What Are the Boys Reading Today?

Reading Assignments

My Loose Tooth by Stephen Krensky was Xander's book assignment for today. I noticed that some of the words were above his reading level, but our copy is labeled as a Step 1 book, which is appropriate for preschoolers to first graders. It seems the publisher also noticed this, because future editions were labeled as Step 2, which is intended for grades two through three. I picked up our copy at a thrift store, so it must have been one of the first printings before they realized it.

Regardless, he did well reading it. He's come quite a long way in his reading and recognizes quite a few words that surprise me. He's got a great imagination, but I just wish I could keep him from trying to ad-lib the illustrations while we're concentrating on reading practice. He likes to substitute his own version of the story while I'm waiting for him to continue.

Corbin is reading Bionicle Adventures #7: Web of the Visorak by Greg Farshtay. I'm pretty sure he's read this before and he's trying to sneak this one by me as a new book, but he enjoys them, so I'll let him slide. I'm just happy he's reading something other than Magic Tree House. I love the Magic Tree House series, and it will make a great one for Xander to take up soon, but the reading level is way below Corbin's potential. He really needs to be reading more challenging books. Even this one falls into a pretty juvenile reading level for Corbin's abilities, but it's difficult finding subject matter he's interest in with the books that actually meet his abilities.

Review: Bloom Preschool Learning Games by Cranium

Stimulating young minds is essential to a solid foundation for reading. Cranium has created a series of preschool learning games that are fun, colorful, and interactive.

Let's Go to the Zoo Seek & Find Puzzle
The first game we tried out was the "Let's Go to the Zoo" seek & find puzzle. The bulk of the game is a thick, laminated puzzle consisting of 24 pieces. The size and skill level of the puzzle is perfect for preschoolers. The finished product is a crowded zoo scene with lots for the eye to behold.

The next step is to utilize the card sets and dry erase marker that come with the set. There are two sets of cards, each on different skill levels. Each card contains a feature on the puzzle for the child to find and circle with the dry erase marker. These cards alone provide tons of playing time. Though intended for preschoolers, my eight-year-old and six-year-old sons were fascinated. They loved the animals and the challenge of seeking out hidden characteristics. Cleanup is easy with a damp paper towel or cloth.

Let's Play Count & Cook Game
This game was a personal favorite for my six-year-old, who loves to pretend he is cooking. This is a small board game, and the board contains tabs with ingredients on them. Each person chooses a colorful chef marker to play, rolls the die, and tries to land on the ingredients they need to complete whatever recipe has been chosen for the round from the sturdy spiral bound recipe book.

My favorite part of the game was that real recipes are included with some of the game recipes, so that after the players complete a round, they can make the concoction in real life with mom or dad.


Both games have large colorful pieces and simple techniques that are attractive to preschoolers, but their appeal reaches beyond that age. Many of the actions do require reading, so a parent or older child has to be present to guide younger players. These games are definitely fun excuses to get the family together.

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