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.

Increase Your Wealth As You Improve Your Health

Posted on October 2, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I saw a similar headline in an article in a recent Money Magazine.

It’s really commonsense, if you think about it.

What are some ways we could increase our wealth and improve our health?

1. If you are a smoker, giving up cigarettes will improve your health…and you will also save money by not having to buy them. Because you will avoid many of the serious health issues that smokers often have to deal with, you will save on doctor visits and medications.

2. Are you someone who drives everywhere…even to places that may only be a short distance away? Walking or biking instead of driving would save money on gas as well as wear and tear on the car which would extend the life of the car. The exercise gained from walking or biking would improve your core strength and over-all health…and that in turn would result in less money spent on pain medications and doctor visits for back pain.

3. Do you eat out often or bring home prepared fast-food on a regular basis? Most fast-food is really unhealthy and eating out can be very expensive. Try to set aside a few hours a week to prepare home-cooked meals that you can freeze or refrigerate for healthful, easy-to-heat dinners. You will save a lot of money and you will be eating much more nutritious foods.

4. Portion control is an important step in maintaining a healthy weight…we are encouraged by the media to super-size and biggie-size our meals and that’s one of the reasons obesity is such a rampant problem. Before you pour a bowl of cereal, for example, look at the serving size on the box. Usually it is ½ to 1 cup…but many cereal bowls hold 2 cups or more. Buy a set of measuring cups and use them to make sure you are putting one serving in your bowl, not two or three. The box of cereal will last a lot longer (saving you money) and you and your family will not be adding double and triple the number of calories when you eat cereal for breakfast…thereby maintaining a healthier weight.

What ways do you have of increasing your wealth while improving your health? Do share!

It’s almost time for Jingle Bells and Holiday Wreaths! If you are looking for some healthy child-friendly recipes, please check out my book. Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking gives you 100 easy cooking activities (and 100 simple craft projects) that would be fun for the whole family. The holidays will be here before you know it…this award-winning book makes a wonderful gift for any parent, grandparent, preschool teacher, daycare provider or any children ages 2-7. If you want a gift that keeps on giving long after the wrapping and ribbon have been tossed away, just buy a copy…you won’t be disappointed. There is a money-back guarantee…and it’s on special now for 50% off the cover price!

Children and Art Activities: Some Observations

Posted on September 26, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Once a month, our local Family Christian Store hosts the Show-Me-How Story-time with Miss Vivian program. I read a picture book story and do a related craft project, chosen from those recommended in my book. This is the same program that I provide to District 11 kindergartens and Pre-K’s during the school year.

Yesterday, the program’s topic was: How to Stay Healthy This School Year. I read Stan and Jan Berenstain’s, The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food. In the story, Mama Bear realizes that the bear cubs and her husband are eating too many sweet and junky snacks. She removes the junk food from the pantry and refrigerator and the entire family goes grocery shopping the next day where they purchase healthy foods: vegetables and fruits, whole grain breads and cereals and eggs, cheese and milk. They go to their family doctor for a check-up and she tells them that if they want to stay in good health, in addition to eating healthy foods, they should exercise every day. Taking the doctor’s advice, the bears begin a program of daily exercise. At the end of the summer, they win a prize for being the only family to finish the entire Bear Country Three-Mile Run.

After the story was over, the children eagerly moved to the tables for the craft project. Each child got a paper plate, 2 small black circles for eyes and 1 small black circle for a nose. Although we all started out intending to make bear faces, two of the children decided to make dog faces and one child made his paper plate into a cat. After gluing on the eyes and nose, each child used markers and crayons to add features and designs to the paper plate face. For over an hour, the children happily worked on their projects…the only frowns I saw on these children were when parents came to say it was time to go. Parents were able to take home an informational flyer, Five Simple Steps to Stay Healthy This School Year.

OBSERVATION #1:

If you give children art supplies and a project to work on, they will be engaged and productive and happy.

OBSERVATION #2:

If you allow children a certain amount of freedom when they are engaged in art activities, they will almost always surprise you with their creativity.

OBSERVATION #3:

Children often become very talkative when they are happily engaged in arts and crafts…this is a PERFECT time for parents to listen and interact with their children.

