Don M. Winn's Blog, page 12

A Trip in Time: Exploring the Great Frontier, Fort McKavett

In January of 1977, I remember watching a docudrama
mini-series with my dad called “Ten Who
Dared.” Produced by BBC in association with Time-Life films and narrated by
Anthony Quinn, it re-enacted 10 of the most challenging explorations of
recorded history.

The first episode recreated the voyage of Christopher
Columbus, while three others included Captain James Cook’s voyage around the
world and his charting of vast unexplored areas of the Pacific; Mary Kingsley,
a Victorian English woman who journeyed down the Ogowe and Rembwe rivers in
Africa; and Roald Amundsen’s successful attempt to reach the South Pole in
1911.

What stood out to me the most is the indomitable drive of the
human spirit to risk everything to explore and conquer new frontiers. This was
not only true of the rare individuals portrayed in Ten Who Dared but also of the many people who risked life and limb
and endured great hardship while expanding the western American frontier in the
1800s.

[image error]A photograph of Fort McKavett taken circa 1896.



[image error]Diagram of Fort McKavett, circa 1876

This was driven home to me during a recent visit to Fort
McKavett in west Texas. Originally known as “Camp on the San Saba” (river),
Fort McKavett was built in March 1852 and was renamed later that same year
after Captain Henry McKavett of the 8th Infantry. The initial rough
installation of canvas tents was gradually replaced with sturdy buildings
constructed from local limestone quarried by hand near the property. Even the
mortar had to be made from local materials; the old lime kiln is still in
evidence near the bottom of the hill the fort occupies. All soldiers were
responsible for building their own barracks, as well as a hospital, kitchens,
quartermaster’s storehouse, schoolhouse, and multiple officer’s quarters.

[image error]Top photo, exterior of officer’s quarters at Fort McKavett.
Small photo top left: the officer’s living quarters,
Small photo top right: the officer’s parlor,
Small photo bottom right: typical children’s toys of the period displayed in the officer’s home,
Small photo bottom left: the dining room in the officer’s quarters.

The settlers needed a military garrison for their safety and security.
When the first Spanish missionaries arrived in the San Saba valley in 1753,
they found countless thousands of Lipan Apache, Commanche, Tonkawa, Wichita,
and Yojuane Indians, who were not happy to see them.

[image error]Soldiers quarried stone by hand to build Fort McKavett

Why was there such a large Native American population in an
area of oppressive heat, scant water, and hostile weather? The Edwards Plateau,
a huge region in central Texas, is the home of a special kind of quartz mineral
called Edwards chert, or flint. This stone was so highly prized by the natives
for tools and arrowheads that it was traded between tribes as far away as 600
miles, and they were fiercely protective of this resource.

[image error]A view of Fort McKavett across the parade grounds to the ruins of Barracks Number Three.

Ninety-nine years would pass between the arrival of the
Spaniards in 1753 and an American military commitment to the region represented
by the establishment of Fort McKavett in 1852, which would offer protection to
westward-bound travelers and residents of the area.

[image error]Left: Exterior view of Barracks Number Four, Right: Interior view of Barracks Number Four at Fort McKavett

At Fort McKavett, every soldier and resident pulled their own
weight. Nothing was handed to them, and there were no luxuries. Brutally hot
summers of drought followed winters and springs that could be fraught with
flash floods, while the settlers endured the constant danger of coyotes,
cougars, and panthers, and abundant poisonous snakes and scorpions. There was
no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no TV or radio, no telephone, no hot
showers. The solders worked from 6 in the morning until lights-out at 9:15 at night.
Their duties included quarrying limestone, making mortar, chopping wood,
growing vegetable gardens, and hunting food, as well as offering safe passage
to travelers and guarding the locals against Indian attack.

A soldier’s monthly wage didn’t go far: a Private earned $13 a
month, and the commanding officer a mere ten dollars more. Fully half of a
soldier’s wage went to pay for laundry services performed by the wives of
senior enlisted men. Indeed, the only provision for a woman to be with her
husband at his posting was to earn her own keep. Laundresses were paid ten to
twelve dollars per month, plus room and board, and were paid additional money
by the soldiers for each piece of clothing they laundered.

[image error]Photo of a display at Fort McKavett illustrating the role of laundresses at the fort.

If we lived in that era, after paying for our laundry and
other expenses, we would have only about $6.50 left for the whole month. This
is a good situation for us to consider today. What would you spend your
hard-earned money on? Note paper and envelopes cost $1.20 but offered the only
means to keep in touch with distant family and friends, playing cards cost 40¢
per pack, a jar of pickles 75¢, books 25¢ each, potatoes 50¢ each, chocolate 75¢,
and beer 65¢ per bottle. Enlisted men did extra manual labor whenever possible
to earn extra money and improve their financial station in life, and they were
also encouraged to learn a skilled trade. Even learning to play an instrument
made a difference: both black and white enlisted men could earn 50% more pay each
month by joining in the Fort McKavett band.

