Rhyme Time!

Celebrate National Poetry Month during the month of April! Poetry ‘s emphasis on sound, rhythm, rhyme, repetition and imagery can help create a rich early language environment that can enhance a child’s future reading skills and pleasure. And poems and poetic books are naturally interactive, making for a delightful read-aloud experience.

To model the interaction, you might first read a page or two of the book, practice the refrain, rhyming words, or movement with your listeners, and then do an expressive, interactive read of the whole book.

babies/toddlers

I Love You as Much by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Henri Sorensen. Encourage little ones to repeat the soothing refrain and find the animal mother and baby on every page.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Stop reading and ask youngsters to wiggle their fingers and toes whenever those body parts are mentioned. The babies pictured are from all over the globe, widening the young listener’s world and modeling inclusion.

ages 3 to 8

King of the Zoo by Erica Perl, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. This giggle-worthy walk on the wild side gives kids a chance to repeat rhymes and a lively refrain. At the end, ask about their favorite animal in the book and brainstorm missing animals. Have them choose an animal king (or queen) for their own zoo and draw a picture of that animal.

Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Laura Bryant. Sing this new version of an old favorite, do the movements modeled in the pictures, and find the cardinal on every page. Point out the changing seasons and do some of the activities in the back, including demonstrating the six parts of a plant.

A Leaf Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija. Encourage youngsters to point out how leaves are used in the pictures and name some other ways that leaves might be used. Bring different kinds of leaves and let kids each choose one to touch, smell, and learn about. Why are leaves important?

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Ask kids to chime in with the animal and truck sounds. At the end, talk about how Little Blue Truck and the animals worked together. Why did they work together?

Over in the Forest by Marianne Berkes, illustrated by Jill Dubin. Count the animals, find their tracks, and repeat the rhyming words. Have children act out the repeated movement of each animal (build, graze, rap).

age 9 and up

In the Spin of Things by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrations by Karen Dugan. Read a poem or two and ask kids to name the sounds and motions. As a group, choose something (fire truck, cake mixer, toaster, etc.) not in this collection and have each child name a sound or action associated with that thing to create a group poem.

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

This post was written for TRC by Mary Quattlebaum. Mary has written numerous picture books, novels and collections of poetry for children. She also teaches creative writing and writes frequently for the Washington Post and other publications. 

2014 Of Wine & Words

Each year, we invite our supporters and friends to join us at Of Wine & Words to raise funds and celebrate TRC’s accomplishments. If you have attended in the past, you know it's a great party. But this year, Of Wine & Words also marks TRC's 25th anniversary celebration.

Join us on Friday, April 4, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. at the Jones Day Rooftop Terrace. Jones Day is located near the Capitol and Union Station and its seventh-floor ballroom offers spectacular views of the Capitol. The VIP reception begins at 6:00 p.m. 

Doreen Gentzler, from the NBC4 News, returns for her second year as emcee. Drinks will flow with tastings and full pours from Arrowine, Lost Rhino Brewing Company and Mad Fox Brewing Company. Food will be provided by Artisan Confections, Circa, Open Road and Trio, Eventide Restaurant, Green Pig Bistro, The Hamilton, Lebanese Taverna, P.F. Chang's and Rosa Mexicana.

The always-popular silent auction offers treats for yourself, outings around town and perfect gifts for the children in your life. You'll be able to bid online starting March 25 by clicking here.

As volunteers whose participation is and always has been central to our programs and history, we hope you'll come and enjoy this evening with us. Tickets for volunteers are discounted at $50. General admission tickets are   $100. VIP reception tickets are $150. Purchase your tickets here.

We are honored to have fantastic sponsors for our 25th anniversary year.

Platinum Sponsors: Berkeley Research Group, The Boeing Company, Capital BookShare, Jones Day, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Turner Construction Company and Westland Printers.

Gold Sponsors: Acumen Solutions, Greenfield/Belser Ltd., Hunton & Williams LLP, Integrated Systems Solutions Inc., Marymount University, Tradition Homes. 

Silver Sponsors: Accenture, Carter Fullerton and Hayes LLC, CEB, Hellerman Baretz Communications LLC.

Bronze Sponsors: BB&T, Jones & McIntyre PLLC, McGinn and Company, New Horizons Computer Learning Centers and 3wilders.

Media Sponsor: Arlington Magazine

Engaging the older crowd

Hello? Am I getting through to you at all?

As a Read-Aloud volunteer for the past four years, I have often found myself asking that question, especially when it comes to holding the attention of some of the older kids. It’s not easy to keep them interested, focused and entertained. The good news is that they have pushed me to be a better volunteer and to stretch beyond the regular Read-Aloud routine. Here are a few things that I've learned.

Nonfiction books are a big draw for older kids. If you can find a subject they like and are knowledgeable about, you may just strike gold. I suggest taking a survey to see what topics interest the older kids. The more they feel involved in the process and the more you can empower them, the more likely they are to actively participate in a Read-Aloud. A few years ago, my reading team had a gifted boy who started acting out as he matured. He would interrupt the readings and instigate poor behavior in the other kids. I realized that he was simply bored. Once we honed in on the subjects he knew about and gave him the opportunity to share that knowledge with the group, we saw a dramatic change. Little did we know that he was a science wizard!


