Literacy Program for Parents and Children: Parents’ Night at Trailblazer School

Posted on November 15, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Cover of Yes We Can!

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting a program for the parents and children of Trailblazer Elementary School in Colorado Springs’ District 11.

The president of the El Paso PTA, the head of the PTA at Trailblazer, the principal of Trailblazer and the director of one of the local preschools were also on hand to hear about how a picture book is worth a thousand words.

How is a picture book worth a thousand words? Why should we read picture books to our young children?

Children love them and children who learn to love books grow up to be good readers.
Listening to and looking at picture books helps young children develop the skills they will need to be ready to read.
The messages in picture books can help young children deal with many of the challenges they encounter in their early years.
Studies show that children who are read to at an early age are more successful in school.
Reading with your child strengthens the parent-child connection.

After talking a minute or two about the importance of picture books and reading to young children, I read, Yes We Can! by Sam McBratney. The parents and children enjoyed the story about the three animal friends who play together and make a big pile of leaves. However, when they stop to rest, they begin to make fun of each other and they all become sad and grumpy. At the suggestion of one of their moms, they each show what they can do best…and all the friends agree that Little Roo is the best jumper, Country Mouse is the best tail-catcher and Quacker Duck is the best puddle-floater. The little animals end the day happy with themselves and each other.

As I turned the pages for the second time, the children were eager to answer the questions I asked about the story they had just listened to. They agreed that no one likes to be made fun of and that it can make us sad or mad when others laugh at us.

Showing the children the sample craft I had made, I explained that we were going to make double-sided faces on the piece of white cardstock I had cut in the shape of a leaf. On one side, each child drew a happy/glad/excited face and on the other side, a sad/mad/angry one. We punched a hole in the top of each and looped a piece of yarn through the hole, so it could be hung on the doorknob of their room. When they are feeling happy, they will put the smiling side showing. When they are feeling sad, they will turn the frowning side over. What a wonderful opportunity for parents to initiate a discussion about why the child is feeling sad or mad! One of the components of building self-esteem is being able to express one’s feelings, whether positive or negative.

The children were excited to take home their art project and the parents were able to pick up a flyer on helpful hints and simple steps to making reading to children fun for everyone. I also provided a flyer of sample activities from my Show Me How! book. One of the parents recognized the book as one she had taken from the library and she bought two copies…one to use with her own children and one to give to a family member who also has young children.

Developing strong literacy skills is critically important and this program makes it quick and easy!

Reading a picture book only takes about 15 minutes!

Doing a simple craft project only takes about 15 minutes!

Preparing an easy recipe only takes about 15 minutes!

Parents don’t have to do all three in one day.

CREATE THE MAGIC!

UNLEASH THE SMILES!

With Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, you have 100 picture books already summarized, 100 simple crafts already planned and 100 easy recipes that will be fun to make and eat! That is an entire year of fun-filled, educational, self-esteem-building activities right at your fingertips. The holidays are coming and the price is right…only $19.95…more than 50% off the cover price. Click here and go to my website where you can purchase a copy of the book safely with PayPal or by check or money order.

SAVE THE DATE

I also want to remind anyone local to Colorado Springs…the Festival of Trees event, sponsored by the Ecumenical Social Ministries, is coming up this weekend. FESTIVE FAMILY FUN DAYS will take place on Saturday, November 19 from 9am to 5pm and on Sunday, November 20 from 10am to 3pm at the DoubleTree Hotel near the World Arena at 1775 E Cheyenne Mountain Blvd in Colorado Springs. There will be entertainment, crafting and other activities for children, Santa will be there and dozens of vendors selling wonderful items (many of them handmade and unique) perfect for holiday gift-giving. Admission is $5 per person…children under 12 get in for FREE!

