Holiday Shopping Shows Marketplace Gender Shift

Posted on December 11, 2012 by viviankirkfield

We may be in the 21^st century, but many parents will still be making gender discriminating toy purchases this holiday season.

Girls get dolls and baking sets and jewelry-making kits. Boys get trucks and Lego sets and model kits.

But, according to Dr. Susan Levine, chairwoman of the psychology department at the University of Chicago, “Playing with blocks, puzzles and construction toys helps children with spatial development and children with better spatial thinking are more likely to go into mathematics, engineering, science and technology.”

And playing with dolls encourages boys to develop a nurturing personality that will be crucial in building strong relationships later in life.

My top ten holiday gift recommendations for young children include dolls, blocks and puzzles…with no gender discrimination. I’ve always believed that block play is important for both boys and girls.

Toy companies are always ready to jump on board if they feel it will result in more sales.

Photo courtesy of timetoplaymag.com

Mattel, the maker of Barbie…and Lego…have teamed up to produce the “Barbie Build ‘n Style” construction set…in pink, of course!

A recent New York Times article discussed this new Barbie construction set that may encourage dads to interact more with their daughters. And in my book, anything that promotes positive parental participation is a good thing!

Jump into the New Year with an activity plan for your young children. Use Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking for fifteen minutes every day…read a picture book story or do a quick and easy craft or invite your child to help prepare a simple healthful recipe. You’ll find story suggestions and craft and cooking directions on every page of this award-winning resource for parents and teachers. If the book doesn’t make planning activities easier, please contact me to return it for a full refund of your purchase price.

How to get Dad to play with dolls (kansascity.com)
More Dads Buy the Toys, So Barbie, and Stores, Get Makeovers (nytimes.com)
“For the first time in history, Mattel is introducing a Barbie construction set” (scmc3001.wordpress.com)
Barbie now a builder as parent values shift (seattletimes.com)
How Children’s Toys Are Getting a Gender Neutral Makeover For Christmas (newsfeed.time.com)
What Happens When Dads Buy Sexist Toys? (theatlanticwire.com)
Barbie Caters to Dads This Christmas (mediabistro.com)
Barbie the builder: can she fix it? Yes she can, in high heels and in pink (thetimes.co.uk)

Sunday Post: Concept…Are We Teaching Our Children to Gossip?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is CONCEPT, which the dictionary defines as “a guiding general principle that determines how a person behaves.

What concepts…or guiding principles…are we teaching our children?

Is gossip one of them?

I watched an old Andy Griffith Show last night called, “Opie’s Newspaper”.

Young Opie has trouble getting customers for the little newspaper he and his friend have published and his dad advises him to use the daily city paper as a model and write stories that will be of interest to the general public.

Looking through the city paper, Opie realizes that the stories that are of interest to the adults in his town are the ones filled with scandalous gossip…so, in his little newspaper, Opie reports all the tidbits from conversations he has overheard. Fortunately, his dad reads what he has written before many of the town’s residents get a copy and they destroy the newspapers before anyone’s feeling are hurt.

His dad asks him why he wrote such stuff. Opie replies, “When I put in the nice stories, nobody wanted to buy it.”

That episode was filmed over fifty years ago…but times certainly haven’t changed. If anything, they have gotten worse. Many people LOVE to hear juicy tidbits about famous people. It seems that hearing horrible things about ANYONE seems to be a national pastime around the world. That’s why all of those court shows and expose shows like Jerry Springer and Morey Povich are so popular!

As parents, we have to remember what the pencil maker said to the pencil before he put it in the box, “Everything you do will always leave a mark.” Our children are like a piece of blank paper…and the concepts or principles we teach will have a lasting impact on them and will determine how they behave.

As Opie’s Aunt Bea said, “If we want the boys to behave better, we’d better set them a better example.”

What example are you setting when it comes to gossip?

Are you done with your holiday shopping? Do you want to make a positive impact on your young child?

Please remember that Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking is a super cool book and makes a PERFECT GIFT:

For parent, teacher, grandparent or daycare provider of children ages 2-8!
Provides 100 classic picture book story suggestions!
Gives a summary, age-appropriate craft and simple recipe for each title!
A great resource for fun-filled educational self-esteem building activities!
No fuss or muss…everything is quick and easy!
Buy the book today and help several children’s organizations!
We donate a portion of the proceeds to Reach Out and Read, JDRF, KidsAreHeroes, Books for Africa and BesstheBookBus.
45% off the list price! Check the prices on Amazon, Alibris and ABE Books…everyone (except the publisher, MoneyPenny Press) is charging MORE for USED copies!
There is a special PayPal button for Canadian residents!

“A wonderful resource for people who care for their children.” – Norman Bridwell, creator of the Clifford the Big Red Dog series

“What a lovely book! Parents will find inspiration in this delightful guide.” – Katherine Holabird, author of the Angelina Ballerina series

“I wish Show Me How had existed when my children were young.” – Suzanne Williams, author of the Princess Power series and over 20 other books

“Show Me How is an must-have resource for parents and teachers.” – Marilee Gruber, kindergarten teacher and grandmother

“Fun and practical for anyone fostering self-esteem in children.” = Joan Fleischer, co-founder of Creative Arts Therapy Center, New York City

“Invaluable tool for children to become life-long readers and lovers of books.” – Dr. Jodi Harap, clinical psychologist, Chicago, IL

Don’t wait…buy your copy today to make sure you get it in time for the holidays!

Show Me How is also available from the publisher (MoneyPenny Press, Ltd.) on Amazon and Amazon Kindle, for U.S., Canadian and international customers.

Want more information about Jake’s Sunday Post?

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

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Sunday Post: Peaceful…How to Create a Peaceful Home

Posted on December 2, 2012 by viviankirkfield

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

Surroundings can be peaceful…many people find that being near quiet water helps relieve stress.

Children listening to a picture book story can be peaceful.

Children engaged in a craft activity can be peaceful.

Many years ago, when my own kids were young, I operated a home daycare. People couldn’t believe that there were six children in the house because the house seemed so peaceful.

The children were always engaged in one activity or another…listening at a picture book; building with blocks; telling a story with the flannel board; working on a puzzle; drawing or painting a picture.

The house wasn’t silent…but the sounds of busy children, happily engaged in activities are PEACEFUL sounds.

Do you have young children?

Is your home a peaceful one?

It’s important for parents to provide those types of activities for their kids.

But it is difficult. Parents are busy with other responsibilities. Some parents aren’t sure what activities are best to do with their children. Others don’t know how to plan a balanced and harmonious day.

That’s why Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cookingis such a super cool book.

It gives parents those types of activities.
It gives parents a simple hour-by-hour plan that can be modified for each individual family’s situation.
It gives parents 100 picture book suggestions that will develop better literacy skills.
It gives parents 100 quick and easy craft projects that will build self-esteem.
It gives parents 100 child-friendly healthful cooking activities that will encourage fussy eaters to try new foods.
No expensive materials…just paper, scissors, markers and a glue stick.
No planning…the activities are quick and easy…no muss…no fuss.
Buy the book today and help several children’s organizations because we donate a portion of the book sales.
The list price is $44.95…you can purchase it on my website for $24.95 and get THREE BONUS GIFTS: FREE SHIPPING, A HAND-CRAFTED FABRIC BOOKMARK FOR YOU AND A BRAND-NEW PENCIL FOR YOUR CHILD.

A local woman who makes beautiful quilts created these awesome bookmarks for me…she donates her profits to a family shelter, so this is a win-win-win for everyone…she used three different pieces of fabric for each…here’s a close-up so you can see the lovely detail.