Lentil: Encouraging Children to Embrace Volunteerism

Posted on April 27, 2012 by viviankirkfield

My son…on a fishing trip with us last year.

I can’t believe it is Friday already! The days are flying by. In a way, I’m happy because I am looking forward to May 11^th when my younger son is flying in from Chicago to spend the weekend with us. We already have a cabin reserved near Eleven Mile Canyon where we plan to go fly-fishing.

Living here in Colorado, we sometimes take for granted the pristine rivers and streams that are only a short drive away, as well as the faucets we can turn on to receive clean drinking water . This is not the case for millions of people in other parts of the world.

I’m fortunate to have connected with Angela over at From the Faith of a Child. She has started a new blog for a wonderful project that will benefit children who don’t have access to clean water the way we do. Her son, Jackson, decided to forego birthday presents this year for his sixth birthday. Instead, he wants to raise money so that a well can be dug in an area where children and their mothers have to walk hours each day to collect water for drinking and cooking and washing…and the water that they finally collect is often dirty and virtually unusable. These children are being robbed of their childhoods…and often their lives are cut short because of the contaminated water.

If you click http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/ you can view the three minute video clip that will move you to tears…and hopefully to action!

Your children can participate by drawing a picture to add to the Water Wish Art Gallery that Angela and Jackson have set up.

I hope everyone will read Angela’s post, look at Jackson’s art work that depicts his “Water Wish” and donate whatever they can to this worthwhile project. The most impressive element in all of this is that it is a child who is leading the way. Encouraging young children to contribute to the community and care about others is one of the most important lessons a parent can teach. If you have the time, you can check out another organization that champions children who help others: www.KidsAreHeroes.org.

Now, since today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children, my entry is about a young boy who also understood the importance of helping his entire community by using his ingenuity and special talents.

Lentil

Written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey

Publisher: Viking Juvenile (1940)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes:

Music, community, cooperation, perseverance, problem solving, self-esteem, self-worth, teamwork, coping with disappointment, celebrating our uniqueness

Opening Line:

“In the town of Alto, Ohio, there lived a boy named Lentil. Lentil had a happy life except for one thing – he wanted to sing but he couldn’t.”

Synopsis:

When Lentil discovers he cannot sing, he works very hard learn to play the harmonica instead. One day, the townspeople gather to welcome home one of their leading citizens. A jealous member of the town sabotages the homecoming and the band is unable to play. Will Lentil and his harmonica save the day?

Why I like this book:

It is written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey…who also gave us One Morning in Maine, Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal! Enough said! The book was published over seventy years ago, but the issues it touches on remain relevant today.

The story shows children that even when they have a disappointment, they should never give up and that each of us has unique gifts and talents of great worth. It also encourages community-mindedness and teamwork. When so much of the world is in poverty and so many young children are suffering, we want our children to learn to reach out and help others, now and as they grow into adulthood.

Related Activities:

Most children love music. An empty oatmeal container and a wooden spoon make a great drum. A piece of waxed paper wrapped around a plastic comb becomes a kazoo. Check out the websites below for enough homemade instruments to form your own rhythm band.

Picture from Tania Cowling at Suite 101

Simple Homemade Musical Instruments For Kids

Picture from Quirky Momma

More homemade instruments from The Crafty Crow

Learn about multi-award-winning author/illustrator Robert McCloskey here

Read more about Mr. McCloskey on Laura Frazin Steele’s LA Books Examiner site.

LAST CHANCE: If you haven’t nominated your local library to win one of the 25 FREE copies of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking that we are donating, PLEASE do so now! Click the book title link above to read a review from Summit Series for Families.

Help your favorite library win a copy! Just leave a comment on this post or email me at vivian@positiveparentalparticipation.com, naming the library and telling why the people in your community would benefit from having the book available to them. There are only a few more days…nominations close on April 30 and twenty-five libraries will be chosen using Random.org.

