FarFaria is excited to announce the addition of stories by the award-winning author Joy Berry. This week, FarFaria will be releasing four titles from the acclaimed “Help Me Be Good” series.

Joy’s background in education and experience working with children have given her incredible insight into children’s behavioral development. Her self-help books for kids have sold over 85 million copies and four can now be found in FarFaria’s Goodland!

“My goal is to help children of all ages live responsibly, so they can be happy and successful. To accomplish this, I’ve written books that speak directly to children about things that are happening in their everyday lives. I’ve tried to make the books entertaining and fun by adding cartoons and humor. As for the age-appropriateness of the books, I’ve always depended on each parent’s judgment and each child’s needs, skill level, and interest to determine when a particular book is appropriate for a particular child.” – Joy Berry

We hope that your family enjoys these wonderful “Joy Berry Classics” and that the lessons from them help strengthen your family’s values.

Download FarFaria today to read these great new titles from Joy Berry!

The benefits of parents reading out loud to their children are established facts in the field of education. Yet, the use of audio books has not been received with the same enthusiasm. Often we are told that using this technology is “not really reading”, that somehow it means we are “cheating”. With the use of audio books in classrooms on the rise research and experience has disproved this perception. In fact, the use of audio books has been shown to improve children’s literacy skills in some very important ways.

What are the four main benefits?

• Audio Books provide a model of fluent reading
• Audio Books teach critical listening and thinking skills
• Audio Books give children access to above level texts
• Audio Books provide children with an example of reading as entertainment

What exactly does that mean? Let’s take a closer look.

A Model of Fluent Reading
Like parents reading out loud, audio books provide a model of fluent reading. The proper pronunciation of words, use of inflection and rhythm help children better understand how a story should sound and provides them with a sense of narrative.

Critical Listening and Thinking Skills
Listening to stories out loud helps readers to better remember what a story is about. When recalling the information later they have more memory clues to tie to a particular scene. The addition of audio gives readers more context in which to understand a new word and the overall story, improving their ability to digest the information presented.

Access to Above Level Texts
Many texts may be too difficult for young readers to read on their own. Audio books mean these stories are no longer off limits. Children are given access to a wider variety of content and are introduced to new vocabulary words along the way. Hearing and seeing the word gives readers a better understanding of the new word and provides them with an example of proper pronunciation.

PARENTING TIP:
If you think your child is memorizing texts and not reading, ask them to point to the words as they listen. This shows that they can identify new words and will make it easier for them to remember those words in the future.

Reading as Entertainment
The narrative embellishments added by voice actors emphasize reading as entertainment, not something that feels like homework. Character voices, inflections and emphasis on various parts of speech provides variety and makes reading more fun. This allows children to develop enthusiasm for reading.

FarFaria’s “Read to Me” was developed with these benefits in mind. We’ve partnered with great voice actors to provide children with an enhanced reading experience. “Read to Me” is available for all our stories, which means any story at any level is accessible for your child. Not only does “Read to Me” provide children with the above academic benefits, it makes FarFaria’s stories more entertaining, encouraging children to develop a love of reading.

Try FarFaria’s “Read to Me” feature today and let us know what you think. Email us anytime at feedback@FarFaria.com.

Sources:
http://nbclatino.com/2013/03/06/using-audiobooks-to-boost-your-childs-literacy/
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/developing-reading-skills/literacy-benefits-listening
http://ezinearticles.com/?8-Teaching-Benefits-of-Audio-Books&id=384636
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64/

Greetings Explorers!

This week, FarFaria has some amazing new stories for you. Here’s a sneak peek at what to look for!

More than flowers or gifts, the most important thing you can do this Mother’s Day is tell your mom that you love her. Think about all the truly awesome things she has done for you.

Think about how grateful you are for all those diaper changes. Think about all the times she came running into your room when you were scared of the dark, the emergency trips to the hospitals. Think about how happy you are to see her face everyday. Think about all the wonderful memories you have with your mother. We did.

