Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
I’m Georgina, I’m a mum of two little ones under 6 and a former teacher/Special Educational Needs Coordinator. I now run The SEN Resources Blog which is a site for parents and teachers of children with Special Educational Needs. My website provides advice, recommended resources, learning activities and (most recently) home learning videos for those who are now home schooling due to the school closures.
What are your children’s favourite books?
My eldest’s favourite book is Captain Flinn and The Pirate Dinosaurs. He mostly loves non-fiction books so we were delighted when one of his friends bought him this book and it became such a hit. It felt like when we were reading these books together that we’d suddenly made the jump from toddler books into more grown-up childrens books. He loves that they are a bit scary…and obviously that they include dinosaurs!
Which book do you most like reading to them?
I love reading Walter’s Wonderful Web (by Tim Hopgood) to both my children. It’s a real favourite in our house. Its about an adorable spider who, despite many set backs, keeps persevering with his web building mission, until he creates the perfect one! Its also a nifty choice for sneaking in a bit of basic maths learning (theres lots of opportunities to reinforce and teach about shapes and colours in this book)
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
I was a huge Harry Potter fan when I was growing up, I absolutely adored the whole series and I can’t wait until my children are old enough to read the books and watch the films. I’m going to have to dust off my old copies and read them all again in preparation.
What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your children?
I like to look for children’s books that have a lovely moral or that teach them something useful. I love it when children read a book or listen to a book and it changes their view point on something or makes them reflect on themselves. Books can be really powerful. Failing that I look for books that feature dinosaurs…as its always a popular theme here!
What would you like to see more of in kids’ books today?
I’d love to see more books that included children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Theres a few brilliant ones out there, but I think it would really help children be more understanding and empathetic if more books featured characters with SEND.
About The SEN Resources Blog
The SEN Resources Blog is an award-winning site for parents and teachers of children with Special Educational Needs. It provides advice on everything from sleep to starting school. The SEN Resources Blog also recommends useful resources, toys and books for young children and shares fun learning activities that can help children develop key skills such as fine motor skills, communication, literacy, numeracy etc.
In response to the school closures due to COVID-19, The SEN Resources Blog now shares free, daily home learning activities on YouTube. Activities include everything from phonics and numeracy games to how to make lava lamps and volcanoes.
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