Let’s hear it for the vowels!
Get to Know Short and Long Vowels
Recognizing letter sounds is a fundamental part of learning how to read. Now that your beginning reader is familiar with consonants, it’s time to introduce 5 (sometimes 6) letters that make it even easier to begin decoding words. Vowels – a, e, i,o, u, and sometimes y – are found in every word and can be tricky for new readers. However, a little daily practice at home can make vowel letters and sounds less intimidating.
Short vs. Long
Vowels are tricky because they can say different sounds, a long sound and short sound.
The long sound, like the i in light, is when the vowel says its name.
The short sound, like the a in cat, is when it has a specific sound.
When learning vowels and their pronunciation, you may see symbols above the vowels. These symbols tell the reader if the vowel is long or short.
- The long vowel sound symbol is a horizontal line above the vowel called a macron. They look like this: Ā or ā. For example; the pronunciation of light would look like this: līght.
- The short vowel sound symbol is a curved line above the vowel called a breve. They look like this: Ă or ă. For example; the pronunciation of cat would look like this: căt.
Fast tip: Many of the words that have a short vowel sound follow a pattern. This pattern is called CVC. Which means a consonant, a vowel, and another consonant.
For example: bed follows the CVC pattern. b ( consonant), e (vowel), and d (consonant).
Fast tip: The letter “y” is likely to make a long or short vowel sound when found at the end of a word.
For example:
In a one syllable word “Y” says “I” Example: cry, shy, try,
In a two syllable word “Y” says “E” Example: bunny, happy, city
Great reads that showcase vowels...
Activities to Try
Word Building
CVC words are an important tool for beginning readers, yet no hard hats or hammers will be necessary for this activity. The goal is to create words using consonant and vowel letters to become an expert word builder.
To begin:
1. Divide a plate or tray into thirds.
2. Create two labels similar to the ones shown below. ( VOWELS & CONSONANTS)
3. Create letter tiles using squares of paper, similar to what is shown below. Consonants are in black and vowels are in red. These can be created on a computer or they can be handwritten and cut out.
4. The bottom section will be used for the word you and your child build together.
Explore and Extend
Change it up: Give your child a word and then ask them to switch it to another word by changing one tile only. For example, if you made the word cat you can switch the first letter c to a b to make- bat.
Your beginning reader would select the one tile to change.
Word Ladders: Give 3 letter tiles to build a CVC word. Then switch the initial sound from “cat” to “bat” to “sat.”
Practice makes progress-make it a song!
Short vowel sounds, like consonant sounds, take a little practice. Try practicing short vowel sounds in familiar songs. You can sing these practice songs in the car, in the bathtub, or at the park.
Old MacDonald had a farm a-e-i-e-i-o.
And on that farm he had a cat.
With an {short a sound here} {short a sound here} here
And an {short a sound here} {short a sound here} there
Here an {short a sound here}
There a {short a sound here}
Everywhere a {short a sound here} {short a sound here}
Old MacDonald had a farm, a-e-i-e-i-o!
Example of a song using this trick
Old MacDonald had a farm a-e-i-e-i-o
And on that farm he had a hen
And on that farm he had a pig
And on that farm he had a dog
And on that farm he had a duck
Long vowels songs may include:
The song…..Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
Apples and Bananas. This song allows the singer to change the vowels to add more fun to the song.
For example: one of the lyrics replaces the short A with Long a. It would sound like: “I like to āte, āte, āte, āpples and bānānās.” The song continues to replace the vowels so kids can hear the sound those vowels make.
Letter Mark
Once the weather gets warmer, you can use sidewalk chalk to write all vowels on the sidewalk.
Give your child a bean bag or water squirter and call out a letter for them to toss the bean bag or spray, tagging the correct letter. This works for calling out sounds as well.
Explore and Extend
Don’t forget to mix up lowercase and uppercase letters to make it a little more exciting and a lot more educational.
For an extra challenge mix up the letters so they are not in alphabetical order.
What Comes Next?
Remember, practicing sounds and letter recognition will help develop your child’s curiosity for reading, as well as the skills they will use to decode words. We are cheering you on!
