ABC Picnic Table Talk

This week's ABC and 123 Picnic Table Talk assignment is to write about ABC activities and books, etc. For more ideas, check out the other links over there.

I looked back in our "archives" for a few things Tornado and I did years ago. Sometimes it's the easiest project that engages them the most. He made this book when he was 4 or 5. I just made the columns with different letters, and he cut or ripped pictures out of magazines and glued them in. We kept this in a basket in the living room, and he added on to it whenever he felt like it.

One of his favorite ABC books he ever made was our Neighborhood ABC book. One day we drove around town, camera in his hand, until he spotted a business that started with a different letter. I would slow down, roll down his window, and he snapped the picture. I labeled the businesses, and he wrote the letters. He provided his own illustrations for letters we did not come up with on that outing.

Our favorite ABC book we've read lately is Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming. Of course, the boys always love the ABC books with all things construction and tools, but we have especially used this book lately because we have also been learning about parts of speech. The mouse in the book performs an action on each letter, such as "buttons the B" and "hangs the H."

One of our other favorite books is ABC by Dr. Seuss. We have the hardback and board book versions of this book.
When I had a subscription to Mailbox magazine, I was able to print off these supplemental pages for Tornado to make his own book. It was in the February/March 2008 edition of The Mailbox Companion that you can only access if you have a subscription. There is Dad dreaming about donuts. For products and to sign up for the free email activities newsletter, visit The Mailbox here.

As I was visiting Book Worms Book Nook, I noticed the book Discovering Natures Alphabet by Krystina Castella. It made me think of the picture my friend Angie made recently, using photographs in nature in spell out my friend's baby's name. I think my kids would enjoy the challenge of going outside and doing this on their own!