[image error]Schoolhouse exterior and interior at Fort McKavett.

It seems so foreign to folks living in this day and age—when
comforts are abundant and expected—to think of people willingly traveling by
foot, horse, or wagon hundreds or thousands of miles from loved ones to scratch
out an existence in untamed parts of the world, the wild frontier. Why did so
many succumb to the draw of the West? It was the fact that any man or woman
could be successful if they were willing to show up and work hard. No matter how
humble or troubled one’s origins, the opportunity to imagine something better
and then work hard to make that something come true was available to all.
Self-sacrifice, a strong work ethic, patience, and the honor of one’s word and
good name were the recipe for success. And although some feel those values are
old-fashioned and unnecessary in our digital age, we would do well to
re-introduce such concepts to the next generation.

[image error]A collection of common items that might have been owned by an army family during the late 1800s at Fort McKavett, including corn husk dolls, frozen Charlotte dolls, toy pistols, chapter books, a child’s shoe, clay marbles, a wooden top, a pocket knife, and more.

In part 2, A Trip in
Time: Exploring the Great Frontier,
the Westward Railroad, we’ll visit the Railroad Museum in San Angelo, Texas,
and learn a little about the role the railroad played in the great westward
expansion of the frontier.

References:

Abundant thanks to Kevin Malcom, our knowledgeable and
hospitable tour guide at Ft. McKavett, and to Clifford R. Caldwell, author of Fort McKavett and Tales of Menard County
ca. 2012.

http://www.thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/fort-mckavett-state-historic-site

Cardboard
Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and help to establish
a strong pre-literacy foundation. Check out the CBA 2018/2019
Full Color Catalog for a
full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for
parents and educators.

A Trip in Time: African Burial Ground National Monument

Last October, my wife and I were profoundly moved and
sobered by a day at the African Burial Ground National Monument in lower
Manhattan. I offer this report to my readers, not to politicize or create
polarity, but in the spirit of remembering an important (and often unrecognized)
part of this nation’s history, and to honor the indomitable human spirit
endemic to each individual.

[image error]Staggering numbers.

In an isolated part of colonial Manhattan, in what is now the center of New York City, African slaves created a dignified and sacred space to bury their dead loved ones. Restricted from Christian burial grounds within the city, the enslaved Africans developed what became a five to six-acre plot outside the city’s northern palisade. (This protective wall was later removed as the city expanded, but its legacy is found to this day in the name “Wall Street.”)

There were stringent limitations on their actions: no more than twelve people could participate in any funeral procession or graveside ceremony, venturing more than a mile from their home required a written pass, and interment at night was prohibited. The burial ground was in active use between 1650 and 1795, and upwards of 15,000 individuals were interred there.

[image error]Only the smallest groups were allowed to gather in mourning.



[image error]Same exhibit from a different angle.

Nieu Amsterdam was the name given to the Dutch West India
Company’s colony on “Manahatta,” the Lenape word for “land of many hills.” The
Dutch desired to profit from the beaver pelt trade and brought African slaves
over to clear timber, farm the land, and perform other work, including protecting
the colony from the constant threat of Native American incursion. Broadway,
once a footpath of the indigenous peoples, was cleared and widened. The area we
currently know as Wall Street was a fortification built by slave labor
stretching from the East River to the Hudson River to protect the colony’s
northern boundary. And current day Stone Street in Lower Manhattan was the
first street in the colony to be paved with paving stones, all work being done
by enslaved Africans.

[image error]The Meerschalk Plan of 1754 – the first map to denote the burial ground.

The Dutch controlled the colony until 1664 and offered the
limited hope of what they termed “half-freedom” to slaves who had worked for twenty
years, but once the British took over, they renamed the colony to honor the
Duke of York and enacted the Duke of York Laws, which effectively eliminated
any hope of freedom for these people. Legal emancipation in New York would not
be available until 1827. While many today associate slavery exclusively with
the South, slavery was a violent, abusive, and central part of city life in New
York for two hundred years.

[image error]The moving words of one man’s personal experience.

These brave, resourceful, and courageous Africans maintained
their dignity and culture through secret gatherings where they shared their stories,
music, faith, and traditions. They had families, buried their dead, formed
friendships, and endured unthinkable atrocities.

Forgotten for over a hundred years, the African burial
grounds were discovered in 1991 during the excavation of 290 Broadway for a new
Government Services building. Today you can visit the African Burial Ground
National Monument in Lower Manhattan, which was built to honor these Africans’
memory and contributions.

[image error]Respectful archaeological studies and documentation of the remains before re-interment.

Our trip to this important national monument served as not
only a lesson in important history but as a reminder that each human life has
great value and deserves to be honored. Highly recommended.

For more information, visit: https://www.nps.gov/afbg/learn/historyculture/index.htm

Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong pre-literacy foundation in their preschoolers. Check out the new CBA 2018/2019 Full Color Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.

The Electronic Babysitter: A Trojan Horse?

