See abc's Reading Program and Gumfounded Books

How Do I Reinforce My Child's Reading Progress?

2012-01-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-01-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

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

My #1 Christmas Book Pick for 2011!

2011-12-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

Well, with Christmas less than a week away, I need to hurry and tell you about a great last minute Christmas book to go and get. I just found it the other day at "Seagull Book." It's called "MY TREASURY OF CHRISTMAS CAROLS & STORIES." It's a beautifully illustrated, hard back, 192-page book. Every page is illustrated and the colors are brilliant. It has the classic Christmas stories, plus the words to many Christmas carols. I was shocked to see that it was on sale for only $9.99. But, if not on sale, it's only $12.99. So, well worth it!

Your children will love it! You can sing along to the words of the songs. Maybe read the words first as they are written there. Help them to understand the meaning of these wonderful Christmas Carols. For beginning readers, it is great practice for them to use rhythm and rhyme. And, that is, of course, what songs are made of.

Then for the Christmas stories, let them read them with you. For young children, which is what my program mostly addresses, let them read all the short, three-letter words they've learned from ABC's See How to Chop and Blend, and fill in with the 'a's and the 'the's. Or, if you also have older kids, they can read a paragraph and then you; and back and forth this way. Or they can read one side of the page and you the other. Shared reading is a good way to let your kids see and hear that reading is fun. They will hear the expression you put into it and hopefully try to minic that. Also, it helps it to go by faster. They get to help read the story, but then they get to listen to it also.

And, on a personal note, we got our dental student son home from Indiana on Dec. 10th. It's so wonderful now to have all 5 of our kids and their families near us! Our dental son ruptured his Achelis tendon over two months ago, and is not healing up well at all, so we are grateful to have him here with us so we can take care of him. So thankful for modern tecnology and medications. We truly lived in a blessed era.

I hope to write again before Christmas, but if not, have a very, very Merry one!

Hugs, Doreese

The NORTH POLE is Looking for GOOD READERS!!!

2011-12-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a great time to really up the "reading is important to be on the nice list" card! -- ("I'm tired of asking you nicely....." - when trying to get her little boy to put his shoes on since they are leaving) -- Funny that she said, "nicely" just as I was typing "nice li-" +st! I know we all do it! I've been there plenty of years to know that this is the season for children to try to be the best little angels they can so as to get as many gifts from Santa as possible! But, reading is really an important area that I don't feel too bad about using as a motivator for kids to get "moved up" on the list at the North Pole! Especially for those kids that it is like pulling teeth to have them get their reading homework done. And, who knows, after reading willingly for a few weeks, they may just discover that they actually like it!!!

Here's just one fun motivator idea you could use; you DO need to have something FUN to go along with the bribe (I mean motivator)!

My grandson came home from pre-school with a little green construction paper Christmas tree he had made and some little red, foam stockings. He ran in saying, "I get to put one of these on every time I do something nice!" He was all excited to go home and help his mom clean the family room! So, maybe try that with your children and their "reading" rewards. Help them make a tree and then whenever they do their reading, they can add an ornament of some kind to it. They can make the ornaments, or you can find some foam things at the hobby store, or they can just put on a sticker - Christmas ones would be fun!

I can't believe that we are to this point in the year; getting ready for Chirstmas all ready! We still don't have our tree up yet. Hmm, what motivator can I use to get my husband to get the Christmas boxes out tomorrow and set up the tree??? Cookies, a homecooker dinner? (I'm not the greatest cook! Oops! I said homecooker. But, that gives me an idea. I'm going to make lasagna in the slowcooker. He loves that!)

Doreese

First-Grader Reads on 3.4 Grade Level!

2011-11-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a big SHOUT OUT to Oliver for his amazing accomplishments in reading!

"I taught my son to read before Kindergarten using Doreese Severe's See ABCs 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

Congratulations to Oliver; and we all know that behind every good student are great parents who are there with their help, suppport, encouragement and love. And, your child doesn't have to be the very top of their class to feel successful. That also comes from the parents. I was a very slow reader, but never felt like I couldn't achieve.

Doreese

Parents "Great Responsibility" as Educational Support

2011-11-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hi, I've been absent for the last couple of weeks and haven't had much of a chance to use my computer.

I've been watching my granddaughters full time for 2 weeks while their parents have been out of town. Their dad; for work. And their mom back to Indianapolis to take care of my son after his achilles tendon surgery. Both are coming home today! But, it has been fun to be in the throw of life for a Kin. and 1st grader. See what homework they have and help them. I can't remember those days with my 5 kids. It brings renewed respect for all you parents with the great responsibility of moving along your child's education!

When I say "great responsibility," I mean that as in both meanings of the word great. "Great," as in Wonderful!! And, also "great" as in large, huge!!

It's important to know and understand the weight of and address both. Being able to shape and assist in your child's educational future and watching them progress and grow in knowledge is an amazing experience! Also, you must realize that you DO have a very huge, or great part in making your child's many days and years in school be a successful experience for him/her. The fact that you are reading this right now tells me that you are one of those parents who DOES know you are a vital part of the team for educational success for your child.

Doreese

See abc's® Handwriting Training Videos

2011-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Your kids are well into the school year and working on their handwriting skills. Last year, I shared some cute videos of preschoolers learning how to write by "drawing" their letters and numbers with the See abc's "Magic Finger." Many of you probably would not have seen these, so I thought it would be good to repost them. You will see that it is much more fun to "draw" the letters and numbers rather than just making a bunch of random lines and circles.

Also, I am happy to let you know that you can now purchase "Magic Fingers" separately from the program. So, whether you are using our method of handwriting or another, you can still get our "Magic Fingers" for your children to use. Just go to the "Order" page on our website: www.seeabcs.com

http://youtu.be/0aeOya9AQb8

http://youtu.be/pxtJYuknkJ0

Doreese

See abc's® Reading Program RECORD BREAKER!!!

2011-09-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call yesterday and this cute little voice on the other end said, "I finished reading my book, the red one!" That book is "Imletteration!" the last in the series. The most amazing thing about it is she is only 4 years old, and the youngest one to ever finish my books! I was VERY excited for her. She wanted to come and show me her new skills. So, she came and read shockingly well out of a regular child's story book. Way to go EMILY!!!

It is so fun to watch and listen to her. She is so little, not even starting Kindergarten for another year! Her mother is Amy Hilton that I spoke of in a prior post for starting up a new pre-school in my neighborhood.

It didn't occur to me until I sat down to write this post that she is by far the youngest to complete the entire learn to read portion of the program, and therefore, it is a RECORD BREAKER!!! Also, that makes me feel really excited to say we have someone out there breaking a record for us!

Doreese

Milestone for See abc's® Alphabet Video!

2011-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

I'm SOOOO happy! Thanks to your help, little Drew's alphabet video has now reached over 1,000 views! 1,020 to be exact! This is a big deal to me, as I set out just hoping to get 300 in the beginning. I appreciate your help in spreading the word, and in the nice comments you have made.

http://youtu.be/Rb_KsspXEMA

Here is the clip one more time in case you missed it. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I couldn't ask for a nicer gift than this!

Doreese

Pictures of 'G' Geode, One of the See abc's® Clues

2011-08-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, so everyone wants to see my cool geode when they get to the "copycat" letters in the blending book, "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend." Geode is the picture clue for when 'G' copies the sound of 'J' as in the words: gym, gem, gerbil, George, and Geode, to name a few. Geode is the hardest picture clue to learn in the program. Geodes are really cool rocks that have crystals in them. A long time ago, but shortly after writing my blending book, I went to a little shop in Park City, Utah. It's a fun town with an old west feel to a section of town. Anyway, I found this really awesome geode that looked just like a letter 'G.' (Geode is the clue for the upper case 'G')

So, of course, I had to have it!

I am posting a couple of pictures of it here so that you can show your children what an actual geode looks like and have them see if they can find the hidden upper case 'G' in the rock. It is easier to see the 'G' in the picture on the grass. But, the picture on the sidewalk is really neat because it looks like it is just part of the sidewalk! Like there is just a little hole in the cement with crystals in it! It just blends right in.

Doreese

Preschools Using See abc's®

2011-08-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Exciting news for those who live in or near Cache Valley, Utah. I wanted to let you know that there is a new pre-school starting that will be using the See abc's reading program. It will be taught by Amy Hilton. She is very qualified to teach it and has used it with several children, including her own. Her 4-year old is all ready half-way through the "Stories See What They Say" book! And her son knew all of the letters' picture clues and sounds at age two! She will have your children reading before you know it! Her number is 435-535-1213.

Also, Wendy Lamb, has been using See abc's in her preschool for many years with great success. Her number is 435-563-0147.

