Tag Archives: summer activities

Jul31

Interview with Marie Urquidi

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Marie Urquidi reading with her child from her “Speaking Together” workbook series.

The summer is an excellent opportunity for children to learn new skills and start a lifelong learning journey. Why not help them start learning language skills?

I’ve found a book series that has been written by a parent that wanted to teach her children their lost heritage of language. Marie Urquidi is Filipino but wasn’t encouraged to learn Tagalog, the Filipino language, as a child. Her husband has Mexican heritage and wasn’t motivated to learn Spanish. She decided to help her child to learn Spanish in school and enrolled her in a Spanish Dual Language Program. It turned out to be a Spanish course for herself as well.

She developed learning worksheets to help herself review the language as well as to support her child. Through this teaching opportunity, she has developed a unique set of workbooks to help children learn Spanish with their parents. Her “Speaking Together” workbook series covers how to teach your child Spanish, Tagalog, and English. I had the chance to ask Marie Urquidi about her influences growing up, writing projects, and what writing means to her.

  1. Who is your favorite author and how did they influence you?


Marie Urquidi: Jane Yolen has written over 400 books, and I absolutely fell in love with “How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?” I read that to my son one night, and we enjoyed it. It was a great way to bond over the pictures and the questions in her story. The engagement with my son as I read her books is what I want to emulate. She inspires me to write engagingly because I want to replicate that same experience for readers.

2) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?


Marie Urquidi: My bilingual books aim to encourage parents and children to practice language learning in a fun and easy way. I currently have Language Workbooks for parents and children learning Spanish, Tagalog, and English. The books focus on conversations about school, recess, and playtime. I’m currently developing picture books that focus on other areas of language learning, for example, tenses and vocabulary. You can find my books on Amazon or my website: DLIParentBooks.com.

3) What is writing to you in one sentence?


Marie Urquidi: Writing is an opportunity to share a piece of you that’ll last beyond our own time here on earth.

“Speaking Together in Spanish” is a wonderful workbook to help reinforce your child’s Spanish lessons as well as learning the language yourself. With phonetic translations, easy phrases to start conversations, and extensive practice and review, you’ll have a tool to have you practice Spanish right along with your child. This workbook will give your child more opportunities to speak Spanish out of school, with private tutoring or even with Spanish-speaking playdates. You’ll gain intermediate-level grounding in four key skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. This specially designed workbook is equipped to help monolingual parents facilitate supportive learning at home while learning the language. Great for private tutoring support or supplemental homework for the classroom, this series is a beautiful support for parents and home schooling programs.

For information on all the workbooks, here are the links:

Speaking Together in Spanish
Speaking Together in Tagalog
Speaking Together in English (For Spanish Speakers)

For more information on Marie Urquidi, visit her Amazon author page and/or her website at: DLIParentBooks.com.

Jul19

Interview with K.A. Ashton

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Keva N Daughter

K.A. Ashton and her daughter are co-authors of the book, “Smiling Back at You”.

With school opening around the corner, it will be back to schoolbooks, virtual learning and/or some in class interaction. The life lessons will still need to be taught, and I’ve found a great book to help kids deal with believing in yourself and stand up to bullying.

Meet K.A. Ashton. She and her daughter co-authored the book, “Smiling Back at You”. I had a chance to talk with K.A. Ashton about her childhood reading memories, favorite authors, and subjects she’d like to explore as an author. 

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

K.A. Ashton: My Favorite Memory reading as a child was reading mystery books and getting lost in the story!

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

K.A. Ashton: My favorite author was Carolyn Keene who authored the Nancy Drew Series.

3) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

K.A. Ashton: I would love to write about balancing personal development working through Corporate America.

smilingbackyouCVRpromo“Smiling Back at You” is a book where children can learn to believe in themselves and stand up to bullies. Sugar is learning to deal with the tough things, including bullying. Join her in discovering what it means to enjoy being yourself and find the strength to stand up for whom you are.

“Smiling Back at You” is available at http://publishingadvantagegroup.com/smilingbackatyou/.

 

 

Jun16

Interview with Tenile Carlos Bey

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Tenille Carlos Bey bio pic

Tenille Carlos Bey wrote the girl’s journal “Mommy & Doodlebop: A Journal for Girls We Love” with her daughter, Aalani.

During the summer, it’s good to keep your child engaged with activities. With all the need to social distance, it’s even more important to look for activities that children can engage in and be safe while doing. What about journaling? This is a historical time, when first person resources will be documenting how children and people lived through the pandemic. Your child can be part of the moment, writing out thoughts, feelings and what life was like during these strange times. I have the perfect journal for you child to begin their writing journal. It is written by a daughter and mother team, Tenille Carlos Bey and Aalani Carlos Bey. It’s called “Mommy & Doodlebop: A Journal for Girls We Love”.

Written as a support for inclusivity for girls with African ancestry, this journal is for girls to write out their thoughts and feelings for good or bad days. It will be a companion to sort their feelings during the pandemic. I also had a chance to interview Tenille Carlos Bey in regards to her childhood reading memories, future writing subjects, and what writing means to her.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Tenille Carlos Bey: My favorite memory was sitting on my stairs engulfed in a good book.

2) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Tenille Carlos Bey: I would love to write about children & their experience from their eyes as often times they are voiceless.

3) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Tenile Carlos Bey: Writing to me is therapeutic.

Happiness Where Sun Shines Cover“Mommy & Doodlebop: A Journal for Girls We Love” is an interactive journal for all the little Brown girls loved. It’s developed to help a girl express herself daily engaging creativity and expression of ideas in words on a daily basis. Keeping a daily journal will increase writing ability and help your child work through daily problems and feelings. This will make a great gift or at home activity during the pandemic.

“Mommy & Doodlebop: A Journal for Girls We Love” is available at Amazon.com.

 

 

 

Jun13

Interview with Tiffany Watkins

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This pandemic has made many of us become aware of those things to be thankful for. It may also be bringing on feelings of resentment of what your child might have lost out on. Help them deal with the loss and look at the positives of their new situation with a fabulous find, a “Gratitude Journal for Kids”.

Tiffany Watkins is the author of this book. She has a BSA in Sociology with a minor in Child and Family studies, and a master in Divinity Studies. She received a doctorate in Christian Counseling. She enjoys serving her community and working with the United Way Young Philanthropist Program. Through her book, she hopes to encourage children to look towards what they are grateful for each day and find the magic in a moment of their day. I had the chance to interview Tiffany about her childhood reading memories, favorite author, and what projects she has in store for the future.

  • What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Tiffany Watkins: My favorite memory from reading as a child was how fun it was to have your peers reading about the same thing and able to discuss it among them.

  • Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Tiffany Watkins: My favorite memory from reading as a child was “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret?” by Judy Blume. This book greatly influenced my walk as a middle schooler because it addressed the things I was experiencing at the time.

  • What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Tiffany Watkins: In the future, I would like to write about positivity for kids.

Gratitude Journal for kids front pic“Gratitude Journal for Kids” is a helpful tool to help children focus on the positive aspects of their lives. Written to encourage an Attitude of Greatness, the journal has daily entries so your child can write three things daily about what they are grateful for. Each entry also includes a “Magic Moment of the Day” in which they can reflect on something that was positive and memorable about their day. Drawing is encouraged in the entry to express their gratefulness and artistic abilities. This book will help your child get in touch with their feelings and cope with the loss of a daily routine and events during the COVID19 pandemic.

“Gratitude Journal for Kids” is available at: Amazon.com.

For more information on Tiffany Watkins, visit her Amazon Author page.

 

Jun11

Fun Summer Activity for Kids: Build a Fairy Garden

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FairyGarden1

I use crystals, small plants in pots, and fairy figurines to decorate my porch fairy garden.

I’ve been giving tips to parents for the last few months in how to help structure your child’s learning. Now that summer is here, we’re trying to find more at home summer activities to keep our children and families safe from Covid19. What a great time to take advantage of the outdoor space you have! Have you considered building a garden? This doesn’t mean you need a backyard. Gardens can be built on a porch or even a window sill. To make it extra special, create a fairy garden!

The first step is to choose small plants that you would enjoy tending. You can buy them in small planters and/or replant them into the places you would like, or plant seeds and watch them grow. Choose flowering plants or herb plants such as lavender, rosemary, or other favorite herbs your family may prefer. You get the extra bonus that you can eat them later. Small ivy or other small growing plants with flowers make lovely fairy settings.

