Reading Tour

What You Need:

• Sticky notes
• Thin black marker
• Decorating supplies like themed stickers, ribbon, decals, sequins, and paints
• Various objects for pointers like rulers, clean fly-swatters, wooden spoons, and dowels
• Glue
• Tape

What You Do:

1. Using the marker and the sticky notes, help your child label common objects around the house. For example, your child can label windows, doors, plants, the couch, towels, tables, chairs, clocks, curtains, and so on. As he sticks on each label, be sure to have him read the word back to you.
2. Help your child decorate an assortment of objects to be used as pointers. For example, wrap silver and gold ribbon around a ruler and secure with glue or tape to create a magic wand. Or decorate a wooden spoon with some permanent markers and a little paint to make it look like a favorite storybook character such as a scarecrow or spaceman, or a favorite icon such as a flower or planet.
3. You can also use scissors or a sharp cutting tool to round the edges of and cut a large, round window out of the flat “swatter” portion of a clean, unused fly swatter. Note: make the window opening about the same size as the sticky notes. Decorate the rest of the fly swatter with stickers and other small decorations to create a candy or flower wreath pointer.
4. Have your child practice going on a reading tour by using the pointer to point to and read each word. Then invite your child to ask you or other family members to join the reading tour! 
5. Store the pointers in a handy, special place such as a tall gift box or an umbrella stand garnished with fancy ribbon.