Another pre-school that I know of in the neighborhood will be using it too. It is a mom's school. A group of five moms are going to take turns teaching. So, this is another great way to do preschool.

If you are a preschool that uses our program in another part of the country, please let us know.

Well, enjoy what you have left of your summer! It is going fast and school will be starting this month! Wow!!!

Doreese

Thanks for Help in Sharing! Help Us Reach Our Goal

2011-07-15T14:48:00.001-07:00

Hey, just wanted to give a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have helped to pass along our youtube video of 2-year old Drew learning his alphabet the See abc's reading way!

Six months ago when posted, I was hoping for it to reach 300 views which it did within about 3 months and now it is up to nearly 850! I'm soooo happy about that! Now I have my sites set on 1,000! So, if you can think of more people to share this great video with, please do so. You would really make me feel good about what we are doing.

http://youtu.be/Rb_KsspXEMA

Hope your summer reading programs are going well, be it whatever program you are using. Summer is a time to make great progress and get ahead of the game when it comes to helping your kids with their reading, or it is a time to get caught up in fun time off and lose much ground in the reading arena. Unfortunately, too much of the latter happens. Please do your best to keep your children at the top. There are many fun things that you can do to make reading fun in the summer time. If you have any good tips, please share them with us.

Doreese

Happy Birthday America from See abc's®!!!

2011-07-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Since I'm not going to be near a computer on July 4, I decided to write today. I wanted to tell our great country, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY to AMERICA," home of the free and the brave.

America has a great educational system, due in part to the freedom that has been won for us by so many past and present men and women. And not just on the warfront either. Fighting for better education and better benefits for teachers is a battlefield in each and every state. I greatly admire all of our good teachers and the things they do for the youth of our country. Keep up the great work!

Teaching our youth is what America's future depends on!

Enjoy your watermelon and fireworks everyone!

Doreese

Let Imletteration® Work Miracles in Summer Reading!

2011-06-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how time has flown by since I last wrote! Well, school is out and now is the time to take advantage of extra time with your children and really beef up on those reading skills and make sure you don't backtrack during the summer. This video shows the new technique of "Imletteration" in use. Once your child finishes the final book in the "See abc's" reading program called "Imletteration!", he/she will be able to read ANYTHING they want to through the help of imletteration! It is the tool that will MIRACULOUSLY change the difficult sight words into easy to read phonetic words. This little youtube video will show you how to use it.

http://youtu.be/Z5hKEi8oWoQ

It may seem that it is too time consuming to stop and imletterate the difficult words for your child. But, believe me when I tell you that your child will learn much faster if you will take a minute to imletterate for her and allow her to visualize the true sounds that the letters are making. She will put that in her memory bank and remember it much easier than if you keep on just telling it to her over and over again. You will probably need to review flash cards you make several times, but it will still "stick" better, much better!

To learn more about the book "Imletteration" itself, go to this video. The video is 9 minutes long, but the explanation for how imletteration works is just within the first 3 minutes. I think you will find the rest of the segment interesting as well since it shows the fun "reward" books that come with the program and ends with two mothers telling of their experience using it with their children (two children for each parent).

http://youtu.be/o3TjasMO3Kg

Happy summer!!!

Doreese

#2 Myth About Teaching Pre-schoolers When to Read

2011-05-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

The second myth that parents have about teaching their pre-schoolers when to read is that they believe their child with tell THEM when they are ready! I will tell you right now, do NOT wait for this to happen. Your child does NOT know that they are ready. Unless they have older siblings who are reading, they may tell you they want to learn how to read to. But, still quite unlikely.

YOU have to be the one to start them. I have three neighbors now who have children that will not go to school this coming fall - 2011, but will be going in 2012 and their children are reading in the blending book now and loving it! My own 3-year old grandson should be starting this week, if we get with it! Two-year olds are great at learning the alphabet.

The main thing I'm seeing is that children are MUCH more willing and excited about learning to read when they are young (before school and home with mom or dad), and as I said in Myth #1, they absolutely can with the See abc's reading program. I could not tell you that as confidently with any other program, but I've seen it time and time again with this program.

So, if you have children ages 2 or older, think seriously about getting them started because it so much fun for you as a parent!

Doreese

Preschoolers and Reading ~ Myth #1

2011-05-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I want to address a couple of myths that I keep running across with parents of preschoolers in regards to teaching them how to read before Kindergarten. There are two main myths. Today, I will be discussing myth #1. Next week I will cover myth #2.

Myth #1:

Some parents are afraid that if they teach their children any more than the alphabet letter names and sounds that their child will be bored when they go to Kindergarten. This is ABSOLUTELY wrong! The more your child knows before school, the better! I've seen it happen many times. Let's look at the top 5 reasons why:

5. Children are interested and excited to learn at a very young age and want to spend time with you. (They are usually more willing to spend time with you at a young age; before they reach the stubborn stage.)

4. Because with See abc's, they can! Unless they have a learning disability, they can easily complete this entire program before school. (But don't worry if they are still working on it during Kindergarten. It will still greatly benefit them!)

3. They will enter school with high self-esteem because they already know how to read, which makes them feel so smart! Important: Make sure you tell your child's teacher about your child's abilities so that he/she can keep your child challenged, but not over-whelmed.

2. Reading before school greatly reduces the risk that they will not catch on quickly at school, therefore falling behind. This can create low self-esteem, which is very hard to gain back.

1. And the number 1 reason? Most importantly, so that parents can be the ones to give their children the greatest educational gift of all - reading!!! The gift upon which all other education hinges. There is such a joy and excitement for both parents and children that comes from unveiling the magic of the written word.

Doreese

See abc's® Alphabet Flash Cards and 2-Year Olds

2011-04-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

If you like the video I posted a couple of months ago of little 2-yr old Drew, then you will also like this one of him playing flash card games. That first one has now received over 500 views thanks to your willingness to share it with others. That makes me sooooo happy! Thanks for your support. This new one has all ready had over 100 views and I haven't even announced it yet! www.youtube.com/user/seeabcs (It is titled "See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards Part II)

If you are enjoying our tips and videos on how to teach your child how to read, please share this blog with your family and friends. Also, please share some comments so I know that someone is out there! We learn a lot from others experiences. Also, ask questions if you have any, and if I don't know the answer, someone else may.

Have a terrific day! Doreese

School Book fairs and You!

2011-03-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Are you a book-fair maniac like me? The other day my 7-year old granddaughter called me - all excited, "Nana, will you take me to my school book fair?" she squealed. And, I squealed right back at her, "Of course I will!"

I LOVE school book fairs. You get wonderful books at a great price while at the same time helping your school out.

My granddaughter and I spent 1 1/2 wonderful hours flipping through and reading fun books. Not only did she go home with books, but so did I!

Reading is a vital part of a child's life. It is critical that as children, grandparents, older siblings and so on, we read to our young children.

Next time a school book fair is in your area, take a child you love to it. Not only will your child remember your jesture, but you will get hooked on book fairs like I have.

Sherry

See abc's® Blending Causes Deep Thinking!

2011-03-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

You can't pull one over on a barely four-year old.

I was making a video of a little girl who just turned four nine days prior. I wanted to show everyone how to work with your kids in the beginning stages of blending individual sounds into words. I like to give hints of what the words are so that the kids will be excited to read it and find out what I'm talking about. So, on our final word, I told little Elise, "This is something that makes us nice and clean." She then proceeded to read the word, "tub". Then she just sat there for a minute in deep thought and said, "Not nice, just clean!"

Her mom and I got a good laugh out of that one! Her mom said, "It would be nice if we could just throw everyone in the tub to make them nice." You never know the fun you are in for when you sit down to teach your child!

Doreese

See abc's® Students Shine at Parent Teacher Conferences

2011-03-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

In January, progress reports began coming in from the teachers. I'd like to share a couple of them with you to give you some inspiration to stick to the program and continue on every day because the rewards are so great!

Both of these reports were for Kindergarten children. One little boy's teacher called his parents to say he was one of three kids that she was going to have to find more challenging books for. The other was a little girl whose teacher said that she was at the top of the entire school district for reading nonsense words - words that are not really words, such as: breek, pid, etc. (I just made those up!) Her achievement was thanks to "Imletteration".

So, keep up the good work, not only for the See abc's students, but to any parents that are taking extra time at home to work with their children. That one on one attention is the best thing in the world to help your child be successful! The biggest secret to these children's success is that they were all ready reading before they started Kindergarten.

Doreese

Additional See abc's® Reading Products!!!

2011-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Wow! Two days in a row on our blog! But, I wanted to let you know that we have added a few additional products for you to purchase if they suit your needs better.

