As a children’s book author, I am well aware of how budget cuts affect reading programs. Yesterday, I received a phone call from my 5- year-old nephew, who told me that the parents of his fellow students had to bring a large amount of school supplies for the teacher and the students on his first day of kindergarten; there is no money in the New York City budget for that any longer.  He also asked me if I would sew new bench cushions for his classroom, because the old ones are falling apart, and there is no way the teacher can replace them. (Of course I said yes!)

Read this article about NYC public schools budget cuts and supply lists parents are getting.

http://www.webweaver.nu

Steep public school budget cuts affect all of us:

• Quality teachers cannot get adequately paid and therefore will not want to take jobs in the public school system
• Future would-be teachers will not want to pursue careers without adequate pay
• Students and their parents who cannot afford to buy supplies are singled out
• Schools in low income neighborhoods really suffer (ALL children deserve a quality education)
• Program cuts = learning cuts
• Electives such as performing arts are the first to get cut
• Budget cuts mean less teachers and larger classes (less individual attention for each student)
• Budget cuts mean less textbooks

Is this the way of the future for America’s public school system? I certainly hope not. What can we do about it?

Every author visit is unique and special in one way or another. And every once in a while, I have an absolutely perfect experience while speaking to children; today was one of those magical days.

What constitutes an ideal author visit is:

1. A location that is easy to find
2. People at that location who are happy to help me unload the car
3. Friendly, welcoming program directors and teachers
4. Polite, happy children
5. Having good listeners in the audience
6. Seeing eyes light up as you speak
7. Being asked great questions by curious children
8. Having children in the group who are eager to tell me their stories
9. Lots of laughter
10. Observing the children getting into reading my autographed book
11. Taking great photos of the event
12. Being thanked on my way out
13. Leaving with the feeling that I am appreciated

A big thank you to Randy Kaiser, the camp counselors and all the wonderful campers for inviting me to visit!

How often is nearly every child listening this attentively?

The children are most interested in learning about the animals of Costa Rica

Autographing books for adorable children = pure joy!

The group of younger kids all showing off their autographed books

The group of older kids slightly embarrassed to be seen with a millipede

Thank you Randy Kaiser, a most friendly and welcoming park supervisor!

Summer sure does fly by quickly, doesn’t it? In many cities around America, school will be in session in about 3 weeks time. I remember that feeling of dreading going back after a long, lazy summer. Here are 10 steps you can take to get your child gradually back into the school spirit before that first day:

http://clipart-for-free.blogspot.com

1. Talk about what friends will be in your child’s class in the fall.
2. Shop for school supplies. There’s nothing like clean, crisp, spanking new folders, pens and packets of paper and a new backpack.
3. If your child is in middle or high school, take out the class schedule and encourage conversation about what the courses might entail.
4. Shop for a few new outfits or new uniform clothes.
5. Discuss extracurriculars your child can sign up for starting the first day of class.
6. Talk casually about how excited you are for your child for the upcoming year, but don’t overdo it.
7. Make a fun outing of going to the library together to get back into the learning mode.
8. Talk about experiences you had in school when you were your child’s age.
9. If there is an open house or orientation, plan to go. You can get your questions answered and ease any anxiety your child may have about the unknown.
10. A few days before school starts, plan out your morning routine together so you are both ready for the first day.

If you have a reluctant child, don’t assume that it is better to just ignore the subject. Easing back into it gradually with positive encouragement is the way to go. However you choose to handle back-to-school jitters, spend as much time having fun with your child during the last days of summer, and there will be no moping around!

We’re just 5 days away from Palm Beach County’s

April is for Authors Event!

Come out to Palm Beach Gardens High School on Saturday April 30 from 9am until 3 pm to meet authors, listen to author panels and just enjoy books!

I will be presenting twice in Lilly costume during the day at 10:30 and 1:30 and will sit on an author panel to discuss informational picture books at 12:30.

“Created by a group of dedicated Palm Beach County educators as a way for students to interact with their favorite authors, April is for Authors, will provide not only a valuable experience for the children, but also an opportunity for authors and illustrators to connect with their audience as well as key decision makers in the local literacy programs.”

