Storytime!

Ah, books about names. Loving our names, hating our names, long names, short names, you've got it. First up is a favortie favorite by Mem Fox of course with the most whimsical illustrations by Julie Vivas!


Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge
Written by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Julie Vivas
Published by Omnibus Books (a div of Scolastic) 1984 in Australia & Kane Miller Books 1985 in the U.S.

What a beautiful pairing of characters! The young Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge and the older wiser and slightly forgetful Mis Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper both share the trait of having four names. when Wilfrid overhears his parents talking about Miss Nancy's memory loss he decides to help her out. Wilfrid asks the other residents of the home what their memories are and puts together a fine collection of memories. What follows is a tear worthy tale of joy, wisdom and loss.

If this is a favorite of yours reread it! If you have never read it to your kidlets do so! Your youngs ones will dazzle you with their empathy for Miss Nancy!

Scrumdilly-do it:

Make a memory box following the ideas in the book. Have your kidlets go on a scavenger hunt either indoors or out to collect:

*something warm
*something from long ago
*something that makes one cry
*something that makes one laugh
*something as precious as gold

Set up a staging area and have a show & tell. Your kidlets can draw pictures instead or maybe you all can sit and talk about some favorite memories whenever the chance occurs.

What's in a name?

Celebrate your name today! There's all kinds of fun kidlets can have with their names! It is one of the first things we learn how to write. When we are just starting out we may not know the whole alphabet in the right order but we sure do know how to spell our names! So, in honor of Celebrate Your Name Day, I offer up to you some links and other fun. Check it out!

*Sure it may be a little in the past, but the kidlets won't care when they learn their new Captain Underpants name from Scholastic! Your eight year olds will LOVE this!

*Teach your wee ones the letters of their names through finger tracing on sandpaper. Write out their names on a piece of sandpaper using a superwaxy crayon and have them use their fingers to trace each letter. The texture of the sandpaper will help with their sensory memory. You can also do this in the sandbox or at the beach! For even more fun textures, try finger writing their names in cornstarch!

*Enjoy the wonders of spoonerisms! Spooner-ize yer kidlets name by switching the first letter of their first name with the first letter of their last name and vice versa! Also super fun for school age kidlets!

*Have a dance around the living room or back yard to The Name Game or learn a new Name Game song...

*Older kidlets can create an acrostic poem about themselves using each letter in their first name.

*Read yer wee one a story about a character who shares their name. Don't know of any? Ask me, I'll see if I can hunt one down for ya!

*Pick up a personalized taggy pillow handmade just for yer wee one!

*Start yer wee ones off early with a name puzzle by Melissa & Doug.

*Make your home one of emergent literacy and write your kidlets's names everywhere! Or better yet, get yerself a Dymo label maker and go wild!

*Have a pirate party and get yer own pirate names!

Check back later for some nifty name reads!