We have a limited supply of our older, first edition beginning reading programs. We have magic fingers that you can purchase separately for siblings or your pre-school or Kindergarten classes. We have our sampler which has a sample page from each of our books so you can quickly and easily see how our complete reading program works, and then have a better feel for if you think it is something you want to invest in. (It is a great investment; you can take my word for it!)

For more details, jump on over to our website at http://www.seeabcs.com/ and click on the "order" tab on the top.

Doreese

3-year Old Demonstrating How to Blend Sounds into Words

2011-02-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Many children are now at the point that they are putting the individual sounds together to make words in order to learn how to read!!! Watch this video of a little three-year old showing how to use the blending book, "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend - a Recipe for Reading." I LOVE this book! There are hundreds of words in it and when you go through it reading one word at a time; word after word, you will be laying a VERY solid foundation for your child in beginning reading. They begin with "short vowels" followed by the "long vowels" and "copy cat" letters in Level One. Then in Level Two, they move on to the consonant blend words (words that begin with 2 or 3 letters: trip, street, etc.). And it ends with the digraphs (letters that come together to make a completely new sound; the /ch/ in "chair," and /sh/ in "shine."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w73ExPxjTqo

Is anyone else as anxious for spring to come as much as I am? And, I'm more excited for daylight savings time so that it will stay light longer!

Doreese

See abc's® Third Reading Goal for 2011

2011-01-31T12:40:00.000-08:00

It was my New Year's goal to share with you three good reading goals during the month of January - goal setting month. And well, with the first month of our New Year quickly slipping into the record books, here is goal number three.

MAKE READING FUN!!!

The See abc's reading program is designed to be fun without much effort on your part by just using the program as designed. The beginning ABC and 123 books are made to "play" with when using the interactive, tactile steps as shown in my blog post on 1/15/11 with the video of the toddler. Kids learn the alphabet through playing alphabet card games and playing the "Guessing Game" (review lesson in our books). They get to learn how to write by "drawing" picture clue pictures with their "magic finger." They learn the vowels with the fun See abc's Vowel Cheer (see on our youtube channel) - www.youtube.com/user/seeabcs

You can make whatever reading program you are using fun by creating a reading chart for your children to keep them motivated. See video posted on 1/24/11. Every now and then for their reading reward, do something special as shown on our previous posts - an outing, a special date night, whatever you know your child would enjoy.

Do NOT make reading time too restricted, meaning children will wiggle. They are two - six years old! Roll with it! We all know that "patience" is a virtue, and this is a good time to nurture that virtue! One student of mine wanted to read her book upside down, "Phrases See What They Say." So, I thought, "Why not?" She did amazingly well with that! Of course, YOU have to keep in charge, but there is no harm in allowing your child to feel like they have some control over what they are doing when feasible. When they get off task, just gently pull them back on.

Let the child have one or two "friends" (of the stuffed or plastic variety) sit and listen to them read. Funny how this helps. Remember, their greatest talent is imagination, and that is why See abc's works so well for them in the first place!

Choose a time to read when your child is happy - not nap time, not when hungry; you get the idea. Be flexible.

There are a multitude of ways to make beginning reading fun. This is all I will share for now. But, the whole key to your child liking to read or not liking to read, is based on the fun-o-meter that YOU establish! Good luck, and please share your comments of other tips on making reading fun for your child.

Doreese

Reading Charts and Milestone Rewards

2011-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

Back in October on 10/21/10, I talked to you a bit about Reading Rewards. Here is another idea for a reward.

My little granddaughter finished the See abc's reading program a couple of months ago. I had told her that when she finished the entire program (the learn to read portion, not the Gumfounded books), that I would take her out to dinner at a really nice restaurant. Just the two of us! Telling her a ways ahead of time gave her something big to look forward to. So, in December, we went on our "date" to Texas Road House to celebrate. The night was all about her. I chose that particular restaurant because they have certificates to give children for a free dinner as a reward for their reading. I have several of these certificates, and if your child has finished the program (or when they do finish it), I would be happy to send you one. Texas Road House does a lot to promote literacy at a child's level, and I thank them for that.

It was a very fun night. Being December, I told the waitress that when I was there last year there was a surprise visit from Santa Claus. She said that he had just recently been there so wouldn't be coming that night. Just a few moments later, and what should we hear, but the jingling of bells and a guy with a beard! Sam stared in amazement as he came into view; the waitress pointed her out - he knew just what to do! He came and he visited her; left a cane made of candy. Boy oh boy, you've never seen a child's face shine more brightly!

She talked about it all night... "And, he wasn't even suppose to come, but he did!" It was definitely a night full of memory making!

After dinner (still at the restaurant), I presented her with an additional award - a certificate from "Texas Road House" and a little bear holding a chalk board with "ABC" written on it! When she completes the fun "Gumfounded" books, she will receive another certificate from "See abc's LC."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLgKMEOQOfA

Watch this short video of kids having fun with their reading charts and earning stickers and prizes. You will see what a simple chart and some stickers can do!

Doreese

Second Reading Goal for 2011

2011-01-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Did anyone take me up on making charts for your kids?

For my second goal suggestion, I'm just going to re-emphasize the suggestion that you "read to your child/children 20 minutes a day." However, I want you to think of it as more than a suggestion; make it a priority in your life. The habit of daily reading is very important. For some, the same time of day works best, for others, it is "catch it when you can." The important thing is that you catch it!

Your children want and need YOU. Reading together; you reading to them, or them reading to you, or you teaching them how to read is a very special bonding time, and they will look forward to it. Reading to your child is above and beyond the time you spend teaching them. You may want to separate the two into different blocks of time. I'm not suggesting you set your timer, because obviously there is a big difference between the attention span of a 2-year old and a 5-year old. The point is that you DO IT! Five minutes is better than nothing, just budget that time in your schedule. It will pay off big in the long run!

The second goal for myself is to learn how to download pictures onto my computer. I don't think it's that hard, I've just been putting it off because I think I must be lazy! It just seems like a pain to go through all of those hundreds of pictures that you can take so quickly and find what you want. Hopefully it's not as bad as I've made up in my mind that it is! And now, to find a patient teacher!

Doreese

See abc's® - How Toddlers Learn the Alphabet

2011-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

This adorable little 2-year old shows just how easy and early children can learn the alphabet; picture clues and sounds. The letter names are more difficult and come gradually. However, it is the sounds that children need to know in order to read, so we are not as concerned with how quickly they learn the letter names.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_KsspXEMA

I'm very excited to see that this video has received 95 views in only 5 days! Maybe by midnight, it will have reached 100! This is a record for us! If you like this video, please share it.

Can you see the many senses Drew is using to learn with? Visual, auditory (hearing), and tactile, plus motion (I'm not sure what sense that is, so I include it with tactile). There are three interactive things that he does with this book, which makes learning a fun game. He has no idea how much he is learning!

Doreese

First Goal of 2011 for You and Me

2011-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! It has arrived and we should all be revved up and ready to jump in with new conviction to do those things that we want to do, or should I say should do, right? Well, we said that we would give you some good goals to get you going.

The first would be for you to make a reading progress chart for your child. If your child is in the "Imletteration" package, then there are all ready charts in those books. But, if your child is in the See abc's beginning reading part of the program, or has finished the program, you can make your own fun charts as seen in this youtube video below. (If you are using a different program, I would suggest using charts as well.)

You will see what a simple piece of paper, some cheap stickers and a small, inexpesive prize can do to motivate your child to want to reach his/her reading goals. And, you will want to help them to reach their goals in learning to read because, that is reaching one of your goals too! Now, enough talk of goals - go and watch this cute video and share it with others.

Oh, as for my goal; it was to be able to try to remember how to upload a video from my video camera, put it onto my computer and turn it into a youtube for you to see. And, with some frustration and a lot of time, I did it - all by myself! (pat, pat, pat myself on the back!) Hopefully it will be easier next time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLgKMEOQOfA

Doreese

See abc's® Wishes you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year's Eve tonight and a great 2011. As 2010 is quickly slipping into the record books, we can welcome January as a time of renewal and a time for setting goals to help us and our children, or grandchildren to improve. We will be giving you some good goal tips to help your children in their journey of learning how to read.

We know that we need to sit down and set some clear goals for "See abc's LC" to help bring it out of obscurity and get people to know about it. We have a few ideas up our sleeves; we'll see if some of them turn out!

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Doreese and Sherry

Stocking Stuffer Stickers!

2010-12-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here we are just four, I said FOUR days away from Christmas! And, if you are in a panic trying to think of those last minute little things you need to finish up, then I have one suggestion.

