Make connections to a child's life and personal experiences with a book, and a world of learning emerges. This post shows how we used the new book Larry Gets Lost in Philadelphia by Michael Mullin and John Skewes as a way to experience our nearby city in a new light and learn a little more about why we love it.
Larry Gets Lost in Philadelphia is a book that is perfect for introducing a young child to the beauty and, of course, the history of the City of Brotherly Love in a fun, kid-friendly way. Children go on an adventure through Philadelphia with Larry, a cute dog who manages to end up lost in a strange city. As he tries to find his way back to his owner Pete, children will enjoy seeing site after site through his eyes.
What makes this book a great learning experience is that it presents historical facts to children in an inviting way, and the vivid and colorful illustrations really make the learning experience come alive.
If you really want to accelerate your child's learning and comprehension with this book, try a few of these strategies that we used:
- List the places in the book you have visited. We went through the story and identified the places we have been before, like the Liberty Bell, art museum and zoo. We talked about the things that we saw and did there, and also discussed what new fact we learned from the book about that place.
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Pull out old photos or videos you may have of you visiting the city. We took a trip down memory lane by viewing and reminiscing about our previous tours of Philadelphia. - Make a list or draw a picture of the places you would like to visit and why. We decided we'd really love to get to the Barnes Foundation, because art is one of my daughter's favorite things to do and learn about.
If you haven't yet visited Philadelphia but are planning a trip soon, read this book beforehand. Then, as you tour the city, refer back to the book. By reading this book in advance, your child will have a knowledge base for him to relate his new experiences to.
Disclosure: We received a free copy of this book from Sasquatch Books, but our learning is real and our opinions are honest!
Marissa Kiepert Truong, PhD, is a Chester County, PA mom and early education consultant. This post is adapted from her blog, Land of Once Upon a Time.
