All things FALL!!!

Oh Fall, beautiful Fall! You are my FAVORITE season! I know Fall is here when the air starts to get a little breezy and chilly, or when I start wearing a jacket or sweatshirt, or even when I suddenly start wanting some warm apple cider or hot cocoa. I love sitting around a campfire singing or roasting marshmallows with those I love dear. I love going on hay-rides and carving pumpkins! One of the things I love to do year round and not just in the Fall, is reading with my boys. This fall, I have bought some new Fall books that I cannot wait to read with them. I'm also excited to sit together with a flashlight and shine it on the pages of "The Secrets of the Apple Tree" and see what hidden wonders are revealed when we shine a light on it, as we learn all about the apple tree! We also just found a BIG toad tonight that has now become our pet, at least for the time being (eeek) and his name is Croaky. My 4 year old keeps thinking it is a frog, so now I am excited to read our book we have tomorrow with him that talks all about frogs, toads and tadpoles and the differences and similarities!

HOWEVER, when my husband thinks about Fall he thinks about football...so for all you FOOTBALL loving fans out there, here are some JUST for you!

 
 One more thing I wanted to share concerning Fall is actually a great, simple article I found on helping your kids "FALL" (ha ha get it) in love with reading! I am a BIG advocate for helping kids fall in love with reading MORE than just making sure they are top notch readers that can read 8 grades above their reading level. (Ok maybe that is exaggerating but seriously, I have had some parents that have said similar things). While it's great if our children can read wonderful and even a bit above their level, I also think if they get too far above their reading level, its just not going to be as fun of a read for them and more than likely, will be too mature for them also. So why not just let your kids have fun and fall in love with reading first! The rest will eventually come! :) 5 ways to help your child fall in love with reading!

At the end of the article, they shared their top 5 favorite kids books so I wanted to do the same! Here are my top 5 favorites right now that I LOVE reading with my boys!

1. Dan the Taxi man - Oh how I love this book. We really get into it and I almost sing it. We make noises and motions for each instrument too!


2. Big book of Little stories - This is a new title and a NEW favorite in our household. Isaac wants me to keep reading story after story. There are 15 stories combined in this one volume. Many new and old classics with beautiful and captivating illustrations!

3. Secrets of the Apple Tree - Our Shine a Light series is amazing and we LOVE shining a flashlight or our phone behind each page to reveal the hidden wonder. There is also a seashore one and a Rainforest one coming soon!

4. Look Inside the Airport - This book is so much fun! I got it for my boys this summer when I knew I was going to be flying on an airplane, so that daddy could read it with them while I was gone. Since then, my preschooler has also taken it in for show in tell when it was the letter A week! It has flaps that lift up and help explain every single aspect of an airport and what happens there!

5. Muddle and Match Adventure - I love this book! There is also a girl version called Imagine. Each page is a thick board book type page that is split up in three sections so you can mix and match the pages and either read along with each page as it is and learn all about each character or you can mix up the pages to make funny different characters and plots for the story!