A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Colorado Springs PBS Kids Fun Fest at Acacia Park

Posted on June 13, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Hundreds of happy children and their parents turned out for the Southern Colorado Rocky Mountain PBS Kids Fun Fest on Saturday, June 11^th at Acacia Park in downtown Colorado Springs.

With music and entertainment on the bandstand and Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George in costume, Acacia Park came alive. It was also the official opening of the Uncle Wilbur Fountain that many children enjoy during the hot summer days.

I was thrilled to be partnering with PBS and even before the event got underway, early visitors stopped by to check out the SHOW ME HOW table. Almost 70 parents filled out an entry for the free craft supply kit…and the winner is…Dawn!!! I’ll be emailing her today to let her know she is the lucky winner!

Many of the participants at the Fun Fest offered activities for the children…at the Show Me How! table, we were crafting Curious George paper plate faces and Clifford the Big Red Dog headbands with doggy ears. Easy enough for a very young child to do and so much fun…using inexpensive materials that parents already have around the house…paper, crayons or markers, a paper plate, scissors and glue. Hundreds of happy children walked away proudly wearing their Clifford headbands and waving their Curious George paper plate faces.

It was amazing to see how much the children enjoyed these simple art activities. Even though my book is geared for children ages 2 to 5, many of the older children sat down and eagerly began decorating their headbands or paper plate faces. Just because the headband was for Clifford the Big Red Dog didn’t mean that the children had to color it red. In fact, there were many rainbow headbands and others with detailed designs. One child decided that his Curious George paper plate face needed to be a frog instead of a monkey and so he used green markers to color it in. Hurray for the uniqueness of every child!!!!

I was so happy to see the parents participating with their children because that’s what Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking is all about! The book is a road map for parents and teachers…open it to any page and you will find a picture book suggestion with summary and a simple craft project and an easy recipe.

Are you overwhelmed and tired at the end of the day? I know I was when my children were small. I would have loved to have a resource like Show Me How! In fact, that’s why I wrote the book, because I realized that many parents have so much on their plate these days, they often don’t have the time or the energy to plan fun-filled educational self-esteem-building activities for their little ones.

Please head over to my website where you can purchase a copy of this amazing award-winning book for only $22.50…that’s a 50% saving off the cover price! You can’t get much for under $25 these days when it comes to gifts and Father’s Day is right around the corner. Chris Singer @bookdads is doing a tribute to fathers and I did a guest post on his blog. You’ll have fresh ideas for the whole summer and beyond! And here’s a BONUS: if you purchase a copy from my website during the next 14 days, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free craft supply kit for your preschooler…safety scissors, glue stick, construction paper, and more!

I’d also like to remind anyone who is local to the Colorado Springs/Monument Colorado area that next Saturday, June 18^th from 11am to 2pm there will be a town-wide festival for children called the Summer Soul-Stice. I’ll be at the Covered Treasures Bookstore, crafting with children. There was an announcement in the Denver Post and other local papers about it…so I’m hoping there will be a big turnout! Please stop by and say hello.

Have you been caught reading lately?

Posted on May 25, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

Does your child love books?

How often does your child see the adults in your home reading?

Do you read to your child every day?

Just 15 minutes a day is all it takes to read a picture book story to your child.

IMPORTANT TIP: those might be the most important 15 minutes of your day.

Reading to children accomplishes amazing things:

Builds self-esteem!
Develops pre-literacy skills!
Engages your child in the story between the pages!
Encourages your child to relate what happens in the story to his or her own life!
Provides an opportunity for you to discuss sensitive topics with your child that may be difficult for you to talk about!
Creates a life-long parent-child bond!

Here’s a wonderful story that helps us (and our children) realize that we are all special and have unique qualities and talents to share with others.

ZARA’S HATS written and illustrated by Paul Meisel

Zara is a young girl who helps her parents decorate hats in the family hat shop. Disaster strikes when their supply of feathers is depleted and they cannot obtain any more. Zara’s father goes abroad to buy more feathers and, while he is away, Zara begins to decorate the untrimmed hats with fabric flowers and paper mache animals and fruits. Her hats are an immediate success! When her father returns without any feathers, the hat shop continues to feature Zara’s amazing hat creations.

Positive Parental Participation Note:

What lessons can we learn from this story that can be implemented with our own children to help them develop a positive self-image? Zara and her parents participated in many activities together. They allowed her to help in the shop. In addition, they encouraged her creativity and gave her positive feedback when she tried new ways of decorating the hats.

Of course, we don’t need to open a hat shop in order to build our children’s self-confidence. By focusing on their special gifts and talents, we can make our children feel special at home every day!

Do you want to choose the right books to read to your child? Pick up a copy of Show Me How! Story summaries of 100 of the best picture books every young child should hear are provided…along with an easy craft activity and a simple recipe for each book. Go to my websiteto take advantage of the 50% off sale!

Summer is coming…don’t get caught with nothing to do with your little ones. You can check out one of the latest reviews of Show Me How at The Mom Writes. You’ll see why every family with young children really needs a copy of this great resource.

Don’t have little ones of your own? Grab a copy for a friend or relative who does…they will be forever grateful.

Sibling Rivalry Got You Down?

Posted on May 19, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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It’s hard to share!

That goes for toys, treats and parent’s attention!

Here’s a wonderful picture book story that focuses on sibling rivalry.

NOBODY NOTICES MINERVA

Written and illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan

Poor Minerva! Her older brother and her baby sister seem to get all the attention, so Minerva decides to do some naughty things like poke her brother with a fork and pick all the leaves off her mother’s plant. Her father speaks very kindly to her and explains that she is very special to him, but that perhaps she would like to be noticed for other behaviors. Minerva helps her brother set the table and reads a story to her baby sister and, enjoying the wonderful praise she gets from her parents, Minerva resolves to be noticed for good behavior instead.

When young children exhibit negative behavior, they are usually sending out a cry for attention and help. We need to let our children know, on a daily basis, that they are loved and valued. Try not to wait until your child is misbehaving to notice what he or she is doing. Why not notice when your children have picked up toys without being asked to do so or have amused themselves for a short period of time while you were busy on the phone?

It’s not easy to be the one in the middle. It’s difficult to be the older child who has been “replaced” by a baby brother or sister. And sometimes it’s hard to be the only child. Growing up is a challenge, no matter what! And being a parent is a challenge as well. 🙂 A positive can-do, matter-of-fact attitude on your part helps create balance and harmony for the entire family.

Choosing stories from the overwhelming number at the library or bookstore can be difficult…Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking divides the 100 story titles into six chapters, each focusing on a different component of building self-esteem. This great resource is filled with simple fun-filled activities that go along with the stories…and you can pick up a copy during the Jump Into Summer Sale…50% off the cover price.