Project 365 Challenge: Clearing up Some Confusion

Posted on January 12, 2012 by viviankirkfield

: Image via Wikipedia

Project 365 Challenge

The 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge

Perfect Picture Book Friday

Comment Challenge

I’ve had a few questions about the challenge I issued to parents and other child caregivers the other day. It’s no wonder some people are confused. Perhaps I just have too many challenges going on at the same time! So here is the background of each “challenge” and what it means to me and how it affects you.

Project 365 Challenge: This is a challenge by Word Press and individual bloggers to encourage blogging every day. Some bloggers are doing photography challenges and are posting a new photo each day. Other bloggers might be offering a different recipe every day. Some follow the prompts given by Word Press and others will have posts about random subjects.

What Project 365 Challenge means to me: I hope to offer a helpful positive parenting tip, tool or tactic each day that will make the difficult job of parenting a little easier…a picture book review, a simple child-friendly recipe, an easy craft project, a new resource for parents such as another blog that gives great parenting advice, information about a library or school program I’ve done or just a little humor to lighten your day.

How Project 365 Challenge affects you: All you have to do is read my posts. If there is something you find valuable…I’ll be thrilled. If you have the time and want to comment, I love to hear your thoughts and will always comment back.

Click to enter and comment: 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge

The 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge: This is my challenge to parents and anyone involved in the care and education of young children to read with their children every day and also to spend time positively doing crafts or cooking or playing puzzles or taking a walk with their children. There will be a prize of a picture book at the end of each month and anyone who participates is entitled to a special $5 discount off the price of my book on my website.

What the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge means to me: I’m excited about this challenge and hope to encourage everyone to read to their children on a daily basis. The impact on a young child of being read to every day is enormous and life-changing. When adults spend quality positive time participating with children, it builds self-esteem, develops literacy skills and strengthens the parent-child connection. We all want that, don’t we? I’ll try to make it simple, giving you quick and easy activities and book suggestions during the week.

How the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge affects you: All you have to do is read a picture book to your children every day…and do some other positive activities like drawing a picture or letting your children help in the kitchen. Even having your little ones help sort the wash and fold the towels will count. Every day…or as often as you can, just post a comment on the official comment page (click this link or click the top button on my right sidebar), sharing with us the book that you read and/or the activity that you and your child participated in. If you write your comment on a different page, no worries…all comments count. One of the most helpful things about blogging is how we can become a community…a village. Let’s become a Positive Parental Participation Community and share our stories with each other and help each other. At the end of each month, we will randomly pick one comment and that person will receive a picture book. If you take part in the challenge and post even one comment in the month, you are entered to win the picture book AND you are eligible to get a $5 discount off the price of my book, Show Me How! This great resource will give you hundreds of picture book summaries, quick crafts and easy cooking activities. I met a preschool teacher yesterday who recognized me and told me how much she is enjoying my book that was given to her as a Christmas present by one of her students. “I don’t have to make lesson plans anymore. I just open up your book and I have the story recommendation, craft project and cooking activity all right in front of me…with a tip on how to use that particular story to build self-esteem and also some room on the page to write notes.”

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Picture book author, Susannah Hill, has a special page on her blog where she recommends picture books and provides summaries and other important information about them. She also invites other bloggers to contribute their favorite picture book stories for her list.

What Perfect Picture Book Friday means to me: I will be participating in Susannah’s list. Every Friday I post a review and summary of a picture book that I feel every young child should hear.

How Perfect Picture Book Friday affects you: Read my post every Friday and you will have a great book recommendation for your child. Visit Susannah’s blog (her button is on my right sidebar…you can just click it and it will take you there) and you will have lots of picture book suggestions for the other days of the week. Your local library is a super resource for picture books and the children’s librarian will be thrilled to help you pick out great stories for your child.

Comment Challenge: The Comment Challenge has been issued to encourage bloggers to comment on each other’s blogs. The goal is to comment on five blogs each day. Writing frequent posts is a lot of work…and takes a lot of effort. It is nice to have someone comment and this can motivate people to keep on, even when it is difficult or they don’t have much time.

What Comment Challenge means to me: I love reading other blogs…I learn so much! And I love to respond to what others are saying…so I enjoy commenting on their posts. I will try to do at least five comments each day.

How Comment Challenge affects you: It doesn’t…unless you are also blogging and taking part in it. But I hope you will comment on my posts as part of the 2012 Positive Parental Participation Challenge, as you share with us the books you are reading with your children and the activities you are doing

Jennifer, a super mom blogger at The Toy Box Years, is taking part in the Positive Parental Participation Challenge and she just posted a great review of my book. Take a look…she tells why she loves using it.

I hope this explanation of all of the challenges was helpful…and I look forward to reading your comments and sharing great parenting tips with you in the coming year.

Come back tomorrow for Perfect Picture Book Friday and a review of must-read book for your child.

Project 365 Challenge: Kids Do Say the Darndest Things!

Posted on January 11, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

Many years ago, Art Linkletter had a TV show called, “Kids Say the Darndest Things. Very young children sat on the stage and were questioned by Mr. Linkletter about school, family matters and life in general. Their answers were funny, perceptive, unexpected…and above all, honest.

Do you need a chuckle today? My sister sends me emails designed to uplift and entertain, so I’m passing along the following two jokes. Did children actually say these things? I’m not sure…but as an early childhood educator, I know it is definitely possible.

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:

‘Take only ONE . God is watching.’

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, ‘Take all you want. God is watching the apples.’

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, ‘Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?’

Her mother replied, ‘Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.’

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, ‘Mummy, how come ALL of grandma’s hairs are white?’

Hope you enjoyed this light-hearted post!

Project 365 Challenge: Tips to Make Blood Draws Easier for Kids

Posted on January 10, 2012 by viviankirkfield

January is National Blood Donor Month.

Blood needed for medical purposes is always in short supply and many blogs had posts related to this important activity.

Got Blood?

Donate Blood This Month

Give a Pint

Many people are hesitant to donate blood…the idea of having a needle stuck in your arm is bad enough…then the thought of blood being withdrawn from your body adds to the anxiety.

And if having blood drawn is unpleasant for most adults, imagine how little children feel about it.

But sometimes it is necessary for kids to have this procedure done to them. Earlier this year, I shared some simple tips to help parents whose children need to have blood drawn. I thought since it is National Blood Donor Month, it might be helpful to repost those tips. Who knows, they might help adults make the decision to donate blood this month!

1. Your attitude is contagious! If you are tense, your child will get tense as well.

Be positive!
Be honest with your child that it might hurt!
Talk about where or what you are going to be doing when you leave!

2. Your child could sit on your lap during the blood draw.

3. You could stand behind him or her and give a shoulder rub during the draw.

4. You could hold his or her other hand.

5. You could tell his or her favorite story.

6. You could leave the room…sometimes older kids would prefer this…it makes them feel grown up.

7. When it is all over, tell your child that you are proud of him or her…no matter how he or she acted during the draw.

8. Things NOT to say:

Don’t say it won’t hurt!
Don’t say just think of something else!
Don’t say just act like a big boy or girl!

As a parent, I appreciate how hard it is to see your child being stuck with a needle. If you have a child who needs to have blood drawn just once in a while for a particular test or on a regular basis because of some ongoing health problems, I hope these suggestions will be helpful.