Making Memories With Your Children: Summer Craft Activities

Posted on May 14, 2011 by viviankirkfield

Image via Wikipedia

I was in Chicago last weekend for Mother’s Day with my son and daughter-in-law. I also had an opportunity to visit with my sister and her sons and their families.

One evening, we all got together at a fantastic BBQ, hosted by my nephew and his wife. We all had a great time…the food was not only delicious, but healthful as well…kudos to Dave and Rebecca!

After dinner, we sat down to look at the old photo albums my sister had brought. As we turned the pages and my son and his cousin (both in their 30’s) exclaimed over each picture, I realized how important the pictures were…they reminded these grown men of the children they had been and the activities they had been involved in when they were young.

Summer is just around the corner…I know many parents are wondering how they will fill the long hot days with their children.

Of course, there are various solutions to this problem:

Put them in some kind of day camp…might be costly.
Sit them in front of the TV…how many cartoons do you really want them to watch?
Send them to someone else’s house…don’t you want to be the one they get their values and information from?

What is my solution to the problem of young children home for the summer?

READING…CRAFTING…COOKING!

Young children are always eager to hear a good picture book story.

Young children love arts and crafts.

Young children enjoy helping in the kitchen.

If you buy a copy of my book that is FILLED with picture book suggestions and summaries, easy arts and crafts activities and simple healthful recipes, you will be prepared for the long hot summer days ahead.

For starters, here’s a great idea that comes from Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. It will help capture those memories for your child as you create a photo album together.

AN ALBUM OF ME

You will need: A small blank photo album, a selection of photos of your child at different stages of his or her life, self-stick labels and a fine point marker.

1. With your child, go through some of the pictures that you have of him from birth to the present…and let him choose several to include in his own album. Make copies if you want to keep the originals in the family album.

2. Help your child insert each photo and then write a description (with his input) on a label or small strip of paper and press or glue it on the bottom of each page.

3. Listen to your child while he turns the pages of his album and tells you the story of his life.

4. Important tip: keep a camera handy…you never know when a photo opportunity arises.

Activities like this help:

build your child’s self-esteem!
develop pre-reading skills!
create a life-long parent-child bond!
keep your child busy in a constructive positive fun-filled way that will be fun for you also!

Start planning your summer activities now…with this amazing short-cut for busy parents and teachers!

And please stop by tomorrow for Cinema Sunday: My Picks of Great Flicks.

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.

What craft activities does your child enjoy most?

Photo credits: Image of the Brooklyn Bridge by Francisco Diez

Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian?

Posted on April 23, 2011 by viviankirkfield

: Image by Amy Bonner via Flickr

The school year is winding down

Thursday was my next-to-the-last Show-Me-How Story-time presentation.

So, I was just a little bit sad as I walked into Trailblazer Elementary School in Colorado Springs.

But, you can’t remain sad long when surrounded by smiling eager kindergarteners!

The children sat on the story rug and I sat in the story rocking chair and I read them Frederick, by Leo Lionni. This picture book is definitely a favorite with young children. The simple yet engaging illustrations clearly convey the frustration of Frederick’s family as they assume the young mouse is just trying to get out of collecting food supplies for the winter.

The story shows that each of us is a unique individual with different qualities and strengths. As a poet, Frederick used words to create pictures in the minds of his family members. And this, the story brings out, is equally as important as food…in fact, you might say it is a different type of food.

The teachers and their aides had done a stellar job of preparing the simple materials needed for the craft project. There were so many different colors and shapes of construction paper flowers; I thought there was a spring garden blooming on the teacher’s desk.

I am always amazed and excited by the comments I hear from the children. All three kindergartens were able to take part…the teachers split them into two groups for back-to-back story and craft presentations. After the story, the children were eager to tell me what supplies Frederick brought and what foods his family collected. They also discussed poetry and were able to come up with many rhyming words. Each time I would ask a question, almost every hand would wave excitedly as each child wanted to be the one to provide the answer.

Next month I have one more presentation and then the school year will be over. I look forward with anticipation to reading and crafting with a new group of children in August.

Please don’t forget about the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop and Giveaway of a copy of Show Me How. All you need to do is click on the link and subscribe to my blog and leave a comment on why you’d like to win the copy of this great resource for parents and teachers.