So, I have a few questions to ask if you are a parent or caretaker of a child age 2-7:

Would you like to put educational, fun-filled activities in your child’s day?
Do you need tips on school readiness for your child?
Are you time-short when it comes to planning activities for your child?
Do you wonder which books to choose to read to your child?
Would you like to have a simple plan to follow on rainy days…or any day?
Do you want your child to be engaged in positive learning on a daily basis?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions:

Purchase a copy of the award-winning Show Me How!.
The low price (50% off) is only available on my website.
This is a perfect holiday gift for anyone who takes care of young children.
Schools and other organizations can receive additional discounts.

A book is a child’s window on the world…no rules, just read!

THE BOOK PINPOINTS 100 OF THE BEST PICTURE BOOK STORIES!

Children who love books step out from inside the covers and succeed in life!

THE BOOK PROVIDES 100 STORY SUMMARIES & TIPS ON HOW TO READ TO KIDS!

Art & children…peanut butter & jelly…combinations that create magic!

THE BOOK OFFERS 100 SIMPLE CRAFT PROJECTS & 100 EASY RECIPES!

We all need a cheering committee…a parent is a child’s most important fan!

THE BOOK GIVES 100 PARENTING TIPS ON BUILDING SELF-ESTEEM!

Want to be in your children’s memories tomorrow? Be in their lives today!

THE BOOK SHOWS YOU HOW POSITIVE PARENTAL PARTICIPATION WORKS!

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by…with gift-giving holidays right around the corner, we are excited to provide Show Me How! at 50% off the cover price. Parents, expectant parents, grandparents, preschool and nursery teachers, babysitters…this is a gift that will keep on giving long after the package is opened. Please visit my website to purchase a copy for yourself or as a gift for someone special! When you purchase a copy, you are helping others…a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book benefits three children’s organizations: http://www.JDRF.org, http://www.bessthebookbus.org and http://www.kidsareheroes.org.

Autumn is in the Air: Time to Turn on the Oven and Bake a Cake

Posted on September 19, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I love the fall…cool crisp mornings and warm sunny afternoons.

Here in Colorado, the aspen leaves will be turning to gold, while back in New England where my daughter and her family live; the maples will be wearing flaming headdresses of scarlet, crimson and purple.

Many parents will be helping their children plan their Halloween costumes and decorate the house with pumpkins and sheaves of autumn wheat and Indian corn. Years ago, our local library had an annual pumpkin-painting contest and all of my children looked forward to choosing the “perfect” pumpkin to decorate and enter…hoping to win the coveted first place prize ribbon.

As the weather cools down, many of us start getting out the muffin pans and cookie sheets in preparation for holiday baking. I encourage parents to include their children in meal preparation…and holiday baking is an especially fun time to have your kids in the kitchen. If you are looking for simple child-friendly recipes, you’ll find dozens of them in my book, Show Me How!

Here’s a wonderful recipe for Carrot Cake that doesn’t appear in the book. It’s special enough for festive occasions, but simple enough so that young children can help.

The best thing about this cake is that it is very nutritious (one pound of carrots in each cake) and easy on the digestive system. I recommend it for anyone who suffers from IBS or GERD problems.

CARROT CAKE

You will need: 1½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1½ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 egg beaten, ½ cup canola oil, 1 tsp vanilla, zest of 1 orange, 1 pound baby carrots grated, ¾ cup pineapple chunks with juice (about ½ cup), 2 bowls, 1 Bundt pan lightly greased, blender or food processor.

Mix in large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
Mix in another bowl: brown sugar, beaten egg, canola oil, vanilla, orange zest.
Use a blender or food processor to grate the carrots and add the pineapple chunks and juice and blend until fairly smooth.
Add the carrot/pineapple mixture to the brown sugar/egg mixture and stir well till blended.
Add this to the flour mixture and stir gently but thoroughly..
Pour/spoon into lightly greased Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. After 30 minutes or so, turn upside down on a serving plate and allow the cake to continue cooling.
For storage, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator up to one week.

For parents who are local to the Colorado Springs area

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

STAYING HEALTHY

THIS SCHOOL YEAR!

SHOW-ME-HOW STORY-TIME PROGRAM

Saturday, September 24, 2011

12 to 12:45pm

Family Christian Store: 7165 N. Academy

719-598-1500 to RSVP

Or email vivian@positiveparentalparticipation.com

Bring your young children and listen to a story
Help your child make a simple craft project
Get a free flyer: Have a Healthier School Year

Vivian Kirkfield is a local author, former kindergarten and Head Start teacher and mom of three. Her parenting program and award-winning activity book for ages 2-7, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, has helped thousands of parents build self-esteem, develop pre-literacy skills and create a stronger parent-child connection.