Moms, we love you. These are the moments we will never forget:

“In Ukraine, my mother would drop me to pre-school before she went to work. One day when she picked me up, it was somehow determined that I had lice. Well there were no special shampoos or remedies then. Instead my mom took me to a barber who shaved off ALL of my hair. I remember the buzzer being so hot that it burned my ear. I cried my eyes out and I distinctly remember my mom standing there feeling sorry for me. I think I even blamed her for the devastation of what had just happened to me!
But the next day I remember her holding me as I was crying and telling me that it was going to be all right.
I have very few memories from my time in Ukraine but this one is stuck in my head (pun intended). ”

-Gennady, CTO

“It’s hard to think of a single, distinct memory of my mom from when I was a kid. But, I do remember her patience and kindness coming through so many times. One frequent occurrence around bedtime was me being unable to sleep… because I was scared of the dark. (I won’t mention how old I was when I outgrew this need.) She never failed to calm me with a hug and the rhythmic patting of her hand on my back until I finally dozed off. The comfort of her hugs is something I will never outgrow and am still lucky enough to get from time to time.”

-Ajay, CEO

“There are certain things about my mom that I know I will always remember: the way her clothes smell, her laugh, the way she blows her bangs out of her eyes, the comfort of her touch. She is someone that I will always be able to laugh with and learn from. Even when things got rough, she never gave up on me. I think that in my entire life I have never had nor will ever have a better friend than my Mom.”

- Katia, Director

“I was home sick from preschool one day. I sat at the kitchen table, with my mom right next to me. She was trying to give me a spelling lesson. I guess I wasn’t that sick. She asked me how to spell a word, and I had no clue. I didn’t like not knowing how to spell, so I turned the tables on her.
I asked my mom, “Does QSRB spell a word?” “No, it doesn’t,” she said.
“Does PSARW spell a word?” I asked again. “Well, no, that’s not a word either!” she said. I repeated my questions over and over again, making up nonsensical spellings each time. She gently said no each time.
Finally, a little bit of frustration showing on her face, she said, “Jon, I think you need to study your spelling a bit more.”
“What about ‘D-O-G?’ Does that spell a word?” I asked one more time.
She smiled and said I had spelled DOG.
I had no clue that the word I spelled was dog, but it felt great to finally be right! I’ll always remember her gentleness and patience that day!”

-Jon, Director

Happy Mother’s Day!

Download FarFaria to read our new stories for Mother’s Day!

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day!

Most of us remember one special teacher. Someone who took the time to help us perfect our book reports, cram for the science exam, or figure out the oh-so elusive solution to that horrid word problem.

There may also be some of us, like me, who can’t pick just one moment to share. But I know that so much of what I have today I have because of the teachers in my life. How do you know if a teacher has made a difference in your life? Well…

If you can read, thank a teacher.

If you can write, thank a teacher.

If you can count, thank a teacher.

If you don’t use safety scissors anymore, thank a teacher.

Even if you still use the safety scissors, thank a teacher.

If you know how great paste tastes and can live to talk about it, thank a teacher.

If you know how many s’s are in the word Mississippi, thank a teacher.

If you know that class sizes are growing, funding is decreasing and that in spite of this teachers refuse to give up, thank a teacher.

If you do nothing else today, thank a teacher. It is because of their efforts that we are able to achieve so much in life.

Thank you teachers.

Download FarFaria to read our new story for Teacher Appreciation Day, “A Note for Miss Miller.”

Greetings Explorers!

This week, FarFaria has some amazing new stories for you. Here’s a sneak peek at what to look for!

Download FarFaria’s Activity Pages

The Wicked Witch of the West has set some traps for Dorothy and her friends. Uncover the hidden words in our word search and help Dorothy defeat the Witch.

Help Dorothy and her friends reach the Emerald City by finishing FarFaria’s “Wizard of Oz” maze.

Create an Emerald City of a different color with our “Wizard of Oz” coloring page.

FarFaria’s “The Wizard of Oz Part 2: The Emerald City”

Join Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man on their adventure in the Land of Oz!

Dorothy and her friends arrive in the Emerald City but their journey is not over yet. There they meet Oz, the great and powerful wizard. The wizard will help the travelers on one condition: Dorothy and friends must defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.

Find out what happens in FarFaria’s “The Wizard of Oz Part 2: The Emerald City!”

Download FarFaria today to read “The Wizard of Oz”!