I grew up an “Air Force brat”and in 1974 my family was transferred to Minot AFB in North Dakota. After my Dad retired we moved to town and I have since considered Minot, ND my hometown. “Why Not Minot?” Depending on the season, different answers.
In April I was home for my nephew’s graduation from college. I went down Main street to check out the local shops and stopped in Main Street Books. Written by a local author, Max Patzner, and published in Minot, I grabbed the Alpha “Yeah Sure You Betcha ABC” book right off the shelf.
Paging through, I new it was a must have for my new granddaughter. The letter O page brought my mom’s voice to my ears, with the inflection and dialect perfectly placed.
And yes, Uff Da, is a normal phrase that is often heard in all kinds of conversations around North Dakota. The phrase is used to express surprise, annoyance, relief, exhaustion, dissappointment, etc. Practice the pronunciation and become a fan.
Jj is indeed for Josh Duhamel, Hh is for Hotdish, and Kk is for Knoephla Soup. If you have never heard of Knoephla soup, try it. My husband makes it all the time in the winter and I appreciate that he doesn’t add carrots.
Reading Alphabooks is a quick, easy, and an entertaing way to share language and establish pre-reading skills. Alphabooks are often colorful, and lead to extended questioning and conversations at any age of the listener. With early age listeners tracing the letter or having them do so as you read provides kinesthetic actions that help with retention. When tracing the letter, model starting from the top and going down. With toddler age children you can read a page and then do a quick hunt to find something that starts with that letter around the house. Print your child’s name down on a note card and as you read have them circle the letters in their names. Write down their favorite cartoon characters, sport heroes or classmates and read the book again. Read the book with a random flip of the page and have your listener tell you the letter that is before and after.
Make reading Alphabooks a family event this summer. Print this very simple Alphabook template to use to write and color in your own pages. If you are visiting in a new or different state, find local items to place with each letter. On a family retreat? Give each guest a page to create a family vacation alphabook. Taking a road trip, can you find an item for each letter before you return home? Take a few pages with you as you venture out to the zoo, ballpark, grocery store, or a favorite restaurant and see if you can complete the book before school starts. Have fun Alphabooking!
A thought to puzzle over…
What activities can you provide to engage your listener in pre-reading skills as you interact with Alphabooks?
Letter Knowledge, Alphabet recognition, Listening Comprehension, Rhyming, Print awareness