Be sure to check out our Beginning and Early Reader Kits, available in the YS Department.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Erin
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Karen
We have a brand new kit circulating in Youth Services: Ukulele Kits! We currently have 4 kits circulating, and all of them contain a Soprano ukulele, a felt pick, a tuner, and a copy of The Kids' Guide to Learning the Ukulele by Emily Arrow. Visit Youth Services to learn more, or check out our catalog here to place a hold.
Be sure to check out our other activity kits! STEM Kits, Story Time To-Go Kits, Early Learning Kits, Beginning Reader Kits, and Board Games are all available in Youth Services!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
If you can't make it to Baby Time this month, or if you just can't get enough and want to recreate it at home-we've got you covered! Here are all of the wonderful rhymes we'll be sharing in our February sessions.
All the Little Babies
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone,
And they'll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.
London Bridge
London bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
London bridge is falling down
My fair lady.
Pizza, Pickle, Pumpernickel
Pizza, pickle, pumpernickel,
My little one shall have a tickle!
One for your nose,
And one for your toes,
And one for your tummy,where the
watermelon goes.
A Riggity-Jig
A Riggity-Jig and away we go
Tossing and tumbling over the snow
Wobble the sled from side to side
Hold on tight for a wonderful ride
A Riggity-Jig, A Riggity-Jig,
A Riggity Riggity, riggity jig!
A Hippopotamus Got on a City Bus
A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus
Got on, got on, got on a city bus
And all, and all, and all the people said,
"You're squishing us!" (hug baby)
A sheep, a sheep, a sheep got on a city bus
and all, and all, and all the people said,
"Baaaack up!"
A cow, a cow, a cow got on a bus
And all, and all, and all the people said,
"Mooooove over!"
Baby Hokey Pokey
You put your arms up
You put your arms down
You put your arms up
And you wave them all around
You tickle, tickle, tickle
And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
The baby hokey pokey is fun!
You put your legs up
You put your legs down
You put your legs up
And you wave them all around
You tickle, tickle, tickle
And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
The baby hokey pokey is fun!
You put your baby up
You put your baby down
You put your baby up
And you wave her all around
You tickle, tickle, tickle
And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
The baby Hokey pokey is fun!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
The ABC's of Reading - Letter Recognition
Helping children with reading can appear to be a daunting task. You may be asking yourself; Where do I even begin?
We are here to help!
Each month, we will provide different books and activities to break down this large task while still having fun!
Let’s start at the beginning...Letter Recognition and Single Letter Sound. Establishing letter recognition is very important. You can practice anywhere! The key is repetition.
Fast Tip- Use upper case letters first. Once your child has a grasp on upper case, you can introduce lower case letters.
Here are some fun books you can read with your child to help identify the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make.
Activities to Try
Alphabet Soup
This “souper” fun activity is a great way for your child to practice letter recognition and letter sounds.
To begin:
- Fill a large plastic container ⅔ full of water.
- Then add 10 to 12 plastic letters and a ladle to the container.
- Place a small bowl and a spoon next to the large container. Have your child (you too) put on a pretend chef hat. Invite your little one to stir the pot and scoop out a letter while chanting:
“Stir the soup, it makes it taste better.
Now use the ladle to get a letter!”
- Have the child use the ladle to pull out any letter of their choosing and tell you what letter it is and/or its sound.
- Then place the letter in the small bowl.
Extend and Explore:
Talk about the sound the letter makes and think of a word that begins with that sound.
Make some recipe cards. Read the cards to your little one, asking them to retrieve the necessary letters for the recipe. “This recipe needs a letter C and a letter E. Then, the recipe tells us to stir the letters together to make a yummy treat.”
Variation of the Activity:
Don’t want to use water? Modify the activity by placing the plastic letters in a pot, and retrieve the letter(s) using tongs or a large cooking spoon. Continue the activity as directed above.
Sensory Writing Trays and Sensory Play
You can make a sensory tray using ingredients found in your kitchen (salt, sugar, baking soda, just to name a few) and use what works best for you and your family. The easiest way to create the writing tray is to use a thin layer of the ingredient you choose.
The purpose of the tray is to allow young children to practice letters or pre-writing strokes without the stress of trying to write on lines with a pencil.