Show Me How will have a table in the main ballroom, amidst beautifully decorated trees…and there will be a gift for EVERY child who stops by the table as well as free handouts for the adults. I’m also sponsoring a raffle to help raise money for the Ecumenical Social Ministries. Stop by my table, fill out an entry form, put $1 or more in the jar, and you will have a chance to win one of two huge stuffed bears. All raffle proceeds will be donated to the Ecumenical Social Ministries. If you have questions about the event, please call 719-228-6781 (Ecumenical Social Ministries) or contact the DoubleTree Hotel.

I hope you will stop by and say hello if you come to the event!

The Fine Bamboo Fly Rod: A Book Review and More

Posted on November 8, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Kirkfield, Stuart – The Fine Bamboo Fly Rod: A Master’s Secrets of Restoration and Repair – Colorado Springs, 1999, Cork & Cane Press, 2^nd Edition, Hardcover, Dust Jacket, Brand-New – Signed.

When I write a post about a book, I’m usually reviewing a children’s book. Today, however, I’m going to talk about a different type of book…one for people who love bamboo rods and fly-fishing.

When I met my husband over 48 years ago, neither of us knew anything about fly-fishing. In fact, in 1969, we went fishing on the Gibbon River in Yellowstone National Park and saw a sign in the river that read, “FLIES ONLY” and we walked away wondering how someone would catch and kill the flies and attach them to the hook.

As soon as we got home, my husband began to research this “fly-fishing” and soon was “hooked” himself. To make a long story short, he was so intrigued with the mystique of fly-fishing, he studied everything about it that he could find and soon was refinishing bamboo fly rods for prestigious companies like Abercrombie and Fitch.

In 1986, he wrote a book on the subject, The Fine Bamboo Fly Rod: A Master’s Secrets of Restoration and Repair, which was published by Stackpole Press. This book has become “the bible” for people who want to know how to restore or repair their cherished bamboo fly rods. Many of these treasures are passed down from generation to generation and are valued at many thousands of dollars…so it is very important to be able to fix the problems that may occur with age and use.

Inside the book you will find detailed instructions and close-up photographs on:

Making the assessment…what is wrong and what you need to do
Stripping the rod
Guide and wrap placement
Varnishing the wraps and rod
Cleaning the cork
Installing a new grip
Repairing broken tips
Repairing hook digs
And more than a dozen additional topics

Gerald J. Mullen’s brilliant photography has captured every step in each process and helps even a novice understand what needs to be done and how to do it.

Of course, for the person who wants to restore or repair a bamboo fly rod, this is an awesome book. It also has great value for anyone who is interested in the history of bamboo fly rods and the spiritual attachment that anglers have for them. The book is beautifully written and even someone who is not into fly-fishing will enjoy reading it.

Father and son make a great fishing duo...watch out, Mr. Trout!

I’m thrilled that my husband has agreed to offer his book on my website. I’ve done several posts about how fishing with young children is a wonderful intergenerational activity. Parents, grandparents and children will enjoy being together in the beautiful outdoors and all can learn from each other. Fishing provides a great opportunity to encourage children to protect and preserve our rivers, streams and the environment.

If you need some gear to outfit your kids you can go to the website of Take A Kid Flyfishing.

If you want a great children’s book that is a wonderful read for adults as well as kids and that is super cool way to introduce children to fly-fishing and how important it is to take care of our environment, you can go to the website of Olive, the Little Wooly Bugger

Our granddaughter listened with rapt attention to Grandpa's instructions.

This NEW, AUTOGRAPHED, hardcover copy of bamboo rod restoration and repair is THE BIBLE on this long-kept secret art and is currently priced at $169.00 per copy, with used copies selling online right now in the $200 – $300+ price range.

“Belongs on the bookshelf of every fly-fisherman!” – U.B.K, Hoboken, NJ

“I’m fortunate in that someone very special recognized my interest with a generous gift of Stuart Kirkfield’s book.” – Gerald Buckley, Tulsa, OK

“Craftsmen like Stuart Kirkfield kept the magic of bamboo rods alive.” – Ronald Barch, editor, The Planing Form Newsletter

Now – as a special promotion for the readers of Positive Parental Participation and my followers on Twitter and other social media – brand-new copies (straight out of the publisher’s shipping carton) are available for only $99.95 each. A very limited number of copies are being made available at this price.

