About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

Top Five New Year’s Resolutions for a Dynamic 2012

Posted on December 17, 2011 by viviankirkfield

English: Two New Year's Resolutions postcards

Image via Wikipedia

The New Year is almost here! Have you thought about your New Year’s resolutions yet?

The great thing about the New Year is that it gives us the opportunity to make a fresh start.

You can make broad, sweeping resolutions like EAT HEALTHIER or you can make more specific resolutions such as I WILL AVOID EATING FAST FOOD.

“To insure good health, eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness and maintain an interest in life.” William Londen

Based on William London’s practical advice, here are five resolutions that will result in a happier, healthier, more dynamic 2012.

1. Eat Lightly: many of us eat too much of the wrong things…nutritionists recommend eating six small meals a day instead of three big ones. In addition, make every meal count by using more fresh foods instead of highly processed ones.

2. Breathe Deeply: It’s definitely hard to find the time to exercise, especially when you work, take care of a home and family and have lots of other things that take your time and energy. However, moving at least 30 minutes a day will provide great health benefits…and make you feel more positive. Dance while you clean the house or take a walk while listening to great music. Get together with a friend and exercise together with a new tape in your living room if you don’t have the time or money to go to a gym. In addition, take time every day to meditate and be still…even if it is just for 5 minutes. It will refresh and renew your spirit.

3. Live Moderately: This rule applies to all aspects of our lives…eating, drinking, sleeping, surfing the Internet. If people would get enough rest…and eat, drink, exercise and pursue all other activities in moderation, the soaring medical costs in this country would decline. The cells in our bodies repair themselves during restful sleep…and people tend to gain weight if they are sleep deprived.

4. Cultivate Cheerfulness: Doesn’t it lift your spirits when someone greets you cheerfully, in a store, on the street or on the phone? Thinking and acting cheerfully does have a positive effect…on EVERYONE! Cultivating cheerfulness does not mean ignoring problems or pretending that everything is rosy when it is not. If something is troubling you, please share it with someone who cares about you. Set in motion steps that will change the situation. If it is a situation that can’t be changed, join a support group or ask for help.

5. Maintain An Interest In Life: Isn’t it amazing to see elderly people who get college degrees after they have retired from a life-long career? Or middle-school children who raise money for other children in a village that is situated thousands of miles from where they live? How can you maintain an interest in life? Read a book about something you always wanted to find out about; volunteer in a local school or hospital; reach outside your normal routine to help someone.

Are these goals on your list? Do you have others? Do share!

If you are a parent of a young child, please add another goal for 2012. Strong reading readiness skills and a positive self-image will help your child succeed in school.

Hop aboard with the award-winning Show-Me-How and get back to basics with reading, crafting and cooking with your child.

Each activity takes 15 minutes or less…a small investment in time with a big reward.
The book is arranged in an easy-to-use format so there is very little planning or preparation.
We’ve extended the online special of $19.95 per copy till the end of the year…order now so that you can begin 2012 with the Show-Me-How program of stories and activities.
NO BATTERIES REQUIRED…POWERED BY YOUR CHILD’S IMAGINATION

Parenting Tips on Reading Revealed in Radio Interview

Posted on December 14, 2011 by viviankirkfield

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak about reading with children and the impact it has on young children. The hosts of Bookmark Radio, Michael Scott and Wendy Duncan, are avid readers and lovers of books.

We talked about how important it is to read with young children on a daily basis. I hope you will click on this link to hear the radio interview:

November 21, 2011 http://castlerockradio.com/media_player.asp?messageID=107557

Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:

Reading with young children develops their literacy skills.
Children aren’t born knowing how to hold a book or turn the pages.
Parents need to be good role models and be seen reading by their children.
Reading with children is fun for everyone.
Children who are read to are more successful in school.
Adding cooking and crafting activities related to the story is a plus.
The messages in picture books can help children deal with many problems.
Cooking and crafting encourage children to master tasks and skills.
Self-esteem grows when parents engage positively with their children.
Parents are the first and most influential teachers for their children.

For more information about using picture books to help your child develop a positive self-image and better literacy skills, please visit my website. With your own copy of Show Me How, you will have 100 summaries of some of the best picture books ever written with an easy craft activity AND a simple recipe for each recommended title…right at your fingertips to use with your child. Each activity takes only about 15 minutes.

Why not start the New Year with a great resolution for 2012?

Get back to basics!

Read 15 minutes every day with your child!

Reading and Crafting Fun with Kids (viviankirkfield.wordpress.com)

The Best and Easiest Gluten-Free Cookie Recipe Ever

Posted on December 13, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Child obesity is a big problem in the United States.

With the holidays approaching, what can parents do to help their children maintain a healthy weight?

Provide healthful snacks: vegetable sticks (carrots, cucumbers, celery); fruit slices (apples, pears, orange sections), cheese cubes, whole-grain crackers.
Watch meal portions: for example, make a habit of measuring cereal before you pour it into the bowl (most cereals call for ½ to 1 cup as a serving size); use salad plates instead of dinner plates, especially for young children…you will be less likely to serve too much…this works for adults as well.
Keep eating out to a minimum and avoid fast-foods as much as possible: if you make food for your family yourself, you can pass on the additives and preservatives and high sodium content present in most restaurant offerings…and you will probably save money.
Make a batch of these nutritious cookies with your child: they are high in fiber, low in sugar, salt and fat…and no preservatives or artificial colors.

OVERNIGHT COOKIES

You will need: 2 egg whites, ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup ground almonds, 1 cup raisins, large bowl, electric mixer and a lightly greased cookie sheet.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.

3. Add the sugar and mix in.

4. Add the raisins and the ground almonds and fold in gently but thoroughly.

5. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 5 minutes.

7. Turn off oven.

8. If you like softer cookies, you can remove them from the oven after about 30 minutes. If you like crispier cookies, you can leave them in for an hour…or overnight.

9. This recipe makes about 12 – 18 cookies, depending on the size you drop onto the cookie sheet.

What a fun recipe to prepare with your child during this holiday season! You could even make several batches and give some away as gifts. Cooking with children is a super learning activity…science (how do the runny egg whites change when you beat them), math (fractions, counting), better pre-literacy skills (reading the labels of the egg carton, bag of sugar, etc.). Best of all, cooking with kids is one of the best ways to strengthen the parent-child connection and build their self-esteem as they master tasks and skills.

Please visit the Show Me How website where you can find out more about the book that provides many more quick and easy cooking activities for kids along with simple arts and crafts activities and story summaries of the 100 picture books every young child should hear.

The book has received praise from many mom and dad bloggers as well as picture book authors and self-esteem experts. http://areelcoolsummer.blogspot.com/2011/08/five-gold-stars-for-show-me-how.html

The New Year is almost here…make a resolution to spend 15 minutes a day, reading or crafting or cooking with your young child…the positive impact it will have on your child cannot be measured.