To begin:
- Model letter formation on the tray, making sure letters are formed from top to bottom.
- Have your little one trace the letter if necessary. Children can use the pointer finger of the dominant hand to trace the letter.
- After forming the letter with their finger, kids can gently shake the tray from side to side to “erase” the writing.
- Cards can be used as a visual model for forming letters. Position the cards inside the tray for near-point copying.
- For a younger child, simply making different sorts of lines (diagonal, horizontal, and zig-zag) is great pre-writing practice as well.
Extend and Explore:
*Other writing “tools” may include items found in the home such as: craft stick, chopsticks, cotton swab, or eraser end of a pencil.
Letters are Everywhere!
No matter where you go, you have an opportunity to see letters, at the grocery store, in the library, on clothes! What better way to review and practice the alphabet than to see letters in everyday life? Seeing letters in a variety of fonts, colors, and sizes, will also help your child get ready for reading.
Here are some activities you can practice anywhere!
- You can play "I spy” on a walk “I spy something that makes the mmmmmm sound.” See if your child can identify what makes that sound.
- If you are at a restaurant, you can have your child point to different letters they see on the menu. “Can you find all the T’s and S’s?”
If you are getting groceries, before entering the store, pick a letter or two that your child can find while shopping. “Can you find the letter B throughout the store?” “Can you find items that make the “B” sound?”
Have fun while exploring letters and sounds!
Next month we will be blogging on vowels! Stay tuned!
Be sure to check out our Beginning and Early Reader Kits, available in the YS Department.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Erin
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Karen
Welcome to our new series, all about getting to know our very special Youth Services staff members at the Barrington Area Library! Each month, we'll publish an interview with one of our lovely staff members. Let's get started with Youth Services Librarian Demitra!
What is your favorite part of working at the Barrington Area Library?
My favorite part of working at Barrington Area Library is the people! The team of people we work with here are great and the customers that come to visit us are usually so happy to be here and be part of what we provide. I also love being part of our youngest customers’ lives in a way that brings them joy and happiness, while providing foundational life and literacy skills!
What are some of your favorite books and/or genres?
There are so many books that I love! A couple of my favorite books to share in Story Time are The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli and Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman. My favorite books to re-read are the Harry Potter series. I can still feel the magic of the first time I read them. My favorite adult genre is thrillers.
Do you have a hobby or knowledge of a certain topic that you like to incorporate into your work at the library?
I like to sing and I get to do that almost every time I do a Story Time!
What do you like to do when you’re not working at the library?
When I’m not working at the library, I like to spend time with my family, cook (and eat!) delicious food, do puzzles, watch TV and, of course, read!
Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
I like to visit libraries when I travel. The farthest I have traveled and visited a library is Melbourne, Australia!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
If you can't make it to Baby Time this month, or if you just can't get enough and want to recreate it at home-we've got you covered! Here are all of the wonderful rhymes we'll be sharing in our January sessions.
All the Little Babies
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
Hey Diddle, Diddle
Hey, diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon
Mary, Mary
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row
Bunny Tickle
Round and round the garden
Hopped the little bunny
With a 1 hop and a 2 hop
And a tickle on your tummy
Baby Goes Bumpy Boo
Baby goes bumpy boo.
Baby goes bumpy bye.
Baby goes bumpy bee.
On top of my knee.
I bounce you to the left.
I bounce you to the right.
I bounce you up and down.
I bounce you out of sight. Peek-a-boo!
Bumping Up and Down in my Little Blue Sled
Bumping up and down in my little blue sled
Bumping up and down in my little blue sled
Bumping up and down in my little blue sled
Won't you be my darling.
Snow's coming down on my little blue sled
Snow's coming down on my little blue sled
Snow's coming down on my little blue sled
Won't you be my darling.
Waving to my friends on my little blue sled
Waving to my friends on my little blue sled
Waving to my friends on my little blue sled
Won't you be my darling.
Zippity Zappity
Zippity zappity,
I feel so happity!
It makes my hands
Go clippity clappity
Makes my toes
Go tippity tappity
Zippity zappity,
I feel so happity!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
Here are a handful of our favorite books that we read this year. Be sure to check out our Favorite Books of 2022 as well, to find out our favorites published in 2022.
