Bob Books Printables (Free)

[eloquacious]

Six bloggers are collaborating to create a whole host of Bob Books printables to accompany at least Set 1, possibly more as they progress.

 

I like these because I can use them for writing practice with #1 and reading practice with #2, and they can feel like they are doing the same thing.

 

You can see links here

 

http://www.3dinosaurs.com/printables/learningtoread/bobbooks.php#set1

 

They have released Set 1, Books 1 and 2, and will release subsequent books each Monday. :)

[Niranut]

Thanks for the link!

 

I've been using some of the printables from Walking by the Way (she's done all 12 of the set 1 books), and we're enjoying them. And now that I've gone back to get the link for you, I see that she's also got links to 3 Dinosaurs and some others who have Bob Book printables at the bottom of the linked page.

 

I also like that the 3 Dinosaurs sets include some writing. With the different options for printables available, it's such a great way to get even more out of your Bob Books :)

Edited November 11, 2012 by Niranut

[eloquacious]

I'm curious, coming from your perspective, which of the printable activities you find most helpful, and which the children like best. I have two early readers, the older is 4.5 and is reading at a 2nd/3rd grade level, the younger is 2.5 and has just started to sound out his CVC's, hence my renewed interest in Bob books and discovery of these printables.

 

With my older son, we didn't really love the BOB books until he was WAY past them, and he picked them up almost nostalgically. Really, he learned to read using the Sam books.

 

I would love to create a series of printables to accompany the I See Sam books, particularly the first 52 that are freely available. Before I do that, though, I'd need to know what people want or are interested in.

 

The Bob books are a helpful guide, but I'd need a variety of activities because my older son would never have been able to write when he was first reading the Sam books, but now he does.

[Mommee & Baba]

Thanks!!

 

I too love the Sam Books. If you'd be able to create something similar to what you posted from those bloggers for the Sam books I'd be THRILLED! My ds is 3.5 and isn't big on coloring so all the coloring activities don't get used here and he looses interest fast. So I've had to let him use the do-a-dot on his coloring pages or glue something on the items that are to be colored. He isn't yet ready to do much writing, but he can do tracing of shapes and different lines. I'd love to see this sort of thing incorperated. ALOT of what I see for freebies nowadays for things like this is coloring pages :( My dd's LOVE to color but I'm so thrown when ds is the complete opposite.

[Niranut]

My oldest 6yo ds is not an early reader, so he's really getting into the Bob Books just now. I've been using the sets from Walking by the Way, and we liked them, but we didn't do some of the easier sheets she has (like the ones where you circle the picture of things that start with the "s" sound).

 

I like her sets because she's got a variety of games/activities for the different books, and my son enjoys that kind of thing. He's NOT a coloring fan, but he's happy to do mazes, play tic tac toe, do a word search, and things like that. He likes them so much that I print them and put them in clear sheet protectors so he can use a dry erase marker to do them, erase it, and do it again (and again and again :) )

 

What we had been doing to help with the writing/spelling aspect was using the "Read, Build, Write" cards from Homeschool Creations. I just laminated the mats, write the word on top, have him build it with blocks/magnets/anything with letters on it, and then write it. Then wipe it off so we can use it for another word.

 

And now with the set from 3 Dinosaurs, there are some nice writing exercises to go with them as well. I know my own ds won't be doing all of that writing, but a sheet or two would be good reinforcement.

 

So I agree that the less coloring the better :) One coloring sheet as part of a bigger set is fine (I just won't print that sheet); but if coloring is the main skill required for most of the sheets, we're probably going to pass.

[eloquacious]

I'm so with you on the coloring... although I've learned recently that my son DOES like to color, he just hates crayons. Give him fine markers (not the bulky ones) and he'll sit and color for an hour while his brother rests. Score!

 

When my older son was younger, we did a bunch of the 1+1+1=1 and Homeschool Creations printables, including the You Can Read set. (It's a sight words program, but I taught them phonetically, or else as words that broke a phonetic rule. I dislike "sight" words, but I do believe that high-frequency words are important, so I took a cue from the Spalding Method et. al. and taught those words through phonograms and rules. (I didn't make him memorize too much, just told him the rule a few times, then sounded out the word. So he wasn't learned by sight, but as /h/ /long e/, Kwim?)

 

That being said, he LOVED to use do-a-dot markers, stickers, and dry-erase markers or chalk, so I usually adapted a bunch of exercises to be done by those methods, and it totally worked. Perhaps printables that allowed for such levels of use?

[Mommee & Baba]

I'm so with you on the coloring... although I've learned recently that my son DOES like to color, he just hates crayons. Give him fine markers (not the bulky ones) and he'll sit and color for an hour while his brother rests. Score!

 

When my older son was younger, we did a bunch of the 1+1+1=1 and Homeschool Creations printables, including the You Can Read set. (It's a sight words program, but I taught them phonetically, or else as words that broke a phonetic rule. I dislike "sight" words, but I do believe that high-frequency words are important, so I took a cue from the Spalding Method et. al. and taught those words through phonograms and rules. (I didn't make him memorize too much, just told him the rule a few times, then sounded out the word. So he wasn't learned by sight, but as /h/ /long e/, Kwim?)

 

That being said, he LOVED to use do-a-dot markers, stickers, and dry-erase markers or chalk, so I usually adapted a bunch of exercises to be done by those methods, and it totally worked. Perhaps printables that allowed for such levels of use?

 

I've found that my ds will color with markers but it's about 2 or 3 scribbles and he's over it. However he loves dry erase markers! I think printables for those levels would be awesome!:001_smile:

[jenbrdsly]

Whoa. I'm wondering if those bloggers are concerned at all about copyright violation. They could be in hot water, even though they aren't making any money off of it.

[eloquacious]

I'm not sure, but I'd guess this qualifies as fair use. They never give the text of the books, or the illustrations. There are activities with some of the new words. Granted, with these first few books there is a huge overlap between said activities and the text, given that it's only... you know...two word sentences. In later books, I don't see how it would be a huge problem.

[eloquacious]

There was a brief period where the bloggers pulled the plug, then came back after having arranged everything with the nice folks over at Bob Books... They have now completed printables through the end of series 3. 99% of these aren't helpful to us because when the boys are reading the words, they lack the fine motor skills for writing, but if you are using Bob books with a writing-capable Ker or the like, these might help you. 

 

http://pinterest.com/NLieuOPreschool/bob-books/

[Guest]

I am with you on the crayons. None of mine like them or will willingly use them. They do not like markers for paper, either. Love those Lyra colored pencils, though!

[stayathomelibrarian]

BOB books are great because they elicit so much confidence in beginning readers. These are cute, but I'd worry about making reading too much like work. The less printing I have to do the better. Having said that, there is a wonderful Bob books app available on the ipad.