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.

9/11 Tribute…What the World Needs Now is Love

Posted on September 10, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Sunday, September 11 will be the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy here in the U.S.

There will be many TV specials and I’m sure that all over the country and around the world, there will be events to mark the date.

Looking back, we can remember and reflect on what happened and why it happened.

But going forward perhaps we can put forth a call for more love and less hate.

Songwriters have always seemed to understand this…”What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love”, “All You Need Is Love”, and one of my favorites, “The Rose”.

We can all be part of the solution…even if it is just in our own little corner of the world.

Like the catch-phrase of the “hippy” era said, “Make Love Not War!”

Five Simple Steps for a Healthier School Year

Posted on September 9, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Your child is going to school. As a parent, what can you do to make it the healthiest year ever?

Perhaps your child is a preschooler and will be attending a daycare or nursery school. Maybe your child is already in elementary school. Here are five simple steps that may keep your child from getting sick.

Wash hands often: everyone should have their own towel…perhaps a different color for each member of the family. This helps colds from spreading like wild-fires!
Dress appropriately: when it is cold, children should be dressed warmly, with hats or hoods on their heads…no ifs, ands or buts!
Get enough sleep: young children need LOTS of sleep so set up bedtime routines and stick to them. Our body renews and cells regenerate during sleep. Did you know that children between the ages of 2 and 5 need 11-14 hours of sleep? For more information about sleep and young children, you can go to: http://www.sleepforkids.org/html/sheet.html.
Make every meal and snack count: a good breakfast is a MUST and snacks can provide additional important nutrition, especially for picky eaters. For more ideas on healthy meal planning for the whole family, you can visit: http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/habits.html
Keep a sick child home: I know it is difficult, especially when parents work…but your child will get better sooner and the teacher and the other children in the class will thank you. With these tips, your children may stay healthy this school year and you won’t have to keep them home.

On September 24^th, the Show-Me-How with Miss Vivian program will be at Family Christian Store, 7165 North Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO. There will be one presentation from 12 to 12:45pm. I’ll be reading Johnny Lion’s Bad Day to the parents and children and then we will all make Paper Plate Lions. This program is appropriate for children from two to seven years old. In addition, there will be a flyer for parents to take home about staying healthy this school year. I hope we will have a good turn-out…please spread the word and tweet this and post to Facebook…maybe some of your followers are local to Colorado Springs.

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

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.

For more information: 719-237-3111 or vivian@positiveparentalparticipation.com

A Reel Cool Summer is a Really Cool Book for Kids

Posted on September 5, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Several weeks ago, I connected online with another author, Martha Rodriguez.

We realized we were on the same page about many things…have 3 children (2 boys and a girl), love our families, have a passion for picture books, recently had our first books published…the list could go on and on. Martha and I exchanged books and she’s already written a review of my book: http://bit.ly/peQ3mt

So now it my turn to tell you all about her book, A Reel Cool Summer.

As parents, we all know how difficult it can be to keep children entertained and busy…especially during the long hot summer. The story opens with three siblings, Joey, Jacqui and Danny, complaining about how there is NOTHING to do. After bantering back and forth, the three kids decide that what they need is a pool for their backyard so that they can cool off. While the two younger children go to ask their mother if they can buy a pool, Joey, the oldest, goes to get the mail.

After pleading with their mother to no avail, Joey takes his brother and sister aside and tells them about a contest that the library is holding. All they have to do is make a movie…and the winner will receive $100…enough to buy the pool that they all want. The entire family works together to build the props and make the costumes and Danny, Jacqui and Joey finish the movie and hand it in to the library with just moments to spare. Will they win the first place prize of $100 and be able to buy the pool that they want? Will they win the third place prize of the mystery box that contains who knows what? You’ll have to buy a copy of this lovely book to find out. You can visit the author’s website and purchase a copy at: http://www.readtomepublishingllc.com/Book.html

She also has a blog: http://areelcoolsummer.blogspot.com/

And you can contact her: info@readtomepublishingllc.com

One of the coolest things about this book is that kids love it. I brought it along with me on my recent trip to Chicago and read it to my 8-year old great-niece and 6-year old great-nephew. They absolutely LOVED it and listened intently to the story. They took turns reading some of the pages and were engaged with the colorful illustrations…which were done by the author’s now-adult son, Joey.

Ms. Rodriguez is to be commended on her first book for children. ..kids obviously love it. As soon as we turned the last page, my niece and nephew jumped up and ran into the house clamoring, “Can we go in the pool?” They were also anxious to hear it another time, so later we sat under the shade of a big tree and read the book again.

I’m sure that the author has more stories about Joey and Jacqui and Danny that she will share with us in future books…I know my niece and nephew and all kids ages 5 to 9 will be ready to listen.