Try something new. Here are 5 ways to challenge yourself:

1. Go to the library and stand in front of a shelf. Close your eyes and pick a book with your finger. No matter what that book is, (unless you have already read it) take it home and read it. I did that once in the fiction section and found a wonderful writer. (J California Cooper) You kids can do this in the kid section of the library as well.

2. Read a young adult novel. So many of these are fantastic!

3. Read a how-to book about a subject you know absolutely nothing about. You might find it surprisingly interesting.

4. Chose a Shakespeare play to read and look at all the reference notes to see if you can truly learn the meaning of those eloquent words.

5. Read an informational or how-to book that is way outdated about any subject and laugh at or respect the opinions of way back when. You might be able to find one of these at an older relative’s house, yard sale, a used bookstore or antique shop.

As I prepare my program for the Hialeah Literacy Fair, I have been imagining what it would be like to be unable to read. Have you ever really thought about that? In our country, literacy rates are high, but still there are many children and adults with low reading skills. You may even know someone who is unable to read or comprehend what he or she is reading.

As readers, we take for granted how much we accomplish each day by reading. I learned how to do practically everything I do by reading.  Here is a partial list

• Getting a Degree in Creative Writing
• Having a career as a travel writer
• Learning about geography
• Learning how to cook
• Learning how to be a tropical gardener
• Learning how to sew
• Learning how to write, publish, manufacture and promote a children’s book
• Helping my Mom get through 9 years of cancer (constantly researching the illness)
• Learning how to fix things around the house
• Learning how to buy a safer car
• Figuring out where to go on vacation
• Reading for entertainment
• Teaching myself how to master a MacIntosh computer
• Satisfying my curiosity to know about a lot of things

The main reason I published a children’s book was to make reading fun for kids and encourage them to want to read more and want to learn more about the world.

What can you do to encourage the love of reading?

• Get a library card for the child in your life, no matter how young that child may be.
• Donate books to those who cannot afford to buy them.
• Volunteer to be a reading mentor at your local library, school or community organization.
• Give the gift of reading by buying books rather than toys.
• Tell a child about a book you’ve read that has inspired you or changed your life.
• Thank your child’s teachers often.
• Appreciate your local library by using it and being kind to librarians who are there to serve you.

Imagine what your life would really be like if you could not read. Then be grateful for all the books, websites, manuals, magazines, newspapers, movie scripts and all the people who write them.

With all this contact I’ve been having with librarians lately, I’ve been thinking about the volume of work they must do to provide us with the great privilege of a variety of reading materials. The future of books has also crossed my mind. With all this talk about the internet and ebooks and speculation about physical libraries becoming obsolete, I am horrified. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can replace the joy of holding a book in your hands and sitting in a comfy chair and reading. And what about the pleasure of browsing the shelves and computers in a library to discover reading and listening treasures you would otherwise never discover?

I don’t know about you, but the thought of sitting in front of my Apple computer and reading the 1200 or so pages of Atlas Shrugged is not that appealing. And what about children’s books? Can you imagine not being able to cuddle up with your favorite little person and flip the pages a book while enjoying the illustrations?

So the next time you hear about the possibility of libraries becoming extinct, please challenge the source profusely. I refuse to give up my books, and I also cannot image life without librarians telling us about a great read and encouraging us to use parts of the brain that would otherwise lay dormant.

1. The Library of Congress was established in 1800 inside the Capitol building.
2. In 1814 British troops burned the Capitol building destroying much of the library’s collection.
3. In 1815 Congress voted to purchase Thomas Jefferson’s personal library collection of more than 6,400 books.
4. The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world with more than 138 million items! There are more than 32 million books, 2.9 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 5.5 million pieces of sheet music and 61 million manuscripts.
5. Approximately 22,000 new items are delivered to the Library of Congress every work day.
6. The collection of the library occupies more than 650 miles of book shelves!
7. The Library collection is housed in 3 separate buildings – Thomas Jefferson Building, John Adams Building and the James Madison Building.
8. The Library houses 100 rare children’s books including a bible from 1763.
9. The largest book in the collection is 5′ X 7′.
10. The oldest item in the library is a tablet dating from 2040 BC.

This information and so much more can be found on the Library of Congress website. If you haven’t visited the library yet, you cannot imagine what you are missing!

1. Inside a homemade fort with a flashlight
2. Up in a treehouse
3. In your child’s bed
4. In a car on a long road trip
5. In the waiting area of an airport
6. On the plane
7. On a big fluffy chair in a book store
8. On the floor in the public library in a long aisle of bookshelves
9. In the waiting room of a doctor’s office
10. Cozied up on a hammock in your ownback yard
11. On a blanket under a shady tree
12. In front of a big picture window during a rain shower
13. While your child is in a bubble bath
14. After dinner, but during dessert, at the table
15. In a park, while sitting on a park bench
16. In front of a well lit Christmas tree at night
17. Up in an old attic
18. Sitting on a reclining chair together in the living room
19. In the kitchen, while waiting for a cake to come out of the oven, with your child sitting on the counter
20. On the floor in a playroom with toys everywhere

Where is your favorite place to read to your kids?