Click here to read the list of the lowest paid college majors.

Click here to read the list of the highest paid college majors.

What is your child majoring in? What will her prize be for her diploma?

http://school.discoveryeducation.com

Media Specialist, Debra Divich, from Ramblewood Middle School in Coral Springs, gave her class an assignment; they were to try to book a school visit from an author.  One very determined student found me online and sent me an email to ask if I’d come to her school to speak to students about being an author. The students were extremely receptive, attentive and had the most clever questions for me. Asking constructive questions was part of each student’s grade for the day. What a brilliant assignment. Thank you Jael and Ms. Divich for having me. I love middle schoolers!

Today I had an author visit at The Quest Center in Hollywood, FL.  It is part of the Broward County School system. The Quest Center has a special pre-school for HeadStart students as well as a school for exceptional students with autism and intellectual disabilities through age 22.

We had some fun dancing and signing and made a whole bunch of paper bag turkeys for Thanksgiving.

I was impressed by how dedicated and patient the teachers are here. What a wonderful public resource for parents with limited income and special needs children.

I thank Tera Ivey, After Care Director, for inviting me to come.

I showed the students the watercolor pencils I used to paint the illustrations in my book

One of the Quest Center teachers shows off the turkey she helped one of the students make

Now that’s a whle lot of turkeys!

Tera Ivey, a most friendly After Care Director

Here is a great contest for your kids and their schools!

Press Release:

P&G FUTURE FRIENDLY JOINS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL AND NAT GEO WILD TO LAUNCH INTERACTIVE SCHOOL CONSERVATION PROGRAM

Teachers Challenged to Put Education to Action with National ‘Find Your Footprint’ Contest

To Win $36,000 in Promethean Classroom Technology Prizes and National Geographic Educational Materials

WASHINGTON/CINCINNATI (Oct. 12, 2010)—P&G Future Friendly today announced it has expanded its signature partnership with the National Geographic Society through the launch of an integrated in-school conservation education program called “Find Your Footprint.” Developed to inspire students and schools to monitor and reduce their environmental footprint this school year, the multimedia program focuses on energy, waste and water tips that can then be applied to participate in a national classroom conservation contest.

“We know that children can inspire more sustainable lifestyles. By supporting interactive conservation tools like Find Your Footprint, Future Friendly will help educate and motivate families to make simple changes in their homes and schools that add up to meaningful reductions in our environmental footprint,” said Maurice Coffey, marketing director, P&G Future Friendly. “We’re equally excited that this announcement represents the next step in our partnership with National Geographic to promote conservation-minded lifestyles through dynamic communications.”

Rules and details about how to enter and who is eligible for the classroom conservation contest are at www.nationalgeographic.com/findyourfootprint. Teachers can download a comprehensive lesson plan, “How Big Is Your Human Footprint?”, and competition entries must be received by Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. The grand prize for the winning classroom is five state-of-the-art Promethean interactive digital whiteboards (ActivBoards), five classroom sets of Promethean Learner Response Systems (ActivExpressions), $1,000 in National Geographic educational materials and 30 subscriptions to National Geographic Kids magazine. In addition, the campaign features educational resources on saving water, saving energy and reducing waste in an interactive online hub; on-air elements on National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD, including contest spots and PSAs; and is featured in upcoming issues of National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Kids magazine.

Speaking on behalf of the competition is scientist and anthropologist Dr. Mireya Mayor, host of Nat Geo WILD’s “Wild Nights with Mireya Mayor.” “I’m thrilled to be working with Future Friendly and National Geographic on ‘Find Your Footprint.’ My kids and my work both inspire me to take simple steps that make a difference for the environment,” said Mayor. “‘Find Your Footprint’ can help students understand the link between their environmental footprint and the world around them and be champions for the planet in their schools and homes.” Mayor will be one of the classroom conservation contest judges.

Earlier this year, National Geographic and Future Friendly partnered on an interactive, digital, in-home conservation guide to inspire people to save energy, save water and reduce waste within their homes. This conservation education material developed specifically for Future Friendly by National Geographic is available at www.futurefriendly.com and www.facebook.com/futurefriendly in a dynamic, holistic consumer education experience promoting household and lifestyle conservation habits.

