That's not my . . . Taller and Shorter

That's not my . . . Taller and Shorter

That's not my . . . Taller and Shorter by Fiona Watt is a board book for younger children. This cute little book is illustrated by Rachel Wells and features adorable animals that kids love. Children will compare which animals are taller and which ones are shorter such as a giraffe and an elephant, a frog and a mouse, a meerkat and a duck, and so forth. That's not my . . . Taller and Shorter helps young children understand the concepts of big, little, and height comparisons. Children will enjoy watching a tiny little mouse appear on various pages throughout the book. They will also enjoy fireflies, butterflies, and birds. If you wish, you can help your child count daisies, stars, and clouds as you read together.

The pages are colorful, thick, and durable. If the pages become soiled, you can wipe them off with a damp cloth but don't soak them.

Get your copy here!

Activities to do with your child before or after reading That's not my . . . Taller and Shorter:

(The following activities cover a range of ability levels. Pick the ones that will benefit your child.)

Here is a live interactive taller and shorter worksheet from Live Worksheets. Do you have older children? Scroll down for worksheets about units of measurement for older children.

Kindergarten parents, here's one for you. It's 27 pages of taller and shorter measurements for Kindergarten aged children. It's only 95 cents at Teachers Pay Teachers.

This activity is another one that you can purchase at Teachers Pay Teachers. It's a Kindergarten measurement activity. Your child will compare more/less, shorter/taller, etc.

Read Marvin the Very Tall Bear by T.A. Unwin. This book is recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 7.

This item is available here.

Gather blocks, paper tubes, and other objects for your child. Ask him or her to build short buildings, tall buildings, and other structures. Identify the taller structures and shorter structures. Your collection might look something like this.

Visit Learning Playtime to get a whole bunch of ideas for helping your child understand the concepts of taller, shorter, and other measurements.

Provide your child with LEGO Blocks. Have her or him stack the blocks to see how tall they can stack a tower before it falls down. Build smaller towers as well. Build several towers. Then arrange them from shortest to tallest.

Scavenger hunts are so much fun. Send your child on a Taller/Shorter scavenger hunt. You don't have to make your own list unless you want to. Primary Playground has already created one for you. There are a lot of scavenger hunts listed so you'll need to scroll down a good ways to get to the Taller or Shorter scavenger hunt.

If you have multiple children in your home or classroom, arrange everyone according to height. Line everyone up from shortest to tallest.

Use nesting dolls to teach the concept of taller or shorter. This set is animal themed. Kids will love comparing the heights of a bear, a fox, an owl, a rabbit, and a raccoon.

This item is available here.

That's Not My . . . Taller and Shorter

You might also like That's not my bee . . . its stripes are too fluffy.

That's not my bee . . . its stripes are too fluffy.

That's not my bee . . . its stripes are too fluffy.

That's Not My Bee is an Usborne Touchy Feely Book, a board book actually.  It is intended for very young children.  It's bright colored pages keep babies and toddlers interested and the different textures on each page will keep them engaged in the book.  While reading That's Not My Bee with parents, young children will develop sensory and language awareness.  

That's not my bee . . . 

That's Not My Bee - Usborne Books; Photo Credit:  Tina Truelove 

 

There are only a few pages in this cute little board book so I'm only going to reveal the cover here, but when your child enjoys this book, he will enjoy searching for the bee that belongs with the little mouse.  On the cover, the little mouse hanging from the balloon says this bee is not his because its strips are too fluffy.  Your little baby or toddler can touch the fluffy black stripes on the bee's body.  

Throughout the rest of the book the mouse knows each bee is not his because the bee's feelers are too bumpy or its tummy is too fuzzy or its eyes are too shiny.  You get the idea.  Finally, the little mouse finds his bee.  

I read this book with a 4 year old and a 1 year old earlier today and they both loved it.  Even the four year old wanted me to read it over and over again while she enjoyed touching and feeling all the textures on the sturdy board-book pages.

That's Not My Bee is written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells.  It was originally published in 2018.

 

 

Here are some things you can do with your child before or after the story to learn more about bees.

Sheryl at Teaching Two and Three Year Olds tells us how she taught her children about bees.  They learned the shape of honeycomb, created a honeycomb on paper, made a snack, and enjoyed bee themed activities.  Head over there right now.  She offers free printables too!

