Mom it Forward » Children’s Literature

Storytelling: How To Write a Book With Your Kids and Capture Family Memories

tammykling — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:35 +0000

Our family took in a homeless dog and named him Batman. We acquired him from the street and although he’s grown up in our home for over a year now, he still acts homeless. He likes to jump on the counters, ravage for food, and create a disaster wherever he goes. Nothing can stop or change Batman. My kids and I decided to write a book about Batman and tell about his funny behaviors.

Every family has a story. Some stories are funny, others are heartwarming, and some family stories are educational. There are mothers who write about autism or about adoption. I have seen celebrities write books about cooking, parenting, acting, or what it’s like in live in Hollywood. Katy Perry could write a book about what it was like being a small town Christian girl who exploded on the music scene as one of the biggest stars in the world. Nothing in our life is ever clean and simple. Whatever you’ve been through, it is a story that could possibly help someone else.

How To Write a Book With Your Kids

Here are some ides to get your stories down on paper and involve the whole family.

Get Your Kids Involved in the Process

Think about writing about your family, a summer vacation experience, their grandparents, or even a how to book that teaches other kids how to do something.

Do a Little Bit at a Time

It’s hard to have the patience to write an essay or a book. Writing is a skill that kids can use for a lifetime and some people, like me, make a living off of it. Start writing down your story. Do this in little sound bites. Then it will not be as overwhelming.

Make a List

Write down three of your best ideas. Talk it over with your kids and choose one of your ideas. Brainstorm with your kids about your topic and everyone contribute.

Have a Beginning, Middle, and End

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Start at the beginning. This book is about _____. Fill in the blank and go from there!. This can be your beginning chapter. The middle of the book is the meat of your story. Tell about your experiences with the subject and don’t stop writing. Just let it flow. Think about ways your story can help someone. Kids can come up with fresh ideas and concepts. Don’t overlook their contribution or perception of the story.

Include Illustrations

Involve the kids in illustrating drawings that go with you subject. This could be a fun way to bond with your kids around the dinner table. Take out the book for two weeks at dinner time and work on it together.
You don’t have to be a writer to teach your kids how to advance their writing skills. If you decide to publish your book, the possibilities are endless!

My kids have been with me on book signings, have watched me work the room, hand out books, and video tape events. They have traveled with me to the London book fair and have seen my books in bookstores all over the world. It’s fine if you decide not to go that route. Remember that your book is about the story and the message you are trying to get across to your reader. Stories bring people together.

If you decide to print your book, submit it to Shutterfly, Apple, Snapfish, or your nearest printer! The final product will be something your kids will share with family and friends for a lifetime. It will be something they will be proud of because you did it together.

How do you get your kids involved in writing? How do you capture your family’s stories and memories?

Picture for flickr.

Tammy Kling is a life coach, crisis management expert, and advocate for the homeless. She is an international author of 37 books including The Compass. Tammy is also the founder of The Homeless Writers Project, an organization that helps those living on the street write out their hopes & dreams via writers workshops, free journals and other resources. In addition to writing and coaching, Tammy is a mom of two boys, an avid trail and mountain runner, blogger, and adventure travel writer.

Children’s Literacy: 5 Ways to Get Your Kids to Love Reading

Desiree Allen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:22 +0000

Reading books to kids, being creative when it comes to books, using technology to make reading fun — all of these activities help get kids to love reading. Did you know that more than 88 percent of children who have difficulty reading at the end of first grade display similar difficulties at the end of fourth grade? And, three-quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade will remain poor readers in high school. Research also indicates a growing number of children are becoming apathetic readers. Some of these children are choosing not to read; not because it’s difficult, but because they don’t want to read.