About P&G Future Friendly

P&G Future Friendly is a program that empowers consumers to save energy, save water and reduce waste, using science, innovation and unique partnerships to achieve meaningful environmental impacts. The P&G Future Friendly program is a direct extension of P&G’s long-term commitment and disciplined, science-based approach to environmental sustainability. Through the program, P&G is better able to share these solutions with consumers so they can realize the benefits in their own homes. Sustainability is core to P&G’s Purpose to Touch and Improve the Lives of the Worlds’ Consumers, now and for generations to come.

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About National Geographic

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic reflects the world through its magazines, television programs, films, music and radio, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic magazine, the Society’s official journal, published in English and 33 local-language editions, is read by more than 38 million people each month. The National Geographic Channel reaches 330 million households in 34 languages in 166 countries. National Geographic has funded more than 9,400 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, join the more than 15 million unique visitors who go to www.nationalgeographic.com each month.

About National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD, which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation’s major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available in more than 70 million homes. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.

About Nat Geo WILD

For more than 30 years, National Geographic has been the leader in wildlife programming. Now the animal kingdom is taking center stage with the new network, Nat Geo WILD. Offering intimate encounters with nature’s ferocious fighters and gentle creatures of land, sea and air, Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo WILD HD draw upon the cutting-edge work of the many explorers, filmmakers and scientists who have long-standing relationships with the National Geographic Society. Nat Geo WILD is a joint venture between Fox Cable Networks (FCN) and National Geographic Ventures (NGV) ? the same partnership behind the National Geographic Channel (NGC), which launched January 2001 and has since been one the most successful new networks on the landscape. Nat Geo WILD launched globally more than three years ago and is the fastest-growing channel among the international portfolio of National Geographic networks.

About Promethean - Lighting the flame of learning

Promethean is a global leader in the rapidly growing global market for interactive learning technology. Developed for teachers, Promethean’s ActivClassroom brings together its interactive display systems (ActivBoard), its learner response systems (ActiVote and ActivExpression), and its suite of specialized teaching software (ActivInspire). Together, these interactive learning technologies change how teachers and classes engage and interact, how students learn and how they are monitored and assessed. Beyond the classroom, Promethean provides comprehensive training and support and, with over 600,000 members, the rapidly growing Promethean Planet (www.PrometheanPlanet.com) is the world’s largest online community for users of interactive display system technology, providing user-generated and premium content, and is a forum for teachers to exchange ideas and experience. Headquartered in the U.K. and listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange as Promethean World Plc (ticker symbol ‘PRW’), Promethean’s technology is today helping educate over 12 million individuals in over 500,000 classrooms in some 100 countries. www.PrometheanWorld.com.

Did you read this article in the NY Times about a once- failing school in MA, that now outperforms 90% of the schools in the state on stadardized tests? What an inspiring story!

A simple program was put into place where reading and writing were incorporated into every single class at the school, including gym class. What is most surprising is that the high school featured in the article, Brockton High, is huge, with over 4,000 students! That certainly contradicts the theory that smaller schools are better.

Read the article and then you’ll see that there is indeed a great deal of hope for our failing schools!

Any student who attends Liberty Park Elementary, a public school in Palm Beach County, is beyond fortunate! The teachers, librarians and administration are friendlier, more welcoming and more supportive of their school than I can possibly describe in words. You must simply experience it for yourself. Tonight I spoke to 3-5th graders and their parents about my book, and I was so impressed by the kindness and curiosity of all who attended.

The library at this school is modern, well stocked and just a happy welcoming place to be.  I love the emphasis this school places on reading in such a positive way. They make it fun, as reading should be. I felt pure joy as I watched kids getting excited about their new book purchases. And there’s nothing like listening to stories from elementary kids, resulting from my book presentation.

Special thanks to the Most Enthusiastic Language Arts Teacher, Michelina Oliva, Best Music Teacher on the Planet, Judy Christodulides and Nicest and Most Helpful Librarian, Renee Houck.