Sands Hetherington's Blog, page 9

Top Benefits of Creativity

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For this week’s blog post, I’m revisiting an important topic that we’ve discussed on the blog before—why creativity is important. So often in today’s education, emphasis is put on science and math skills for children to work on and improve, pushing things like writing, art, and music to the side because they are thought to be less important. But did you know that working the right “creative” brain has crazy benefits too?

Creativity helps develop communication skills. When you ask a child to draw a picture or write a story about a certain topic, they have to think about how to communicate a certain theme or message. This helps build their ability to communicate clearly and concisely. My tip would be to ask them, as they create, why and how they make their choices in drawing a happy person instead of a sad one, or writing about it raining instead of sunny. The more they put thought into their creativity, the better their communication skills!

Creativity allows your child to work through emotions or anxieties they might not even truly understand. When your child writes a story, he or she will probably choose themes and storylines that reflect what they might be dealing with in their life. Whether they choose to write about a small kid battling giants, reflecting their own feelings of being bullied at school, or they draw a family portrait as you’re going through a divorce, working out emotions through creativity is the most productive way to process them. Bonus: Gaining the skill to work through their emotions through creativity is a benefit that will last all their life.

Creativity improves problem-solving skills. When your child wants to draw a picture a certain color, but doesn’t have that color crayon, he is forced to experiment to see what colors can mix together in order to create the desired color. Or maybe they write a story where their main character gets into trouble—as the author, your child has to figure out a way to get them out of it again. In this way, creativity actually helps your child with their mathematic skills, because their brain will be oriented toward problem-solving.

Creativity gives your child a taste of independence. When your child has a finished creative project in their hands, they are rewarded with the satisfaction of having created something entirely on their own. They made each decision that went into the piece, put in the time to create it, and get to own the satisfaction of seeing your smile as you praise their hard work. No matter if your child is the next great American novelist or Picasso, or not, as long as he or she put in effort and is proud of the final product, they have earned the right to feel proud of themselves.

So the next time your child is telling you all about their imaginary friend Crosley and showing you all they wrote down about their adventures, don’t laugh it off or try steering them in a different direction. Instead, read their stories, hang them on the fridge, and know that your child is reaping all kinds of benefits from that imagination!

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Children’s Books for Every Holiday This Season

We are less than a week away from Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa this year, but aside from knowing that gifts, games, family time, and festive treats await them, how do we explain to our children what these holidays are all about? My answer: With books. Here are a few books for each holiday that will help your children understand the root of what we are celebrating so soon!

Christmas:

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The Christmas Story, by Jane Watson. This story beautifully and simply tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in a child-friendly way, First published in 1952, this has been a long-standing classic that you and your kids can both enjoy and learn from.

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The Very First Christmas, by Paul Maier. Our protagonist, Christopher, wants his mother to tell him real bedtime stories for a change—no more fairytales. So she decides to tell him about the miracle of Jesus’ birth. This takes the reader, and Christopher, through some challenging questions that are answered straight from the Bible. An excellent learning tool for those interested in the reason behind Christmas celebrations!

 

Hanukkah:

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The Story of Hanukkah, by David Adler. No celebration of Hanukkah would be complete without recounting the events of more than two thousand years ago that started it all. In a simple yet dramatic text with coinciding paintings, the story of the courageous Maccabees and the miracle that took place in the Temple in Jerusalem is retold. The book also includes a recipe for latkes and directions for playing dreidel.

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Energizing Hanukkah Story for Children, by Chaim Mazo. This tells the complete story of Hanukkah, including the battles, customs and laws of the holiday. It’s easy-to-follow and a blast to read!

 

Kwanzaa:

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My First Kwanzaa, by Karen Katz. This is perfect for very young readers to get acquainted with a holiday most of us in America don’t know much about. During the seven days of Kwanzaa, the importance of family, friends, and community are celebrated, and this book helps us all relate to and understand the lively celebration!

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Together for Kwanzaa, by Juwanda Ford. This book follows the story of Kayla and her brother Khari as a snowstorm threatens to keep them from their Kwanzaa celebration. This story is a perfect introduction to Kwanzaa, and the book teaches children all about the traditions and practices that make it a special winter holiday.

I hope you find these recommendations helpful, and share the magic of the holidays with your children this season!

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Best Apps to Get Your Kids Reading!