Fun stickers would be a great stocking stuffer. Children LOVE stickers! At this time of year, there are a lot of Christmas stickers around. Some of my students really are motivated to do their reading just so that they can put a sticker on their chart, moving them closer to getting a reward or prize. But, on the days they haven't done enough to put a sticker on their chart, I let them choose one to put wherever they want; usually it ends up on their clothes or arms or face!

Whether you are using See abc's or not, I suggest you make up some kind of chart for your child to encourage them in taking time to sit down and learn with you.

It will probably be after Christmas before I get time to blog again. I have a fun story to share about a child who just finished the See abc's reading program.

Have a very Merry Christmas filled with love and joy,

Doreese

Happy Holidays from See abc's®

2010-12-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

As we kick off this holiday season, we would like you to hop on over to our website and check out the cute holiday banner there. If you got to this blog because you went to the website first, well then, you have all ready seen it!

The silly picture put an instant smile on my face and made me giggle right out loud! I'm sure it will bring a smile to your face too and hopefully it will be able to stay there throughout the holiday season. So, when you have waited in line for an hour to get that special gift and the person right before you got the last one (as happened to my daughter on black Fri.), or the kids are fighting and screaming about who knows what (it could be any and everything!), then recall this silly reindeer winking at you and just smile! Tis the season to be joyful!

Have you noticed how smiles are contagious? See how many you can give away this holiday season, and I'll bet you will receive a lot back as you do! You'd be amazed at how this can make a person's, you and I included, day brighter. Or, for December, we will say, "merrier!"

In your gift-giving this year, be sure you have at least one good book per child on your list. As the banner says, "Time spent with your children teaching them how to read," truly is the best gift you can give them! And, what about the gift of love you may ask. Well, can you see that it is all ready included when you take the time to sit down with your child and teach him/her the most valuable skill they will ever have? ;0)

Doreese

Thanksgiving and Gratitude

2010-11-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we have received. We here at See abc's want to express our sincere gratitude for all the blessings we have been given this past year. Each of you are one of them, and we hope that See abc's has been able to bless your lives in some way. That is what we work so hard for; to try to help you to help your child or your student with the daunting task of learning how to read. Also, to help you as parents or teachers, by giving you new ideas to try.

We hope your Thanksgiving was both wonderful and delicious! As for us, Doreese was lucky enough to have two Thanksgiving dinners - one at her mother's with her side of the family, and one later in the day with her neice and her five little kids on her husband's side of the family. Sherry, had a cozy dinner at her house with over half of her children there.

We really can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone all ready! Though December is the busiest month of the year, try to squeeze in some reading time each day; knowing that you are going to miss some here and there. But, having set that goal will help.

Doreese and Sherry

Reading Rewards for Progress Made

2010-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe I'm blogging two days in a row. That's got to be some kind of record for me! But, if what I'm about to tell you is going to be of help right now, you need to know right now!

In your books, you have progress charts to provide incentives and motivation for your children/students. Along the way, they can earn rewards. One fun and different kind of reward would be to do something that is connected with upcoming holidays. They know they will need to hurry and earn that reward or the holiday, along with the reward that comes with it, will be over!

Halloween is around the corner and most communities have some type of fun Halloween activities going. Here in Cache Valley (Northern Utah), we have children's corn mazes and there is an annual "Pumpkin Walk". I recently went to a place near Salt Lake City called "Gardner Village" and this time of year, they have it all decorated with these huge witches doing all kinds of different things. (Ive posted some pictures of a few of them.) Many of these things are free.

If you choose one of these bigger events to be a reward, make sure that it is attainable for your child and work with them to achieve it. If you have other children that you want to take, set some type of goal for them to work on as well. Take some pictures and share with us!

Doreese

Report of UEA Convention

2010-10-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

I shared a booth at UEA with a friend as a spur of the moment thing. I only used a 4th of the booth and mostly just was hoping to get some good exposure for "See abc's." My daughter, Joni, made a nice banner for me and a great poster. I took some samplers (I still need to blog about those!). I had free book marks and some "magic fingers" that people could buy separately from the program.

The turnout was quite disappointing compared to other years, but a lot of people took a book mark and many now know what a "magic finger" is! Also, I got to let people know that there is a way to change those hard-to-learn "sight words" into easy-to-learn "phonetic words" through the new invention of "Imletteration"!

Most companies just had the little paper banner that was provided. So, the larger, bright banner I had really caught the eye of those passing by. Hopefully it is registered in their sub-conscience somewhere so if they see it again, they will know they have seen it before!

Doreese

p.s. That black necklace I'm wearing was my big find at the convention. I've been wanting a long, black one, and it was only $5! There were a lot of fun, unique and discounted things there. (I also got my husband's Christmas present!)

UEA, Here I Come!!!

2010-10-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I am going to share a booth with a friend at the UEA convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. We will be at booth 624. If you are planning on going to UEA, come and see me. It will be Thur., Oct. 14 and Fri., Oct. 15.

Wish me luck. I will return and report!!!

Doreese

Glowing Parent Teacher Conferences for "See abc's" Kids

2010-10-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just had to tell you about two children who have been using "See abc's". They both just started Kindergarten and had their Parent Teacher Conferences this week. One child's teacher said she was doing so well in reading that she could be bumped up two levels! At a different school, the other child's teacher said he was doing so well in reading that she was going to get him started on AR reading (an advanced program). She said that they don't normally do that until the middle of the year! Way to go kids and your moms!!!

I know a lot of parents have the notion that if their child learns how to read before school, he/she will be too bored when they start school. All the kids I know of that have used "See abc's" before school have never been bored, because their teachers know their abilities and put them on books that keep them challenged and growing. Also, with these kids, they have developed a deeper love of reading because they can read more advanced books at an earlier age; books which are a lot more fun and interesting!

Doreese

Reading and Writing Suggestion Box

2010-09-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today that each parent who goes through the process of teaching their child how to read or how to write comes upon their own little golden nuggets of ideas that either have helped you to help your child improve, helped you deal with working with your child better, have come across ways to add fun to the process, etc. Or, you have come across things that make you think, "I'll never approach it this way again!" Sharing these golden nuggets with each other will help all of us to have a better experience, as well as the children we work with. So, I'm suggesting a "See abc's Suggestion Box." Any suggestions are welcome - not just using "See abc's."

I'll start with a suggestion for encouraging your children to read when they don't want to. You've heard the old adage, "Money Talks." Well, two of my students were balking at reading. One little girl who just turned four, only wanted to read four words a day from the blending book. She reads these beginning words very well, but in her mind, she thinks it is too hard. So, I filled my pocket with pennies and nickels and told her for each word she read, she would earn a penny. Well, she read 15 words with no complaint at all! We discussed money and she chose to exchange five of her pennies for a nickel. My other student, a five-year old who has just began Kindergarten, has had trouble concentrating on reading the sentences in the "Imletteration!" book. I told her for every sentence that she read and followed along with her finger, she would earn a penny. She earned 10 pennies, and stayed much more focused on what she was doing! She too, exchanged five for a nickle. Both of these children were very excited to add their coins to their "Piggy Banks." With children this young, a penny is a huge deal and it is rewarding for them to be able to earn it.

If you have a "suggestion" you would like to share, or a "caution" to give us, go to our "Contact Us" box on our website and let us know. On occasion we will share them here on our blog.

Here at the end of September, school is well under way. I hope all is going well!

Doreese

"Calling All Grandmas!"

2010-08-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

This post is directed towards grandmas. And, speaking of grandmas, I became a grandma again three weeks ago! There is nothing in this world like a precious, little newborn! One more child for me to help bring along the road of reading!

I've really had a lot of fun teaching my grandkids how to read, and they have loved doing it with me. Reading is our special time together. My daughters are very capable of teaching their own kids, but they haven't complained about me helping them out when I can!

I know kids aren't always cooperative little angels when it comes time to read with mom. That is when I would suggest enlisting the help of a grandma or grandma figure. Kids will do most things better for grandparents. If you don't have a grandparent nearby, maybe an elderly neighbor would enjoy helping to teach your child their alphabet. It would be good for them as well. Most of my students have just worked with their mothers as far as I know, and done great. But, with all the fun I have teaching my grandkids, I think other grandma's would love it too, and it can give you a little break if needed. You don't have to do it alone.

Doreese

"See abc's® Vowel Cheer"

2010-07-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

We all know that vowels have the most important job in teaching children how to read. It's important that children understand this; that every single word must have at least one vowel in it. Many times that vowel isn't even heard, it is silent, but it still must be there: i.e., "bird," "earth."

To help kids remember the vowels, we teach them our "See abc's Vowel Cheer." Follow along with our short video. Two and three-year olds love to do the cheer even though they don't know the significance of the vowels yet. But, that's great. It will just be that much easier for them when they get to that point.