5 Ways to Get Your Kids Excited About Reading

It is important to be actively involved in your child’s literacy experiences. The following are five suggestions to help you raise a reader in your home:

Listen carefully to your child when he/she shows an interest in something. For example, if he/she tells you about a cool animal on the Discovery Channel or a new student who is coming to school from Japan, make a mental note. Find a book about that “hot topic” and remember: a child’s interest fades quickly, so don’t wait too long to get a book!
Allow choice to be a strong motivator. Let your child choose some books that he/she likes. Reading Rockets, a website dedicated to teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle, offers a themed book list that you can browse to find the best book for your child.
Don’t make reading difficult! Let your child read a few pages to you. If he/she misses five words out of 100, the book is too difficult for him/her to read by himself. Choose another book, or read it to your child. In addition to a wealth of books, your library most likely will have tapes and CDs of books, musical CDs and tapes, movies, computers that you can use, and many more resources. You also might find books in languages other than English, or programs to help adults improve their reading. You can also pick up some reading tips on the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
Model reading in your home. Set a time when the whole family reads together. Each of you can share something about what you read.
Set small goals with your child, such as reading one page every night. Use chart paper and chart the nights she reads. He/she can see for herself if she’s achieving her goal. Do an internet search for a template to use or you can make your own reading log.

How do you get your kids excited about reading? How do you make reading fun for your kids?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Desiree Allen is a thirty-something single parent with two children. A native of Denver, Colorado, she lived there until 2009, when she moved across the country to northern New Jersey with her kids. She is doing her best to avoid ‘picking up’ a Jersey accent, but she’s not making promises that she won’t eventually start sounding like some of her new friends. You can find her blogging at Writing to Sanity and tweeting @writingtosanity.

Positives and Negatives of the Accelerated Reading Program

CarissaRogers — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:00:31 +0000

I am not a reading expert but recently I wrote that my younger kids each learned to read at a much earlier age than my oldest did. I opined that it likely was because the little kids had older siblings as role models and ‘reading buddies’.

I placed that conversation on Facebook and the response I got was unexpected at best. Several friends jumped in and agreed; their younger kids were better readers.

And then someone threw out a point that resonated with the other moms.

Her kids all loved to read when they were at home before they entered to school. But after Kindergarten and even First Grade they were not reading on grade level any longer, in fact they didn’t like to read at all.

Differences

It turns out that many moms agreed the Accelerated Reading Program was the Evil Villain in the reading equation. (This was not a scientific study, just a Facebook anecdote.) Wow, I had to agree, my kids hate AR and the ‘points’ system and taking tests, too. My 4^th grader is a very advanced reader and she is basically not allowed to read what she wants. There are only a small set of books available with tests (the school cannot afford more tests as they are VERY expensive).

Studies about implementing AR seem very positive. Take for example the following synopsis:

“Ross, Nunnery, and Goldfeder (2004) studied 1,665 students and 76 teachers (grades K-6) from 11 schools in Memphis, Tennessee. Many of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Teachers were randomly assigned to use Accelerated Reader or to continue regular curriculum without the software. Students in classrooms with Accelerated Reader demonstrated gains. Additionally, many of the teachers responded positively to the software and highly supported the software. Many also indicated that they would continue to use the software.

In another study, Nunnery, Ross, and McDonald (2006)^[7] used hierarchical linear modeling to assess the reading achievement of students in grades 3-6. This model incorporated the effects of individual, classroom, and school variables that impact reading achievement. Regardless, those in Accelerated Reader classrooms still outperformed students in control classrooms. Furthermore, students with learning disabilities in high implementation classrooms did not suffer from their disabilities as much as similar students in low or no implementation classrooms.” –Wikipedia

So why do so many moms disagree with this data? I have a theory. I wonder if children with adequate parental support (and siblings too) simply do not need the AR ‘incentive’. In the studies mentioned above, most of the children are targeted as ‘at risk’. I’m not trying to stir the pot and I believe all children absolutely should get as much reading help as possible.

Summary

If a child shows proficient reading skills and a love of reading, why can’t they opt out of the AR testing scheme? Especially when it causes a detrimental reading issue with them?

What are your thoughts about AR, or any other ‘testing’ type of learning program where the emphasis is on points and technology instead of one on one teaching?

In a former life, Carissa Rogers was a molecular biologist. In her current life, she is the chief researcher of bloggy karma, parenting dos (and some don’ts), new recipes, and for spice she pretends to be a photographer. She started blogging in February of 2008 and publishes her good & crazy thoughts on GoodNCrazy.com. Also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

No Name-Calling Week: How to Teach Kids to Use Words Appropriately

Lori — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:00:35 +0000

Name calling not only affects our children, it affects siblings, parents, and adults too. That is right! Adults are guilty in their relationships as well. It is time to set an example for our children and stop the cycle. Remember when your mother used to say “sticks and stones can break your bones, words will never hurt you.” WRONG! Words can hurt, sometimes even as badly. In honor of proving that out-of-date childhood adage incorrect, the week of January 24th-28th has been set aside as No Name-Calling Week in schools across the country. Check out these great children’s book titles that can help you reinforce this important message at home and maybe even help you as well.