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities. And please don’t forget to leave a comment here, nominating your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

A Picture Book for Lil C (mydailycreativesarah.wordpress.com)

PPBF: Dinosaur vs. The Library

Posted on March 30, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children.

Before I get to the picture book review, please bear with me because I have three very important things to share.

Important thing #1:

I am donating twenty-five copies of my book to libraries across the country and around the world.

National Library Week starts on April 8^th. For me, the library has always been a place of wonder…as a child, I took out so many books that I looked like some alien being made of books as I walked along with my two little feet sticking out beneath the stack of books that rose higher than my head. During my years of teaching kindergarten and then while parenting my own young children, the library was a treasure-trove of early childhood resources and programs. These days, I keep busy doing the Show Me How Story-time program in local kindergartens, Pre-K’s and libraries, reading the classic picture books and doing the simple craft projects that are recommended in Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking (MoneyPenny Press, Ltd. 2010).

Would you like your local library to receive a free copy of Show Me How?

Budget cuts drastically reduce the number of books our libraries can purchase and all you need to do is leave a comment on this post, naming the library and telling why the people in your community would benefit from having the book available to them. At the end of the month, twenty-five libraries will be chosen through Random.org and the people who did the nominating will get to present the book to their libraries.

Important thing #2:

If the library you nominate is chosen, would you also like to do a review Show Me How! on your website/blog site/newspaper/magazine? I will be happy to include a second copy in the package, just for you! So if you are interested in doing a review, please indicate that in your comment.

Did you know that the first public library in the United States was started in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 1833?

Did you know that Andrew Carnegie helped build more than 1700 public libraries between 1881 and 1919?

Do you know any other interesting facts about libraries?

I’m really excited about this…how many nominations will there be…and what states (or countries) will they come from? Does anyone know how to put up a graphic of a map and pin the locations of the libraries that are nominated?

Important thing #3:

Donna Martin over at On the Write Track also has some exciting news! She will be manning (or should I say womaning) a booth at the Children’s Festival of Reading in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, May 19^th…and she is inviting authors and illustrators to donate signed copies of their books for her booth. I’m mailing out two copies of Show Me How to her today. This is an amazing opportunity to spread the word about your books…and, more importantly, encourage young people to become readers and lovers of books!

You can find out more about the event…and the giveaway she is hosting…when you visit her website.

Important thing #4:

Oh, that’s right! I said there were only three! But actually, Perfect Picture Book Friday is VERY important, so now, without further ado, my picture book selection! And with nominations for your favorite library now open, this was definitely the Perfect Picture Book!

Dinosaur vs. The Library

Written and illustrated by Bob Shea

Publisher: Hyperion Books (2011)

Ages: 2 and up

Themes: Behavior, friendship, dinosaurs, libraries

Synopsis:

Dinosaur is going to the library…one of his favorite places. As he walks along, he meets his friends…cow, chicks, turtle and owl, and he challenges them to a roaring contest (can you guess who is the winner?) and then invites them to come along with him.

At the library, he finds out that he must be quiet, especially during Story-time. Can Dinosaur hold in his roar?

Why I like this book:

It’s definitely hard to hold in the roar…and young children will identify with dinosaur immediately. What child has not been told, “Hush, be quiet!” in church or when an adult is on the phone or…at the library? All of the books in author Bob Shea’s Dinosaur series are wonderful…this book is funny, the illustrations are charming and any book that celebrates reading must be a winner!

Related Activities

Every child should have his or her own library card as soon as your local library will allow it. Make weekly trips to the library and check out the children’s programs that most libraries have going on…story-times for all ages, reading challenges with prizes, free movies and other special events.

HOMEMADE BOOKPLATES CRAFT PROJECT

Encouraging young children to love books and reading is one of the most important things a parent can do. Does your child have his or her own bookshelf? As parents, we know that we have to feed our children’s bodies. Next time your child has a birthday, choose a book and start a collection that will feed the mind and spirit as well!

Bookplates add a special touch…they let your child know that “THIS BOOK BELONGS TO ME”.

There are many instructions and printable bookmarks at the websites below. Here is a simple one you can help your child make.

