TRADITIONAL BOOKS PROVIDE MORE POSITIVE PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION ACCORDING TO TEMPLE, ERIKSON RESEARCHERS Electronic books dampen the kind of parent-child interaction related to early literacy Parents and pre-school children have a more positive interaction when sharing a reading experience with a traditional book as opposed to an electronic book, or e-book, according to researchers at Temple University’s Infant Laboratory in Philadelphia and Erikson Institute in Chicago. This shared positive experience from traditional books characteristically promotes early literacy skills. The researchers presented the findings of their study, "Electronic books: Boon or Bust for Interactive Reading?" on Nov. 3 as part of the Boston University Conference on Language Development. The first-of-its-kind study was conducted by Julia Parish-Morris, a graduate student in developmental psychology at Temple University, and Molly F. Collins, assistant professor at Erikson Institute. Parish-Morris and Collins collaborated with Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, the Lefkowitz Professor of Psychology and director of the Temple Infant Lab. “It is very obvious from the media, and from toy stores and bookstores, that electronic learning products are becoming very, very popular," said Parish-Morris. "Parents are really buying into the idea that electronic media is essential to their children's development." Parish-Morris recruited 19 children ages 3-5, along with their parents, at Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum; Collins recruited 14 at the Chicago Children's Museum . Parish-Morris said the researchers were looking at four different questions: Do children prefer electronic or traditional books in the context of parent-child interaction; does the content of parental utterances differ between the types of books; is the context of what parents are saying content- or behavior-oriented; and do parents’ comments go beyond the book's story? In a quiet room, the parents and children sat in front of a table displaying 10 books (five electronic and five traditional) matched on length and similarity of characters/plot structure. They were instructed to do whatever they would normally do with books. "Roughly one-third of the children chose e-books over traditional books, which surprised us a little bit," said Parish-Morris. "But part of that might stem from the fact that, in general, parents and children don't tend to read electronic books together." She said that the raw number of total utterances made by parents was roughly equal between the two types of books, but that the researchers saw a significant difference in the proportion of content- and behavior-oriented comments. "I was struck by the stark difference between the content-related utterances in reading traditional versus e-books; I didn't realize there would be a two-fold difference," said Collins. "I think this happens because we're more comfortable with traditional books and so we play a more active role in the reading process; but with e-books, we let the books lead." "It turned out that reading electronic books became a behaviorally oriented, slightly coercive parent-child interaction as opposed to talking about the story, relating it to the their child's life, or even talking about the book's pictures or text," Parish-Morris said. "Parents were under the impression that when you are sitting down with a book, you are supposed to read it," she added. "But what was happening with the e-books is that reading was not even part of the process, probably because these books literally read the story to the child. So parents are not needed. The book makes commands and tells the child what to do; it encourages them to play games and reads to the child, so parents are essentially replaced by this battery-operated machine." In contrast, Parish-Morris noted that parents who read traditional books made more comments that related pictures or themes in the book to their children’s real lives in a way that might spur the children’s imagination, or their short- or long-term memory. This is significant because children are more successful in school when they spend their pre-school years reading with their parents. "The parent-child interaction around books and shared book reading is incredibly important to emergent literacy skills," she said. "In the later school years, kids enjoy school more, they enjoy learning more, and there are a whole host of outcomes that are related to this shared reading experience in the pre-school years. "So parents who are talking about the content with their child while reading traditional books are encouraging early literacy, whereas parents and children reading electronic books together are having a severely truncated experience." "This research does suggest that parents should be aware of some of the limitations of e-book reading," added Collins. "We shouldn't use e-books to replace traditional books, and we shouldn't expect them to do something that they don't. They're not substitutes for a human being." The researchers are using this study, which received some material support from Fisher-Price, as the basis for a larger study at the Temple University Infant Lab. The follow-up study features an expanded sample of children in a randomized design. Preliminary data confirm the findings of the current study. *****

My Dad is magic. Always has been. Always will be. I am 35 years old and in my mind, he can still make anything happen. Yes, it may be naive or childish, but for me it's true. 


Ever since I was a small child he has been everything I think a Daddy should be...hardworking, fun, protective, playful, creative, and present when it matters. Add those things together and it makes MAGIC.


On the day I was born, my mother says he yelled at the nurses who were cleaning me up in the operating room for "rubbing me too hard. That protective nature never quite went away. As a toddler I had a terrible fear of people singing happy birthday to me. It brought me to tears for years. In today's age of helicopter parenting, we'd just avoid singing happy birthday at my party. But in the late 1970's and early 1980's this would not be acceptable in my big, enthusiastic family. So they sang. I cried. And magic Daddy took his position of hugging me through it.  We have several pictures, each one with me a tiny bit bigger, but each in this same location and position.


