Beach Books!

Each month momstown has a curriculum and education theme. We incorporate the theme of the month into our playdates and adventures around the city by doing crafts, reading stories, and participating in other activities linked to the theme. This month, the theme is "At the Beach". While we might not be able to bring Calgary closer to a major beach, we can sure bring the beach spirit to Calgary. We've been whetting our appetites for all things water with "Let's Get Wet" playdates at spray parks throughout the city, and we have some fun book and art activities planned for the weeks to come, including at our get together on Friday. In the meantime, prepare to dive into your real (or virtual) beach vacation with these great books:

Beach Party! by Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback: Beach Party! is aimed at the youngest group of beach goers, and is particularly appropriate for the one to two year age range. The text invites listeners to move like creatures they might find at the beach, "danc(ing) like a lobster" and "twist(ing") like an octopus". It's a great active read that introduces kids to a variety of different ocean creatures, and inspires them to move in all sorts of funny new ways.

Beach Day by Karen Roosa: This book chronicles the sorts of things a child spending an entire day at the beach might experience ("Sandy knees, Foaming seas, Insects dancing in the breeze"). Written entirely in rhyme, with minimal text on each page, it's perfect for capturing and keeping the attention of two to four year olds. The bright, cheerful illustrations that accompany the text are full of all sorts of interesting things to spot, making it wonderful for building language skills and sparking imaginative discussions too. Whether you are looking for a book to prepare your little one for a trip to the shore, or just a fun and engaging book to share with your toddler, Beach Day is sure to please.

Sea, Sand and Me by Patricia Hubbell: Sea, Sand and Me describes a child's adventure to the beach, beginning with packing the car to leave and ending with packing beach bags to go home. Like Beach Day, it is written in rhyming verse, and the pages are primarily illustration rather than text. What makes this book stand out to me is its use of toddler pleasing alliteration ("wiggly-waggly toes", "scritchy-scratchy sand"), and silliness ("seashell toenails. Seaweed hair"). The author even manages to sneak in a little message about forming new friendships, making this book a great all-round choice.

The Berenstain Bears Seashore Treasure by Stan & Jan Berenstain: Targeted towards early and emergent readers, The Berenstain Bears Seashore Treasure is ideal for five and six year olds who are practising their reading skills this summer. It also introduces kids to the different types of shells that they might find at the beach, and to the concept that shells are the homes of living creatures. In addition to its educational components, the book itself is a nice little story about a search for treasure, and the meaning of treasure.

Of course, we couldn't forget our momstown Scholastic book selection of the month, The Sandcastle Contest by Robert Munsch, either. You can read all about the book here. I can't wait to share some of these books with our momstown Calgary kids at our craft, story, and picnic get together this Friday!