3 Books That Reinforce the Concept of No Name Calling

1. Bullies Never Win by Margery Cuyler

This easy-to-relate-to children’s book tells the tale of Brenda Bailey, a bully who persistently and relentlessly taunts and teases her classmate, Jessica. Cuyler creates an accurate portrayal of how targets like Jessica typically respond to bullying, including experiencing anxiety, losing sleep, quitting sports, changing their style of dress, and fearing asking for help. She also uses Jessica to show young readers that the best way to handle bullies is to stand up to them in assertive ways. Jessica’s bold “Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win,” is a triumphant moment of self-defense that can inspire and embolden elementary school-aged readers.

2. My Secret Bully by Trudi Ludwig

My Secret Bully, written for tween readers, lifts the lid off of the hidden culture of relational aggression, otherwise known as girl bullying. It tells the story of Monica and Katie—two girls who have been friends since Kindergarten, but who now are facing a rift in their relationship, as Katie begins to exclude and embarrass her former friend in front of their other classmates. In tackling this painful subject of the ways in which some girls use relationships as weapons, Ludwig provides an accurate and not-often-addressed portrait of a young girl’s anguish at the hands of a frenemy. My Secret Bully is not a light-hearted portrayal of bullying, nor does it offer pat answers. But it does address an important issue in the lives of upper elementary and middle school-aged girls and can serve as a great springboard for discussions with parents.

3. One by Kathryn Otoshi

You know how sometimes a book comes along that you just know you will hold on to long after your child is done with it? Borrowing it from the Library will not do—you have to own it and you are certain it will be a top gift pick for any of your Mom friends. For me, that book is this one! Part of the magic of One is the significance of its message, conveyed in the simplest of terms and illustrations. This multi-award winner is one of the best books I’ve read (and I’ve read a LOT!) on the subject of the power that one child can have to change a bullying situation and to stand up for themselves in a way that garners self-respect and promotes dignity for all.

Additional information, suggested resources, and engaging discussion ideas to use during No Name-Calling Week can be found online at www.nonamecallingweek.org.

Signe Whitson, LSW is a family therapist and an adviser on how to handle passive aggressive behavior in our day to day lives. She has co-authored the book, “The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools and Workplaces“, a self help book for those subjected to this type of behavior. Her partnership with My Baby Clothes has afforded her more exposure to the parenting community. New baby on the way? Check out their selection of tutus and matching baby headbands perfect for every angel.

Family Traditions: Passing Down a Love of Reading

CarissaRogers — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 17:22:01 +0000

One of my most vivid childhood memories involved three very important elements: A red leather book, my mom, and The Old Hag’s Long Leather Bag.

The story, written by Seumas MacManus, came from Vol. I of The New Junior Classics and kept me spellbound time and time, and time again as my mother read it to me.

Now that I’m a mother, I’ve found that although my children don’t necessarily love the same books I loved as a child, they are drawn to the same basic elements.

3 Tips to Teaching Kids to Love Reading

Repetition. From toddlers to tween, repetition is an element that stands the test of time. Beginning stories like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? eventually make way for more complex stories that can be enjoyed again, and again. Like the Harry Potter Series for my tween, or Little Women for me.
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Scheduled Time for Reading. For me, there is nothing quite like watching my children stop wiggling, talking, jumping and moving in order to be read to aloud, to do the reading aloud or just spend some quiet time reading silently something that captivates them.
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Variety. They love it when I substitute silly words for the real words or read with extra gusto. In return they mix things up for me, which is always an adventure.

I’ve been trying hour upon joyful hour to make the sort of memories for my children that my mother made with me. I’ve also been attempting to make my children bookworms.

Just like me.

I think it’s working.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Thanks to Kabongo for bringing reading games to 4-7 year olds and for sponsoring this post.