All internet browsers know that the volume of information in cyberspace is astounding. I think back to my days at FSU as an English major, doing research in the library the old fashioned way (I still love libraries!), going back to my apartment with a stack of clunky books, reading for hours, outlining my paper longhand and then typing it up on onion skin paper on a crappy typewriter! And mistakes? What a NIGHTMARE! Correction tape, and later, White Out. Am I dating myself, or what?

No matter how time consuming, I’ve always loved doing research, even before personal computers and the internet were available. You really do not have to be an expert to get the answers to your questions on just about any subject. I just can’t stand it when I am asked a question I cannot answer. I MUST go find it, and I will not stop until I do. (My friend, Shari, calls me with any and every question she has on any and every subject, and I have always been able to find the answer for her. This makes her laugh pretty hard.)

I guess my work as a travel writer really filled my need to research. I used to sit at my desk with 10 books open at one time while speed reading and skimming to find dates and details in ridiculously short amounts of time.

Since she was quite young, I have often asked my daughter, Rachel to find answers for me both on the internet and in books. She never seems to mind this, as I suppose I have passed on to her my dominant gene for curiosity. I have requested information about a variety of topics ranging from stain removal to World War II, and from garden pests to US Passport renewal. Now at age 15, she is the Director of Internet Marketing for Smart Poodle Publishing, and teaching me how it all works!

Here’s what you should try to accomplish when encouraging your kids to research:

1. Start with a topic that is of great interest to them – a favorite animal, athlete, hobby, author, historical event, landmark, etc.
2. Show them how to get information from more than one source. This can mean different websites, books, journals, asking experts at school or in the family, etc.
3. Encourage them to look for discrepancies in facts from different sources, and then try to figure out the best, most accurate answers.
4. Teach them not to believe everything they read. There is a lot of misinformation out there!
5. Help them stay organized by showing them what to with the information they gather and how to sort through it all
6. Kids as young as 6 can be asked to write a short summary of their findings.
7. Ask them questions about the topic so they can share their new-found expertise with you.
8. Monitor their internet searching to be sure they are not accidentally going on any sites inappropriate for kids.
9. Show them that you share their interest for seeking information.
10. Celebrate their success, and share their findings with friends and family.

What your kids will gain by becoming avid researchers is not only curiosity, but also organizational, critical thinking and writing skills. Their confidence will improve, and this will help tremendously with their school work. As far as I am concerned, the more you know, the better off you are. That is, most of the time anyway!

More and more we are reading and hearing about global warming, pollution and environmental protection. How can we raise our children to understand the importance of protecting our natural environment? Lilly P Badilly loves Costa Rica because she respects the environment and the creatures that live in it. Costa Rica would not be home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity if it were not for that fact that 25% of this country is protected wildlife.

Here are simple ways you can start teaching your kids without alarming them:

• Kids love animals! Explain to young children that animals thrive when they have a clean, safe place to live. Read stories to them about animals they love. (Millipedes!)
• When they are old enough, discuss deforestation with your kids. They can research this further on their own and learn about the organizations that strive to help save the world’s forests. I like this website: http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC052139/Prevent.htm
• Talk to your children about conserving energy – electricity and gas mostly. Turn off lights at home and have them help you monitor the use your A/C and heat. Show them that you are doing your part to cut back on driving whenever possible by walking more, combining your trips for better efficiency, and carpooling when possible.
• Show them your concern about garbage by ALWAYS recycling. Kids will love to help you by putting items in the recycling bin.
• Show them videos about the environment. I found this great website full of short science videos you can watch. http://www.sciencedaily.com. There is also Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. The film’s official website offers a downloadable study guide for teaching. http://prod.takepart.com/social_network/action/ait/studyguides.html
• Pick up garbage. When you see litter on your street, in a park or other public place, pick it up and throw it out properly. Kids will follow your lead. You can even volunteer for a street or beach clean up in your area.
• Beware of the products you buy. Take your kids shopping with you and explain how important it is to choose products that protect the environment.
• Plant a pesticide free vegetable garden with your kids. They will learn to research alternative ways to solve problems, protect the environment, learn to garden and save you money by NOT having to buy those veggies at the store! When you do buy, look for organic veggies whenever possible.
• Consume less stuff. Talk through potential purchases before you buy. Do you really need it? Teaching your kids to consume less stuff can be one of the most valuable ways to protect our environment. Less stuff = less waste. And what about the money saved?!!
• Talk to your child about trees and paper.Together you can decrease your paper consumption. Your kids can make an effort to waste less paper at the computer and with their school work. Show them how you disapprove of all that junk mail you receive!
• Don’t smoke! Teach your kids the importance of NEVER starting to smoke.

The bottom line is that your kids will learn to respect the environment mostly from observing your habits and listening to your opinions. Show them that they can make a difference!