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These days, there’s an app for everything—and for people of any age. From finding places to eat, helping you to set and keep daily goals, to keeping you up-to-date on news relevant to you, it seems there’s nothing these smartphones can’t do for us. But did you know how many great and educational apps there are out there for kids?

I’ve compiled a list of my favorite ones to help on the mission to get kids reading. And while I’m usually a fan of encouraging them to pick up a book instead of their tablet, sometimes combining the two is most effective!

Tikatock StorySpark: This is an app that not only helps young children read, it is aimed to reward their creativity at all turns! Kids get to write and illustrate their own books on this app, using photos and drawings they made themselves. When they’ve finished, their creation is “published” on the Tikatock website under a pen name! This is a must-have app for any kids looking for a creative outlet.

Reading Raven: The best part about this app is that it’s customizable for children of different ages, starting at 3 years and going up to 5+. There are different stages it goes through, with children being able to record their voice when learning from a three-letter word all the way up to a complete sentence!

Learn with Homer: Like most reading apps, this one has excellent features for phonics lessons—but this app has such a wide variety of content that makes it stand apart from the crowd. Everything from animals to poetry, world music to fiction, there is something for every child to enjoy. Another important stand-out about this app is that it encourages children not only to learn to read, but to think critically about what they’ve read via analysis questions, prompts that ask them to draw their thoughts, and more.

Bookster: This app finds its spot on my list because it includes something I haven’t seen on anything else—narration of books by children. Whatever age your child is, they can pick a book that will be narrated by someone the same age as them, making it both relatable and easier to understand. And once they’ve gotten the hang of it, your child can record himself reading the book on his own!

What reading apps are you and your family enjoying? Let me know in the comments so I can check them out!

 

 

 

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How to Choose a Book to Gift Your Kids This Holiday Season

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We are just days away from December 1st, and you know what that means…it’s time to start your holiday shopping! While you know your children’s letters to Santa probably include the latest toys, games, and technology, another great thing to put under the tree or use as a stocking stuffer are books. But how do you pick a book your child will love? Read on for my book-giving tips!

 

Give a book related to their interests. If your child loves sports, pick a book that centers around sports, or if they love animals, try books like those in the popular Animal Ark series. When they’re interested in and can relate to the book’s story, it’s bound to be a hit!

 

Give a holiday-themed book. Since this is a holiday gift, stories centered around the holiday season will lift their holiday spirits, and could even become a must-read through the holiday season throughout their entire lives.

 

Give a book at their reading-level. Books given as gifts should not be given like homework—they won’t look forward to reading it if it is a struggle to read. Save the real literature and challenging reads for their school silent-reading hours, and gift them with something light and enjoyable!

 

Give a book you loved as a kid. Passing along old favorites is something my parents did, and when I read a book I knew they loved, I felt connected to them. Your kids will cherish the story you’ve given them, the way they would cherish a handed down bracelet or doll. Even better if you can find the copy you read when you were a child, for the novelty of it!

 

Have you ever received a book as a gift? How did you feel about that gift choice? Let me know in the comments below!

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Thanksgiving-Themed Reads You Won’t Want to Miss!

We are two days away from Thanksgiving! While most of our favorite parts of this holiday include turkey, stuffing, and second-helpings, it’s also an important time to reflect on what we are thankful for, and remember why we are celebrating this national event. But your kids should be familiar with the history behind this day too! To help you, and them, get in the Thanksgiving spirit, try out one or all of these fun reads:

The Thanksgiving Story, by Alice Dalgliesh.

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This book follows the story of three Europeans aboard the Mayflower as they travel to America and encounter the many real hardships pilgrims of the time experienced. That is, until they meet the Native Americans who give them hope and share their harvest! It’s a book for all ages that will truly inspire the Thanksgiving message within us all.

One is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale, by Judy Cox.

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The Thanksgiving feast is over. Leftover turkey and pumpkin pie litter the table. Mouse peeps out of his hidey-hole and spots a small green pea. the perfect feast for one mouse. This charming picture book reminds us to be grateful for the little things—a perfect message for this time of year!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, by Charles Schultz.

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Based off the classic TV special, this story follows Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang as Charlie prepares them a Thanksgiving feast! It is heartwarming, funny, and helps remind us of the importance of friends over a perfect meal.

How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story, by Eve Bunting.