Angie is a word loving, sunshine hoarding, book devouring, organizationally devout mama to a lot. When she’s not juggling the tasks requisite of a mother of 5, you will probably find her trying to steal time for her not-so-guilty pleasure of reading and writing, or promoting literacy within her home, community and on-line. She originated and hosts the meme Wordful Wednesday and
shares her “Tales From Under the Big Top”, on her blog, Seven Clown Circus.

Children’s Literature and Activities That Lead to a Love of Reading

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:00:05 +0000

When I was in college, I didn’t read much for fun. I read all the time, but it was research or text books, not fiction or literature. Our kids can get in the same rut when school starts.

Even children who love to read can find their reading time at home gobbled up by school work, extra curricular activities, and time outside. All those things are crucial, but making sure our kids enjoy reading—reading for fun at home and not just at or for school— is a goal we, as parents, should work toward with them and can achieve.

Four Tips to Helping Your Kids Learn to Love Reading

Here are some tips and great fall books to get your kids reading for leisure this fall.

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1. Get squishy with bedtime. I know bedtime is sacred in my house too but … by just adding 15 extra light on minutes a day with the rule that it must be spent reading will make a world of difference. If your child isn’t a reader yet you can still do this just cuddle up next to your child and read to them.

2. Get familiar with your public library. It’s free and it’s full of awesome books. Talk to your child about what sort of books they want to check out, help them find a stack ( not one or two… more like 5 or 10) and get excited about what they found. Repeat every 2-3 weeks. Also, sign up for email reminders for late books if you can, it saves us a lot of money!

3. Get them into a series. Books with sequels naturally offer a continuation of reading and you get a child excited about the next one.

4. Have a family book club. If your children are reading independently make deadlines, plan a family evening with treats and talk about the book. A quick internet search will usually produce book club questions. Make it fun.

Recommended Fall Books for Kids of All Ages

Baby and Toddler

Fall by Roger Priddy is a perfect book for your youngest readers. This board book will keep your little one’s hands busy exploring fall textures as you read, something many wiggly toddlers need.

Preschoolers

When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey is a stunning look at all the things that fall this time of year not just leaves from the trees.

Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington is such a great book for preschoolers. I can’t recomend it enough, especially this time of year!

School Age Series

Eric Wilson Mysteries. This author was a favorite of mine growing up and his very readable but also very age appropriate mysteries will keep your 3rd-6th graders reading and wanting more.

Harry Potterwith the final movies about to be released parents can leverage excitement about reading too!

Hunger Games. Have you read these yet? The final book in the trilogy Mockingjay has just been released and getting rave reviews from kids, teens and adults a like!

Tales2Go: Kids’ Audio Books Accessible From Your Mobile Devices!

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:17:09 +0000

Tales2Go is an application for iTouch and iPhones. It’s like Pandora only it’s a live-streaming audio reader for kids! Choose from a large list of categories and then sit down and listen to your favorite books. With earphones for privacy or listen via the speaker with all your friends!

My kids sit on my lap in a big stuffed rocking chair and listen to books with me!

The application is free to download and you get a one month subscription free to test it. After your free month it’s only $25 for a whole year. That works out to a little over $2 per month. With over 1,000 titles to chose from you’ll need a whole year to explore them all!

Think about all the different times your kid will use this (solving mommy sanity issues)!

In the morning when there’s 15 minutes before the momvan needs to move out.
In the car. So much better than “Pop The Bubble” mindless iPhone games.
One of my kids gets carsick reading, this way she can still get ‘reading’ in and avoid tummy troubles!
Waiting at the Dentist/Doctor/Orthodontist’s office.
In line at the post office, when little Johnny otherwise would be pulling on you and whining and crying.
When mom has an important phone call.

We use Tales2Go with our iTouch over our home network. You won’t be able to use it on an airplane, because you need wifi or cellular. However, I’m told they will be adding a feature where you can “cache” some of the books directly to your iTouch for a short time and take them anywhere with you.

Favorite Tales2Go books my kids have enjoyed so far:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Anansi Gets Common Sense
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No God,
Very Bad Day
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Meet Molly of the American Girl book collection

Tales2Go will be available for Blackberry, Android and other platforms in a few months. Yay for those of us who can’t get an iPhone!