Aarrgh!!! I can't get my link to this video to work! But, it is really cute and it is the easiest way to learn the cheer, which is the EASIEST way to learn the vowels. It is posted on our "See abc's" Facebook page. Search for "See abc's Reading Program" on facebook, scroll down the page and you will find it. Become our fan on Facebook!

Doreese

You've Worked on the Alphabet; What About the Writing?

2010-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! Summer is more than half over! So, you've been working hard trying to get your child prepared for school by learning their alphabet, but what about his/her handwriting? Here's a fun way for kids to learn how to write. It is different than anything out there. Kids get to learn how to write by drawing, which is a lot more fun than making random lines and circles. And, they get to do it with a magic finger! It's demonstrated here in yet another cute video; the child is cute and you will just have to put up with watching me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aeOya9AQb8

Doreese

Video of See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards

2010-07-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, or should I say, "Aloha!"

I'm back from an amazing trip to Hawaii where I went to Wakiki Beach, shops, and aquarium; the Dole Plantation, the Polynesian Cultural Center, snorkeling with brightly colored fish, went to Pearl Harbor and the Punch Bowl military cemetary, and the highlight - my niece's wedding! So much fun. Got many souveniers. I did really well not to slurge on myself until I saw the little seashell stand. Then I just went nuts! I love seashells. My favorite is the blowing Conch shell.

Came home, and the next day my husband and I moved our son out to Indiana to start 4 years of dental school. We spent a few days there and helped him set up housekeeping in his nice house. Got to see the fireworks and fireflies while back there. I LOVE fireflies. They are so cool. Wish we had them here in Utah. I could watch them all night!

Now it is back to reality and work. I've been trying to learn how to make and upload videos. Here is one of some kids ages 2-5 playing with the See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards. It will give you a few of the many fun ways you can use them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaI4QcWDozY

While you are at this video, you can click on subscribe to subscribe to our youtube channel, and you will be notified whenever I post a new video. Help us out by giving us some great reviews while you are at it! Thanks

Doreese

First See abc's Reading Program Graduate Receives Award

2010-06-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Kaden was the very first person to complete the See abc's reading program. He did it just before he began Kindergarten and he has now just finished the 4th grade. A couple of weeks ago his mother called me excited to tell me that she had just come from his school's end of the year awards program. There is an "Eagle's Nest" award (They are the Summit Eagles). To acheive this award, children have to reach 1,000 AR (Accelerated Reader) points. These points only apply to certain books. The kids have to read them and then take and pass a test on them in order to get the points. An average Harry Potter book would only be about 50 points. So, that tells you it is a LOT of pages to reach this goal! The children have from 3rd to 5th grade to do this. In the history of Summit Elementary, it has never been acheived by a 4th grader, until this year when Kaden and one other did it. Usually a few 5th graders get it; but to get it in only two years time is incredible! His mother said she attributes it all to See abc's. And, he not only read AR approved books, but a lot of others as well. His name has been added to a nice plaque.

So, here's a big shout out to Kaden.... CONGRATULATIONS!!! We're soooooo proud of you!

Doreese

Phonics Lesson - Mountain says /m/

2010-05-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

I've had this little piece of paper sitting in my cupboard for over a year now. My daughter told me something that her daughters had said and I thought it was so cute that I made a little note of it to share with others later. Well, I've decided to finally share it now so that I don't have to keep that little piece of paper in my cupboard any more.

My daughter's 4-year old had been learning her alphabet picture clues and sounds and she was trying to teach her little 2-year old sister as they were driving somewhere.

4-year old: "Mountain says _________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

My daughter was surprised to hear her say the right sound.

4-year old: "Mommy says _________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

My daughter was really shocked to hear that she knew the right sound again and was beginning to believe that she had a little genius on her hands!

4-year old: "Fish says ___________?"

2-year old: "/m/"

Well, so much for the genius theory, ha, ha! But, at this young age, she was understanding that letters themselves speak, and when she was an older 2-year old, she actually did know quite a few different letters and their correct sounds. As a 3 1/2-year old, she knows ALL of her upper and lower case letter picture clues and sounds. She's ready to start reading now, and actually has begun the blending book! She completely grasps the concept of how to put sounds together into words in "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend - a Recipe for Reading."

Doreese

Reading With Expression Game Works!

2010-04-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

In my last post I taught you how to play a brand new "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game that I had just made up on the spot. The purpose of this game was to turn reading to your child into a "play-based" activity. I knew I would have to quickly actually try out the game I had just told you to do. If it didn't work as I had envisioned and predicted it would, then I would have some major editing to do in my last post. But, whew!!! It worked exactly as I had imagined.

As usual, my grandchildren are my little guinea pigs these days. The 5 and the 3-year old did awesome! The 3-year old did most of the tracking with her finger. She was learning a lot from this simple activity. The 2-year old chimed in occasionally with repeating a phrase with expression. He definitely can mimic expression at his young age. But, his attention span was quite erratic. The other two made it all the way through.

The book we read was so great for this activity that I will share it with you. It is So Many Bunnies - a bedtime abc and counting book written by Rick Walton. The words are in rhythm and rhyme, making it ideal to put expression to. Check it out from your library!

Doreese

"Follow the Leader Expression" reading game

2010-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

In an article I recently read by Paul Mackie, he said, "The main key to any storybook is that it should be a sensory, play-based activity and above all be fun." All of the See abc's learn to read books are this way. But, how can you make any book play-based? One idea I just had was to play "Follow the Leader Expression" - a game I just now made up! If you use our program, you will see that reading with expression is a very big part of it. I believe it's really important to train young ones early to hear that there's a difference between reading with expression and reading in a monotone voice. They will quickly see, I mean hear that they prefer reading with expression.

Back to my new "Follow the Leader Expression" game. You simply read a sentence with expression, then have your child repeat it after you with the same expression. This simple game is going to accomplish several great things: 1. Teach your child how to play with their voice and make different tones; 2. See that they can make something sound exciting! 3. Help develop a feel of reading fluency by saying the sentence smoothly; 4. As you point to the words both while you read them, and then while your child repeats them, your child will learn a lot about direction of reading and when it is their turn, they will feel like they are truly reading; 5. They will have fun with reading because it is "play-based." (By telling them you are playing the "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game, you've already made it fun!)

For longer sentences, divide them up.

So, have FUN with ANY storybook! Doreese

CNN iReport - Changing Lives with Education

2010-04-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

A college student had to interview someone for his entrepreuneur class and he chose me! Then he had to post it on CNN iReport. So, go and check it out.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-429864

And, by the way, that cute student is my son, Michael.

Doreese

April Fools from Mother Nature!

2010-04-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it was spring!

Sherry lives in Southern Utah and she is experiencing spring down there with leaves and flowers coming out. I live in Northern Utah and we had a few days that teased us making us think spring was here. Then today we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground! One of our big quaking aspen trees in the backyard is also on the ground! :0(

Though it is really beautiful, I'm ready for spring. I think I'll take some of my own advice and cozy up with a good book myself today, and try not to be too jealous of Sherry being able to go out and take nice springtime walks outside.

Doreese

2010-03-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

It's SPRING! I love spring, it is a great time of year to get outside and work in the yard or go for a walk. There really isn't anything better than a brisk walk on a fresh spring day. The sun magically lifts our spirits and puts a smile on our face.

I have a good friend whose husband suffers with depression. She told me that his therapist makes him walk outside for at least a half -hour before he will see him. He is literally a different person after excersizing outside! The endorphins produced by the sun and excersize make a profound difference in his attitude. We can all benefit from taking a walk outside so grab your husband or a friend, maybe a child or a grandchild, or maybe your dog and get outside and enjoy this beautiful season! The sun is waiting to embrace you, the birds want to sing you their song and the blossoms will tickle your nose with the fragrance of God's love. You are SPECIAL! Make the most of each day because you deserve the the best of all that this amazing earth has to offer!

oxoxo!
Sherry

Comfort Counts

2010-03-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

After the NSA meeting I blogged about last time, I got to speak one on one with Mark Eaton (the former 7'4" Utah Jazz basketball star.) It is so strange standing next to someone of that height. I wanted to talk to him, but I was a bit star struck and didn't know what to say intelligently. So, what did I do, probably what 95%of people talk to him about, his size. Afterwards, I thought, "That's probably that last thing in the world he wants to talk about!" But it had just occurred to me how very uncomfortable it would be to have to sit in normal-sized chairs for someone with such long legs from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a few breaks in between. So, I asked him if it was difficult to sit on such small chairs for so long, and he said that it was okay, but that he did have to get up and stand sometimes. I said, "Yeah, it would be like me sitting in my little grandchildren's chairs." Driving home, I thought, "It would be great if someone could custom make folding camp chairs for really tall people that they could easily take with them to day-long events." (Somebody probably has somewhere.)