When I was old enough to question if Santa really came to our house and came down our chimney. He made sure he had proof for me. Christmas morning was magical with gifts but even more magical with child-shocking proof of the big man himself sitting in OUR chair, eating OUR cookies, in front of OUR chimney. Magical. (I'm still not sure how this occurred...I mean, no one can really see Santa, right!?)














One Halloween, which I specifically remember was a school night. My busy, hardworking teacher of a Mom, rushed home from the high school, picked up candy to pass out, prepped snacks for friends we were expecting, and handed me my K-mart purchased costume to put on. Black cat headband ears, tail that was to be pinned to my dancing leotard, slippers, and some face paint. Great, right? Wrong. In my whimsical, creative mind (OK, and a little high maintenance attitude) I had dreamed up some specific homemade creation, but there just wasn't time.  You would have thought the world had ended (DRAMA). I remember being in my parent's room, crying in part from disappointment from the situation, with equal disappointment from myself and my behavior, and part panic that I knew it would be time to leave for trick or treating any minute (How would I go a whole year without my Reese Cups?).  In comes Dad, with his "Dad work look" (stained and ripped jeans, boots, and flannel shirt).  After figuring out what was wrong and assessing the situation, he did not yell or tell me to get myself together and be grateful for what my mother already gave me (side note: as a parent now myself, this is exactly what I would have done in this situation).  He simply said, "You'll be a ho-bo clown." What? He pulled out his clothes and began stuffing them full of t-shirts, painted my face, and promptly got me outside and paraded us around the neighborhood.  I remember laughing and finishing the tears at the same time. MAGIC.


They say you often choose a man like your father (for better or worse, right?). And there are clear differences in my life...my husband is wonderful, but is not nearly as handy as my Dad, and forget my Dad ever doing something as "out there" as spending a morning doing yoga with me like my sweet husband will. But one thing is the same. THE MAGIC. I see it in my husband as he searches out new book series to read with our daughters and makes the library trip an adventure.  I see it when he has the patience I don't have to deal with the girl drama in our house. I see it in the twinkle of his eye when they joke and rough house.





Daddy's are MAGIC. Or at least they always should be. If you are a child, I hope you spend some time today remembering the MAGIC of a Dad (or Dad-like figure) in your life. If you are Grandfather, I hope you find joy in continuing to make MAGIC. And if you are a Dad, I hope you realize the magical powers you have in the important role of fathering, and make some MAGIC of your own today! 

Magical Daddies Turn Into Magical Papaps

Picking our favorites from the bins

Apple anyone?

Bee boxes rented to help pollinate trees

Beautiful berries

Buffalo Buddies

The greatest dad around leads the way to the berry patch

My girls and I on a blossom tour at Easter Time

My pumpkin with her pumpkin

Makes me want to be a kid again!

Finding the best berries

Fall fun

We recently were introduced to a very creative couple, Mel and Chris Bugaj.  Together they formed Night Light Stories and they provide incredible FREE stories that they have written and recorded on their website, nightlightstories.net. They can also be found on Face book and Twitter. We interviewed them for this blog post. Enjoy reading their answers below and have fun learning about and discovering their work.  Download some Night Light Stories to motivate your little one at bed time, or even in the car or during quiet times during the day --and let the magic of their imagination grow!
 

Tell us about yourselves and how Night Light stories began.

 Welcome to Night Light Stories!  We are so happy you found us! My name is Miss Mel.  My husband and I are both special educators with twenty-four years combined experience. I have taught all grade levels from preschool to grade five in both general and special education. Currently, I am a Supervisor for student teachers for Walden University as well as a Homebound Teacher. My husband is a speech-language pathologist and founding member of the Assistive Technology Team for Loudoun County Public Schools. He and a co-worker recently were published by the International Society for Technology in Education. Their book is called "The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools".  After hours he also produces and hosts the A.T.TIPSCAST, an award-winning podcast about free or commonly found technology that can be used to help students meet their educational goals.

My husband and I created the podcast called Night Light Stories where I narrate original children's stories that we've written. Every episode is available for free in audio format on our compendium blog or on iTunes. On this blog you will find vocabulary from the story as well as comprehensive activities that engage the child's imagination. We also produce a weekly visual dictionary called "Lighting The Way With Words" where we choose a vocabulary word and pair it with an original photo. The audience is invited to send in their own pictures to help define the word. Our goal is to promote education and family time.

We started the podcast and blog as a creative thing to do together. We thought it would be a fun alternative for families, educators, and classrooms to listen to our stories on car trips, around the house, transition times in the classroom, or anytime.  We also thought that since our kids seemed to enjoy the stories, other kids around the world might like them too.  We say in the podcast that the stories are "for children of all ages" and it is our hope that families are enjoying the stories together. 

Besides the blog, you can find us on Twitter and our Face book Page . This is where people can get updates about all things related to Night Light Stories; including what's going on with story development, recent pictures, and more. We hope you enjoy listening to our stories as much as we enjoy creating them!  As always, we look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the many stories we can share together.

