Photo via usborne.com

wrecking into the moon? Yes, this is a current event that has the potential to get kids very excited. Some of them will naturally want to learn more about space, astronauts and the moon.

For kids who want to learn more about the LCross moon mission, they are several websites to explore. However, this is also a chance to get them interested in some great books that give background information about the moon and other aspects of space exploration.

Some good titles from Usborne include:

• On the Moon
• The First Encyclopedia of Space
• Living in Space
• The Story of Astronomy and Space

Photo via Usborne Books

When your child struggles with reading, it doesn’t just affect his or her reading and spelling grades. Not being able to read well can mean your child doesn’t understand directions on a math test and can’t figure out that social studies assignment. Learning to improve reading skills is essential.

For children who have a serious reading disability, the key to learning to read well is to work with teachers and tutors who understand the disability to get remedial help. However, there are some easy and fun ways for parents to help  kids who just aren’t catching on as quickly as some of their classmates to improve their reading skills:

• Get a book on CD and let your child follow along with it using a traditional book. (This is a great car ride activity for children that don’t get car sick.)
• Read stories with your child instead of to your child. For example, you could read a sentence and then have your child read a sentence. (Reading an entire page can be overwhelming for a struggling reader.)
• Ask questions to help your child develop comprehension skills. Understanding what they read helps children learn to figure out words using contextual clues. (A fancy way of saying kids can use other, easier words in a sentence to help them figure out a hard word.)

Photo via Usborne Books

While getting a huge selection of reading material is like heaven to an avid reader, kids who struggle to make it through one book or magazine are often overwhelmed when they see that pile of books! If you decide to buy a range of materials, put all but one of them in storage and dole them out a few at a time.

Find the most interesting book in your house and read a few pages aloud. Then, set it down and walk away. If the book catches your child’s attention, he’ll probably decide he wants to know what else happens and will pick it up to find out. Still not getting results? Make sure you’re doing everything you can to get his attention:

• Read the summary.
• Be sure the book you choose jumps right into the action.
• Copy suspenseful tv show series and look for a cliffhanger stopping point.