Langsford Cornhole Tournament

The "Langsford family" got together in the parking lot one recent evening and a rowdy good time was had by all! After a dinner of Mexican food, we paired up and battled each other for bragging rights for winning the cornhole competition.

It was a tough competition and finally we all let Jenny and Jeff win.

(Just kidding-they won fair and square!)

Here's a picture of the winning cornhole duo:

After the competition, we topped off the evening

with lively conversation and ice cream sandwiches.

A great way to end a workday!

A Magical Young Lady

Ode to the Mystical Unicorn

O, unicorn with coat so white

Your beauty is divine.

With all my heart and soul

I wish you could be mine.

For if you were, I'd love you so

And protect you from all harm.

So all the world would come to know

the magic of your charm.

--Author Unknown

Callie mesmerized us all from her first day at Langsford with her soulful eyes, serene presence, and mysterious smile.  She has all the charm that the mystical unicorn represents.    

We hope that her improved reading skills allow her to travel in her mind via books to far away, fantastical places, and for her to be as charmed by the written word as the world is by the magical and magnificent unicorn. 

Looking for Some Fun Summer Reading for Your "Wimpy Kid" Fan?

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has taken the elementary schools by storm. One mother recently likened being able to read it to a "rite of passage." The kids LOVE these books!

But what about after they've been read? What about the kids who can't quite handle the series' reading level yet? What other books can you get to entice your reluctant reader?

Here's a suggestion: another diary-format series called Nate's Journal. This series chronicles the trials and tribulations of Nate's grade 8 year. However, each book is a stand-alone story so they don't have to be read in order.

They'll remind your son or daughter of the Wimpy Kid books. They are written in journal fashion, complete with quirky line drawings accompanying the text.

Best of all-they're an easy read! While they were written to attract 4th to 6th grade readers, the easy to decode text is written at a grade 3 level.

Sometimes the key to getting your child to begin to enjoy reading is finding the right series to "hook" them. The Nate's Journal series might be just the "bait" you need to catch the interest of your young reader!

Look for them online or at your local booksellers. Happy Reading!

Summer Suggestions

Wondering what you should do to keep your child's skills sharp or to better prepare him or her for school next fall? There are 5 key areas you should think about.

Each will take only minutes a day. Why not set aside an hour a day this summer to keep your child's academic momentum going?

SUGGESTIONS FOR READING AND WRITING PRACTICE

1) Read! 20 to 30 minutes daily. Sometimes challenging material (to further their decoding skills), and sometimes easier material (to work on fluency).

2) Build a sight word base for reading! Use a word list from school or other list with common words. Print words on 3 by 5 index cards and review daily. As words are mastered, review less often and add new words to cards for daily practice.

3) Build a sight word base for spelling! Use the same word lists as for the reading sight word base. Practice spelling the words daily. When a word is correctly spelled for a week, replace with a new word. Work on about 10 words a day.

4) Vocabulary! Learn the meanings of words discovered in reading or spelling tasks. Improving vocabulary skills can lead to improved comprehension! Put new words on 3 by 5 index cards with short definitions on the back to practice. Use the words in sentences or use as part of the daily writing activity.

5) Write! Write 2-3 sentences or a short paragraph describing what was just read, or anything of interest! Be sure to proof for spelling and punctuation.

Now go out and have some summer fun!