Families Rule!

Shew, it is amazing how time flies. My youngest son just got his first package accepting him as a freshman. He is just beginning on his life, transitioning to being an adult, but as I look back to the million tiny moments that brought us to this place -- this decision-- it takes my breath away. I am both grateful and in awe of the alchemy, magic and good old fashioned hard work, mixed with luck, that is all part of our lives. What are the ingredients that mix together to help a child grow and learn and ultimately become a healthy, happy and productive adult. My husband and I talk a lot about some of the basics required including love, compassion, respect and responsibility as essentials for personal growth and for strong relationships.

This year my work will continue to build on my commitment to developing creative learning tools for families through the expansion of the Ultimate Block Party in multiple cities. The Ultimate Block Party is the perfect venue to experience the amazing power of play and the arts in learning -- not just for kids but for parents and educators.

The launch of L_RN (Learning Resource Network), a web portal for families, teachers and child service providers is a second project important for families. L_RN will be a go-to place to help us find accurate information and practical tools to help our children grow and learn. L_RN. Designed for everyone regardless of the age of your child, L_RN works with experts from psychology and child development to neuroscience and cognitive science, using the most current and reliable evidence based knowledge to help sort through difficult issues. L_RN also relies on all of its users to talk, discuss, share ideas and information.

Read, Sing, Recite!

We all know that one of the best predictors of success is a love of reading! But how do you foster a passion for literature? Perhaps one of the best ways is to create an environment rich with books, stories and songs that fosters timeless exploration. When we read as adults -- whether it is the newspaper, poetry, lyrics, non-fiction, fiction, dictionaries -- we are showing our children that words matter and it is through these amazing range of narratives we share ourselves and learn about the diversity of the world.

There have been recent studies that suggest rhyming may be an important tool for helping children learn sounds and language. We know that it is the same part of the brain that processes language and music. If you have small children try pulling out the nursery rhymes and tongue twisters. If you have older kids around, try a little rapping! No seriously -- have you ever tried to rap? It is really fun.

Here is one of my favourite rhymes I learned when I was small. It is one that always makes our kids laugh out loud.

Animal crackers in my tea

Mother says are good for me

Father says will never do

To have a zoo inside of you

A quick word about creating an environment that encourages reading: After years of fighting this debate with my kids I have now come down squarely on the side of turning off the television, computer, smart-phones, ipads, etc. Something important happens when we lose these wonderfully distracting tools. Spending time together (without all of the trappings of modern day technology) fosters communication and collaboration. Simple background music can set the tone for hours of hanging out, reading, playing and in general being engage. So as old-fashioned as this might sound, I strongly recommend you give it a try even if your kids are older. As my best friend says, "It's never to late to do the right thing."

Another aspect of shutting down the electronic noise relates to focus and attention. Multi-tasking is over-rated and generally misunderstood. The brain can't do more than one thing efficiently at a time -- no matter what anyone tells you. Rather, we can do a lot of things okay, and chances are, they will not be remember all that well. To immerse yourself deeply in one task or activity increases learning, comprehension and memory of content and information.

Researchers are also beginning to understand more about the effects of technology and sleep. For example, when televisions, computers and other visual stimuli are left on at night, deep regenerative sleep can be interrupted because the light-source confuses the brain, thinking it is time to wake, not sleep. Sleep is so important for consolidation of knowledge and learning. More on this another time.

Tell Me Your Stories

I was browsing the internet last night because I couldn't sleep. I came upon a website called She Scribe. To my delight the author had written a review of Childhood Wonders and offered a free book to a reader that shared a special childhood memory. Here is the site and what folks had to say. http://www.shescribes.com/2010/11/the-classic-treasury-of-childhood-wonders-giveaway.html

On the home page of the FamilyStories website you are invited to share a story. Just this week I got a great story from a little girl who is 8 years old. She had been given the Tooth Fairy Book and wrote to say how much she liked it and how excited she was about the Tooth Fairy coming! She also recommended I create something on the Easter Bunny. I love receiving your stories and ideas. It is really what I hoped for when this website was created.

So, I invite you to share a favorite childhood memory today as you cook the turkey, relax and enjoy a day that is custom-made for the both creating and remembering memories.

Reminding Us of Who We Are

I remember so warmly meeting the artist that painted the image above. His name was Herman Maril. He and his wife would come to the restaurant I worked almost every week when I was in college. They were very curious, always asking about the things I wanted to do. I hoped to be a writer even then. Their encouragement, much like interested grandparents, gave me the courage to try new things and explore my passions. When I was working on Childhood Wonders I tried to contact the Marils to ask for permission to use this picture. Sadly, Herman had passed away, but his son was so proud and pleased to allow us to include his dad's work.

Over the last several days so many memories of my own childhood have emerged. I have also been reminded of wonderful memories with my own children. On Thanksgiving eve I can only feel thankful and blessed to have grown up in a large and loving family. I am also very honored to be the mom (and step-mom) of great kids that are kind and gentle. It is a pleasure to watch them grow and learn as they meet the world.

Here is a link to a radio interview about Childhood Wonders conducted today. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wsiu/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&sid=5&id=1729652&pid=416&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InTheAuthorsVoice+%28In+The+Author%27s+Voice%29&utm_content=FriendFeed+Bot

Childhood Wonders For Everyone

The Classic Treasure of Childhood Wonders launched last month and we are already in our second printing! As I have talked with families all over the country I am so gratified to hear the instant connection to poems, stories, illustrations and activities. Many parents have shared their fond memories of stories they have not heard in 20 years.

Thank you for all of your kind emails about the fun you are having with the book. Make sure you check out the poem on page 33. It was written by my son Ben Garrett. It is called Take the Back Roads! The artwork throughout the book represents images from famous artists and folks lesser known. We wanted to share a range of cultural, style and content through these images.

Introducing The Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonders

So funny how fast time slips away. I have the best intentions of posting thoughts here, but somehow the day takes on a life of its own. This is one of the reasons I wrote the Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonderes --to try to be more present to the moments we have with the children in our lives. Writing this book was like writing a love letter from me but also from the hundreds of families that contributed your family stories.

Together we have creates a book that was timeless. Literally, that when you looked at a picture, read a poem or sang a song you lost track of time. That the activities filled the air with endless curiosity and discovery where you forgot to watch the time. And in the end, that the time we have with our children and the time they have with us provides fun, playful experiences that last a lifetime. I really believe that how we play is who we become.

This book is the combination of so many family stories, favorite activities, literature and more. Also, everything in this book is free. All you need is to add yourself (and some time). In these times, I wanted to create something that was an instant classic and a timeless resource. Finally, I was very interested in making the science of play visible in very simple ways for families. The 6Cs are a great way to help families understand the learning behind play. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff developed this developmental skills model. Collaboration, Communications, Content, Critical Thinking, Creative Innovation and Confidence form the framework for encouraging and engaging children.

I hope you will enjoy The Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonders with your family for years to come.

Formative Testing

Shew! It has been a busy six weeks. We have been working very closely with the Goddard parent and school community to choose a title and cover design. Families have been sending stories and activity ideas too. As a result Childhood Wonders book is about a month away from being printed! It is just beautiful. And how wonderful to have able to work directly with parents, children and teachers to get feedback and suggestions to make this book an instant classic. Their contributions have been invaluable. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff have added their extraordinary 6C Skills for the 21st Century index -- making this book even more helpful to parents and educators. Chris Sheban, one of my favorite children's book illustrators, is developing the cover illustrations. I can't want to unveil it! Simply magical. And the literature and graphic selections are timeless.

I am also working on another very exciting project which is nothing short of a national movement called the Ultimate Block Party. This project will launch with an event in Central Park, Sunday October 3rd. You are invited! The idea is to bring the power of playful learning to the world. The event will include 30 activities that illustrate the science play from Simon Says and Pots and Pan Band Parade to paper airplane making, chalk art painting and more. All activities will share scientific nuggets to better explain WHY play matters.

As part of the event we will launch an amazing new resource for parents, educators, researchers, policy makers and more called LEARN. This is an modern magazine on the internet featuring important topics about play, stress, nutrition, sleep, special needs and school and more -- all through the lens of evidence-based information and research from reliable source. Our goal is to create a knowledge community where anyone can go to get accurate and useful information on the topics and issues that matter most in raising children.

As part of the Ultimate Block Party development the leadership team and I continue to meet absolutely amazing people. It is thrilling to create this program. Today we met with about 30 young professional that are willing to put their time and talent to use to make this initiative a success. They believe in the transforming power of play.

Current educational policy chooses tests over playful learning. Parents worry about their children not being successful. As a result we are over programming our kids. The Ultimate Block Party offers sound scientific evidence and practical solutions for children, families and the world. The folks that are "coming around the block" to make this happen include a wide range of institutions from businesses, universities, toy developers, artists, hospitals and more.