Who/what inspires the stories you write?

Inspiration comes from a variety of sources. For instance, our 6yo drew a picture of the number 8 as a person with an opossum as a sidekick. Who is this mysterious number 8 man? Why does he have an opossum as a sidekick? This is just one of many ways a story idea may start.

What is your favorite NL story and why?

Ms. Mel's is "The Watermelon Seed". It holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of when our daughter was born and how our son reacted to it. A fun fact about that story is it took me about 17x to record the ending without crying.

Mr. Chris' is "Alien Pursuit" because it has aliens and hip hop. Who doesn't love aliens and hip hop?

Who is your favorite children's author, favorite children's book?

Ms. Mel's is "The Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree". My grandfather used to read that to my brother and I whenever we stayed over their house. His voices for the characters were so perfect. No matter how many times I read that story to my children, I'll always hear the voices as the way he read it.

Mr. Chris' is tempted to say "The Piano and Laylee Learning Adventure Series" about two dogs teaching students how to become positive digital citizens. But, if he had to pick just one, it would be "Good Night, Good Knight". Whenever I get the chance to be a guest reader in a classroom, I read this book and kids love it.

How do you want NL stories to benefit/impact children and their families?

Research shows that listening to audio stories improves the reading abilities of children.
It's our hope that while kids listen to the stories they are engaged and entertained with their families.

What are some ways your listeners have tied your stories into their daily routines?

Listeners have told us that they have incorporated our stories into their bed time routines. They've also used the stories to help pass the time on car rides, during bath time, or before school. What is most heartwarming is when listeners share stories of how a particular Night Light Story helped them through a difficult situation. For instance, one listener listened to the story "Stitches" while waiting in the ER to see the doctor after cutting themselves.

Do you wish to have your stories published into books one day?

Yes. Currently our stories exist in audio format only.  Therefore we would love to see the stories come to life with brilliant illustrations and/or some interactive components.

What is your favorite thing to play with your children?

Ms. Mel likes to play Zingo. The kids always get so excited when they beat me.

Mr. Chris likes to play dress-up. I finds that they create rich characters and hilarious stories which spark not only their imaginations, but mine as well. 

Thank you to Nightlight Stories for creating FUN resources to enhance family routines and receptive communication skills!

The view from our Mother's day hike - WV is ALMOST HEAVEN. Hope you enjoy!

The best gift wrap ever - my flower came in this. I need to read it every day I need motivation to allow myself a Thursday kind of day!

From the American Speech-Language Hearing Association's Website:

Parents Advised On How To Detect 

Communications Disorders In Their 

Children

• Stuttering
• Articulation problems ("wabbit" instead of "rabbit")
• Language disorders such as the slow development of vocabulary, concepts, and grammar.
• Voice disorders (nasal, breathy, or hoarse voice and speech that is too high or low)

• Inconsistently responding to sound
• Delayed language and speech development
• Unclear speech
• Sound is turned up on electronic equipment (radio, TV, cd player, etc.)
• Does not follow directions
• Often says "Huh?"
• Does not respond when called
• Frequently misunderstands what is said and wants things repeated

This is a typical grip on a writing utensils.

Often children learning to write, will hold a writing utensil like this, called PALMER GRIP. This is often typical in children with atypical muscle tone as well

Most parents throw out broken crayons, but it's actually a great idea to encourage using them with children who can as it promotes development of the grip pattern progression.

Another option to adapt grips for those who have challenges is to modify the writing utensil to fit the diameter that the child can handle. This is one example using play foam. Play doh also works well and both allow easy modeling to meet the child's specific abilities.

Anything around the home or classroom can be used to change the diameter of the utensil.  Here I used the handle of a jump rope. 35 mm film containers with poked holes or PVC pipe pieces also work well.

Ok, so this is extremely big, but I included it to show how versatile floral foam can be in adapting writing utensils or toys. I just wish I had a smaller piece at home!

Tinker toys rock! For many many reasons, but they are also wonderful ways to customize a writing utensil.

Think outside the traditional crayon and marker box. Stampers can be an expression of artistic ability and often have larger knobs.

Sometimes it works to think about things from another angle.  If a child has trouble with vision or posture, fine motor work may be easier if you bring the writing or play surface to them.  Don't have a fancy large easel, use a binder!

Easier time gripping toys? Get those trucks dirty and dip them in paint!

A stacking ring makes a great choice for adapting grip as well.

Wine cork can be added to form a handle if small toys like trucks are hard to pick up.

Fine motor weaknesses or muscle tone can affect play beyond writing or coloring. Skills like puzzle work can be a challenge.

But even these activities can be adapted. Wine corks can be hot glued to make gripping anything easier and more accessible.  Drawer pulls from your local home improvement store also do the trick!

Have trouble picking up small toys like Mickey for role playing?

Simply add a handle! Popsicle sticks work well.