Early childhood education | VIVIAN KIRKFIELD

A HOPPY EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA BLOG HOP

APRIL 20 – APRIL 25

THIS IS A MEGA-GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP HOSTED BY:

I AM A READER NOT A WRITER AND ONCE UPON A TWILIGHT

THERE WILL BE ONE COPY OF SHOW ME HOW! IN MY GIVEAWAY (USA ONLY)

MANDATORY ENTRY: YOU MUST SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG BY CLICKING ON “EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS” AND ALSO LEAVE A COMMENT

IN THE COMMENT FIELD

THERE ARE OVER 250 BLOGS PARTICIPATING IN THIS GIVEAWAY HOP

YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS LINK AND IT WILL GIVE YOU THE LINKY LIST

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/giveaway-hop-page.html

SO NOW I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE BOOK AND WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO WIN THE COPY!

My passion for children’s picture books began over fifty years ago. As I sat on my mother’s lap and helped her turn the pages of The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, a new and exciting world was revealed to me.

As a kindergarten and Head Start teacher, I developed a program that used picture books, not only for entertainment and enjoyment, but also to help young children deal with the challenges they face in those early years.

During my years as a daycare provider and mother of three, I continued reading picture book stories to the children on a daily basis, and I added crafting and cooking activities to enhance and enrich their learning experience.

I found that reading, crafting and cooking with young children helped build their self-esteem. These activities also developed their pre-literacy skills and each child entered kindergarten ready to read, if not reading already. Best of all, my positive interaction created a life-long parent-child bond.

So, I decided to share the stories, the crafts and the recipes and I wrote a book all about them.

SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING, is for parents, grandparents, teachers, daycare providers…basically anyone who is involved in the care and education of young children.

It pinpoints 100 picture book stories every young child should hear.
It offers a story summary and a gentle parenting tip for each recommended title.
It provides a simple eco-friendly arts and crafts project that ties in with each story.
It gives an easy healthful child-friendly recipe for each suggested picture book.

Believe me, I know how overwhelming parenting can be…and that’s why I wrote the book! It’s really a fantastic resource for busy parents and teachers who need a shortcut to educational, fun-filled, self-esteem building activities. I found that when children are provided with these types of activities on a daily basis, there is balance and harmony and PEACE in the home.

Now, some of you might be saying, “I have too much to do already. How will I find the time to do those activities?”

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

Just 15 minutes is all it takes to do the simple craft.

Just 15 minutes is all it takes to prepare most of the easy recipes.

There is also a neat schedule at the end of the book that would be perfect for someone who is homeschooling their children or even for a daycare provider who is looking for some time-management tips.

The book has been endorsed by parents, educators, self-esteem experts and picture book authors. Everyone who picks it up says that it is magical. Everyone who reads it loves it. It’s been reviewed on more than a dozen mom and dad blogs…and they have all recommended it. Several posted pictures of their own children engaged in the some of the craft projects.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has also recommended that all of their chapter headquarters, in cities across the country, purchase it to keep on hand as a resource for the families they help. I donate a portion of the proceeds of each book sale to JDRF. The sales of my book also benefit a mobile children’s literacy outreach organization, www.Bessthebookbus.org.

So, if you don’t win the copy in this giveaway, maybe you’ll want to purchase it on my website and you will be helping both of these worthwhile causes. You’ll also be guaranteeing that you won’t run out of ideas of what to do with your little ones in the coming months. And, if you don’t have little ones, remember Mother’s Day is just around the corner…this would be a great gift idea for any mothers or grandmothers or mothers-to-be that you know. If you do have little ones, perhaps your child’s daycare provider or nursery school teacher could use some fresh ideas. And don’t forget about graduation…if you know anyone who is receiving a degree in Early Childhood Education, the book will be a perfect resource for them as they go out to work with young children.

Last month, I visited my daughter in New Hampshire and was able to read, craft and cook with my 2½ year old grandson. I can guarantee that the book REALLY WORKS! The Show-Me-How Story-time Program has also been implemented in some of the schools in my city and, if you’ve read my “Follow-Me-Friday: Where’s Miss Vivian?” posts, you’ll know how much fun the children are having when I visit the Pre-K’s and kindergartens to read picture books and do craft projects.

Right now you have an opportunity to win the FREE COPY that I am offering as part of the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop. To be entered in this giveaway, there are three things you can do. The giveaway begins at 12:01am Wednesday, April 20^th and ends Monday, April 25^th at 11:59pm.

1. Mandatory entry: subscribe to my blog…there is a place on the left sidebar to do that…leave a comment to let me know. (If you already subscribe, please leave a comment to let me know that also.)