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This turns the classic Thanksgiving tale of pilgrims being welcomed by the Native Americans into a modern-day story of a family forced to flee the Caribbean for America on a small fishing boat. It is realistic about both the hardships and triumphs immigrants face, and hopefully inspires those of us who take living here for granted to be compassionate to those who feel new, and possibly unwelcome.

What are you most thankful for this year? Let me know in the comments below!

 

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Q&A Series Part V: “How Do You Write a First Draft?”

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Hi all, and welcome back to my Q&A series, where I answer your questions in long-form on my blog! This week I decided to answer a Frequently Asked Question from Goodreads, which asks, “How do you motivate yourself to get through writing the first draft of a book?”

Writing a first draft of a book is an exciting, scary, and sometimes even emotional experience for writers, but it can also be one of the best parts of the writing process! To help you out, I’m offering you the best four tips I have to get through it as painlessly as possible.

Write an outline. You don’t have to write a thoroughly detailed outline of every chapter of your book (though you are more than welcome to do so), but having a basic idea of where you want your story to go, and basic plot points along the way to help you get there, will make writing your first draft much less daunting. Sitting down to write when you have no idea what you should be writing makes the process much more difficult, and makes you less likely to sit down and do it!

Stay flexible. This might sound counterintuitive after my first tip, but even with an outline it is important to let your characters and story develop during the writing process. As you connect more with your story, you might start to realize that plot points and characterizations you thought of before you started no longer make sense. Be open to following your story on the journey it takes you on instead of rigidly hanging on to your outline.

Turn your writing time into a reward. Instead of saying you’ll reward yourself with an hour of Netflix after a long day, reward yourself with a writing session. Nothing is more therapeutic than escaping into a world of your own creation for an hour or two, and the more you associate writing time with self-care time, the happier you will be to end your day with a writing session!

Don’t worry about making it good. Your first draft won’t be good, no matter how much time and effort you put into it. It will be a mess of you figuring out your story as you go, filled with typos and words you will cringe to read back. But it will be done, and you will be able to fix it from there. The only job of a first draft is to exist, so don’t be afraid that your writing isn’t good enough—you’ll have time to make it good later!

I hope this answered your question! Make sure to keep sending me any questions you have via this blog, Goodreads, or Twitter/Facebook.

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Reading Tips for Children on the Autism Spectrum

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A recent statistic came out saying one in every 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder—which is no small number. For that reason, as a librarian, special needs teacher, or parent, it is helpful to know the ways in which reading can help these kids. Here are five ways in which to effectively use books to help autistic children not only learn to love reading, but also use it to effectively help them cope with their disorder.

Choose books that have clear drawings of faces. This will help autistic children become more aware of emotion, and recognize what those emotions look like on the people around them. If you’re reading with the child, make sure to point out and make sure he pays attention to the drawing.

Read the same story multiple times. As the child becomes familiar with the story, they’ll have a chance to get a better grip on the language, and with the emotional levels of the story. Repetition also tends to be a comfort to autistic children, so they may look forward to reading the same story, even at the same time each day.

Find books with buttons to press/different textures to touch/or make sound. Autistic children are typically very sensory-driven, and being able to touch and interact with books will keep them more interested in reading.

Read aloud. It is always better for you to read to the child or have them read to you, so you can talk about the story, ask them questions to be sure of their comprehension, and keep them more focused on the book.

Are you the parent of an autistic child, or a Special Education teacher? Leave your own tips for reading below!

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Writing Tip: How to Complete NaNoWriMo 2016!

Before we get into this week’s blog post, I want you to know that I am running a giveway through this Friday, October 28th, where you have the chance to win a complete 3-book Night Buddies set! Enter on my Facebook page here.

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Well folks, we are only one week away from the most hectic, exciting, and difficult writing event of the year—National Novel Writing Month. That’s right, all across the globe writers are going to be taking on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days during the month of November, and I want you to be prepared to reach this milestone in your writing life! If you follow these guidelines, prepare to be a NaNoWriMo winner…

Write an outline. I understand that some writers like to outline heavily, while others like to just write and see where the story takes them (plotters vs. pantsers, respectively), but if you want to write close to 2 thousand words every day, you’re going to need a plan to keep you on-track. Just having an idea of plot points you want to happen in each chapter is enough, but feel free to go into as much detail on your outline as possible—you aren’t going to let writer’s block get in the way of your 50,000-word goal!