A mere two thousand years ago, Virgil wrote the Aeneid. Many of its concepts have meaning for us thousands of years later, but my focus today is the cautionary tale of the Trojan Horse. Briefly, the Greeks had been unsuccessfully striving to take the city of Troy for 10 long years. They devised a trick where they would offer the Trojans what seemed like an impressive gift—a huge wooden horse—after which they would all pile into their boats and sail away, apparently giving up on the siege.

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The Trojans took the bait, brought the giant horse within their city walls, and subsequently lost the war. Under cover of darkness, a number of elite Greek warriors emerged from the belly of the horse, opened Troy’s gates, and allowed their fellow warriors inside to plunder Troy. Perhaps you’ll recognize the quote, “Trojans, don’t trust this horse. Whatever it is, I’m afraid of Greeks, even those bearing gifts.”

The
takeaway here is that even something that seems to be a gift should be
approached with caution and good judgment.

I recently blogged about Screen
Time Vs. Creativity: Finding the Balance for Growing Children and
discussed the possible effects of screen time on developing brains. In the
blog, I mentioned that since many of these types of electronic stimuli are recent
additions to the human family, the research and observations on their effects are
only beginning to trickle in. Since then, more concerns have been raised by
health officials on the detrimental effects of too much screen time on developing
minds. Currently, the average amount of time spent gazing at screens is greater
than 7 hours per day! I don’t know about you, but I find that number positively
staggering. The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation study, “Generation M2: Media in
the Lives of 8-18-Year-Olds,” (January 2010) disclosed the following:

Children ages 8–18 spend the following amount of time in
front of the screen each day:

Approximately 7.5 hours using entertainment
mediaApproximately 4.5 hours watching TVApproximately 1.5 hours on the computerOver an hour playing video games

This is in stark contrast to the average 25 minutes per day
that children spend reading books.

[image error]On average, children ages 8-18 spend nearly 15 hours each day staring at a screen.

This got me thinking about my own youth and wondering how
different my life would have been if I had access to the electronic devices of
today. The more I think about it, the more grateful I am that I didn’t have
such modern devices. Such devices could have easily taken over my life, and not
for the better.

Yes, we had a television, but we only had 4 stations and
limited programming so we didn’t spend a lot of time watching it. When we did
view tv shows, it was usually as a family. I especially remember Sunday
evenings watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild
Kingdom followed by The Wonderful
World of Disney. Beyond that, there was not much to keep me glued to the
TV. On those rare Saturday afternoons when I was stuck inside, I could only
stand so much of The Lawrence Welk Show
and dare I say it…Hee Haw. Argh!!!
And how many of you remember turning on the TV at 4 a.m. only to be greeted by
a test pattern? There was literally no programming after midnight when people
were supposed to be sleeping.

Going back yet another generation, I remember my dad
describing how as a child, his family would sit around a large box with a
speaker (I think they called this piece of antiquity a radio) and would stare
transfixed at it as stories would be dramatically narrated—often with sound
effects too.

However, most of my early years were spent outside with
friends, playing games and using my imagination. Those are the best memories of
all. I shudder to think what benefits I would have lost without that time;
social skill development, meaningful friendships, robust physical activity,
development of hand/eye coordination, development of my creativity and
imagination, learning problem-solving skills, exploration and discovery of my
world, and development of a meaningful appreciation for its wonders.

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When it comes to electronic devices, I’m not suggesting that
we throw the baby out with the bath water, but rather that we find a place of
balance and this is especially important for the very young.

Here are some points to ponder:

Consider minimizing your own screen time when
the kids are around, especially during meals, playtime, or shared activities.
Instead, consider prioritizing conversation, teaching moments (brushing teeth,
tying shoes, washing hands, polite interaction, to name a few), and consistent
daily routines.Be present and engaged when screens are on, and,
whenever possible, co-view with your child.Pay attention to messages about gender, body
image, violence, diversity, and social issues when choosing content.Focus on shared reading and playtime activities
that encourage your child’s imagination, and offer words of praise and support
for any creative moments, activities, or projects your child generates.Select quality content purposefully, i.e., let’s
watch/play this now, for this reason.Medline suggests zero screen time for children
under 2 years of age and limiting screen time to 1 to 2 hours daily for
children over 2 years of age.Don’t use screen time as a reward or a
punishment

As always, I’d love to hear your input. What activities did you enjoy as a child? How much of a role did the television play?

References:

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20194281

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/reduce-screen-time/index.htm

Cardboard
Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and helps to
establish a strong pre-literacy foundation. Check out the new CBA
2018/2019 Full Color Catalog for a
full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for
parents and educators.

New Beginnings

 John Pierpont “J.P.” Morgan wrote, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”Incredibly, the school year is already half over. We’re each about to turn the page on a new month and a new year. It’s a great season of life and year to evaluate what’s working, and what’s not working as well as we’d hoped. Nowhere is that act of inquiry more critical than with our educational system. The halfway point of the school year offers an excellent window of opportunity to peer into the development of mind, skills, stress, attitude, and approach that comprise your child’s educational constellation. Here are some suggested questions you could use to make this kind of vital assessment.