Carissa received a free subscription of Tales2Go.

Join #gno Tuesday on Twitter to Celebrate Reading and Children’s Literature

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:23:40 +0000

Helping your kids fall in love with literature is a fun process for both parent and child.

Join the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday, March 9 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT) to chat about and celebrate reading and children’s literature!

What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
When: Tuesday, March 9, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
Where: Party with us here on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #memetales.)
Topic: Let’s Play—Getting Our Kids to Love Books and Reading
Who: @ajpassey @booksbyTara @carissarogers @cindyhopper @Gyldenege @inevergrewup @memetales @momtriedit @noflashcards @reneeAtShens @seanplatt @simplekids @teach_preschool @thinkmaya
Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 3/10
RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Spoonfuls of Stories—How Cheerios Is Helping Get Books to Families

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:46:22 +0000

For the past 8 years, Cheerios has been helping parents make reading with their child part of their daily routine. They do this by helping to get great children’s books into kids’ hands, and encouraging families to read together, by distributing popular and award-winning books free inside boxes of Cheerios.

Starting this month, Cheerios is again distributing 6 million children’s books inside boxes. The books, which Cheerios had specially printed in both English and Spanish, are five different titles from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. There is a cut-out window on the front of the box so you can see which book is inside and select the book you want. In addition, Cheerios is also making a financial donation to the nonprofit organization, First Book, to help get brand new books to children from low-income families—many of whom have no age-appropriate books for their children in their home. Over the past 8 years, Cheerios has distributed more than 40 million books free inside boxes and donated $3.2 million to First Book.

The Story About Kids and Reading in the U.S.

Here are some statistics about kids and reading:

Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school.
Across the nation just under half of children between birth and five years (47.8%) are read to every day by their parents or other family members.
Dr. Marilyn Adams (Beginning to Read) points out that a child with 15 minutes of read-aloud time each day from six months to six years benefits from 500 hours of “reading” exposure, three times what a first grade teacher can provide with an hour of reading instruction each day.
41% of fourth grade boys, and 35% of fourth grade girls read below the basic level, and in low-income urban schools this figure approaches 70%.
For America’s poorest children, the biggest obstacle to literacy may be the scarcity of books and appropriate reading material. In fact, in a recent study of low-income neighborhoods, there was only 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.

Why Is Cheerios Doing This?

Reading with your child can be the quiet moment in the day that you and your child both look forward to the most: the opportunity to snuggle together and explore the pages of a great book. Just as important as the bonding time that reading together provides, studies continue to show that read-aloud time is important to children’s reading development. Yet, for many families, books can be expensive or are not readily available. Cheerios is committed to helping parents provide their children with a healthy, nutritional, and educational foundation. They believe good nutrition and mental development work better together. With just 1 gram of sugar and 100% natural whole grain oats, Cheerios already is a staple in many households; it’s also the first finger food for many children. Through this program, Cheerios is using its place at the family breakfast table to help make books more accessible to families, both with books inside boxes, and through the annual donation to First Book.

What You Can Do?

To help get more books to kids and make reading a priority, you can:

Pick up a box of Cheerios with a book inside to read with your child.
Donate directly to First Book through www.firstbook.org.
Learn more at www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

Full disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. engages with clients to perform social media consulting and to provide sponsorship packages. Posts are included in sponsorship packages.

RSVP for This Tuesday’s #gno Twitter Party Sponsored by Cheerios

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:39:05 +0000

What are your favorite books from your childhood? What are story time rituals you have with your kids? What are tips for helping the reluctant reader?

These are just a few of the topics we’ll cover in this week’s #gno party. Join in and chat with some great folks from Cheerios, some terrific children’s book authors and illustrators from the Spoonfuls of Stories team, as well as fantastic Mom It Forward moms.

Don’t forget to enter to win Cheerios’ giveaway this week for 10 lucky winners! Click here to check out the details. The contest ends Sunday, October 18.

What: Cheerios is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, October 13, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #cheerios.)

Topic: Children’s literature

Who: @banteringblonde @cheeriosbrand @childhood @derek_author @cheeriokeeper @LeighannMMM @oohamanda, @robinglasser @karmawilson

Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Cheerios.

RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.