You will need: White or light-colored cardstock paper (or you can use construction paper or copy paper), markers and/or crayons, scissors, tape or glue stick.

1. Cut the paper to the size you would like the bookplates to be (2 or 3 inches by 3 or 4 inches is a good size).

2. Write the words: This book belongs to…and then your child’s name.

3. Let your child decorate the edges and add his own design or pictures.

4. You can also cut pictures out of magazines and paste them on the bookplate or use stencils.

5. Roll a piece of scotch tape and use it to secure the bookplate in the book or use a glue stick.

6. Tip: you might not want to tape or glue a bookplate in a vintage collector book.

Here is a picture of a bookplate that my oldest son and I made together over 30 years ago. If the book looks familiar…it is! Gift-Bear for the King is the book I reviewed last Friday.

Some great instructions for bookplate making at these websites…also free printable bookplates:

Also at the Reading is Fundamental website: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/activitylab/color.htm

As well as at Dads Can Do

Other bookplate instructions are here.

And more are here.

And great info here

Did you know that someone has a blog devoted to bookplate collecting here?

I apologize for the length of this post…I hope you were all able to get through it!

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities. And please don’t forget to leave a comment, nominating your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

Picture book review: a trio of library books (thelupinelibrarian.me)
Six Golden Sower Picture Book Nominees (allisonsbookbag.wordpress.com)
Welcome Spring with Crafts at the Libraries (rcpldigitalpressroom.wordpress.com)
You Belong @ Your Library (rochpublibrary.wordpress.com)

Sunday Post: Light…Do You See It?

Posted on March 25, 2012 by viviankirkfield

The dictionary has many definitions of the word “light”…usually we think of a lamp that illuminates a room…or the moon and sun that shine outdoors.

But when we say someone sees the light, we imply a mental understanding or spiritual insight.

As a student, I had many instances where I “saw the light” after a particularly helpful professor explained a difficult concept to me.

As a teacher, I observed many pupils “see the light” when something I had been teaching them finally made sense.

And, as a parent and now as a grandparent, I’ve been privileged to watch hundreds of “see the light” moments.

Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is LIGHT.

Last summer we went fly-fishing with our twin grandchildren. Are you looking for a great intergenerational activity? Try fishing! Children love it…our grandchildren listened attentively while we showed them what to do…their faces were alight with joy as they cast their flies into the water.

And, have you ever watched the faces of children as they listen to a picture book story? Intent…attentive…joyful…alight with curiosity!

Or, put some arts and crafts supplies into the hands of young children and watch their faces light up with joy as the spark of creativity ignites!

There are so many things we can do with young children that will help them to “see the light”…reading, crafting, fishing, doing puzzles, taking a nature hike, going for a walk…just engaging them in a conversation. What are some things you enjoy doing with your children?

We only have one more week for the March Positive Parental Participation Reading Challenge! Please leave your comments and share with us the books you are reading with your children. Also, please spread the word about the Reading Challenge…a promise to read every day to a child…someone will be winning a new picture book at the end of every month!

Just a reminder…are you looking for picture book recommendations and other activities that will build self-esteem and reading readiness skills? Please check out my book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking…endorsed by parents, teachers and national organizations like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. There is also only one more week for the March special: free shipping on my website Continental US only (an additional $5 off the price of the book for participants in the PPP Reading Challenge) or you can purchase the book on Amazon.

If you’d like more information about Jake’s Sunday Post:

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

1. Christine: http://imagesoftheheart.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

2. Judy: http://northernnarratives.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

3. Isadora: http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-photo-challenge-by-jake-light/

4. Marcy: http://orples.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-photo-challenge-light/

5. Rois: http://jullianeford.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

6. Marilou: http://imexcited.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/sunday-post-light/

7. Natalie: http://reflectionsinapuddle.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

8. http://truthaboveallreligions.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/sunday-post-light/

9. http://blueberriejournal.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/light/

10. http://diggingher.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/sunday-post-weekly-challenge/