Well, as you are reading with your child, think about their comfort - them being small in your big world. When kids are just playing with learning the alphabet and numbers, they can relax on the couch, or sit on the floor, whatever they are most comfortable doing. But when it comes time to start reading, it's time for a little more structure; just because it's easier to lay the book on the table while using their finger to read with. It's harder to do that on their lap.

When a 4 or 5-year old sits on a regular chair at a regular table, they are seated way too low to make reading comfortable. They need to be up higher so it is easier for them to both see and follow along with their finger. With my 5-year old granddaughter, we tried the baby's booster seat, and as Goldilocks would say, "It was just right!" It made a huge difference. Also, by sitting at the table, it seemed to help her to concentrate better. Even though other kids were still running around, it was much better than being on the couch with them running around right in front of her.

No booster seat? Try a stool to the table or a stack of big books. When my students read at my house, I pull the piano bench over in front of the couch and it works great!

Comfort really does count. Children, like the rest of us, perform much better when they are comfortable.

Doreese

Get and Give

2010-03-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Another blog about something that really had an impact on my life. Day before yesterday, I attended a day-long event in Salt Lake City presented by the NSA (National Speakers Association). Our hearts and minds were fed by 10 different speakers; some of the top motivational speakers in the country. Here are their names:

Marty Val Hill, Jean Palmer Heck, Mark Eaton, Doug Nielsen, Judith Rasband, Jathan Janove, Jason Hewlett, Brad Barton, Tim Border, Kathy Loveless and Dan Clark.

I invite you to google each of them and find out why they are so special; see what they've done with their lives.

There are so many horrible things going on in the world today. It can really get us down. But, when I attend something such as this, it reinforces my confidence in humanity. If you are feeling a little empty inside, and even if you're not, look around you for the many opportunities there are for you to go and get filled. Check into your community's calendar and go to a seminar, take a class, go to a concert, etc., etc. Also, a good, uplifting, motivating book will do the trick.

Then once you have been filled, you will be more in a position to give to others. I like to call it, "get and give." There's just something about seeing other people giving and sharing their talents to help me that makes me want to go out and do the same. I'm sure you can guess that the way I like to give is through improving literacy. I LOVE teaching kids how to read, and I LOVE teaching parents how to teach their kids how to read. I'm also a big supporter of volunteerism.

If you don't have a cause, go out and find one. To name a few, there's: volunteering at a school, or an animal shelter, you can call your city office and ask if they need volunteers for anything, be a Boy or Girl Scout Leader, a 4-H Leader, be a SCORE counselor (they help people in small businesses), help the less fortunate, and on and on. Even just a phone call to lift someone in need. There's something that's a perfect fit for you.

The really amazing thing about this NSA event was that all proceeds were being donated to the Boy Scouts of America! Talk about giving!!!

I hope that if you're ever feeling down, these words will come to your mind and you will go out and do them: "get and give."

Doreese

Music and reading?

2010-03-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

I saw something last night that inspired me so that I wanted to blog about it, even though it didn't have anything to do with reading. Then as I thought about it, I realized it has everything to do with reading! My son took me to see a young man, Haochen Zhang - age 19, who put on a piano concert. I was completely blown away by what I both saw and heard. He played five numbers, some with three and four movements by Mozart, Brahms, Chopin, Shuman and Stravinsky. Then he played an encore piece. He had it all memorized; nearly two hours worth! The numbers had the right mix of loud and soft, fast and slow. I especially liked the loud, fast parts. When he played fast, his fingers were just a blur! And it sounded so neat. I really could not believe what I was seeing and hearing.

In order to learn all of that, he had to know how to read music. Music is the universal language. It is decoding note symbols into corresponding tones. As a mother of five who all grew up learning how to play the piano, I know some of what it takes. Before I ever had children, I determined that they would all learn how to read books and they would learn how to read music. Reading and playing music greatly helps increase learning in other areas, especially math. The piano and other instruments that require two hands are really good because they use more of both the right and left side of the brain's power.

Haochen began studying at age three. When he was five, he had his first recital at the Shanghai Music Hall. He played 15 Bach 2-part inventions and sonatas by Mozart and Hayden. Wish I could have seen that! At age six, he played with an orchestra.

His experience supports my belief that the best time to start learning is when you are really young. Children are like sponges; soaking up everything. I haven't really pushed reading with two-year olds other than just reading the beginning books to them. But, I am now working with some two-year olds, and I have realized... "Don't under estimate the two-year olds!" They are really capable of learning a lot and they have so much fun doing it.

Experts say that just listening to classical music stimulates learning. So, way before your child can learn a musical instrument, or if playing an instrument isn't going to work out, just let your child listen to the music. If the experts are right, it will make a difference.

Doreese

Every Day Literacy for Pre-schoolers

2010-03-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Pre-school age children can learn a lot about literacy just from their every day environment. Take advantage of the many teaching opportunities that are all around you. Start with street signs. Both the shape of a stop sign as well as the word "STOP" which is written on it are forms of literacy learning. Same with yield signs. It's been interesting to me to observe that most pre-school children readily recognize a stop sign, but they don't know what a yield sign is. Where I live, there are almost as many yield signs as their are stops signs, yet children don't know what one is. (Hint: If you teach them to recognize a yield sign, they will more quickly learn the clue I use for upper case 'Y'.) Literacy doesn't have to always involve words. Point out railroad crossing, school crossing and speed limit signs; just anything you drive past. Logos are great. Do they know what it means when they see the double arches of McDonald's, or the big hat of Arby's? There are many things they can learn before actually learning how to read. Just get them observing things around them. You can still show and tell them signs with words on them such as what it says on the grocery store, gas stations, banks, clothing stores, etc. It may surprise you what they will pick up on.

According to the Webster Dictionary, literate means, "Versed in learning and science; educated." Doing the above activities takes literacy and brings it down to a 2-5 year olds' level. It has to begin somewhere, right?

So, the next time you go somewhere, turn your outing into a pre-school literacy adventure!

Flash Card Fun

2010-02-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

"We have really enjoyed the "See abc's" program in our family. My 4-year old and 2-year old like to play the flashcards together. We set out half ot the lower case alphabet at a time and then my 4-year old plays teacher as he asks his little sister to find the 'e' elephant. She looks and finds it and then puts in in her pile. Then together, they get out their choppers and say "Elephant says /e/," three times. It's a great way for my 4-year old to review as he is getting ready to read. He feels so big and important as he helps his little sister! And it's a great way for the 2-year old to learn. The best part is, to them it is just a fun card game!" - Chris Nethercott

I have also found this to be the case with my grandchildren as the older one teaches the younger two. The 2-year old especially loves playing card games with the "See abc's Alphabet Flash Cards." He feels like he is such a big kid now that he knows how to play cards!

Too many people who get the program ignore the flash cards and just focus on the books. So, get out your cards and use them. It is a great way to learn, review, and remember the letters. Some of you are asking, "How do you get a 2-year old to play cards?" Well, as Chris said above, put out half of the lower case letter cards (after taking out the long vowel cards, and the copycat cards which are cent, gerbil and 's' with a zipper tab on it). The whole alphabet is way too much to do at a time. Put them with the picture clue side facing up. Then I will say to my grandson, "Can you find the 'h' hat?" (Say the letter name before saying the picture clue so they can start making some connections.) He will look around until he finds the hat. Then I say, "Good job, put it in your pile." He then proudly puts it in his pile. Then we get out our "choppers" and "chop" the sound for hat three times in a row, "Hat says /h/."

My 2 and 3-year old grandkids are now to the point where I can put the cards down with just the plain letter side up and they can find it. I call this the "guessing game" and it becomes something new and different, therefore making it fun all over again! The 2-year old sometimes guesses wrong. When he sees he has chosen the wrong card, he just puts it back down and tries again. It has never frustrated him when he chooses the wrong one. If your child does get frustrated with it, continue using the picture clue side until he/she knows them better.

That's just a couple of the games you can play. When they know the upper and lower case letters, you can play matching games with the them. Play games with the short and long vowel cards. When they start reading, get the cards out and make words with them. Have your child put a different letter at the beginning of the word to learn about rhyming.

Just make up your own games. If you come up with something fun, share it with the rest of us!

Doreese

It's the Most Wonderful Time..... to Buy Books!

2009-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Not only is this the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes, but it is also the most wonderful time to buy books. Tis the season of giving and what greater gift than the gift of reading. I think many of us think books make a great gift. But, don't overlook the great seasonal books that are out right now. I've noticed in the ads I've been getting that stores have been using Christmas books, including wonderful children's Christmas books as a teaser to get people into their stores. So, treat yourself and your children to a pre-Christmas gift. For all the running around you do this time of year, all the gift wrapping, all the goodie making, etc., etc., you deserve it.

