Parenting, education and children’s book resources for parents.
I’m not very handy myself and I’ve come to realize that knowing how to fix and make things is a learned skill passed down from parent to child. My kids did take Tech Ed in middle school, a version of wood shop, which taught them how to use tools, a great first step. This is…
If you haven’t been following my progress with my first picture book submission, I entered a New Voices children’s book publishing contest. I didn’t win, but I received an offer for editorial assistance on my book manuscript, Sumo Joe. I jumped on that offer. I’d been trying to get into a critique group where I…
Phonics Museum App is an interactive phonics app for kids to learn to read. It’s like a personalized educational TV show that takes kids on an adventure in an art museum. What’s really fun about the app is that it combines animated characters in some segments with the character, Miss Biddle, also appearing as a real…
I’m exploring our world today through eight beautifully illustrated nonfiction books. I’m always on the lookout for books that teach my kids geography; they never seem to know where countries are located and often get even the continent wrong. Until they can world travel — my oldest is planning on taking a gap year after high…
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t. Mark Twain Before I talk about this new nonfiction book coming out at the end of June, I have a “small world” story. I run the social media for two restaurants that the father of my son’s…
Please welcome my guest author, Patricia Newman! She has a list of nonfiction books that gets kids involved in environmental issues. I added two books to her list: Rainbow Weavers/Tejedora del Arcoiris which pairs nicely with One Plastic Bag, and Follow the Moon Home which pairs with Mission: Sea Turtle Rescue. Her book, Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved…
If you are looking to prevent “summer slide” with workbooks targeting kids between kindergarten and 6th grade, check out the new Summer Brain Quest series! It’s an exciting extension of the beloved and bestselling Brain Quest brand! Each workbook is structured like a game and is created in consultation with award-winning teachers. It has a summer progress…
I was standing in line of a dive Brazilian buffet restaurant with my husband for lunch. The food is inexpensive and delicious and we joke that this would be like visiting our grandmothers, if they lived nearby and were Brazilian. There was a line at the meat counter where it’s sliced off the skewers for…
I’m not sure if it’s a boy versus girl thing, but my son loves nonfiction fact books much more than my two daughters ever did. I have to say that I’m enjoying learning about various topics; I feel like I’m preparing for Jeapordy! or an intense round of Trivial Pursuit. I’m giving away a copy…