The holidays will be here soon! If you have any fly-fishermen (or fisher-women) you are fond of, why not give them something they might never get for themselves.

Please visit again for my next post…I’ll be sharing some quick fixes for those temper tantrums that sometimes flare up while we are holiday shopping with kids.

Holiday Stress and How to Renew, Relax and Rejuvenate

Posted on November 6, 2011 by viviankirkfield

'Windows Into the World', United States, New Y...

Image by WanderingtheWorld (www.LostManProject.com) via Flickr

Life can be very stressful, especially for parents.

Juggling work, home and family responsibilities can rob us of our peace of mind.

Add to that the upcoming gift-giving holidays and you increase the stress level exponentially. Our expectations of what the holidays should be often conflict with our finances and our available time and energy and we are doomed to disappointment. Letting go of the past can definitely help. For more information and great tips from Deepak Chopra, read a recent post from a great blogger, Nancy at Spirit Lights the Way.

Stress is a factor in many health-related conditions…and parents who are under a lot of stress can over-react when their children misbehave…for some of these parents, a crying baby or a toddler who wets his training pants can elicit rage and inappropriate punishment resulting in physical or emotional harm to the child.

How can we relieve stress in our lives?

Recognize that you are feeling stressed.
Make a list of the stress factors in your life.
Find solutions to each of these problems…when my children were younger and didn’t have much money to buy gifts for me, I told them to write a love letter or draw a picture…those letters and pictures are still dear to me and I treasured them more than the sweater or scarf they couldn’t buy. Want to have a family get-together but can’t afford to buy all the food and trimmings? Have a family pot-luck, with every member of the family bringing a casserole, side-dish or dessert! No time to make those “from scratch” holiday cookies or don’t like to bake? It’s true I encourage parents to spend time in the kitchen with their children, making nutritious meals and snacks…and my book, Show Me How!, provides 100 healthful, child-friendly recipes…but you can buy the refrigerated cookie dough rolls and just slice them, bake them and decorate with edible gel. Maybe you have a friend who LOVES to bake holiday cookies…how about offering to watch her children while she bakes. Perhaps you love to shop and she doesn’t…be her personal shopper in exchange for several dozen cookies. There are always options for every situation.
Ask for help…if you have a friend or two who are in the same situation, plan to watch their children while they have a free morning, afternoon or evening to relax or shop or cook or bake or clean together without kids tagging along…and then rotate so that each parent gets a chance to have this special time.
Carve out some time for yourself every day…while your children are in school or napping, take a bubble bath, read a chapter in a good book, dance to your favorite music, exercise to a great DVD, walk in a park and listen to the birds. I love watching a classic movie in the evening and munching on a bowl of air-popped popcorn…each person has to find what works for them to relieve the stress that is part of life.
Check out online shopping deals…this can save you time and money…and you won’t have to drag the kids along. Many bloggers have holiday gift guides this year…a really nice one is from Jenny at MyLittleMe.
Start some simple family traditions…your children will remember them even when they are grown and on their own. For a wonderful list of fun and frugal holiday possibilities, please go to this post by Prerna, The Mom Writes.

Wondering what to get the young children on your list? How about picture books and arts and crafts supplies? Reading with young children and participating positively with them in arts and crafts activities builds self-esteem, develops pre-literacy skills and strengthens the parent-child connection. Visit your local library…you can borrow the books for FREE and many libraries have an area where they sell discarded library books or donated books VERY CHEAPLY…sometimes for only 10 cents a book!

If you are looking for some guidance as to which books to choose, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking is the answer. Please visit my website for an online special that can’t be beat…only $19.95 per copy! This ultimate resource of picture book suggestions, EASY eco-friendly craft projects and QUICK child-friendly healthful recipes is also the perfect gift for any parents, grandparents, preschool and kindergarten teachers, daycare providers, babysitters or nannies on your gift list!