colors, counting, reading, I can't believe what I'm seeing

Cora received an awesome gift for her birthday from her pal, Ava, and I'm thinking that I will soon make this book my "go-to gift" for little ones.  It's a super find, and it is a great present for kiddos 3-6 years old.

The book is Seek and Find Counting Colors, by Roger Priddy (2004), and my family quickly fell for it because it combines a number of their favorite activities into one brightly-colored package--hide-and-seek, colors, counting, and reading.

When I walked into the living room on Saturday morning to see Maddy and Owen playing--reading and counting--together, I was one happy teach mama.

• Seek and Find Counting Colors: The game that Maddy and Owen were playing can be played with a number of seek-and-find books, but the book they used can be purchased from Amazon or from Macmillan rather inexpensively.  

What really caught my attention was the quality of the book and pictures.  Each page focuses on a separate color with Can you find these (pink/green/etc) things? 1 (scaly lizard); 2 tree frogs; 3 (you get the idea).  

Maddy works on decoding the word, 'paperclips'.

The way that Maddy and Owen were playing (and the way that we all have been 'reading' this book together for the past few days) is simple: one person reads the objects to search for, and each person is responsible for 'seeking' and counting on one page of the book.  The person on the right side starts the counting (to reinforce the left-right movement of reading), and the person on the on the left side continues the counting.

What I love about this book is that it sets young readers up for success in decoding even difficult words.  By using what they know about the beginning sounds of words and by looking closely at the center picture for objects that begin with that sound, readers can do just what strong readers need to do--use the text and pictures to figure out difficult words.

 Even Brady wants to practice counting with Maddy and Owen.

I watched Maddy do just that several times when reading tough words.  I am doubtful that out of context, she would be able to read 'calculator', but after several readings, after looking at the picture, and after considering what she knew about the beginning letter sounds in the word, she was able to read '1 school calculator' on the black page of the book.  It was really awesome.

This "game" is so easy to play and can be done using a number of  Seek-and-Find books, although I do appreciate how Priddy's bright colors and bold fonts set early readers up for success with this particular book.  Here are some other books that we have around the house (and are worth picking up!) that also get little ones counting, seeking, and (possibly) doing a little bit of reading:

• My Little Counting Book, by Roger Priddy
• Doggies, by Sandra Boynton
• Colors ABC Numbers, by Roger Priddy
• Sesame Street Hide and Seek, by Caleb Burroughs
• First Look and Find: Cars, by Eds of Publications International
• Dora the Explorer Scavenger Hunt: First Look and Find, by Bob Roper (illustrator)

And that's that for a little bit of learning for the day.  Today, while we're burning off some candy and waiting to head to Grandma and Grandpa's, I'll bring out our good ole Counting Bunnies Grid Game to pass some time and sneak in a little bit of learning.  I think we'll use jelly beans as counters. YUM!

And thank you, Ava, for a super birthday gift for Cora--we all love it!