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Is actual learning taking place? What new things has your child learned so far this year? This list could include vocabulary words (definition and spelling), music, artistic development, scientific foundations, or higher math skills like fractions, decimals, percentages. In which topics does your child struggle, and in which does he or she excel?Have any new aptitudes come to light this year?If so, how can those be encouraged? Is your child manifesting signs of stress? Have you noticed changes in eating habits, weight gain or loss, changes in sleeping habits, reluctance or opposition to going to school, attitude changes about doing homework, hopelessness, frustration, negative self-talk? Any or all of these merit your full attention and inquiry. Is your child being bullied? Checking their social media regularly for signs of an attack can minimize the chances that things get out of hand. Talk with your child to find out how they feel about what’s happening, and tell them you’ll work together to remedy the situation.Bring any issues to the attention of the school administration. What aspects of education are causing a struggle or stress? How can those be addressed with educators and counselors? Document your observations about amounts of homework, the time it takes for your child to complete the assignments, their ability to complete assignments, their stress levels, and areas that need more targeted intervention or different teaching approaches. It can go a long way toward teamwork to also make a point of commending educators for all the things they’re doing well, not just focusing dialog on things that need attention.What is your child excited about or passionate about right now? Interests can be quite mercurial and quixotic, so providing reading material, movies, hands-on tools or supplies, lectures or demonstrations, and other validations of your child’s interests are a fleeting opportunity to dignify your child by demonstrating that what’s important to them is also important to you. Is your child falling behind, especially in reading, comprehension, and writing? Processing issues such as dyslexia and some sensory integration disorders can take a while to manifest. Now is the time to dialog with educators about getting your child back on track. Children have a small window of time in which to learn to read well, after which they must read well to learn. What programs are available in your school? Advocacy is one of the greatest ways to show love for your child.

I invite you to take this time with your child to encourage them to keep up the good work, while also crafting a plan to address the misfires of your child’s educational system, whether you home-school or your child attends private/public school. Let go of what’s not working, and begin again with a fresh approach. Your child will be glad you did! And stay tuned for my January newsletter, focused on fresh starts and new beginnings!

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Holding a Live Bird

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I’ll admit it: I love a good movie about sports, especially
those based on true events. One of my all-time favorite sports movies is “The
Greatest Game Ever Played,” a 2005 golf drama directed by Bill Paxton based on
the true story of the 1913 US Open, where 20-year-old Francis Ouimet defeated
reigning champion, Harry Vardon.

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Francis was the son of immigrants, part of a working-class
family in Brookline, Massachusetts. Francis saw Harry Vardon at an exhibition
as a 7-year-old boy and had a key interaction with Vardon, as depicted in the
movie. At Vardon’s invitation to the audience to come “have a bash” with the
golf club, Francis bounded onstage and was graciously greeted by Vardon. When
Francis addressed the ball, he missed, was laughed at by all in attendance save
Vardon and his mom, and immediately looked humiliated. Vardon’s response as he
comforted the young boy, and gently taught him how to hold the golf club, is a
great life lesson for us all:

“That’s all right, Francis.
Even in our darkest hour,
we must always remember,
you never despair.
Have you held
a live bird in your hands?
Not too hard to hurt her.
Just firm enough to stop it
from flying away.
Try it again.”




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I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had our share of dark moments, and many of us have despaired. Maybe we’ve been humiliated, failed publicly, or struggled to do something that seemed to come easy for everybody else. Sadly the youngest among us isn’t spared these experiences, but grapple right along with the rest of humanity with prejudice, cyber-bullying, and unmet needs from without, and feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness, or their perceived different-ness from within. But none of those experiences is cause for despair: instead, each experience presents us, young and old, with an opportunity to readjust our grip, as it were, to become gentle, and to remember that life is like holding a live bird. And that it’s ok to try again, and again, and again until we get it right.

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Thinking Long Thoughts: Where to Go From Here

The ephemeral mist that comprises human life has once again nudged my consciousness. A dear friend of mine, a mere 5 years my senior, was found dead at his desk this Wednesday. No warning. No diagnosis. No symptoms. To all appearances, a man in perfect health in the prime of life. The shock to all of us who loved him is palpable; our loss is real.

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Thinking about what’s truly real and substantive as opposed to what passes for real in this life is an interesting, even vital exercise in verifying the “true North” of one’s own internal compass. In my own case, checking and replying to email, other “busy” work at the computer, endless errands, business demands of a busy publishing house, marketing, writing books, newsletters, even keeping up with this blog, while necessary, are just what passes for real. While there is substance, necessity, and function in all those tasks, they’re just that—tasks—not who I am, not what defines me. Indeed, perhaps you can relate to the fact that those tasks and to-do-lists can actually distract me from being fully present in my own life. I am so intent on getting things done, checking things off my list, getting things resolved, squared away, settled, that sometimes a whole day can pass without me even noticing the warmth of the sun on my face, the caress of a cool breeze, the relaxed repose of a belly full of warm vegetables, the peace of a slow, purposeful breath, the sound of the birds outside singing their songs for any audience willing to listen.

