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.

Autumn Leaves: A Lesson in Diversity for All of Us

Posted on October 3, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I went for a walk today.

The sun was shining down, creating beautiful patterns on the ground as it filtered through the branches of the trees.

The trail was littered with leaves, many of them already brittle and brown.

The Show-Me-How Story-time with Miss Vivian program has begun in our local District 11 kindergartens and Pre-K’s and the craft that ties in with the picture book, Yes We Can by Sam McBratney, requires leaves that are still flexible. I’m not sure if the teachers who are reserving dates for the program in November and December will think to put aside a bunch of fresh leaves in a plastic bag.

When you plan activities with young children, it’s always good to be prepared. I hate to disappoint little ones. That’s why I caution parents to check to make sure they have all the necessary ingredients or materials before they begin one of the cooking activities or craft projects recommended in my book.

As I bent down to scoop up leaves, I marveled at their varying colors, shapes and sizes. And I began to think about how even though they were different colors and shapes and sizes, they were all leaves.

Perhaps we can learn a lesson from this that can apply to people as well…even though we are different colors, shapes and sizes…we are all people.

I also noticed that some of the leaves had rough patches or holes where bugs or disease had left their mark…but they were still leaves.

We need to remember that when we meet others who are mentally, academically or physically challenged, they are still people…deserving of our respect, attention and friendship. And it is important to help young children understand this as well.

The lesson of the leaves can foster a wonderful discussion with your children. Please let me know what you think.

If you’d like to have 100’s of activities at your fingertips like the ones I do in my program, please visit my website where you can buy a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. What a great holiday gift this would make for any parent, teacher or grandparent of children ages 2-7! Don’t forget daycare providers, nannies, babysitters, early childhood education students and even expectant moms. They probably have enough little outfits that their babies will outgrow within a month or two. This award-winning book also has plenty of lined spaces on every other page for recording important highlights as your child participates with you in the story reading, craft project and cooking activity. Joan Fleischer, co-founder of the Creative Arts Therapy Center in New York City says, “I can’t think of a more valuable gift to give at baby showers or to anyone in a position to nurture and foster self-esteem in children.” It’s definitely a bargain at 50% off the cover price and comes with a money-back guarantee!

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.