Plan for off-days. Even though the classic NaNoWriMo structure budgets for writing every single day, we all know life sometimes has other plans for us. With the Thanksgiving holiday, heavy work loads, and weekend outings (as just a few examples) on our horizons, sometimes it’s helpful to budget higher word counts on days you know you will be free to write to make up for the days when you know it will be hard to find alone time.

Make a daily schedule. You won’t ever find the time to write your day, you’re going to have to make it. Find any time slots you can dedicate to writing for even ten minutes—lunch breaks, the wait when picking your kids up from school, write before bedtime—and schedule those times specifically as writing time. We don’t all have hour-long chunks to give to NaNoWriMo, but there are small spaces where we can give up our social media scrolling for getting our word counts in.

Get support! Tell your friends and family about your goal to write a book in one month, and ask them to keep you accountable to it. If they are supporting you in your NaNoWriMo journey, they’ll be less likely to try to come to you with distractions, and you’ll have a built-in group of cheerleaders getting you through the hard days.

Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Let me know how I can keep you accountable to your goal over the next month!

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Children’s Book Recommendation Time!: Presidential Election-Themed

We’re only a month away from the 2016 presidential election, and it feels like we can’t talk about anything else. Anytime you turn on the TV, you’re hearing about the latest nominee scandal, you’re seeing poll numbers rise and fall, and you’re watching commentary on the most recent debates. But how much do your children understand about what’s going on?

If you’re unsure of the best way to help them understand what happens in the presidential election and what it means for our country, try reading them these books to get the conversation started!

So You Want to be President?, by Judith St. George

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This book gives different funny tidbits about our former presidents that paints them in a light children can understand and relate to. As the official description says, “From the embarrassment of skinny-dipping John Quincy Adams, to the escapades of Theodore Roosevelt’s children, to the heroic recovery of John Kennedy’s crew, Judith St. George shares the backroom facts, the spit-fire comments, and the comical anecdotes that have been part and parcel of America’s White House.”

Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote, by Herman Perish

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In this picture book by Herman Parish, Amelia learns about the importance of the ballot and voting for the first time. Her principal lets Amelia and her class vote for what rules the school should have, making this a book all about the need to work together to come to a vote. A very cute and very relevant book for this time!

The Election Activity Book: Dozens of Activities That Help Kids Learn About Voting, Campaigns, Our Government, Presidents, and More, by Karen Baicker

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Help kids understand the election process (and get involved!) with these engaging activities that teach about how we elect our leaders; the presidency; the rights and responsibilities of voting; the differences between local, state, and national government; and more. It also includes a write and read mini-book, election timeline, polling and graphing activities, updated and revised literature links and website connections, and a BIG, colorful poetry poster!

My Teacher For President, by Kay Winters and Denise Brunkus

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What makes a good president? Oliver knows, and he thinks it’s a lot of the same things that make a good teacher. So, Oliver writes a letter to his local newspaper explaining why his teacher should be president! It’s a cute and easy-to-understand book that kids will love.

Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think of them in the comments below!

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Q&A Series Part IV: How Does John and Crosley’s Friendship Develop?

Welcome to Part IV in my Q&A series, where I answer questions you’ve asked through social media here on the blog! This week, I was asked, “How does your main characters’ friendship develop throughout the series?”

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For starters, Crosley picked out John to be his Night Buddy. There must have been a lot of reasons, but the only one Crosley mentions in the books is middle names. Crosley doesn’t have one, and neither does John, so they have this in common. Crosley thinks it makes you a little sharper to not have a middle name, if he’s being honest. And hey, we know that John is really sharp, and Crosley is definitely no slouch, so maybe there’s something in that reason.

I really wanted to write the story so that the two characters couldn’t help but hit it off with each other. John doesn’t want to go to bed, so Crosley rescues him and takes him out on adventures. Crosley for his part gets a genial and very capable partner for his “Programs.” Sharing these adventures, the good and the bad parts, bonds the two all the more. As the series goes on, they face more problems together and bring out the best in one another in order to find solutions to those problems.

John is the sensible, down-to-earth partner, and Crosley is goofy, full of wild ideas, and ready to fly off to Mars at a moment’s notice for a few pineapple cheesecakes. They appreciate and honor each other’s differences. They are a team that’s better than the sum of its parts.  This, and their mutual adventures (and maybe a little insomnia) are the essence of their friendship. Two pairs of opposites who rely on and complement each other.

Keep sending in your questions via Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads and I’ll be sure to answer them next time!

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