Many cities and towns are starting phase 2 openings in which garden shops are starting to be allowed to reopen. Small starter plants can be purchased or order seeds online. You can pick and choose which plants you enjoy. Look to see where your plants will be. Consider if you have more shade or sun, since often plants can be purchased that fit those conditions. I have a shaded porch and I find plants that need a lot of sun tend to not do well. So, I’ve chosen more shade friendly plants for my porch fairy garden. Remember, stay safe and wear a mask when going back into stores and use hand sanitizer.

Garden Gnome

My garden gnome was purchased from the local garden center and is prominent in my fairy garden.

The second step is to order either small pebbles, sand or other decorative gardening accents to create paths and decorative areas for your fairies. You can use these items to decorate and create places for your fairies to gather. For example: I used old aquarium stones to make paths and a little gathering space to later place fairy figurines.

Accent items turn the garden space into wonderful scenes for fairy figurines. The added bonus is you get to watch the plants grow to fit. You can also order crystals to places through out the garden. Plants enjoy having the energy of these wonderful pieces among and around their leaves. Place stones and crystals in pots and in soil.

The third step is to order fairy figures. Many of the figures I have collected over the years have been given to me as gifts or I have purchased from gardening shops or other places. This can be a fun experiment in searching for the right fairies for your garden. You might find it is a wonderful time to start a new collection, and the garden will be a home for your new fairy figures.

When done, you’ll have a fabulous fairy garden to tend. Watering my garden is a great welcome relief from online working and tutoring. I enjoy having a cup of tea while smelling jasmine flowers or looking at my small Japanese maple tree. Other plants and flowers attract birds and butterflies from time to time. My porch may be small, but it is mighty in the positive fairy experience it creates for me to relax and enjoy some quiet time.

Enjoy building your own fairy garden with your children and welcome the summer weather in style. When you’re done, you’ll have a monument to the peace you can build at home.

summer1Plus: you can still continue summer reading with your child. I’ve made available an entire free online novel to go along with my first book in my fantasy children’s series, “The Lost Secret of Fairies”. The story takes place during the summer, and is a great addition to a child’s reading list to continue reading skills in these away from school months. There is nothing better to curl up with a good book in a garden. It’s something I did as a kid myself. So, can’t help but pass on the tip.

Here is the link to the full online novel: https://crystalkeeper.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/parent-support-for-homeschool-free-ebook-online-novel-study/

Link to your copy of “The Lost Secret of Fairies”:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1425146716

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-fairies-tiffany-turner/1019317884

Apple/iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1503006160

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-secret-of-fairies-1

Enjoy your summer!

-Mrs. Turner

May21

Interview for L. A. Davis

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Summer reading will be starting soon. I’ve got a lot of fabulous books lined up to add to your child’s reading list. My first author in the series of recommendations is L. A. Davis. She has written a fabulous coloring book called “AJ Learns Her Colors & Shades”. The character is based on her granddaughter and is the first in a learning series. Children can learn primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors, the colors of the rainbow, and shades with the help of their parents. It’s a great activity book for the summer days ahead. I had a chance to talk to author L. A. Davis about childhood reading memories and about writing.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?
L. A Davis: My second-grade teacher allowed each student to sit in front of the class and read a book from the “library” we had in the back of the classroom. I hate that I don’t remember the name of that book, but I do remember it was about snow and the child had on a red coat with a pointy hat. It might have even been a bunny suit, but it was red and the hood part was pointy. It stood out to me because I was born on an island and we don’t have snow. Another book I do remember is called “The Little House.” I got to read that one in front of the class also.

2) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.
L. A Davis: Usually when I write, I pick a song and play that song to inspire me. I haven’t found a routine in writing the coloring books, but give me time :0).

3) What is writing to you in one sentence?
L. A Davis: Writing is so much fun!

aj cover-pagefront“AJ Learns Her Colors & Shades” is a fabulous child’s coloring book that teaches the basics of colors and the rainbow. Fill summer days and weekends with this fun activity, and apply new artistic skills to decorate your home. This is a great activity book for distance learning and for the summer months ahead.

“AJ Learns Her Colors & Shades” is available at: Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com.