Article By Dan Gilbert--Raising A Reader

Foster A Love for Reading Within Your Child

Submitted by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools. The most trusted preschool education that focuses on a balanced learning curriculum to ensure your child is safe, happy and healthy while learning.

A recent recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics reinforces what other researchers have been saying for decades: children under the age of two get no benefit from watching televisions, computers or anything else with a flickering screen. In fact, there is evidence that such early exposure can actually be detrimental. A University of Washington study found that for every hour that babies 8 to 16 months old spent watching a video, they learned 6 to 8 fewer new vocabulary words. The research found that interaction with parents was far more beneficial, and one of the most rewarding interactions that a parent can have with a child is reading a book together. Parents are the most important people in a young child’s world. Young children learn from everything a parent does. If children see that reading is important to the parent, it will become important to them, too. Establishing reading as a family value is the first step towards raising a reader.A Bedtime story can be a great way to introduce reading to a child. Instituting a bedtime ritual that includes sharing a story can lay the foundation for a lifelong interest in reading. As one of the most intimate times of the day that a child shares with a parent, reading a bedtime story becomes connected with feelings of closeness, openness and relaxation. Those connotations serves children well as they grow, helping them to not only view books as something that will entertain and inform them, but as something that can help them deal with the stress of everyday life. Books become forever linked with learning, pleasure and leisure.How a child is read to matters, too. A New Zealand study examined three reading techniques, techniques they labeled as “performance-oriented,” “describer,” and “comprehender.” The research studied four-year-olds over a six-week period. The study found that results varied according to the child’s development.
Performance-Oriented. Children with a more advanced vocabulary benefited more from a general introduction, followed by a straight read-through of the book, followed by questions about the story.
Describer. Some children benefited from a stop-and-start reading experience, in which the parent points to pictures, makes frequent comments and generally interacts with the child often and directly.Comprehender. This style interrupts the story to ask more complex questions. The research concluded that this style was not as beneficial for the four-year-olds as the other two styles.Parents can help children make the leap from listening to stories to reading themselves by indulging the child with repeated readings of favorite stories. As children begin to learn stories by heart, allowing them to complete sentences, while pointing to the words, can lay the ground work for reading on their own. Once children are able to read on their own, encouraging them to read out loud provides a positive affirmation.Healthy ReadingA study from Duke Children’s Hospital found that reading helped overweight girls aged 9 to 13 lose weight. Girls who had read books during a six-month period lost more weight than those who had not. Girls who had read a particular book about an overweight teen who overcomes low self-esteem lost the most weight. By presenting characters to which children can relate, books can help children not only become healthier, but more empowered.To encourage children to read on their own, surround them with books. A weekly trip to the library is another routine that can have lifetime benefits. Many thrift stores offer books at bargain prices. Collecting a storehouse of affordable books to give as rewards for good behavior reinforces the value that a parent places on books. Finally, to effectively encourage children to read, parents must read as well. Leading by reading is the most effective way to raise a reader.

How To Write A Children\'s Book

        Written by: Donna Beserra

Many people dream of writing a children's book, but just can't seem to get around to doing it. I would like to encourage those people to go ahead and do it. The hardest part is getting started. Some people aren't even sure what they want to write about. For those people I would suggest brainstorming. Think about your interests and experiences. Jot down thoughts even if they are random.

To get ideas think of your day to day life. Reminisce about your childhood. If you have your own children let them inspire you. Or even observe other children. Maybe they can give you ideas.

As an example, I will describe how I created my Twirly Shirley stories. I began writing the stories through the inspiration of a hobby I shared with my children. They loved to dress up and act out fairy tales, so I created costumes and allowed them to perform the stories on home video.

I eventually decided it would be great to create a fairy tale of my own. It wasn't difficult for me to think of a story. My son Donnie loved inventions. He especially enjoyed making things spin. I helped him and we started out by making a miniature fan. Donnie created a small spinning car that lit up like a space ship. He called it a Wacky Spinmobile and entered it in the school science fair. We ended up in the newspaper the next day.

I later made Donnie an Inspector Gadget costume with various gizmos including a spinning helicopter hat. He wore it for Halloween. In addition, I designed a special costume for my daughter Shereene. It included spinning braids. She wore it in the school parade and the other kids loved it. They were asking how we made her "hair" spin.

The girl with the spinning braids became Twirly Shirley, (Twirly for the braids, and Shirley because it rhymed with Twirly, and also happened to be my mother's name),Twirly Shirley is very emotional ( a trait shared my daughter Shereene and myself).

Shirley's braids spin whenever she becomes excited. Shirley also loves performing arts, as do my children. She tries out for a part in a play of The Wizard Of Oz, which was one of my kid's favorite stories.

I'm sure that if you think it over, you can find something interesting to write about. Once you have some ideas on paper, start building a story around those ideas. Keep writing until you have finished the story. Don't worry about revising or perfecting your book. First finish it. I can't emphasize this enough. You can revise it later. Being too much of a perfectionist can hold you back and you may never finish. A lot of people get through half a story then give up because they keep trying to improve it repeatedly.

Once you have completed a book, you can edit it. Just don't overdo it. Many imperfect stories are great. Do the best you can. It is important to check spelling and grammar, but as long as the story is interesting don't worry about perfection. Just enjoy your book and let others have the opportunity to enjoy it as well.

 

 

 

 

Watch "Discover Your Talent Show" online. Kids become authors, illustrators, performers; stars of every kind!

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Watch "Discover Your Talent Show" ! Once available only on television, this inspiring show can now be seen online. This program motivates children as well as adults to uncover and develop their hidden interests and abilities. "Discover Your Talent Show" is based on Creative Creatures Interactive books and The Twirly  Shirley Series. See the children as they use their imaginations to invent their own creative ideas for the stories right before your eyes. See them create their own songs and dances. Watch them light up, as they learn of their unique ability.

                               

My dream is to help enrich children's lives by inspiring them to develop their potential. Who knows what they will be capable of when they learn that they are gifted in many special ways. They will also be motivated by watching other children and adults who have already discovered their own individual skills. God has gifted all of us with our own special talent, and the great thing is that the more we use our talent, the more we will have. It will increase throughout our lifetimes."Discover Your Talent Show" is educational as well as entertaining. It's a lot of fun to watch the children act out the stories. Their creative input really enhances the material, and as anyone who knows anything about children is aware of, they can add a lot of fun and laughter to the stories.

Photos From "Discover Your Talent Show"

 

     Pirate The Parrot & Esther The Jester                 Island Girls                              Surfing the ocean

Scary Twirly Shirley

When my kids were very little they loved to act out their favorite fairy tales. I began making costumes and allowing the kids to perform the stories on home video. Before long I decided to create my own fairy tale. I invented a charactor called Twirly Shirley. We produced a video called "Twirly Shirley In My Sister The Twister". This led to the creation of a book series which included "Twirly Shirley In Hurricane Shirley", "Twirly Shirley And The Brother Like No Other" and "Twirly Shirley And The Tsunami Mommy". I also published the Creative Creatures Series of interactive books which inspire kids to discover their talent.

Now I am teaching Movie Making and Discover Your Talent Classes. I also teach children how to write and illustrate books, and I teach adults how to publish them. I continually learn new skills, and do my best to inspire others to do the same. I even have my own Discover Your Talent show. Kids come on and act along with my stories. Talented people share how they discovered their talent It's amazing what can develop from a family hobby!

Someday I hope to inspire children (and adults) around the world to discover their talent! In the meantime I will continue to write books and find new ways to teach and inspire children. Everyone has talent, and no one should ever waste it!

Scary Alladin Video--Fun Family Hobby

My children loved to act out their favorite fairy tales on home video. I encouraged their creativity by making costumes. Then the kids and I would perform the stories on home video. One of the favorites was Alladin. We worked together to make our own homemade Alladin video. We were a little short on charactors, so I played the part of the evil man myself. I shortened the story down to submit it online. I hope you will enjoy watching our video!

Someday I\'ll inspire kids to become successful

Someday I'll be able to influence children around the world to develop their God Given talents. I have recently created a new series of children's books called Creative Creature. "Creative Creatures help parents and teachers achieve their goals to educate by helping children to create....."These books are interactive, and encourage children of all nationalities, cultures and backgrounds to be creative, discover, and develop their unique abilities. As these abilities develop, self confidence will also increase. These books can be used to improve interaction between teachers and students, and to make learning more of an adventure. They can also be used in homes to help bring families close through involvement in an entertaining hobby.

My dream began as a hobby I shared with my own children. My kids loved to act out fairy tales. To encourage their creativity, I designed costumes and videotaped their performances. This motivated me to invent my own fairy tales, which we performed in photos and home video.

Our stories turned out so well I published them to share with others. We gave presentations at schools and children's organizations where kids acted our stories out. I hope to inspire future authors, performers and artists of every kind. I have already been able to reach some children with this goal.

I know my dream will become reality because I am working within God's plan. When I started publishing, I ran into difficulty. I prayed with people from my church. After prayer, a man approached me. He said, "Don't worry about your books. It's God's mission. He opens the doors." God has opened many doors already, and I believe he will continue to do so until this mission is accomplished.

Vote to help me help kids become successful

Donna Beserra's Home Based Business

Watch Discover Your Talent!!!

Mondays @ 8:00 p.m. channel 19 Cable t.v.

Quad City Area

Hi. I'm Donna Beserra, a Stay-At-Home mother who with God's inspiration and the help of my children, has successfully turned a family hobby into a publishing company. Since my children have always loved to act out fairy tales, I made costumes and let them perform the stories on home video. Eventually, I decided to create a story of my own. I invented a character called Twirly Shirley, a girl with wacky braids that spin when she gets excited. Our family got together, did special effects and acted the story out in photos and on home video. (Below, you can watch an entertaining video of me with my children in one of our news interviews.) We made a book and had it published. Our first book was titled Twirly Shirley In My Sister The Twister. In this book, Twirly Shirley got nervous while trying out for a play of The Wizard Of Oz. Her braids began spinning and she was carried off in her very own funnel cloud. Of course, everyone thought there was a tornado.

After publishing this book, I went on to publish two other Twirly Shirley books, containing my children's photographs. I have recently published new versions of the Twirly Shirley books.

Artist Melody Karns Trone, based many of her illustrated characters on the actual living stars from the original stories. Here is a cover image of one of the books:

Hurricane Shirley is here! Hurricane Shirley is now available through Barnes & Noble, as well as through the following links: Authorsden , Amazon.com , barnesandnoble.com , and twirly shirley store Get your copy today! Authorsden also offers an autographed copy of the book.

In addition to being a publisher I have worked as a Broker Associate with RE/MAX on Track, in Rock Island Illinois. I have actually flown in The RE/MAX hot air balloon with my daughter Shereene on her 12th birthday. I have sponsored many of the RE/MAX Hot Air School Balloon Programs for elementary age children.

My new book publishing company is called Artistic Creations Book Publishing. I am creating a series of Twirly Shirley books and will soon be introducing a new children's series. The first book is available and easy to find. My second book is called Twirly Shirley And The Brother Like No Other and it is a Christmas Edition. I am very excited about Hurricane Shirley, coming in May. The new series I am working on will begin in the fall.

Below is one of our favorite news interviews:

FreeWebSubmission.com

I would like to mention that in my experience, everything that is worthwhile does require time and effort Anyone who wants to become successful at any type of business, must be determined and willing to work hard for what they want.

HURRICANE SHIRLEY IS COMING!!!!
Look for the launch of this new book in May.

For more information, or to order books, go to: http://www.authorsden.com/donnambeserra

Another site with Twirly Shirley books is: http://authortree.com/dbeserra

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Donna's kids aren't the only ones who enjoy performing arts!

Donna in costume




Donna in costume

Your Hidden Talent

You are both very knowledgeable and creative. You tend to be full of new ideas and potential - big potential. Ideas like yours could change the world, if you build them. As long as you don't stop working on your dreams, you'll get there.

What's Your Hidden Talent?