I am reminded of a favorite poem by William Stafford. It’s a poem about getting out of our busy mind and dropping back into our body, our senses, and our awareness of the beauty all around us. It’s a powerful reminder that each of us collects and curates our own experiences in this life and that we get to choose what we focus on, where we put our energy, and whom we connect with. Take a deep breath in the beauty of your own life, be fully present, and enjoy.

You Reading This, Be Ready

by William Stafford

Starting here, what do you want to remember?

How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?

What scent of old wood hovers, what softened

sound from outside fills the air?

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world

than the breathing respect that you carry

wherever you go right now? Are you waiting

for time to show you some better thoughts?

When you turn around, starting here, lift this

new glimpse that you found; carry into evening

all that you want from this day. This interval you spent

reading or hearing this, keep it for life—

What can anyone give you greater than now,

starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

Don’t wait for “time to show you some better thoughts.” So often, we wait for the perfect circumstances to come around, thinking that only then I can be happy. But permission to be happy is as close as your next breath. Our breath connects us to the universe, and to the sea of our fellow human beings. And we have an ever-so-finite number of them at our disposal. Turn around, start here, and be fully present in your own life and to those you love. That’s what I want to remember for today.

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A Whole New Look, Same Great Stories!

My award-winning Sir Kaye the Boy Knight series has an
exciting new look with four redesigned covers. Why the change? Since book one, The Knighting of Sir Kaye, was released
in 2012, the appeal of the stories has spanned all age groups, including a dedicated
group of adult readers without children who buy the books for their own
enjoyment.

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Dan G. states, “This series of books takes me back to
my childhood when my young mind was brimming with possibilities of adventure
and reminds me of one of my most special friendships from that time of my life.”

Betty D. writes, “These books fill me with delight—the
stories and characters are so engaging!”

And of course young readers have plenty of great things to
say as well. After reading the first installment of the Sir Kaye series, Samuel
R. wrote, “This is the first time I’ve ever read a whole book! I couldn’t
stop reading even though reading is hard for me. When is the next one coming
out?”

I wanted the new covers art to reflect the wide appeal this
series offers for all ages, and I look forward to hearing your feedback on the
new cover designs!

Special Announcement: For a limited time (through the end of 2018), the Sir Kaye Kindle eBooks are on sale on Amazon.com for $2.99 each. The regular price is $4.99. Act fast! Prices go back to normal in January 2019.
This sale includes the Kindle editions of The Knighting of Sir Kaye, The Lost Castle Treasure, Legend of the Forest Beast, and The Eldridge Conspiracy.

If you’re not familiar with the Sir Kaye series, here’s a
brief overview of each book.

The
Knighting of Sir Kaye

Kaye is an ordinary boy who
dreams of becoming a legendary knight like his absent father. When the new
queen knights
Kaye for his brave deed, he gets his wish a lot sooner than he expected.
However, he’s got a lot to live up to. Can he hold his own against all the
envious, corrupt knights? Can he outwit the terrible Sir Melchor and defeat him
in a tournament? Can he help the queen save her kingdom…even a little bit?

The
Lost Castle Treasure

The treasure house of Knox castle is
empty! Now conspiracy and war threaten the kingdom while mysterious noises and
unexplained events fill the castle. As best friends Kaye, Reggie, and Beau
search for the missing treasure, jealous knights plot to get rid of Kaye for
good. Can Kaye find the treasure in time to save the kingdom? Or will he risk
losing his knighthood forever? Join Kaye, Reggie, and Beau as they search for
hidden clues, secret passages, a lost castle treasure, and their place in the
world in this fast-paced adventure.

Legend
of the Forest Beast

Kaye’s beloved tutor has vanished! And a dangerous criminal with a grudge against him has just escaped from prison. Kaye is determined to find the tutor and earn a fine reputation as a knight. The search leads Kaye, Reggie, and Beau to a sinister manor house at the edge of a dark forest where nearby villagers live in terror of a deadly monster. As they investigate the mystery of the forest beast, they uncover a terrible plot that could destroy Knox. When there’s no one to turn to for help,can they save the kingdom—and their lives—by themselves?

The
Eldridge Conspiracy

Kaye’s father is in danger!
The young knight, Kaye, and his friends Reggie and Beau enter Eldridge in
search of the only man who can save Kaye’s father. During their journey, they
encounter and make a powerful enemy of Baron Thomas—the self-proclaimed heir to
the throne of Eldridge—who also has his sights set on ruling the country of
Knox. Together, the boys dodge the baron’s henchmen and race against time to
stop an assassination that would plunge the two kingdoms into war in this
exciting conclusion to the series.

