"Let's Read Together" (this book includes all 13 smaller books of the A series) focuses on how the vowels sound when they are combined with other letters. The materials are designed to help English speakers learn how to read English as well as for bilingual learners who are learning to speak and read English. There are over 320 words to learn in the entire 13 books of the "A" series. Many of them are also parts of larger words. Pictures and sentences are included to help the reader understand the meaning of the words. These books can be used alone or can be combined with dvds that serve as a pronunciation guide. The dvds also provide rhythmic chants that help with vocal pacing and character recognition. There are 2 dvds in the A series: basic words and bonus words. Information on how to use these materials is available on Grandma's website, along with many free "learn to read" resources.MORE reading games, activities, and resources are available free on the mygrandmatime website. You just need to print them to use them.This "A series" precedes Grandma's "E" series.
About the Author: I've always wanted to be a grandma! You see, I had a wonderful grandma that lived with us until I was 12 years old. There were 5 kids in my family, but with a stay-at-home mom, a dad with a flexible schedule, and a grandma, there was always plenty of love, attention, amusement, and learning activities for all of us. I really enjoyed being a mom. My husband and I raised 2 children and loved (almost!) every minute of it. All the time they were growing I was thinking of the things that I was getting to do with our children that I also wanted to do with our grandchildren. We now have 4 grown children - two of those being the ones our kids married! Our first grandchildren came quickly 3 of them in 2 years. They were a very joyous but hectic 2 years! In late December, 2008, I realized that I had not put together a "grandma-ish" Christmas present for our grandchildren. One Sunday afternoon, while Grandpa was taking a nap, I set up our video camera and quickly recorded a "lion hunt" activity that I hadn't ever done with our own grandchildren. It was edited and sent out in the mail the next day so it could arrive for Christmas. Although our children told us how much they and our grandchildren enjoyed the video, we were unprepared for their enthusiasm for sharing it with others outside our family. They strongly encouraged us to share and model the interaction we had with them while they were growing up and that we now have with our grandchildren. They thought that Grandma's home video approach would do just that. After all, if this grandma can do it, so can you! So "My Grandma Time" was born. It began as a website to connect with our grandchildren and other families and is now expanding into other media areas like books and dvds. We do everything from "potty songs" to "learning to read" activities, all based on our life experiences as parents and grandparents. What we do often features our grandchildren. We anticipate that over the years we will be able to add many things to share with others as our grandchildren grow. Our hope is that our efforts and our experiences will encourage others to do simple things with those around them. Blessings, Grandma (& Grandpa!) Shirley Whitney www.mygrandmatime.com (P.S. In 2010 our 4th grandchild was born and our 5th was born in 2012. YES!) A loving adult does more than provide for a child. A loving adult grows with a child. That is why the world and the people in it need children.