There seems to be lot of discussion and panic about kids forgetting what they learned during the school year over the summer break and how crucial it is for them to be enrolled in a learning program. But I am a firm believer that children need their summer vacation time to just be kids. Imagine yourself taking your much needed vacation from work only to enroll in a work related seminar the entire time. I DON’T THINK SO! That is how kids feel when they are sent to an academic program all summer long.

This is not to say that summer camp or some other fun program is a bad idea. But for these kids who are home for most of the summer, there are many ways to learn about reading, math and life in general. Here are 5 ways:

• Cook/Bake with your kids – Teaching them how to do so will not only be fun, but also a valuable learning experience. Let them help you with tasks according to their age level. Younger kids can sit on he counter and watch. (You do not want a 5 year old to do the chopping or frying!) You can start with a recipe and take them grocery shopping with you to get the ingredients. What They Will Learn by Doing/Watching- how to make healthy food choices, how to shop wisely, how expensive food is these days!, how to read a recipe, how to measure ingredients, how to use the stove/oven safely, how long it takes to cook something, how to handle food safely, how not to waste food, how to clean it all up and more. They will appreciate your cooking more after they see how much time it takes to get the job done.
• Go to the Library Together – This is an exciting event for kids. Check to see what programs are available first. If they do not have their own library card, get them one. Let your child as young as 2 sit with you at the computer to look up books and authors. Let them tell you what type of books they’d like to check out. What They Will Learn – How to find what they are looking for, respect for books and librarians, a love for reading.
• Do Some Gardening – Show your kids books about local gardening to learn about what grows in your climate. Decide together what types of plants you’d like. On paper, you can map out how you will design your flower/plant bed(s). Make a trip to the local nursery. Choose the plants together. Let your child help you pay the cashier. Let them see how expensive it is to buy plants! Or you can buy seeds and grow a garden from scratch. What They Will Learn – Which plants grow well in your area, how to plan well, how to plant seeds and care for them, how to care for plants, how expensive it is to have a garden, how much work it is to plant and keep a garden looking great!
• Teach Them How to Pay Bills – Kids as young as 10 can sit with you as you pay bills. They can learn how to use financial software, such as Quicken, show them how you organize your bills and use files, how you keep track of how much $ is in your checking account. What They Will Learn – How to balance a check book, how to stay organized, how important it is to pay bills on time, the basics of budgeting.
• Play School – Tell your child that you want to learn something. Have him be the teacher and you be the student. I guarantee it will be fun for both of you! Have your child write out a simple lesson plan and then teach it to you. She can read you a book, ask you to write a story and she can correct the grammar and spelling (you can make mistakes for her to find!), do some math problems together, or learn about science using a book. Ask the young teacher a lot of questions and have them find the answers. You may want to even demonstrate some behavior problems to see how the “teacher” will handle it! What They Will Learn – How to plan, How to find answers to questions, how challenging it is to teach, reading skills, grammar, math, science, you name it!

Learning life skills is the most important learning we can do. And making time to be with your kids is the best way to spend the summer months. They will not only learn a lot, but they will have fun, be well rested and ready to get back to school in the fall.

Libraries are often overlooked and underutilized, and librarians are often unappreciated. Do you take your kids to the library on a regular basis? There is so much to offer! From huge cities to small town libraries, you’ll find fantastic programs. Here are some of the MANY programs I’ve discovered:

• Bedtime stories for toddlers
• Traveling book mobiles
• Pet Reading Projects – Kids practicing reading out loud to a specially trained dog
• Self Improvement Seminars
• Art Projects
• Book Clubs
• Contests
• Birthday Parties for Books
• Mystery events (Nancy Drew and others)
• Book Club Meetings
• Author Visits
• Tea Parties for Girls
• Teen Volunteer programs (restocking shelves and helping kids find books)
• Teen knitting for the needy
• Comic Book conferences
• Genealogy Programs
• Ghost Story Time
• Writing Workshops
• Baby Sitting Training
• Reading Festivals
• Book Reviews
• Homework Assistance
• Yo Yo Workshop
• Used Book Sale
• Concerts/Sing Alongs
• Chess Tournaments
• Monopoly Tournaments
• Home School Programs
• Guided Internet Sessions
• Puppet Making
• Costume Design
• Art Shows
• Readathons

So take advantage of your local library. It is undoubtedly one of the best uses of our tax dollars! The programs, books and media materials are free, and the benefits are endless. Just remember, there are kids all over the US who could never afford to buy a book and would not have access if it weren’t for their school or public library.

Also, please remember to thank your librarian. They are dedicated to helping educate you and your family. I have learned that the amount of work they do to process new titles, manage the staff, meet the needs of the patrons and keep their libraries up to date is extraordinary!

I have a new article that was just published in Moms Network Connecting @ Home Summer 2008 magazine. The article is called “Encourage the Love of Reading all Summer Long.”

This concise publication is fantastic! It is full of how-to info, tips for working at home, saving money, staying organized and much more.

You can go to this page to get a list of of distribution locations.

http://www.connectingathome.com/distribution.shtml

Or you can go to https://host.tcconnect.com/~connecti/secure/sub.html to order a very affordable subscription.