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.

Cinema Sunday: My Picks of Great Flicks: The Andy Griffith Show

Posted on May 1, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

Yes, I know that The Andy Griffith Show is NOT a movie.

However, my husband recently got a membership with Netflix and we now have available to us so many of the TV series from years ago.

I can remember watching The Andy Griffith Show…loving and kind Sheriff Andy Taylor, well-meaning Aunt Bee and little Opie. It was a great family show!

The other night, we watched the very first episode of the very first season…originally telecast in 1960…it ran for 8 seasons!

Blended families often have unique problems…step-parents worry that the children of their new spouse may not accept them, the children resent this new person who, in their eyes, can never take the place of their natural parent.

This first episode addressed that issue.

Sheriff Taylor is a widower and his long-time housekeeper, who had been caring for his son, has just gotten married and is moving away. Sheriff Taylor contacts his Aunt Bee and asks her to move in as a replacement. Young Opie rejects her immediately. He is rude and refuses to join in any activities where she is present…he misses the other housekeeper and doesn’t believe he can love anyone else who tries to take her place. Aunt Bee tries to bond with Opie…but she doesn’t seem to be able to do the things he enjoys such as fishing. When she hooks one and sees the little wiggling fish at the end of her line, she runs off into the woods – screaming!

When Aunt Bee decides to go back home, Opie begs her to stay because he believes she won’t be able to get along by herself since she doesn’t know how to do important things…like fishing. She needs HIS help!

If you are experiencing a similar problem, take a look at this episode…it will give you hope.

And, even if you are not, it was a wonderful series that brings us back to a “kinder, gentler” time. Like The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, The Andy Griffith Show reminds us that family values are important and family time spent together is priceless.

Summer is coming sooner than you think and children will be out of school and looking for things to do. For a great resource that provides HUNDREDS of fun-filled, educational, self-esteem building activities for the entire family (older siblings can help their younger brothers and sisters by reading the stories to them and assisting with the craft project…and the whole family can prepare the recipe together)…please go to my website and check out SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING.

Come by tomorrow for Make-A-Meal Monday. I’ll also be up-dating my website with new activities for the month of May and a special offer in celebration of Children’s Book Week – May 2-May 8 – the oldest national literary event in the US and Mother’s Day – May 8.

After the Royal Wedding: What Do William and Kate Really Need?

Posted on April 29, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

The Royal Wedding has been dominating the news in the last few weeks.

The media has featured photos and stories about William and Kate and the wedding preparations on TV, magazines, newspapers and all across the Web.

Did you know that Papa John’s in Great Britain has a special pizza with toppings that look like the royal couple?

Or that Baskin Robbins has a Royal Wedding Ice Cream Cake?

And, not to be outdone, that Dunkin Donuts produced the Royal Wedding donut…available only from April 24^th to April 29^th?

William and Kate will be receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of gifts from all over the world. I understand they have asked that if anyone wants to give them a gift, the money should be donated to charity instead. If you are interested in finding out more about this and which are the 26 charities earmarked by William and Kate to receive these donations, you can go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110425/wl_uk_afp/britainroyalsmarriagegifts

But honestly, I know exactly what William and Kate will need when their wedding is over.

It’s definitely been a stressful time for them. So many decisions had to be made and they are so much in the spotlight.

What William and Kate will need is a massage. Massage is very therapeutic. It relaxes you. It releases toxins in your system. It eases tense muscles. Perhaps they can have a couples’ massage together, in a room awash with candlelight and with soft soothing music in the background.

Massage was on my mind because yesterday I had one with the most fantastic massage therapist in Colorado. Kristie has been giving me and my husband massages for several years now. She can do hot stone massages, sports’ massages and just plain old feel good relaxing stress-relieving massages…all with expert knowledge about what is connected to what and why it hurts and how to help you make it feel better. She is also a teacher of massage therapy, so she really knows what she is doing!

I had a week off from my kindergarten story and craft presentations. But next week, stop in on Friday for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian? I’ll be telling you how my final program of this school year went at Queen Palmer School.

Please come back and visit tomorrow.

What’s in Your Child’s Bookcase Wordy Wednesday: MIMMY AND SOPHIE: THE VACATION

Posted on April 27, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image by Francisco Diez via Flickr

Are your children old enough to ask where you are taking them this summer?

Do you watch the television commercials for Disneyworld and feel badly because you can’t afford to take your children to this magical amusement park?

Is your budget already stretched thin with just providing the necessities, but you wish you had extra money so you could plan a vacation?

The parents in today’s recommended picture book story are faced with the same budget problems that many of us are experiencing. However, even though they have very little money they do have a lot of creativity.

MIMMY AND SOPHIE: THE VACATION

Written by Miriam Cohen

Illustrated by Thomas Yezerski

Summer is coming and all the children are boasting about where they are going for vacation. Mimmy and Sophie don’t have anything to contribute to the discussion because their parents are struggling financially. When Mimmy and Sophie ask their parents if they can take a vacation somewhere, their mother suggests they have a special picnic on the Brooklyn Bridge.

After helping their mother make egg salad sandwiches, the two little girls accompany their parents to the store where they buy a special treat…cupcakes with filling. Mimmy and Sophie enjoy the picnic on the bridge and spend the rest of the afternoon watching the boats in the river and the beautiful sunset. Although they have not traveled far, both girls are satisfied with the wonderful day they have spent with their parents.

Mimmy and Sophie were fortunate because their parents were sensitive to the needs and concerns of their children. They used their imagination to plan a wonderful afternoon for their daughters and, with very little money, enabled Mimmy and Sophie to enjoy a very special vacation. The time their parents spent with them helped Mimmy and Sophie understand how much they were loved.

As parents, we need to listen to our children and spend time with them just like the parents in the story: Positive Parental Participation in action!

If you are looking for activities to do for the summer or anytime, please visit my website and check out my book for parents and teachers of preschoolers. It’s loaded with easy fun-filled crafts and cooking activities.