February 28, 2019 / Ben / 0 Comments
So many
directors and choosing to recreate popular books as films. Recent examples
include films such as The Hobbit, Goosebumps and The Gruffalo. If these films
are done well, they seem to be hugely popular but many films seem to not follow
the books accurately causing upset amongst avid fans.
Sometimes film-makers need to add or remove material from the book in order to make the film the correct length or even split the book into a series of films. If you struggle to finish a book and often get bored halfway through then watching a film can be a great way of getting to discover the whole story. Also some people like to watch a film after reading a book as it literally brings their favourite characters to life and can give them a greater understanding of the book.
It really is
an individual choice, and some will chose to never see a film based on their
favourite book in fear that it will spoilt it for them. Sometimes the
characters may be portrayed differently to how they remember them and this can
sometimes cause upset.
You can
expect to see more and more of these types of films being released over the
next decade.
August 29, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
In June 2017 an artist called Carry Franklin was outside her front door installing the first book exchange – Little Free Library in Leeds. Over a year later and there are now over 19 little free Library’s all over the city with her hopes of it soon catching on to other areas of the UK.
The idea is that people can bring along books that they wish to exchange, put them in the post box style boxes and then take one out that they want to read.
These types of schemes make it easy for anyone to have access to books, as even if you cannot exchange one you can still borrow it and return it when you have read it.
Some people simply do not have time to go to the library or if for example you are homeless, you may find that you cannot get a library card, so this allows all people access to reading. Some children have been known to stop and use the free book exchange on their way home. The idea of this book exchange service is to bring communities together. These boxes are popping up all over the city and there may be some coming to an area near you very soon.
June 29, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Some children simply do not like or enjoy reading. It may be that they are very energetic and simply do not like to sit still and read a book. As a parent, it is important to try and help your child read often to improve not only their reading skills but also spelling, writing and even understanding emotions.
Sometimes the books that your child gets sent home with from school may not be all that interesting to them. If this is the case then you need to try and find something they do have an interest in. If for example, they love Dinosaurs then find a simple fact book about dinosaurs. Rather than getting them to read page after page, try and point out a few words and ask them to see if they can work out what it says. You could turn it into a little game, giving them a sticker for each word they get correct.
It may be that you have to disguise the reading a little bit, such as asking them to read a sign on a shop or the words on the front of a cereal box. Reading doesn’t have to just be books, any reading is better than none. You may find that your child is happy to read at school but not at home. Make sure there are no distractions at home, turn off the telly and go somewhere quiet to read with your child.
May 10, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Over the years the way in which children are taught to spell has changed quite a bit. Teachers now use phonics to help pupils understand how words are read and spelt and rather than pronouncing the letter name they pronounce the sound it makes instead. As a parent it can be quite hard to get your head around as often you will have been taught in a totally different way. Many schools offer classes in which parents can go along and be shown how the teachers will be teaching their child and give them advice on what they can do at home.
Most of the new workbooks that you can buy also have adapted the phonics way of learning and these books are often brightly coloured and fun which many children enjoy doing.
If you are really struggling to know how to help your child then why not arrange a meeting with one of the teachers and as them to give you some worksheets that you could do with your child at home. Children are being able to read and write a lot earlier than they used to and you may be shocked at the type of words they have been given to learn. If your child is really struggling then you could even invest in some out of school tutoring to help them catch up.
April 27, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Books are great for passing the time, to find out more about an interest of hobbies and to use when studying. There are so many different types of books out there that when someone says I don’t like reading, it often is because they just haven’t found the right genre to suit them.
If you are interested in learning a new skill then you may turn to books to find out all about it. If it is a popular subject you may have a wide range of books you can choose from. Be sure to read reviews and also the blurb on the back of the book to make sure it covers what you need it to.
There may be diagrams and illustrations in the book which can often help us take information in and if you do struggle to remember what you have read, try writing it down as again this is a good way to get the information to stick in your memory.
Some people prefer to learn by watching videos rather than reading books as often seeing someone physically do something is easier to understand than just reading about it. The beauty of reading is that you can do it in small chunks to suit your schedule and it can be done in places where it may not be convenient to watch a video.