Here are a few of my favorite titles that I've gotten this year. For preschoolers: What Santa Can't Do. It says that one of the things Santa can't do is drive a car (that would hurt the reindeer's feelings). It's a very cute book. There is also a fun musical board book for Up on the Housetop. My grandkids love it! For a little bit older children, I got a child's version of It's a Wonderful Life. What a classic story. The lead character is the son of George Bailey, Tommy. It has a similar theme as the original. Then, I got the board book version of Christmas Oranges. I've wanted to get this one for a few years now, and I just kept passing it up. But, with the great teaser price, I couldn't resist this year. I plan to read it to my family Chrismas Eve.

Christmas books just add to the anticipation and excitement for your little ones. Enjoy their sweetness and innocence this holiday season. They are, after all, the most precious gift we have been given.

Doreese

Won't My Child Be Bored???

2009-11-25T09:20:00.001-08:00

Hi, Doreese here. I often get asked, "Won't my child get bored in school if he/she learns to read before Kindergarten?" Of all the children that I know of that have done the program before school, I have never heard that any of them have gotten bored. I just hear things about how high their self-esteem is because they feel so smart, are at the top of their class and put in the highest reading groups, and how much they are enjoying reading any book they want to. I asked a mother to write down for me her feelings about this, having had two children go through the program. This is what she had to say:

"I have two daughters that had the opportunity to learn to read using the See ABC's reading program before entering Kindergarten. I am so thankful that they were able to have this head start. I believe it gave them the confidence and self-esteem they needed to be successful in school. Their Kindergarten teachers were wonderful to keep them challenged and excited about learning. My girls were always given the opportunity to move ahead on a higher learning level to reach their potential.

After my girls completed the Imletteration part of the program, they knew that they could pick of any book and read it if they wanted to. I feel that the See abc's reading program is a wonderful gift to give a child...the gift of the love of reading."

- Monae Murray

Headline News!

2009-11-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

I have headline news this week! My granddaughter that just turned four this last September is reading!!! Yup, she has moved on to the Chop and Blend book where she is now sounding out words. It is SUPER exciting to see how quickly she learned to read! She is sooo proud of herself and of course her parents are thrilled! I feel blessed to have a few of my grandchildren living close enough to me that I can teach them how to read. I LOVE our product! Carry on friends, reading success is at your fingertips with the See abc's Reading Program.

Multiple Sensory Explained

2009-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

When we say that See abc’s is a multiple sensory reading program, it means that it uses the three senses necessary in order to learn; visual, auditory (hearing) and tactile (hands on). So, it reaches all types of learners. It has a strong visual connection by seeing the picture clue right in the letter shape itself. This has been a very powerful way to teach. It is auditory because children listen and repeat. And we use three tactile steps to teach each letter. This tactile component is a big reason why it is so successful. For my purposes, I broaden the term tactile beyond just touch. I include anything you do with your hands; actions as well as touch. These tactile steps are also what keeps children focused. When you combine all three of these senses, the results are amazing!

Doreese

New Look, New Video, New Youtube!

2009-09-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since our last post. We have been really busy revamping our site and making an instructional reading workshop video.

First of all, Sherry's daughter and her husband have redesigned our entire website. Hasn't she done a great job! We hope you enjoy it. Our website is: www.seeabcs.com We've added a couple of videos to it. One of them is a clip from when the TV show "Studio 5" featured it. It is on our "Testimonials" page. Then, Sherry and I, with the help of the "Bridgerland Applied Technology College" made an instructional reading workshop video. We are teaching a group of mothers and their children how to use our reading program. So, you can go to our home page and see everything that is in our program and how to use it. I'm really excited about this because now you can know right away what our program does. You can see how multiple senses (visual, auditory and tactile) help your child learn quickly and easily. You even get to hear a little of the alphabet song. And, most exciting, you will see how Imletteration eliminates the need to memorize sight words (rule breakers). You will learn an entire reading system in only a half hour! Plus hear what moms are saying about it. Watch it and see what the fun reward for finishing the program is. Hint: It is the Gumfounded books.

And surprise! We have our very first youtube video. It is a segment of our instructional video. It is the section about Imletteration and a couple of moms with their kids who used the program. If you want to skip ahead and go directly to this part and see what Imletteration is, you can just click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3TjasMO3Kg If you want to email this link to someone and ask them to pass it on, that would be great with us! We would appreciate any positive comments.

Doreese

Reading Time Is Playing Time

2009-04-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

This is my 2 1/2-year old granddaughter. She enjoys "playing" with the letters too in "ABC's See What They Say". She can do all three of the tactile steps just fine. Now, her attention span? Well, that's a lot different than her 4-year old sister's. Sometimes she can do several letters and sometimes just two. But, that's okay. Just always start where you leave off the next time you "play" with the book. She really loves singing the song, "Learning Is So Fun", which is helping her learn the letter names, and which picture clue they go with.

My 1-year old grandson will sit on my lap while I go through the entire book - just talking about the pictures and "chopping" off the beginning sound (which with him, we just do 2 times, instead of 3). I take his little hand and chop with him. He really likes to do that.

Enjoy playing with both "ABC's See What They Say", and "123 What Do You See?"

Doreese

On Cloud Nine!

2009-02-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I have been teaching my little 4-year old granddaughter her alphabet names and sounds over the past several months. Four days ago I started her in "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend" and we worked on the exercise to stretch out each sound. Then today, I taught her how to blend sounds together to make a word. She had no problem at all! She read five words! It is the most thrilling moment for me when going through the teaching reading process. Up til now it's all been fun and games learning letter sounds and their fun picture clues. But when they realize that blending those sounds together makes a word and that they just read it, it is one of the most powerful moments in all of their learning life! All of the sudden, the written word comes to life! And that is why I am on cloud nine.

And my granddaughter was bursting with excitement when she realized what she could do. She won't go to Kindergarten next year, but the year after that.

I would love to hear your cloud nine stories. Please share them with us.

Doreese

A New Twist on Story Time

2009-02-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

We all know we are suppose to read aloud to our children every day. But sometimes you may want to do more than just read through the book. Ask thought-provoking questions to get your children's minds and imaginations working. You could ask them to predict what they think will happen next. Also, after reading the story, ask questions about things that took place in the story and what certain character's names were. This will help their memory skills. If they can't think of the answer, go ahead and tell it to them before they become frustrated. This is to be a fun time.

Using books this way makes them become interactive, almost like playing a game. In fact, you could call it that. You could say, "With this book, let's play, 'Guess who does what?'" When kids know they will have an active role at reading time, you might be surprised at how much better they pay attention! This activity isn't just for new books. You can do it with old favorites. Your children will probably know exactly what is going to happen and that is just fine. They will feel all the smarter when it turns our just as they predicted!

Doreese

Quote Of The Day

2009-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone for a brisk morning walk or an early morning bike ride? Maybe you have pushed your baby in her stroller to the park on a sunny afternoon. Could it be that you got the kids on the bus and sent them on there way to school then turned on the T.V. to your favorite morning show and watched it while walking on your treadmill? It is so refreshing to our bodies to exercise them.

Let me share a quote by Sir Richard Steele with you, he said, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." I LOVE that!!! Just as exercise fine tunes our bodies, reading fine tunes our minds. Both build and strengthen us in their own ways. Reading will not only teach you and keep you well informed, it will better your concentration and memory. Let's make sure we read for at least a few minutes every day to help keep our mind in shape!

Hugs!
Sherry

Preschoolers' Abilities Amaze Me!

2008-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Can I just tell you all how amazing it is to see kids who don't even start Kindergaten until next year reading! I had a couple of kids come to read for me who are using the See abc's program. One little girl came last week and she started the program last June. She is now all ready in the "Stories See What They Say" book. She read a couple of the "Very Short Stories" for me and even could use the expression that is written! Another little girl came this morning and she started the program the first of September with "ABC's See What They Say", then began the "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend" book on Oct. 23, and now she is all ready in "Phrases See What They Say". She read four of the phrases for me today and she is having fun trying to play with her voice and put expression in her reading. Some of the words she was able to read are, "which", "class", "teach", and "donuts"! Those words include digraphs (wh and ch), a consonant blend (cl), and short, long and silent vowels. Both of these little girls are so excited about what they can do and the things they can read. Their mothers tell me that they always beg to read and they don't want to stop! What a great way to spend time together.