Books in the Sir Kaye series have won the Mom’s Choice Award Gold, the IndieReader Discovery Award, the UK Wishing Shelf Award Silver Medal, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Silver Medal, the Voyager Marble Award, the Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalist, and the Readers’ Favorite BronzeMedal.

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Although each individual book has won awards, the entire Sir
Kaye series won the coveted 2017 Royal Dragonfly First Place Award for Best
Children’s Series.

“Winning any place in the Royal Dragonfly Contest is a huge
honor because in order to maintain the integrity of the Dragonfly Book Awards,
a minimum score is required before a First or Second Place or Honorable Mention
will be awarded to the entrant – even if it is the sole entry in a category,”
explains Linda F. Radke, president of the Dragonfly Book Awards program.
“Competition is steep, too, because there is no publication date limit as long
as the book is still in print.”

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Check out the Sir Kaye series video and visit the Chapter Books page on this blog for more information and where to purchase. You can also visit Cardboard Box Adventures Publishing where discounted bulk orders are available.

Shared Reading and Attachment Theory: What You Need to Know Now

[image error]In an endearing scene in the movie Three Men and a Baby, Tom Selleck reads the results of the dog racing scores from the newspaper to the infant who’s been left in his charge. The other adults present at the time berate him for corrupting the baby girl, but, as it turns out, Selleck was spot-on. Here’s the thing: whether we’re reading from a newspaper, a phone book, or James Joyce, even the youngest infant learns to associate the act of shared reading with the feeling of being loved.

I think we would all agree that feeling loved is one of our most primal needs as humans, but how does that play a role in attachment? And how do experts define attachment?

Psychology Today defines attachment thus:

“The emotional bond that typically forms between infant and caregiver is the means by which the helpless infant gets primary needs met. It then becomes the engine of subsequent social, emotional, and cognitive development. The early experience of the infant stimulates growth of neural pathways that will sculpt enduring patterns of response to many things.

“The attachment experience affects personality development, particularly a sense of security, and research shows that it influences the ability to form stable relationships throughout life. Neuroscientists believe that attachment is such a primal need that there are networks of neurons in the brain dedicated to setting it in motion and a hormone to foster the process, oxytocin.

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“The genius of the attachment system is that it provides the infant’s first coping system; it sets up in the infant’s mind a mental representation of the caregiver, one that is wholly portable and can be summoned up as a comforting mental presence in difficult moments. Because it allows an infant to separate from the caregiver without distress and begin to explore the world around her, attachment contains within it the platform for the child’s ability to survive independently.”

In other words, a child’s future happiness, coping abilities, and survival skills are all linked to its earliest experiences in attachment. It’s hard to overstate the importance of this early window of developmental potential in a child’s life.

Leana Morgan Hampton, in her thesis, “Maternal-Infant Attachment Through Reading: What Do Mothers Understand?” studied mothers aged fifteen to forty-four and their infants. Astonishingly, most of the mothers had no idea how critical a role reading to their infant child played in bonding and attachment. Hampton’s project showed new mothers the importance of reading daily with their infant, and measurable benefits to both mother and child were noted.

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Maryanne Wolfe, professor of child development at Tufts University, the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, has much to say about the manifold benefits of shared reading from infancy.

Here are a few gems from her book:

“The association between hearing written language and feeling loved provides the best foundation for this long process, (emergent or early literacy) and no cognitive scientist or educational researcher could have designed a better one.” (Wolf, 2008, p 83)
“Imagine the following scene. A small child sits in rapt attention on the lap of a beloved adult, listening to words that move like water, words that tell of fairies, dragon, and giants in faraway places never before imagined. The young child’s brain prepares to read far earlier than one might ever suspect, and makes use of almost all the raw material of early childhood, every perception, concept, and word.” (Wolf, 2008, p 81)
“Decade after decade of research shows that the amount of time a child spends listening to parents and other loved ones read is a good predictor of the level of reading attained years later. Why? Consider more carefully the scene we just described: a very young child is sitting, looking at colorful pictures, listening to ancient tales and new stories, learning gradually that the lines on the page make letters, letters make words, words make stories, and stories can be read over and over again.” (Wolf, 2008, p 82)
“The next step in the process involves a growing understanding of pictures, as the child becomes able to recognize the visual images illustrating a few books . . . Underlying this development is a visual system that is fully functional by six months, an attention system that has a long road ahead to maturation, and a conceptual system that grows by leaps and bounds each day.” (Wolf, 2008, p 83)
“This child already understands that particular pictures go with particular stories and that stories convey feelings that go with the words—feelings that range from sadness to fear to happiness. Through stories and books, she is beginning to learn a repertoire of emotions. Stories and books are a safe place for her to begin to try these emotions on for herself and are therefore a potentially powerful contributor to her development . . . Learning about the feelings of others is not simple for three- to five-year-olds.” (Wolf, 2008, p 85 – 86)
“As every teacher knows, emotional engagement is the tipping point between leaping into the reading life . . . An enormously important influence on the development of comprehension in childhood is what happens after we remember, predict, and infer: we feel, we identify, and in the process, we understand more fully and can’t wait to turn the page. The child . . . often needs heartfelt encouragement from teachers, tutors, and parents to make a stab at more difficult reading material.” (Wolf, 2008, p 132)

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“Parents should be encouraged to help children name letters whenever they appear ready, and the same principle applies to “reading” what is called environmental print—familiar words and signs in the child’s environment such as a stop sign, a box of cereal, the child’s name, and the names of siblings and friends . . . Gradually, each child in most literate cultures begins to acquire a repertoire of frequently seen letters and words before ever learning to write these letters.” (Wolf, 2008, p 93 – 94)
“Children move very gradually from an awareness of what makes up a word in a sentence to syllables inside a word (e.g., “sun-ny”), until finally, each individual phoneme inside a word can be segmented (e.g. “s”, “u”, “n”) A child’s awareness of discrete sounds and phonemes in a word is both a critical component and an outgrowth of learning to write and learning to read.” (Wolf, 2008, p 98 – 99)

When a baby is born, often a parent’s world turns upside down—little sleep, new routines, new responsibilities, and the mysteries of trying to interpret the communications of a tiny person who can only make loud noises can overwhelm any person. It can be easy to parent from crisis-management mode, rather than project-management, i.e., looking at the long-term effects of choices made at the moment. Let’s each make a difference for new parents and their infants: share beloved books, replete with illustrations, with both. Parents, hold your infant in a loving, tender embrace while reading from a brightly colored picture book with expression and love and witness the baby’s immediate response—the soothing, the engagement, the curiosity, and the beauty of the bonding and attachment process in action. You’ll be glad you did, and the effects can last a lifetime.

Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and helps to establish a strong pre-literacy foundation. Check out the new CBA 2018/2019 Full Color Catalog for a full list award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.

 

References:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/attachment

http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/handle/10342/4730

http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/bitstream/handle/10342/4730/Hampton_Morgan-%20SHP%2012-14.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

O’ Keefe, L. (2014, June 24). Parents who read to their children nurture more than literary skills.

https://www.maryannewolf.com/

 

Are We Asking Our Kids the Right Questions?

[image error]If you’ve ever been around a 2-5-year-old, you’ve likely been liberally peppered with questions. Sometimes to the point of frontal lobe fatigue to your adult brain. In fact, often it seems that nearly every word coming out of a young child’s mouth is interrogative. (Other than their firm grasp of the declarative, one-word sentence, “No.”)

But gradually, the questioning, curious mind of tender youth begins to morph. Societal conditioning ever so subtly shapes young minds by implying that knowing answers is good, and asking questions is bad. Pop quizzes, testing, and aptitude evaluations all reinforce the value of rote memorization and right answers, with almost no educational focus on learning to frame effective questions. Before long, not knowing the answer to a question becomes a source of anxiety. By the time a person reaches adulthood, their job, identity, and relationships focus on getting things done, black/white thinking, making quick decisions, delivering instant results, and even (dare I say) validating one’s own biases and assumptions. (For example, questions beginning with phrases like, “Don’t you think that” or “Wouldn’t you agree” are a great tipoff that the person asking the question isn’t really interested in what you think, but rather in confirming their own point of view.)

[image error]But how well is this system working for society? And is this really what we want to model for our kids? Let’s pause for a moment and consider the sobering fact that everything—literally everything—we know about our world, our universe, and humanity has been brought to birth through people just like you and me being curious about the unknown and asking powerful questions, and then generating actions to discover the answers. In other words, the questions we ask matter. Which do you think would provoke more thought, curiosity, or introspection—asking someone, “What are we going to do about this problem?” or instead asking, “What possibilities can we see in this situation?”?

In her book The Art of the Question, Marilee Goldberg declares, “A paradigm shift occurs when a question is asked inside the current paradigm that can only be answered from outside it.”

A powerful question:

generates curiosity in the listener
stimulates reflective conversation
is thought-provoking
surfaces underlying assumptions
invites creativity and new possibilities
generates energy and forward movement
channels attention and focuses inquiry
stays with participants
touches a deep meaning
evokes more questions

Sally Ann Roth, of The Public Conversations Project, a group that helps create constructive dialogue on divisive public issues, offers many excellent guidelines for effective questions, many of which translate well to the parent/child relationship:

Is this question relevant to the real life and real work of the people who will be exploring it?
Is this a genuine question—a question to which I/we really don’t know the answer?
What “work” do I want this question to do? That is, what kind of conversation, meanings, and feelings do I imagine this question will evoke in those who will be exploring it?
Is this question likely to invite fresh thinking/feeling? Is it familiar enough to be recognizable and relevant—and different enough to call forward a new response?
What assumptions or beliefs are embedded in the way this question is constructed?
Is this question likely to generate hope, imagination, engagement, creative action, and new possibilities or is it likely to increase a focus on past problems and obstacles?
Does this question leave room for new and different questions to be raised as the initial question is explored?

