hey, whose counting?!

Also, today, I'm celebrating the success of my neighbor's pre-schooler who was just tested and found that she is reading at a 3rd grade level! Wow! See what can happen when you finish See abc's before Kindergarten? And, it wasn't hard for her either.

Doreese

Getting the Most from Your 20-MINUTE Reading Time

When leaving the school where I volunteer tutor, on their electrical sign out front, it said, "Read 20 minutes a day." From my viewpoint sitting in the car, it looked like it said, "Read 2D minutes a day."

I thought about that a minute. When we read, it IS in 2D. A flat page. But, it's important to work with your children and get them to lift the words off of a 2D page and magically turn it into a 3D image in their mind. It's better when children are little to read slower and allow the kids to imagine a bit about what they are reading. Ask them questions about the scenes they are reading; "What color do you think that is; how big is the whatever, or how high did it fly. You get the idea.

See what happens if you pause and let your child interject his/her ideas into the story. I believe it will help not only with their imagination and enjoyment of it, but also with their comprehension; and in the future, their writing abilities.

Play Games Where Light Reading is Required

My husband and I are out here in Indianapolis with our son. Last night his friend came over and brought a game; Apples to Apples. It was fun and easy. But, it made me think that another great way to mix reading and fun is to play games that require some light reading for your kids. If you know of any such games, please comment on them. I will also keep my eyes open when I get to a store.

One game I do know of that children like to do are "Word Searches." If you can't find a simple enough one, it's easy to make your own.

Another one you can make yourself is what I am just making up right now, but there probably is a similar thing you can buy. I'm going to call it "Silly Sentences." Make your own word strips with a "noun," a "verb," an "article," and an "adjective." Write up several and have them choose one of each to make a "Teeny, Tiny Story."

Refresher on the above terms:
Noun: a person, place or thing - (teacher, school, book, etc.) Also any names of people or places
Verb: an action word (walk, dance, study, etc.)
Article: "a" and "the"
Adjective: anything that describes something - (colors, sizes, hard or soft, light or dark, etc.)

Sample story: The purple giant danced!
(for the verbs, can use all forms - dance; danced; dancing)

To make even more interesting stories for this game, you may want to add "prepositions."
Preposition: over, under, by, in, out, on, off. To know if it's a preposition, imagine a box and think where you could put a toy in relation to this box, and that word is a preposition!

Now, if we played with prepositions, our story above could be made longer by adding a preposition and another adjective and noun.

The purple giant danced in the tall, gray, rocky cave!

Above, all three descriptive words are adjectives: tall, gray and rocky. Your little ones are not too young to learn some of these English terms as they are learning how to read. Not all of them at once, of course. I would start with nouns, they are the easiest to identify.

Doreese

Song "To Believe" Will Lift Your Spirits!

This is not anything directly about learning how to read, but I found it to be such a touching and moving message through song that the whole world n eeds to hear. It brings some hope to all of us no matter what circumstances weare in or what things we are trying to teach our children. It helps us look at the bigger picture of the world, and why we are spending so much time nurturing and teaching our little ones to be good, honest, caring people.

This song, "To Believe," will lift your spirits and give you courage to go out there and continue doing what you do day after day. I LOVE this little girl and her sweet personality and talents. Enjoy!

Doreese

http://video.staged.com/preacher/jackie_evancho_to_believe

"Toddler Learning Alphabet" Video Continues to Spread!

I just wanted to thank all of you for continuing to talk up the See abc's reading program.

This little video of my grandson has just reached over 1,500 views!!! I let you know when it got to 1,000, and then have been waiting for this next milestone to tell you how excited I am about it still being circulated! You can visit our youtube channel for more short tutorials on handwriting and beginning reading.

www.youtube.com/user/seeabcs

See abc's® - How Toddlers Learn the Alphabet

www.youtube.com

Doreese

Unusual Place to Practice Reading!

My little 5-year old granddaughter brought her sister's ipod into the kitchen to play some songs. She was reading all of the titles as they came up. I said, "Wow! I didn't know you could read such big words!" A few seconds later she said, "It's because of you reading with me."

I wanted to yell, "Wahoo!" because I now know that the extra time I spend with her in my "See abc's" reading books on top of her Kindergarten homework is really making a difference for her! But, it was wonderful to have her validate it to herself.