What's Inside The Gumfounded Books

2008-12-09T08:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,

Let me begin by asking you if you know the rhyme "Jack and Jill Went Up The Hill. . ."? I'm pretty sure most of you answered yes to that question. Now let me ask you how old you were when you learned that rhyme? You probably answered three or four years old. It is amazing how that little rhyme has stuck in your head all of these years. It stuck because it rhymes and reads in rhythm. Because I teach concepts in my books that I want the reader to remember, I have written them in rhyme. Mother Goose and Dr. Suess definitely knew about the magic of rhyme back in their time.

The See ABC's program includes a set of three of the Gumfounded books. Each of these books teach about the environment. The first book is titled "Gumfounded". I explained what Gumfounded is about in my last email so I will move on to the second book.

The second book is titled "Bob Frog Sick of Smog". This book is super fun for the kids because Tia and Bob Frog try to clean up the sky by climbing a ladder and scrubbing it. Obviously this book teaches children how to keep the air clean.

The third book is titled "Is Bob Frog a Water Hog?". It teaches children how to conserve water. The illustrations are really fun and the message is a good one.

All three of the books have been imletterated to go with the program. It is a great way for the person learning to read to start getting their nose into books.

Spread the word that Tia and Bob Frog not only help teach children learn to read but they are out to save the planet!

Have a great day form the
"Thinkin' Green, Rhymin' Machine"!

Sherry

The program grows!

2008-11-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hello from Doreese

After writing my first book, "ABC's See What They Say" to teach the alphabet names and sounds, I thought I was through with writing books. But then I volunteered with first graders who could say the individual sounds of a word, but could not blend them together to make a word. So, I saw that there was a need for a blending book. I then wrote, "ABC's See How to Chop and Blend - a Recipe for Reading". I wanted them to be able to come up with letter sounds on their own, so I created my own fonts with picture clues, "costumes", on them that matched the clues they had all ready learned. For example, the letter 'o' has some of the octopus legs on it. Putting a word together is a 4-step process. The child uses their finger to sound out the word, following along the lines. Because it uses this tactile sense, children pick up on it really fast. Also, the visual given to show them how the sounds come together to make a word makes it easy for children to understand the process. In this book they are taught long vowels as well as short vowels. In Level Two, they learn how to read the consonant blends - words with two or three sounds at the beginning like: bread, crib, skate, etc. They learn a lot of skills in this book.

Next, I wanted to give children something fun to read that did not require any memorization of sight words (rule breakers). This builds their confidence in their reading abilities and helps them to develop a love of reading. So, I wrote "Prases See What They Say" with little short sentences of mostly one-syllable words. Then I wrote "Stories See What They Say" with 40 Very Short Stories and 20 Short Stories that have paragraphs in them including, "Little Red Hen", "Gingerbread Man" and "Three Little Pigs". I added a fun reading exercise in these books to help children read with expression.

Now came the time to deal with those sight words. What to do when 'a' and 'o' can make nine different sounds each? Because I had all ready been putting little "costumes" on the letters, I had the idea that the same way people can impersonate other people when they want to look and sound like them, the letters can imletterate other letters when they want to sound like them by wearing the costume that belongs to that letter. For example, when the letter 'a' wants to say the short 'o' sound, it will simply borrow the letter 'o's octopus costume, as in the words, "ball", or "car". (See the example on our website http://www.seeabcs.com/ ) Imletteration miraculously unlocks the mystery of why letters make sounds that don't belong to them in a way that makes sense to a four or five-year old. Once the child finishes the book "Imletteration", he/she will be able to read any book he/she wants to regardless of grade level!

How the See abc's reading method began

2008-10-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Sherry has told you how her lovable characters came to be and now I would like to tell you how the See abc's reading method began. When my youngest child, Joni, was in Kindergarten learning the shapes and sounds of the alphabet, she would bring home papers with the shape of the letter at the top of the page and a picture beginning with that letter below it. This worked well as long as the picture clue was there, but when I wrote the letter without the clue, she was left wondering which picture clue went to which letter shape. There are 26 different letter shapes and 26 different picture clues. That's a hard matching job for most kids. All five of my children learned this way.

Then one day while working with Joni, I realized that all of my children learned the letter 's' fast and never forgot it. How come? It was because for 's', all I had to tell them was, "It looks like a snake and it sounds like snake." So, every time they saw the letter 's', in their imagination they could see a snake; they didn't have to search for anything. I decided to try that concept with all of the letters and I made each letter shape become its own clue. For example with letter 'a', the circle of the 'a' is an apple and the line is a worm. The results were amazing. Joni learned every letter solid in only two days and had a blast doing it because now it was a fun game of pretend and imagination. Then she got out her paper and pencil and starting writing the letters and turning them into the pictures herself. So, her reading was reinforcing her writing and her writing was reinforcing her reading. That's when I knew I had something really powerful in my hands! So, I put my little alphabet into book form, "ABC's See What They Say". Sherry tried it with her son, and saw how great it worked with him and she wanted to help me market my book. She then wrote a fun alphabet song to go along with my book and a numbers book based on the same concept as the letter book. We then had our books professionally illustrated. They are designed so that they are very interactive, using three tactile steps in teaching each letter or number. Over the years, I have come to find out how crucial it is to use all three of these steps to have the best results.

And so, the See abc's method was born. As time went on, I expanded the program. I will share more about the other books soon.

Doreese

Introduction to Tia and Bob Frog

2008-10-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Goooood Mornin'!
It's a beautiful sunny day and I feel energized about Tia and Bob Frog this morning. Let me tell you how Tia and Bob Frog (the main See abc's charactors came about). Tia is my daughter and when she was three her grandmother gave her a stuffed frog which she named Bob. Bob and Tia were best friends, everywhere Tia went she had Bob Frog. I have taught pre-school to all of my children so it seemed appropriate that I incorporate Bob Frog into a teaching tool to help Tia learn her colors, shapes, numbers etc... Thus the Tia and Bob Frog series of books was born.

Gumfounded was my first book to get published. This book tells about Tia having a mishap with a gob of gum someone had spit out on the ground. The gum sticks to her shoe and as she runs to school the gum collects litter. Soon Tia is on a MOUNTAIN of litter which is all tangled in the gum on her shoes. Once she gets to school all of the children help her put the litter in its right recycle bins. It was illustrated delightfully by Kirk Werner. I have written two other environmental books which are now illustrated and imletterated.

It is a riot going to schools and presenting these books and teaching children how to respect our earth. Kids LOVE them!!! You know anything is fun to learn about if it is presented in a humorous way.

I better quit blogging now and get my house clean. It's a MESS! I'm watching some of my grandkids today so I'm sure it won't stay clean for long, but heck, at least I'll know I had it clean at one point of the day!

Take care and join Doreese and I again in a couple of days. Toodles! Sherry

League of Utah Writers Roundup Conference

2008-09-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

From Doreese: The writers conference was a lot of fun! Most of the authors there were still working on things. But even though I have completed my writing, there were still workshops that pertained to me. There was one on Public Relations and How to Talk to a Reporter.

The last class I went to was called "Awaken the Child Within" by Patricia Wiles. She said a couple of things that I thought were very thought provoking. She said, "Every day doors close for children, and it is our job as authors to open them", and "Entertainment is to children as rain is to flowers." Then she had us do an exercise that I am going to suggest that each of you do. Write down on a sheet of paper the following: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and on up to 6th, leaving a few lines in between each. Then list three things you can think of that happened to you during each grade. Try to remember your teacher's name. I was surprised at how doing this helped awaken the child within me. It brought back memories, both good and bad. Doing this will help you be able to better relate to your children and understand how they may be feeling.

Pictures:

Center - James Dashner and Doreese / James is from Georgia. He has written a 4-book series and is now finishing up a 3-book series. I bought the first of his 3-book series. It is called: The 13th Reality - The Journal of Curious Letters. I got to eat dinner with him and take a workshop from him. He's a very personable man.

Bottom - Doreese, Janet Jensen and Carolyn Campbell / These are two great writer friends. Janet's first novel has recently been published, and Carolyn has published over 800 magazine articles. She is the magazine queen! She has also published 3 books.

A Combined Effort

2008-09-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Doreese:
Hi, my sister Sherry and I are excited to have this blog to let you know what is going on with literacy, taking care of our earth and points of interest about ourselves. I developed the See abc's reading method and Sherry developed the 123 book to go along with it, the alphabet song and the loveable characters of Tia and her best friend Bob Frog.

Since we are both working on the See abc's reading program, we are going to use this blog together. Hopefully that will add some punch to it by having two different personalities contributing.

Tomorrow, I am going to be attending the League of Utah Writers yearly "Roundup" conference in Ogden, Utah. I'm very excited to go. It is going to be Fri. evening and all day on Sat. I'll share some of the most exciting points with you when I get back.

See abc's helps children read

2008-09-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today See abc's set up its blog.