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Erin recommends... |
Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina Chau |
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Jordan was the star of her basketball team and a natural leader. However, when an accident leaves her unable to play, she battles with her love of the game, being positive, and the feeling she is being left behind. One afternoon, Jordan finds a mysterious white elephant that has been injured. Jordan nurses the elephant she has named Marshmallow, back to health. The two become fast friends and Jordan seems happier to her family and friends, however, Marshmallow can sense that Jordan feels lost without basketball. Marshmallow makes it her mission to show Jordan there is no limit to what she can do. Marshmallow and Jordan is a hopeful story, focusing on the power of friendship and believing in yourself. |
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Stefanie recommends... |
Sometimes All I Need Is Me by Juliana Perdomo
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Chris recommends... |
Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
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See even more of our 2022 favorites!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie Molinaro
Bring home a fun new project! Sign up from our Library Calendar and pick up a kit at the Youth Services desk or through our Parking Lot Pickup service between December 19th and the 30th. All kits not picked up will be available on a first come, first served basis starting January 2nd.
Salt Dough Family Keepsakes
The whole family can get involved with this kit! Mix up some salt dough, bake it, and decorate it to create a unique family keepsake!
Your Kit includes: 1 bag of flour, 1 bag of salt, 1 piece of twine, 1 cookie cutter, 1 rolling pin, and 1 set of markers.
Mix flour, salt, and 1 cup of warm water together in a bowl. Knead until combined and dough forms.
Use rolling pin to roll out dough to desired thickness. Use cookie cutter or free style the shape of your keepsake!
If you want to hang your keepsake, be sure to punch a hole out somewhere using a pencil or straw.
Be creative! You can cut out a circle by using a glass, trace your hand, or press a finger, hand, foot, or a pet's paw into the dough!
Once done shaping, put all keepsakes on cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Flip halfway through baking.
When keepsakes are cool to touch, they can be decorated! Use provided markers to finish your masterpiece and hang it with a piece of twine.
Show us what you created! Send us pictures at youthservices@balibrary.org.
Youth Services Librarian Claire
Winter is here! Do you want a new book to read but don’t want to travel in the snow? We got you covered! Check out some of these beginning reader and early chapter snow-inspired e-books! All e-books shown are available at BALibrary. Check them out and read with the Libby app on your phone, tablet, or computer.
Looking for some personalized selections? Fill out this form and you’ll receive a customized list direct to your inbox!
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessica
The Youth Services staff have picked their favorite books published in 2022 for readers from ages 0-13. We hope you and your family find some new favorites here, too!
Looking for more recommendations? Fill out our form to get a custom list of reads or a Book Bundle for pickup.
November is National Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, or Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month. We've gathered some of the newest books in our collection celebrating Indigenous people, that can be enjoyed all year round. For more recommendations, check out 11 Books to Read for National Native American Heritage Month.
Looking for more recommendations? Fill out our form to get an individualized list of reads sent to your email!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
Gratitude can have a big impact on our lives. It has been proven to be effective in improving mood, increasing ability to cope with emotions, decreasing stress, and so many other positive benefits. Let’s practice showing our gratitude in a creative way - with a scavenger hunt! Use the list below to find what sparks your joy and makes you smile.
- Something you enjoy looking at
- Something that is useful to you
- Something that is your favorite color
- Something that makes you smile when you see it
- Something that smells good
- Something that makes you laugh
- Something you enjoy in the morning
- Something you enjoy at night
- Something that means a lot to you
- Something you love to spend time with
- Something that reminds you of the people you love
- Something you created
- Something you like to share with others
- Something that makes you feel calm
- Something you love
Looking for more fun activities?
Gratitude for Kids - 9 Ways to Practice Gratitude with Kids ⋆ Journal for Kids
Learn more about why gratitude is so important:
Why gratitude is important for kids? | WOW Parenting
8 Reasons Why Gratitude is Important for Kids — Peake Academy
The Positive Impact of Gratitude on Mental Health | Psychology Today
We’d love to hear about your experience with the scavenger hunt! Chat with us at the Youth Services Reference Desk, or email us at youthservices@balibrary.org.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessica