Sands Hetherington's Blog, page 3
August 31, 2018
This Habit Will Change Your Nighttime Routine…For Good
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Do you remember the days you were a kid, falling asleep to your parents reading you a bedtime story? Well, it turns out immersing yourself in a good book before falling asleep actually has benefits that can last you your entire life! As tempting as it is to get on your phone and scroll through social media until your eyes get heavy, or to turn on a TV show to play in the background while you nod off, here are four reasons you should abandon those habits and pick up a book when it gets dark out.
Reading has been proven to reduce stress, which improves your quality of sleep. In fact, a study done by the National Sleep Foundation determined that a nighttime reading ritual can help relax your body and prepare your body for a restful night of sleep!
Reading is a beneficial mental exercise. People who spend more time with their nose in a book perform better in cognitive function tests, have higher-level vocabulary skills, and according to Northern Illinois University, test higher in generalized knowledge. Working your brain muscles through reading has also shown to be helpful in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, so the National Institute on Aging recommends adults read regularly!
Reading improves your ability to empathize. As our world becomes more divided, as tragedies become regular occurrences, and as people seem to need more than ever to listen to one another and come together, reading might just be what the doctor ordered. If you read literary fiction before bed, you’re more likely to understand others’ emotions and mental processes, improving the way you interact with others, and improving the quality of the relationships you develop.
Reading improves your ability to focus. Our smartphones are turning us into creatures who need everything done quickly, are easily distracted, and multitask five different things within five minutes. But when you take the time to read on a regular basis, you will gain practice in focusing on one story, doing one activity for an extended period of time, which can also carry over to other areas of your life!
Whether you’re reading your toddlers a bedtime story or keeping your own book on your bedside table, getting in 15 to 30 minutes of reading before you fall asleep for the night can make a marked difference in the life you lead.
What’s your favorite nighttime ritual? Let me know in the comments!
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August 16, 2018
4 Back-to-School Reads You Need!
The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler, and summer is coming swiftly to an end…and you know what that means! It’s time for your kids to go back to school! But with back-to-school season might come some back-to-school jitters for your young ones—whether they’re starting kindergarten, starting a new school, or making that big leap to junior high. But luckily there’s a way to get your kids excited about this new season, and surprise, it has to do with reading! These are my top recommendations for your kids to read if they need a story to encourage them to push aside their nerves and make the most of their new school experiences.
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Wemberly Worried, by Kevin Henkes. This is an adorable story about a little mouse named Wemberly who often worries about things big and small, but her biggest worry yet is about starting school. It’s perfect for kids heading to school for the first time, and is sure to lift their spirits!
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First Day Jitters, by Julie Danneberg. If your child is going back to their first day after switching to a new school, this is the story for them. It’s about a girl named Sarah who is very nervous to start her life over at a new school, and the relationship she builds with a teacher there who helps her transition smoothly through. It’s a charming and memorable book that will stick with anyone going through that difficult transition!
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Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes. On Chrysanthemum’s first day of school she is teased for her name—something she had always loved about herself. Henkes can do no wrong in this sweet paperback about learning to take pride in oneself no matter what anyone else thinks…a lesson every kid should have the opportunity to soak in before stepping into their first classroom.
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The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn. This one is about a raccoon named Chester who is a little scared about starting school for the first time, and the mother who tells him a family secret called the kissing hand so that he will always know how loved he is anytime his fear starts to get the best of him. This one could be a tear-jerker for any parents out there who aren’t ready to let go of their babies just yet, so make sure to keep the tissues on hand!
What is your favorite back-to-school tale? Let me know in the comments!
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July 25, 2018
Better ZZZs Please!
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This week, our friend Kelly Nicolii from Casper mattress is here to share her ideas about the importance sleep has for our children’s development, along with some ways that we can help them get their best night of sleep!
Every human needs some type of sleep. In fact, every creature on the planet requires some kind of rest.
For some adults, four or five hours is enough. They feel refreshed and ready to take on another day. Some people require six to eight hours of sleep to get that same restored feeling. There is nothing bad about needing more or less sleep, as long as you get enough for your body to repair and re-energize.
When it comes to children, it seems like they can sleep all day—from much needed naps to far earlier bedtimes, sleep as an adolescent seems like a breeze! Children inherently need more rest than adults…their sleep is more turbulent at a young age and the required hours they need fluctuates almost each year they grow older. Their rapidly developing bodies and minds require more sleep for the proper mental and physical growth they endure.
Why Sleep is So Important for Children:
• Sleep Is a Requirement for a Healthy Brain
• Sleep Helps Your Child Grow
• Sleep Aids with Weight Loss or Normal Weight Gain
• Better Sleep Helps to Fight Infections
• Sleep Makes It Easier to Concentrate
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Ways to Help Your Child Achieve Better Sleep:
Read them a bedtime story. Either being read to or reading a book before bed is a healthy bedtime ritual for children of any age. This is a great way to relax the mind and unwind before bed.
Create a nightly routine. Creating and revisiting familiar, consistent routines before bed can return huge dividends in the ability to fall asleep quickly. Young brains crave routine. Anything you can instill that will habitually cue a busy mind that it’s bedtime is beneficial.
Promote regular exercise. Physical activity improves sleeping patterns. It’s important that children get plenty of exercise during the day, because that will help them wind down quicker at night. However, keep their last playtime at least 3 hours before bedtime or they may still be too stimulated for sleep.
Create an ideal sleeping environment. To help promote sleeping, it’s best to keep a child’s room dark, quiet, and cool. Some children want at least a little light or noise in their room, so a nightlight, noise machine, or fan is perfectly acceptable. Consider an easily washable pillow for moments of sickness or allergy seasons.
Offer a bedtime snack. Bedtime snacks should be different than daytime snacks. Certain foods and drinks can actually steal from your child’s slumber. Learn more about the best and worst bedtime snacks for kids here.
With the right amount of sleep, you will have a well developed, happy, and attentive child. Check out the visual below for more information on recommended sleep durations for children by age!
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July 19, 2018
4 Books to Read Before the End of Summer!
I can’t believe we’re approaching the end of July! This summer is slipping by, and I want to make sure your kids get as much reading time in as possible before school is back in session. Check these ones out!
How I Spent My Summer Vacation, by Mark Teague
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I love a book about a kid with a wild imagination, and this book more than fits the bill. The story is about a schoolboy who tells his classmates all about his summer vacation—including the time he joined a group of cowboys and stopped a cattle stampede. No boring summer at grandma’s house for him! It’s a cute book with great illustrations, and will get your kids excited for a summer of adventures.
Swimming Lessons, by Betsy Jay
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This story follows a girl named Jane who is afraid to learn how to swim. Her mother tries to get her in the pool any way she can…but Jane doesn’t budge until she hears a taunt from a classmate. A cute story about a girl finding her bravery and facing her fears make this a summer must-read!
A Pocketful of Cricket, by Rebecca Caudill
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As summer comes to a close, a six-year-old boy finds a cricket, sticks him in his pocket, and becomes his friend. On the first day of school, he won’t set the cricket free—but is it really the summer he’s holding on to? This children’s book is beautifully written, and sure to become a classic in your family.
Heat Wave, by Eileen Spinelli
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This books throws it back to the days before air conditioning, making it a fun, reminiscent read for those of us from an older generation! It follows a cast of quirky characters trying to find solace in a heat wave, until everybody comes together by the river and dreams of cooler times. Charming and delightful, this is a perfect comfort to turn to when the temperatures go up!
What’s left on your summer reading list? Let me know in the comments below!
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July 12, 2018
Get to Know the Artists Behind Your Favorite Books!
Alongside every great children’s book author is an equally as talented illustrator who is tasked with bringing their stories to life! Think about some of your favorite characters—from Winnie the Pooh to Harry Potter, the images that come to our heads typically come straight from the illustrator’s pen. These talented illustrators have mastered the art of visual storytelling, and I’m excited to be featuring them in today’s post!
Mary GrandPré
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While many different illustrators have worked on different editions of the Harry Potter series, GrandPré is the artist behind all of the US edition cover and chapter illustrations, and is one of the very few individuals who were allowed to read the books before they went public. She started drawing when she was just five years old, and has since gone on to make a long career for herself working solely on children’s books. You can get to know more about her journey illustrating for Harry Potter here!
Eric Carle
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After graduating from the prestigious Academy of Visual Arts, Carle began working as a graphic designer and art director at an advertising agency in New York. It wasn’t until later on in his career that he collaborated with author Bill Martin Jr. to illustrate Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and from there his career soared. His most popular work of art, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into over 30 languages worldwide!
Ernest Howard Shepard
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A World War I veteran and former political cartoonist, E. H. Shepard is the artist behind our favorite characters deep in the hundred acre wood. Though he and Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne had their creative differences, they worked side-by-side to create the most memorable and visually detailed children’s stories that are as popular today as ever before. Shepard also is known for his illustrations of Aesop’s Fables, David Copperfield, and Tom Brown’s Schooldays.
Jessica Love
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I can’t honor illustrators without recognizing the amazing artist behind the Night Buddies series! Jessica Love’s talent made real the characters that once only existed inside my head. She has also recently debuted her own children’s picture book entitled Julián Is a Mermaid, filled with some of the most beautiful artwork we’ve seen from her yet! You can learn more about the book and her process in designing it here.
Who are some of your favorite children’s book illustrators? Let me know in the comments below!
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July 5, 2018
Finding Community as a Single Parent
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As a single father to my son John, I understand the difficulties of finding help and support from a community as a single parent. Without a spouse or partner in the mix, raising your child while also earning a living and keeping your home running can feel completely overwhelming and isolating. But I’m here to tell you that you aren’t alone.
If you’re a single parent seeking a community who understands your struggle, here are some places you can turn. These are all resources that, had I known about them back when I was raising my son, would have made my life feel a heck of a lot more normal, and more manageable.
Facebook groups. Facebook groups are out there for every individual—they have them for writers, for business owners, for cat lovers, and luckily for us, they even have groups for single parents. They have large groups with thousands of members like Surviving Single Parenthood, but you can also look for local groups in your community to connect with.
Meetup.com. This website is similar to a Facebook group in that it offers hundreds of groups for all kinds of communities, but the difference is that these groups meet in person! Look on your local Meetup.com feed for a single parenting group that gets together to discuss the joys and trials of single parenthood, and maybe even find someone willing to switch off play date times with you!
Parents Without Partners. This is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the “welfare and interests of single parents and their children.” They have chapters all over the world that bring single parents together to offer resources and support. Bring your child along and immerse them in a healthy environment they’ll love, with other kids living in the same type of structured environment that they are.
Do you know any single parents in your life? Make sure to send them this article along with a little love. Support from friends and the community they already have goes a long way!
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June 28, 2018
All You Need to Know About the World of “Bookstagram”
If you spend any amount of time on Instagram, here’s what you need to do. First, search the hashtag, “bookstagram,” and second, lose your life looking at all the beautiful photos of books you need to immediately go out and read! There’s a whole world of readers using the social media platform to support authors and books, and the photos they use are stunningly beautiful.
If you’re a lover of children’s books (because we never grew out of that phase), or if you’re looking to stay current with what the kids are reading these days, these “bookstagram” account are must-follows for you!
@the.book.report
@thestoriesweread
@readingisourthing
@littlebooksbigworld
@happily.ever.elephants
What are some of your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram? Let me know in the comments below!
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June 21, 2018
Should You Censor What Your Children Read?
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As a lifetime lover of books and a children’s book author, I can attest to the fact that I am a huge advocate for getting children to pick up books instead of iPhones. Whether it’s a book about a wizard, a kid navigating the schoolyard, or a giant red crocodile taking kids on late night adventures, I say any book that grabs your child’s attention is a book they should be allowed to read!
But I don’t want to neglect that publishers put reading levels on books for a reason—sometimes a book’s content and themes seem to be above our child’s head, or darker than what we really want them exposed to while they are so young. Which leads me to wonder, should we censor our children’s reading material? And if we do, what are the right parameters around doing so?
Here are a few of my tips to make sure we are doing our best as parents to make reading as enjoyable as possible for our children!
Understand your own child’s maturity. If they pick out a book that you think might be for someone older than they are, ask them what drew them to this specific book. You might discover that they are actually mature enough and ready to learn about and engage with material that is above what a “typical” person their age would be ready for.
Read controversial books alongside your child. Maybe they’re too old for reading out loud time, but if you both agree to read two chapters before bed each night, it will open up a conversation about the material. That way, you’ll be aware of what they’re reading, when they’re coming to controversial material, and you will get to have a conversation about it in real time.
Know your child’s triggers. If you’re worried about a book that might ultimately scare your child, try to get an understanding of what their fears are. For instance, if they have a recurring nightmare about clowns, letting them read something about a scary clown might not be the best idea. You don’t need to hold back every dark book from them, just be cautious with the ones that could trigger their specific traumas.
Trust your children. Reading is often a wonderful way to be exposed to things we might never experience in our lives, or prepare us for something we just haven’t experienced yet. Don’t be afraid to give them a book about death, or about the effects of bullying, or about political issues. A lot of children’s and YA books address these things now in order to equip our children with the maturity, knowledge, and empathy they’ll need to deal with them in real life. Trust that your children are capable of handling hard things, and be willing to talk with them about it every step of the way.
What are your thoughts on censoring your child’s reading material? Let me know in the comments!
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June 15, 2018
4 Ways to Spice Up Your Summer Vacation!
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The temperatures are climbing and the beach is calling…summer vacation has arrived! Chances are, your kids will soon have an entire month or two away from school and are counting on having some fun in its place. But how do you keep them excited and having a fun-filled time for such a long time—especially when you don’t have vacation plans? Read on for my top tips and activities to try!
Get outside. Even if all you do is take a family trip to the park, or go on a twenty-minute hike at a nearby trail, getting out of the house always turns a day into an adventure. You can pack a picnic, bring some bubbles and a soccer ball, and let your kids play in the sun when they’d usually be stuck in a classroom. It’s cheap, easy, and a total blast!
Visit your local craft store. Give your kids a budget of five or ten dollars (or whatever you feel comfortable affording) and have them pick out a project they want to make for the week. It’ll be extra fun if you have a judging contest at the end of the week to see who made the best craft! Winner gets to pick their favorite flavor of ice cream to share.
Go on a day trip. If you don’t have week-long vacation planned, try to get away for at least a day somewhere nearby. Do you live close enough to the beach? To a tourist town, or a fun museum? Go somewhere you normally wouldn’t, and enjoy a day away together as a family.
Go crazy at the library! You can never have too many books, and now’s a time when your kids have plenty of free time to read. Let them pick out a stack, and if you feel like getting competitive, challenge each other to see who can read the most books by the end of the week.
What are your favorite ways to beat the summer boredom? Let me know in the comments!
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June 7, 2018
Children’s Books You NEED to Read: Summer 2018
June has arrived! And as a parent, you know what that means…no more school. What better way to entertain your kids all summer long than with some fun beach reads they won’t get tired of? Here are some of the best books to fill your summer 2018 with!
To the Beach, by Linda Ashman
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This is a silly and delightful story about a family of 7 (!!!) who are trying their hardest to get to the beach. But with 7 people comes a lot of room for mishap—and a lot of room for adventure! This is the perfect book to keep in your beach bag all summer long.
Hot Day on Abbott Avenue, by Karen English
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This gorgeously illustrated book centers around a super hot day and a friendship breakup. Two girls, Kishi and Renée, each sit on their porches during the hottest day of the year waiting for an apology from the other, but can they resist a game of double dutch in the street? This story will teach your kids about friendship and forgiveness, and maybe it’ll remind you of a few important lessons too!
Beach Party Surf Monkey, by Chris Grabenstein
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Beach Party Surf Monkey follows the story of P.T., who happens to live in a motel called Wonderland. When P.T. and his friend hear that a new movie is being filmed in their area, they go on a mission to convince the producers that Wonderland would be the perfect movie location! Your middle schooler will love it.
All Summer Long, by Hope Larson
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I’ve never been a huge graphic novel reader, but this book is worth the read for anyone! It follows the story of two friends and the tension that grows between them as one goes away to a soccer camp while the other is stuck at home for the summer. Full of humor and warmth, it’s a summer-must!
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