In the Kids Soup resource library, you'll find over 80 bee crafts, activities, and games.  There are so many things to do and learn about bees here!

Teaching Mama shares 15 activities about bees.  You can lean to make honey playdough!

The Bee Girl website offers a wealth of information about bees. They have started a new website specifically centered around teaching kids about bees.  Visit Kids and Bees to check out the handbook  and many more ideas for teaching children about bees.

Mr. Bonds Science Guys offers more cool ways to teach kids about bees.

You might also Like:  That's Not My Taller and Shorter by Fiona Watt.

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Learning from Home with Usborne - Preschool

*Update:  Since the time of this post, Usborne has rebranded.  They are now Paperpie.  I no longer sell Usborne books so all the links have been changed to my Amazon affiliate links.  This means that any purchases you make on this page will result in a small commission for me at no additional cost to you.  See my full disclosure here.

Many families across the country (and perhaps the world) are suddenly educating their children at home.  If you are one of these families, Usborne is here to help.  They have just added a new category called Learning from Home.  Under the umbrella of Learning from Home, you'll find a wealth of resources to help you through this journey with your kids.  As a former public school teacher, private school teacher, and a homeschool mom, my best advice for you right now is to allow yourself and your children lots of grace during these uncertain times.  Someone recently and wisely said that Home-Schooling and Crisis-Schooling are not the same thing.  You will be OK.  Your kids will be OK.  You are not going to mess this up for them.  The most important things your kids need right now are their parents loving arms, age appropriate answers to their questions, a firm foundation of faith, and a good book to read with you.  If they have these things, then the other things will eventually fall into place.

As far as books go, I've got you covered.  Of course the first book I recommend for you and your kids is the Bible.  All answers to all things are found in the Bible.  If your kids are old enough for a real complete Bible, I recommend The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids. 

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids

The Illustrated Holy Bible for Kids is a full Bible for children.  It's not a merely a children's book containing a few summaries of a few popular Bible stories.  According to Zondervan, it is written at the 3rd grade level but is recommended for children between 4 and 8 years old.  It is written in the new NIrV version which is a variation of the NIV version for adults.  The text is simplified from the NIV version to make it easier for children to read and understand on their own.  You can read my full review of this Bible here.

If your children are younger and not quiet ready for a full version of the Bible, a good Bible story book will help you begin to instill within your child a foundation of faith that will see him or her through life's many challenges.  They are never too early to learn who God is and the reason we all need Jesus.  We enjoyed Baby's First Bible - A Carry-Along Treasury by Tommy Nelson.  You can read more about that Baby's First Bible here.

Learning from Home with Usborne - Preschool

Now we can consider other books to add to your child's learning from home library.  The following books are recommended for children at the preschool level.

Learning from Home - Preschool

123 Counting

Gently introduce numbers with 1 2 3 Counting, a fold-out, stand-up book, perfect for tummy time!

Series: First Focus Frieze
First Focus Frieze titles for babies are filled with panels of recognizable, high-contrast black and white images and patterns to aid visual development in the early stages. Gently introduce your babies to numbers and first words with these fold-out, stand-up books, perfect for tummy time!

Alfie and Bet's ABC

 

Alfie and Bet are off on a quest to discover the letter they like the best … but they just can’t seem to agree!

With colorful characters, pop-ups on every page, a repeating panel with both upper and lowercase letters throughout and tons of alliterative enthusiasm, Maddie Frost’s Alfie and Bet's ABC is a pop-up alphabet adventure readers won’t soon forget! (And they’ll learn their letters, too!) 

Dotty and Dash's 123

 

Join Dotty and Dash as they race through the pages, discovering numbers galore in this colorful pop-up extravaganza!

 

Count to 100

 

Illustrated by Greek illustrator Sophia Toulliatou (Big Book of Colors), this book takes readers on a colorful whirlwind tour through the world of numbers, from one full moon to a hundred twinkling stars. There are number patterns, picture puzzles, and lots of extra things to spot along the way. A double gatefold at the end opens to reveal an impressive array of 100 stars.

 I Can Do It

There are five different fastenings to practice, together with step-by-step illustrated instructions, in this fabulous book designed to teach children how to tie their shoelaces, button their clothes, and more.

I Want to Be an Astronaut

What do you want to be when you grow up? These oversized board books for our littlest learners perfectly illustrate that the possibilities are endless!

What do you want to be when you grow up? A deep-sea diver? A stuntman? An astronaut? When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be!

Series: I Want to be…
What do you want to be when you grow up? A dog walker? A deep-sea diver? A stuntman? An astronaut? A vet? A lion tamer? When you grow up, you can be anything you want to be!

Why Do Tigers Have Stripes?

Lift the Flap First Questions and Answers

A playful, informative look at why animals (and a few plants) are the way they are and do what they do, broken into 5 topics - camouflage, food storage, protection, movement, construction - plus a general spread. Quirky scenes, simple text, and friendly flaps answer lots of pressing questions.

Series: Lift-the-Flap First Questions and Answers
These stylish, highly illustrated, interactive books are perfect for sharing with young children, and they introduce science concepts using a friendly lift-the-flap format.

Life the Flap Numbers

Lift the Flap Numbers

With over 90 flaps to lift, this charming book helps children learn about numbers in a fun way. There are counting, matching, ordering, sequencing and adding activities, and lots for pre-readers to talk about too.

Series: Lift-the-Flap Series
Each page has an illustrated scene full of things to spot and talk about, even for pre-readers.

Little Children's Drawing Book

Learning at Home with Usborne - Little Children's Drawing Book

Introduce little ones to drawing and pen control with this charming activity book. Children can learn how to draw squiggles, wiggles, spots, stripes, curly lines, straight lines, and lots more, with the help of the friendly animal characters throughout the book.

Series: Little Children's Art Books

Little Lift and Look Under the Sea

Little Lift and Look Under the Sea

Follow a little turtle as it explores a coral reef and discover all kinds of sweet creatures that live under the sea. Meet a sleepy shark, a big octopus, some colorful seahorses, and much more.

Series: Little Lift and Look Board Books
This series is perfect for younger children and babies, with chunky gate-fold flaps and peek -throughs for little hands to discover. 

 

Little Stickers Jungle

Learning at Home with Usborne - Little Stickers Jungle

Add stickers to bring the rainforest scenes to life. Fill the branches with bright bugs, brilliant birds, swinging monkeys, and lazing tigers, while leopards prowl, elephants parade, and crocodiles lurk in the undergrowth, pools, and creeks below. This book is ideal for keeping children entertained on weekends, on journeys, or during summer vacation.

Series: Little Sticker Books
Add a little bit of fun to each scene with lots of reusable stickers. You can create your own scenes again

and again in these charming sticker books! 

 

Nibbles:  Numbers

Nibbles:  Numbers - Preschool

Look out! Nibbles the book monster has munched his way through this book of numbers! Count along with him as he chomps his way from one to ten… but wherever will he go next? 

Wind-Up Plane Book

Wind-Up Plane Book

Wind up the plane and watch it whiz around the tracks in this delightful interactive book.

Series: Wind-Up Books
Read the stories, then wind up the vehicle and watch it whiz around the different tracks. 

 

WARNING - CHOKING HAZARD:  This book contains small parts.  It is not recommended for children under the age of three years.   

 

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Learning from Home with Usborne

While some public and private school systems have temporarily closed schools due to the COVID19 virus, others have closed for the remainder of the school year.  Many systems such as our local public school system has implemented a school-from-home program.  Students are still enrolled in our public schools but their lessons are completed at home.  I suppose different systems have different methods of doing this, but our local system has teachers and students keeping in contact with each other online while lessons are completed at home.  Students and parents keep in touch.  Many parents feel like they have become homeschool parents overnight and basically, they have.  While Usborne Books does not offer a complete curriculum for any grade level at this time, they have added a new category to their line up of educational books.  The Learning from Home category offers books by grade levels, travel the world books, books that comfort, and educational jigsaw puzzles.  This post highlights the 3rd grade category of books.  On my Usborne website, parents have the option to choose individual books or they can buy the entire set.  These books are great educational resources to supplement children's educational curricula.

Learning from Home with Usborne - 3rd Grade

Learning from Home with Usborne - 3rd Grade

365 Science Activities

This item is available here.

If you've ever wondered why bread is full of holes, what your DNA looks like or how to make a rainbow, then this inspiring book is for you. It's overflowing with easy and exciting science experiments, so you can discover something new every day of the year.

Series: Science Activities
These bright, exciting books respond to the growing emphasis on scientific exploration for young children. Their appealing scientific activities are cleverly designed to help children investigate the intriguing properties of different types of science. Experiments explore basic principles of physics, chemistry, and biology in a fun and practical way.

Across the USA Activity Book

This item is available here.

Draw, sticker, and play (and learn!) your way across the USA! Word searches, matching games, letter scrambles and more, highlight everything from state mottoes and famous monuments to natural wonders and roadside attractions to make this a road trip to remember! 

Big Book of Stars and Planets

This item is available here.

Open the giant fold-out pages to discover the wonders of space – from our Sun and the planets in our Solar System, to massive stars, enormous galaxies and lots, lots more.
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Series: Big Books
Huge fold-out pages help to display information in a fun way! 

The Big Picture Book of Planet Earth

This item is available here.

This book will take young readers on a spectacular journey around the world, from the highest mountain peaks to the very bottom of the ocean. Full of fascinating facts, this book uses jaw-dropping landscapes and richly illustrated maps to explain the wonderful secrets behind Planet Earth. Full of rich vocabulary, quicklinks also will add virtual tours, reconstructions, games and other homework help.

Series: Big Picture Books
Big, sturdy books full of pictures that introduce fun topics in a large, unique format, perfect for little learners. 

Big Picture Thesaurus 

This item is available here.

What’s another word for big, silly or shiny? What’s the opposite of freezing, stretchy or brave? Find all these – and over 2,000 other amazing, useful and unusual words – in this fantastic thesaurus, packed with pictures and stories to tell.

Series: Big Picture Books
Big, sturdy books full of pictures that introduce fun topics in a large, unique format, perfect for little learners. 

Dr. Maggie's Grand Tour of the Solar System

This item is available here.

Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock takes readers on the trip of a light-speed lifetime – from the surface of our very own planet to the farthest sectors of the Solar System. Get set for a mind-blowing visual tour of the celestial bodies surrounding us and far beyond. 

Lift the Flap Picture Atlas

This item is available here.

Our wonderful planet is full of beautiful buildings, exotic animals and fabulous sights to see. To find out where in the world they are, explore the maps and lift the flaps in this delightful atlas.  

Measuring Things Activity Book

This item is available here.

Packed with puzzles and activities, this entertaining activity book covers all kinds of measuring, from using a ruler to reading scales. Discover the different units and tools used for length, area, volume, mass and more - then write, draw, color or sticker your answers onto the page.

Series: Math Activity Books
There’s a math book for every part of the math curriculum – and these books make math fun, too! 

Multiplying and Dividing Activity Book

This item is available here.

Children can learn all about multiplying and dividing with this educational activity book. Inside is an array of tips and problem-solving techniques and space to experiment with these techniques. The book focuses on helping children find which techniques work best for them, allowing them to take control of their own learning.  

Not Your Everyday Illustrated Thesaurus

This item is available here.

A treasury of words to boost your word power, simple to explore, lots of ideas for different subjects to write about, you can look up words alphabetically in the word finder, there are tips for writing stories…and word games to play too.

Series: Illustrated Thesaurus Books
These handy thesauruses will help children build vocabulary and be more creative with their use of language. 

Wipe Clean Starting Cursive

This item is available here.

Join a group of friendly monsters and learn how to start joining letters up to write in cursive. Children can write, wipe the page clean, and write again until they feel fully confident. An approachable introduction to an important skill, this book is an excellent introduction to learning cursive handwriting.

Series: Wipe-Clean Books
The wipe-clean pages provide lots of opportunities to practice as children can return to each topic again and again. A fun and engaging way for young children to learn and develop essential skills, and each title comes with a wipe-clean pen. 

Write Your Own Storybook

This item is available here.

Write Your Own Storybook is full of inspiring ideas for all kinds of different stories, with space for you to write them in, and writing tips to help you on your way.

Series: Write Your Own Books
The Write Your Own story books are full of inspiring ideas for all kinds of different stories, with writing tips to help you on your way.

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Learning from Home with Usborne - 3rd Grade

You might also like:  Music Education and Student Achievement

Music Education and Student Achievement 

We are moving through the Usborne Books Learning from Home resources.  The resources available are great additions to any child's homeschool curriculum.  Parents who are currently navigation their children's school-from-home programs will find these books helpful as supplements to their children's public school resources.  Of course, all of these books are great for any child's home library just for the purpose of enjoyment.  The following books are recommended for children in the 4th grade.

Learning from Home with Usborne - 4th Grade

100 Science Experiments

100 Science Experiments

This action-packed collection of science experiments combines hands-on fun and scientific investigation. See the results for yourself and then find out what’s really going on by discovering the science behind it all.

Series: Science Activities
These bright, exciting books respond to the growing emphasis on scientific exploration for young children. Their appealing scientific activities are cleverly designed to help children investigate the intriguing properties of different types of science. Experiments explore basic principles of physics, chemistry, and biology in a fun and practical way. 

100 Things to Know About History

100 Things to Know About History

An eye-catching information book filled with one hundred interesting facts to learn about world history.

Also available in Spanish
Tambien disponible en español

Series: 100 Things to Know
These friendly books break info down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about these fascinating subjects. 

100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computers, and Coding

100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computers, and Coding

An eye-catching information book filled with one hundred interesting facts to learn about numbers, computers and coding.

Series: 100 Things to Know
These friendly books break info down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about these fascinating subjects. 

100 Things to Know About Space

100 Things to Know About Space

 Space is a huge topic, but this friendly book breaks it down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about this fascinating subject. Highly illustrated, in a pictorial, 'infographics' style, with snippets of information about all aspects of space.

Also available in Spanish
Tambien disponible en español

Series: 100 Things to Know
These friendly books break info down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about these fascinating subjects. 

Chef Academy

Chef Academy

 Learn how to make food look and taste delicious, discover what it takes to be a successful leader, make your very own chef's hat and lots, lots more as you train to be a world-class chef.

Series: Academy Series
The academy series features activities, cool quizzes, and super skill tests. Stickers, model, poster, and games included. Whimsical art and creative fun for anywhere! 

Coder Academy

Coder Academy

 Discover the essential skills required on the way to becoming a computer coding expert in this innovative activity book, encouraging imaginative play and problem solving. The fresh, contemporary artwork helps to make basic coding concepts accessible.

Series: Academy Series
The academy series features activities, cool quizzes, and super skill tests. Stickers, model, poster, and games included. Whimsical art and creative fun for anywhere! 

  Creative Writing Book

Creative Writing Book

Aspiring young writers will love this fun activity book full of hints, tips, and handy tasks for writing breath-taking stories, advertisements, blogs, etc. All forms of writing are covered in this title!

Series: Creative Writing
These inspiring books will unlock children’s ideas for writing stories, poems, comics, blogs, reviews, movie scripts, and more. As well as activities for writing compelling story outlines, dialogue and lively characters, there are tips for writing horror stories, romance and thrillers, and even shock journalism.  

Engineer Academy

Engineer Academy

Packed full of great illustrations, fun facts, and absorbing activities, it guides readers through each strand of engineering science – Mechanics, Aerospace, Robotics, Energy, and Materials. Practical projects, each carefully designed to introduce the kinds of skills required by real-life engineers, help kids pick up the basics in a fun, hands-on way.

Design a robot, learn how to construct a simple car, create levers and pulleys, build paper planes, plus many other educational and inspirational activities – the sky’s the limit!

Series: Academy Series
The academy series features activities, cool quizzes, and super skill tests. Stickers, model, poster, and games included. Whimsical art and creative fun for anywhere!

Fractions and Decimals Activity Book

Fractions and Decimals Activity Book

A colorful, write-in book featuring a multitude of fractions and decimals puzzles, encouraging children to practice.

Series: Math Activity Books
There’s a math book for every part of the math curriculum – and these books make math fun, too! 

The Story of Inventions

The Story of Inventions

Toasters, toilets and televisions, computers, cars and chocolate bars, flying machines and even your jeans. All these everyday things and many more are only here because someone bothered to invent them. This book reveals the real-life stories and bright sparks behind dozens of brilliant inventions.

Series: The Story of...
A narrative introduction to the brilliant brains and eureka moments behind the greatest discoveries in history. 

Write Your Own Poems

Write Your Own Poems

 A write-in book filled with a wide range of poetry writing activities, tips, and advice to inspire a new generation of young poets. This book aims to make poetry accessible and exciting for beginners.

Series: Write Your Own Books
The Write Your Own story books are full of inspiring ideas for all kinds of different stories, with writing tips to help you on your way.

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Learning from Home with Usborne, 4th Grade

You may also like:

Resources for Homeschool Families

Resources for Homeschool Families