Here’s where parents and kids benefit from considering questions together: questions foster continuing curiosity in kids, and get them comfortable with the idea that it’s ok not to have all the answers immediately. That paradigm shift, in turn, helps prevent kids from developing anxiety in situations where the answers may not be coming to them quickly, but rather helps them to relax into the organic process of having “The Beginner’s Mind.” (Beginners aren’t yet experts on a topic but through patient and diligent effort, spurred by the right questions, they can become experts.) Questions help parents discern and understand what biases and paradigms may already be developing in the mind of their child that would benefit from gentle redirection. Questions also help the child see their own strengths, and feel good about who they already are, which builds self-esteem and thereby frees up emotional bandwidth for fresh endeavors.

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These benefits, as well as the potential for many others, are the reasons why every one of my books has effective questions at the end of the story for parents to consider with their children. I warmly invite you to share these fun books and their thought-provoking questions with your child and share your experiences with me.

Here are a few sample questions from some of my picture books:

What are some ways you can make getting ready for school fun without being late?
Have you ever imagined doing something brave or heroic?
How was Martin’s imagination causing a problem?
What things do you enjoy learning about?
Do you need to have super powers to be a hero?
How could you be a hero?
Who is your greatest hero and why?
Do your parents make rules that you don’t understand?
If you were a parent, what kind of rules would you make? Why?

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Reference Links:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-simon/a-more-beautiful-question_b_5016554.html

https://umanitoba.ca/admin/human_resources/change/media/the-art-of-powerful-questions.pdf

https://participedia.net/en/organizations/public-conversations-project

https://scottjeffrey.com/beginners-mind/

 

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind

Poet Dorothy Parker once said, “Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” Imagination and creativity are two topics that we discuss frequently here. Indeed, they are two of the greatest strengths of human nature and increase both our productivity and sense of fulfillment in life. But what if the slog of our daily routine has caused us to feel disconnected from these superpowers? How can we get back our “wild mind” and “disciplined eye,” our best place of creativity? And how can we model those skills for our kids?

[image error]Let’s take a page from an excellent guide, “Wired to Create, Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind, by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman and Huffington Post writer Carolyn Gregoire. Kaufman noticed that the most creative folk have curious paradoxes in their ways of thinking and being, “messy minds” full of traits that don’t usually coexist, like mindfulness and daydreaming, seriousness and play, openness and sensitivity, and solitude and collaboration. The authors posit that it is this very delicate dance of contradictions which gives rise to the intense inner drive to create, and proceed to untangle these paradoxes to show that it is by embracing our own contradictions that we are able to tap into our deepest creativity.

Here are ten aspects of creative pursuit the authors invite us to ponder as we nurture our own inner world:

Creative people engage in imaginative play as adults. They seek to recreate the sense of wonder that they experienced as children at play.
Creative people have a passion for their work, which helps them feel motivated and inspired. Without this passion, they would soon lose interest when faced with a difficult task. “That is the sound I want to make.” ~ cellist Jacqueline du Pre’s words at age 4 when she first heard the sound of a cello.
[image error]Creative people need space to daydream and fantasize. They need to let go of the thinking brain and let the unconscious brain take over. “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” — Carl Jung
Creative people enjoy solitude because it lets them slow down long enough to observe and appreciate their own ideas. Then they can take the time to reflect and make new connections. Being alone does not necessarily mean being lonely. “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” —Henry David Thoreau
Creative people listen to their intuition , that gut feeling which we all have. Creative people are able to tap into their intuition, a form of unconscious reasoning. “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” —Albert Einstein
Creative people are open to new experiences -they want to broaden their horizons so they can make connections in a new way. Curiosity replaces fear of the unknown, allowing more possibilities to exist for innovative thinking. “The best teacher is experience.” ~ Jack Kerouac, American novelist
Mindfulness means being completely aware of what you are doing and in the moment. It is the capacity to deeply observe. Creative people know that the present is the only real moment we have. “The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”—Jon Kabat-Zinn
Highly creative people often have profound sensitivity , an unusual depth of feeling. They often pick up on the little things in the environment that others miss. They engage in life with greater depth than others. “The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.” —Pearl S. Buck

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People who experience traumatic events often strive to make sense of their emotional state. Creativity can become a positive coping mechanism after a difficult experience by turning adversity into advantage . “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor Frankl, Austrian Neurologist, Psychiatrist, Author and Holocaust Survivor
Creative people are willing to think differently and embrace the very real risk of uncertainty and failure. This act is what makes space for true innovation. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.” – Apple ad, 1997

If you notice these traits in yourself or your child, nurture them, appreciate them, and invite them out to play more often. You’ll be glad you did. And you may just find that life feels more spacious and a little sunnier to boot! And don’t forget the value of sharing books with your children that focus on the power of imagination, like my Space Cop Zack series.

If you’re looking for a series of exciting adventure books that helps reluctant readers, take a peek at the award-winning Sir Kaye series published by Progressive Rising Phoenix Press. The audio editions of the Sir Kaye books are available on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes.