Celebrity Reveal on the Importance of Reading

Posted on January 7, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

Have you signed up for the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge by posting a comment on my blog?

Reading is one of the most important activities you can do with your child. Even if you only have a few minutes a day, grab a picture book and sit down with your child and read.

Here’s what several celebrities have to say about reading.

“A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages and looking at its pictures goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning. Once a child learns how to use a library, the doors of learning are always open.” – Laura Bush, former First Lady of the U.S.

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy, former First Lady

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss, children’s author

“My advice about reading is to do a lot of it.” –Stephen King, author

“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

“If you have a question about anything, the answer can be found in a book.” – Bill Cosby, comedian

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” – Emilie Buchwald, author

Reading with children is fun for everyone…the reader and the listeners!

If you need some help choosing which picture books to read with your children, you can ask your local children’s librarian, visit Susannah Leonard Hill’s blog or one of the many other websites that deals with children’s literature or pick up a copy of Show Me How that will give you the story suggestions along with craft and cooking acitivities.

Picture Perfect Book Friday: The Kissing Hand (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
Why use picture books in children’s literature (wiki.answers.com)
Why Books Are Better Than eBooks For Children (clarbojahn.wordpress.com)
Parenting Tips on Reading Revealed in Radio Interview (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)
Project 365 and the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)

Perfect Picture Book Friday: The Kissing Hand

Posted on January 6, 2012 by viviankirkfield

The 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge is underway!

Picture books and kids go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Reading with your child only takes a little time each day, but the impact it will have on your child is big and will last a life-time.

I’ve just linked up with a fantastic resource for parents and teachers and anyone who wants to find great picture books to read with young children. What’s really cool is that for many of the stories, there are also suggestions for other activities that extend the learning experience. Perfect Picture Book Friday is part of the blog of Susannah Leonard Hill, a talented author of many children’s books. I’m honored to contribute, and hope that her site will also encourage every parent and anyone involved in the care and education of young children to take part in the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge.

Here’s a wonderful picture book that I have shared with hundreds of children.

The Kissing Hand

Written by Audrey Penn and Illustrated by Ruth Harper and Nancy Leak

Published by Child & Family Press, 1993

Intended audience age: 2 – 7

Theme/Topic:

As the author says, “This is a story for any child who confronts a difficult situation, and for the child within each of us who sometimes needs reassurance.” The Kissing Hand will help any child who is anxious about starting a new school or trying a new experience.

Story Opening:

“Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of the forest and cried.”

Brief Synopsis:

The little raccoon would rather stay home with his mother and play with his friends and swing on his swings because he is afraid of the new experience of going to school. Chester’s mother is able to help her son overcome his fears by giving him a special secret that her mother shared with her when she was little.

Why I like this book:

Young children love this story and appreciate Chester’s fear because many of them have experienced it also. As adults, we might envy the carefree life of a child…with no responsibilities and all the time in the world to play. However, a child’s life is not really carefree…and children are learning at an amazing rate while they are playing…and especially while they are sharing a story with a parent! Young children can identify with Chester and will be encouraged when they see how he was able to overcome his fear of going to school and his reluctance to leave all that is familiar. The book provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to engage with their children about this very common problem.

Resources and Activities:

If you are looking to extend the learning experience with your child, here is a super simple craft project you can do.

THE KISSING HAND CRAFT PROJECT

Materials needed for each child: 1 piece of light colored construction or copy paper, fine-line markers and/or crayons.

Have the children place their hands on the paper. Draw the outline of their handprints.
Talk to your children about the people (or pets) they love and those who love them.
Let the children decide which people will be represented by each finger…mother, father, siblings, grandparents, pets, favorite stuffed animal, teacher, etc.
Use markers or crayons to add the features to each finger.
Make sure the children reserve one of the finger of the handprint for themselves…we need to love ourselves before we can reach out and truly love others.
Help the children label each figure with a name to identify who it is.

When we brought the Show-Me-How-Story-Time-With-Miss-Vivian program to Chicago last summer, we had a ball with the children who came to hear The Kissing Hand and do the KISSING HAND CRAFT with us. Reading and crafting with kids is so much fun for everyone involved!

Join the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge and read a story a day with your child. Leave a comment and share with us what books you are enjoying with your child. Someone is going to win a picture book at the end of each month…maybe it will be YOU!

Please remember that if you participate in this Challenge, you are entitled to a $5 discount on Show Me How, a great resource that gives you 100 picture book summaries and an easy craft and simple cooking activity for each. Right now you can save two ways, because we are offering FREE SHIPPING for the month of January.

Project 365 and the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge

Posted on January 5, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Last year, bloggers on WordPress were given a challenge to write a post every day…it was called Post-a-day-2011.

This year, another daily post challenge has been issued by WordPress…Project 365. Why not Project 366 since 2012 is a Leap Year with 366 days? However, I guess if bloggers are able to write 365 posts in 2012, I’m sure they will consider themselves an unqualified success…I know I would.

I took part in the 2011 Post-a-day challenge and started out 2011 writing posts every day…this lasted about three months. After that I tried to post at least twice a week…sometimes I succeeded, but other times I didn’t. I take my hat off (or would if I wore one) to those bloggers who completed the task and made it to the end of the year, still posting every day.

For 2012, I am throwing my hat into the ring (even though, as I’ve already stated, I’m not wearing one) and will try to provide a post of value for every day.

In addition, I’m also issuing a challenge to every parent of young children. Make 2012 a year of engagement with your child! Read with your child every day! Be positive and consistent! Get back to the basics and spend time with your child doing fun-filled educational self-esteem building activities, like arts and crafts or simple cooking experiences. Keep a journal of the picture books you read and the activities you do. Share them here with us.

At the end of each month, there will be a prize of a picture book awarded to one family. During the year, any parent who is participating in the challenge and wishes to buy a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking will receive an additional $5 off my website price. I’ll set up a special PayPal button to reflect that discount. This award-winning book is a unique resource for parents and teachers…it pinpoints 100 picture books every young child should hear and then provides a story summary, parenting tip, simple craft project and easy cooking activity for each of the recommended titles.

Why should parents use Show Me How? The author of the Angelina Ballerina series says, “Parents will find inspiration in this delightful guide to reading and planning activities with young children.” And the creator of the Clifford the Big Red Dog series adds, “Show Me How is a wonderful resource for parents who care for their children and hope to better their reading and learning experiences.”

Parents…make this a fun-filled self-esteem building year for your child!

Join the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge!

A small investment of your time will bring a great reward for your child!

The Show Me How program requires no batteries!