3. Post my giveaway on twitter or facebook. Please leave a comment to let me know.

4. Blog about my book giveaway on your blog. Again, please leave a comment and your blog address.

No matter how you enter, please make sure you leave your name, so that I’ll know how you entered and I will be able to contact you if you are the WINNER!

There are over 200 blogs participating in the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop. If you click on the link, you should be able to visit the other blogs and see what great stuff they are giving away!

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/giveaway-hop-page.html

Have fun hopping around…and good luck!

Image via Wikipedia

They say you can’t go back.

What do you think?

I remember walking into P.S. 199 as a student teacher. I had attended this elementary school as a ten-year old sixth grader…now I was 20 years old and a senior in college, pursuing my early childhood education degree. How small the double wooden entrance doors looked now! How tiny the seats in the classroom seemed!

It didn’t seem to be the same school that I had stored away in my memory banks.

Since January, I’ve been presenting the SHOW-ME-HOW Story-time Reading and Crafting Program to District 11 kindergartens and Pre-K’s. It is really great to be back in the classroom, interacting with students and teachers and parents.

But today’s kindergartens don’t seem to be the same as those stored away in my memory banks.

Why do I say that?

When I was teaching kindergarten (back in the 60’s and 70’s), the children learned through play and there was very little “formal” instruction. In today’s kindergartens, I see a lot of “formal” teaching of reading and writing…not just the ABC’s.
When I was teaching, kindergarten was a preparation for first grade. In today’s kindergartens, there seems to be an expectation that the children will be reading and writing by the time they enter first grade.
When I was teaching kindergarten, we understood that children mature in their own unique ways…while it is true that some 4½ year olds are quite capable of learning to read and write (I had several who came to kindergarten already reading and writing and speaking several languages), it is also true that many children have not yet developed the fine motor skills necessary for holding the pencil and mapping out the letters. With reading, we have the same situation…some children have the eye-brain coordination, but some need just a little more time to physically mature.
In my opinion, the only advantage to “pushing” these little ones to read and write is that, if there are problems such as visual impairment or learning disorders, they may be discovered at this earlier age and intervention can be arranged. However, the down side is that we are already labeling these young children…and often these labels stick, even if it was just a maturity issue that was the cause.
Almost every kindergarten teacher I have visited with has mentioned the lack of time to READ picture books to the children. Arts and crafts are also an area that is pushed to the back burner. Now, all of you know how passionate I am about reading to young children…and how much I believe in the importance of encouraging children to express themselves in arts and crafts activities. I realize that the curriculum and standards are mandated by the state…teachers don’t really have control over those things and are held accountable for the levels of learning their students achieve.
The almost frantic pace I observed in some of the kindergartens was even stressful for me…imagine how it must be for five-year olds! They change activities (and rooms) as if someone is surfing channels on the TV with a remote control. Perhaps they are used to it…having been exposed to the constant mini-bytes that are prevalent even on the educational TV channels. Again, I undertand that most of kindergarten teachers would probably prefer to go back to a “kinder, gentler” type of classroom. Don’t get me wrong…I do believe in routines and schedules for young children…I think they thrive when they know what the plan is…I just wish it was a less hectic plan. I know it used to be in the kindergartens stored in my memory banks.

What do you think? Do you have a child in kindergarten? Are you a kindergarten teacher? Do you agree that the kindergarten of today is the new first grade? And, do you think this is a postive or negative change?

THREE IMPORTANT REMINDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TODAY, APRIL 9th, is the LAST day you can purchase SHOW ME HOW! at 50% off the cover price on my website: http://www.positiveparentalparticipation.com. Parents, grandparents, teachers and daycare providers of preschoolers…please don’t delay…this unique resource is a shortcut to providing educational fun-filled self-esteem building acitivities for your children. MOTHER’S DAY is just around the corner…what a wonderful gift this would make, even for an expectant mom! And this is also the last day to enter to win the collection of craft supplies for your preschooler…purchase a book or fill out the contact form on my website or leave a comment on my blog about why you would like to win the prize.

TOMORROW: Sunday, April 10^th…I will be at the Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument, CO from 2-3:30pm, talking about reading, crafting and cooking with young children and signing copies of my book. For more details, please go to www.coveredtreasures.com or call 719-481-2665. The Book Fair (from 12:30-4pm) is for the benefit of the Tri-Lakes Community Preschool Tuition Assistance Program. If you are local to Monument, Colorado Springs or Denver, please head on over to say hello and do your part to support early childhood education!

Tuesday, April 12^th…I will be hosting Max the Dog as he continues his 36 day book blog tour. For more details about the on-going contest and to see where he has been and where he is going, please visit: http://readwithmax.com/blogbooktour.html