Older children love technology. It can be challenging to incorporate this, but if you are comfortable with it, sharing a video on an iPad or introducing a book on an e-reader can be an easy way to let the kids explore the theme and keep them engaged. On one occasion, my team used an iPad fireplace app to create a “campfire” setting for our outdoors theme. We also used an iPad to show videos of political speeches during a Read-Aloud about the upcoming presidential election. The kids not only ate it up, they also handled the device with great care. 

Kim leads kids at The Berkeley in a game of 
Ninja Simon Says.

Our team has also had success reaching older kids by choosing subjects that relate to their lives. If they can find parallels between the Read-Aloud topic and something they have actually experienced, you will see a more invested kid. That’s also why it is so important to take the time during the reading to talk about the book and to let the kids share some of their own stories. A few years ago we had some baseball players in our group. When we did a baseball theme to kick off spring, the players were delighted to tell us about their own triumphs and visits to the ballpark.

At The Berkeley Read-Alouds, we have a wide age range and often see kids aged 4 and 11 at the same session. Sometimes it helps to pair an older child with a younger one. Putting them in the position of role model or mentor can give that preteen a sense of responsibility and pride. Next time, try teaming up some of the kids during the activity portion of the Read-Aloud.

Finally, there is nothing more important than reinforcing good behavior. The more you can lift them up for doing something good, the more you will both enjoy your time together.

Guest blog post written by TRC volunteer Kim Oates.

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Read Across America

Read Across America Day 2014 is right around the corner! Grab your favorite Seuss tale and get set for some ridiculous, rhyming fun!

Read Across America, normally celebrated on March 2 in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, is a reading awareness program that calls for every child in every community around the country to celebrate reading. This year, Read Across America Day is Monday, March 3, 2014.

Many of Dr. Seuss' books are text heavy, so be sure to pick a book that will keep your crowd engaged until the end. Take advantage of Dr. Seuss' rollicking, zany style when reading aloud: whisper and shout, speed up and slow down and emphasize rhyme and rhythm.

If your audience ranges from three to eight years old, try these Seuss books:

Green Eggs and Ham
Trying something new can be a little scary. Ask the kids what they think makes Sam-I-Am change his mind. For a snack, green hard-boiled eggs are always a winner!

If I Ran the Zoo 
What weird animals can the kids come up with? Encourage them draw pictures, make up names and introduce their animal creation to everyone else.

Fox in Socks 
Be sure to practice reading this collection of rhymes and tongue twisters before your Read-Aloud. As you are reading, get the kids into the act by encouraging them to say the rhymes and tongue twisters with you. This one is especially fun:

"When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle, THIS is what they call...a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!"

If THAT won't get them to laugh, then NOTHING will!

If the group at your Read-Aloud trends older (say eight years old and up) try learning about the man who was Dr. Seuss. Read The Boy on Fairfield Street to see how Theodor Geisel became Dr. Seuss. 

For the more advanced readers in your group, you could try reading one of Seuss' more complex books like The Lorax or The Sneetches. After reading, discuss the undertones of social change in the stories.

The Seussville website's Read Across America page has fun activities and printable props to help you plan your event. If you want more interactive activities, try these carnival-style Seuss games from the obSEUSSed blog. Check out these Seuss-related blog posts on Belle of the Book for even more ideas.

The fact that Read Across America Day is a national effort to celebrate reading may appeal to kids--so make sure they know about it, and know that they're part of something BIG. 


To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.

Get up and dance!

When dealing with squirmy kids, sometimes the best move is just to get up and move with them! A dance-themed Read-Aloud is a wonderful choice -- dancing is a healthy, fun activity and there are great books available about dance, music and movement with which to create a dance-themed Read-Aloud. 

Teams at ARHA Ruby Tucker Center and Virginia Gardens recently held dance-themed Read-Alouds. Each team brought in special guests to introduce new dance styles to the kids.

At ARHA, Team 4 began its dance day with a participatory song about Miss Susie. The singing and hand movements grabbed the children’s attention right away and led into a successful reading time. Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems set the stage by presenting two characters (both, oddly, named Gerald!) who believed they could not dance, but discovered they really could. 

ARHA was lucky to have Katy Baytosh, a guest dance instructor, who led everyone through several African- and Caribbean-style dances. The children were excited, engaged and excellent dancers. And the volunteers got a bit of a workout too!

Virginia Gardens volunteers invited special guests from Tobas Dinastía, a local dance group. “Tobas” is an energetic dance that originates from Bolivia and represents the victory of the hunt. The dancers wear colorful, exotic costumes – including feathered headdresses and spears. The volunteers talked with the kids about the importance of dance in different cultures and gave examples of ways it can be used to honor cultural heritage. The team also   read books that highlighted culturally significant dances. The guests performed Tobas for the children and then taught them some steps. A highlight of the night was when the kids were allowed to touch the dancers’ spears (fake, of course!) and  wear their headdresses. 

Dance is universal. As a theme, it offers opportunities to express emotions, social interaction and cultural pride – and even get the squirmies out! 

Here is a list of books that would work well for a Read-Aloud about dance.  

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems

Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning

Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman

Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen

Dance! by Elisha Cooper

Rosie’s Ballet Slippers by Susan Hampshire

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

The Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff

Cats’ Night Out by Caroline Stutson

The Day We Danced in Underpants  by Sarah Wilson

Dumpy La Rue by Elizabeth Winthrop

To receive credit for this online training, please fill out the form here.