Doreese

Pre-K; Start See abc's Reading Program RIGHT NOW!!!

See abc's Reading Program I shared this a while ago, but felt it was worthy of re-emphasizing the need to begin early. Because, if you have a child that is entering Kindergarten next fall, you should begin RIGHT NOW to make it a point to read every single day! Of course there will be those days where it will not be possible. But, if you will make it your goal to read 20-30 minutes a day with your pre-k child, you should be able to finish the entire See abc's reading program before Kindergarten starts. This is the ideal way to do it. And, it's not that hard!

Now read what Chris Nethercott has to say about her son:

"I taught my son to read before Kindergarten using Doreese Severe's See ABC's reading program. He took off and has enjoyed reading ever since. This year, in 1st grade, my son is reading at a 3.4 grade level and is the top reader in his class. He's in his own reading group because he is so far ahead! When his teacher asked how he is doing so well, I passed on the See ABCs sampler to her. Thanks for a ...great program Doreese! I am now working with my 4 year old getting her ready for school too! I'm sold on this teaching method!" - Chris Nethercott

Way to go to Oliver and his mother Chris for helping him! How would you like to have your very own reading class?! People worry that if their child learns to read early, they are going to be too smart and get bored. Not the case! They just keep getting smarter and smarter!!! This was way back on Nov. 19, 2011. I need to check in with her again and see how things are progressing.

Doreese

How Do I Reinforce My Child's Reading Progress?

Here's a simple, but huge self-esteem building tip when reading with your beginning reader.

As a child is learning how to read, they struggle, struggle through each word and sentence and it is difficult for them to put the greatness of the accomplishment they have just made in perspective; when to themselves, they are only hearing halted, choppy words and sentences. So, after they have finished, say, "Now I will read back to you what you have just read so that you can hear what a great job you have just done!" Add some expression to it, then follow it up with a big compliment for them having read such a cool story!

You will be amazed at how this one, simple thing will make them see that they are truly making progress, and becoming a great reader! Often, they even completely miss the main message of what they are reading, but when you read it back to them with some excitement in your voice, they will think, "Wow! Is that really what I just read? I'm doing better than I thought. And, that really was a neat story!"

If all they get out of their reading time with you are a bunch of choppy words and sentences, then, yes, they will not think reading is very fun, or that they are any good at it. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Doreese

New Year's Reading Resolutions Made Easy!

Happy New Year's! And I hope your holidays were filled with all the candy canes and eggnog you could possibly handle! I know mine were!

This is the perfect time to do some calculated maneuvers to get your child/children to commit to reading with you every day. Sit down with them, get out your new calendar and explain to them that this is the beginning of a brand New Year. And this is the time to think about all the things that you would like to accomplish during the year. Put reading with mom or dad at the top of the list because it is the very most important part of their education. Let them help you decide how many minutes a day they will read. Set a reasonable goal, but one that will push them a bit. Help them decide on a reward for when they achieve a certain goal. Say your goal is to read for 20 minutes a day for 5 days a week. Let them have their own calendar. They can put a sticker on each day after they read, or put an X through it. Then if they choose to do extra and read 6 days a week, they can get something from the prize bucket. I don't think kids need to be rewarded for doing what they are suppose to all the time. But, if you have a particularly stubborn child, it sure can help. And it doesn't have to be anything big. A sticker is not much, but kids love getting them. And a prize bucket is all the more reason to go the extra mile.

These are just some suggestions. But, for sure, sit down and try to set some "resolutions" that will hopefully evolve into full-time habits! (I keep hoping that for the ones I set!) Teach them the word "resolution" itself. Have them repeat it with you five times a day until they know it and what it means. A great new vocabulary word!

Along with scholastic types of resolutions, you need to put some fun ones in there too, not that reading isn't fun. But, some other things that are not contingent on them having to do something in order to "earn" doing it. Maybe one "fun" thing a month. Have them help come up with these too. Get an ice cream cone with grandpa and grandma. Go to a movie, maybe invite a friend.

Well, good luck to everyone with all of your "fresh starts!" I love feeling like I've got a fresh slate, and I want to make some changes, or just set goals of cleaning out drawers, and such. I'm working on writing a book right now, and that will be my goal for this year - to try to finish it by the end of the year. I've never written a full-legnth book before. But, I think this will be good. If is doesn't turn out, well then, don't be expecting to see it on the shelves!

Doreese