Teaching Tips for These Stories

Hi, my name is Natalie Wade.  I have a master's degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee at Martin.  My specialty is early childhood literacy.  I am introducing these stories to you as a way for you as teachers and parents to develop auditory listening skills for children.  I am purposefully only including one picture with these stories because I want them read aloud.  I want children to make the pictures for these stories in their brains.

Here are some teaching tips for both preschool children and early elementary children.

1.  Read the story aloud to children who cannot yet read.

2.  Let them draw a picture about the story once you are finished.  Please send me these pictures if you like.  I would like to use a different child's drawing on each story each week.

3.  For children who can read, let them read the story and draw their own illustrations.  Again, I would love to use different children's illustrations for each post.

To submit drawings:
1.  Scan it into your computer and send it as an attachment to natawade38@gmail.com or
2.  Take a digital photo, load it onto your computer, and send it as an attachment to natawade38@gmail.com  or
3.  Take a picture of it with your phone and send it as an attachment to natawade38@gmail.com or
4.  Just simply mail the drawings to:
     Natalie Wade
     105 Old Union Rd.
      Paris, TN 38242
      attn:  Polliwog Pond

Please include the child's first name, age, hometown (opt), and which story the child is illustrating.  When mailing drawings please be sure to include an email address for correspondence.  As I receive drawings I will be changing out the drawing for stories each week or so.  I will email you to let you know when your child's drawing will be featured.  Sometimes I will feature more than one illustration per story.  I will let you know where in the story your child's drawing will appear.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as my granddaughter (who is my children's story editor) has enjoyed these stories.

From time to time I may include a story that is not set in Polliwog Pond, but most of these stories will involve Xavier the frog, Audra the duck, Emerson the dragonfly, and Hayden the turtle.  Enjoy!!!!