Tuesday
30Jun2009

New World Kids at School Brochure

Wednesday
17Jun2009

Back to School Preview

We had an interview this afternoon with Kristen J. Gough, a freelancer for a Midwest MetroParent magazine -- she's doing a piece on how to get kids ready and excited for back-to-school. So even though this is an early launch for real time blogging, here's a rundown of what New World Kids has to share on the topic (we'll rerun this in August, if you want to follow later on!)

MetroParent has a circulation of 85,000 and a readership of 225,000. The magazine is designed to function as a local parenting publication for families in southeastern Wisconsin, including the metro-Milwaukee area and Racine and Kenosha. Editorial material provides a comprehensive look at raising children, from infants to teens. www.metroparentmagazine.com

In addition to our thoughts about this -- honoring kids' individuality, making creative choices, giving childen ways to strenghten and work from their strong suits -- my co-author sent over this great page from METROPOLIS from IDEO. It's aimed at the school and the community more than the individual parent, but the points are strong, the sentiments right.

 

Friday
05Jun2009

More Good Mommies Blogging

The reviews on various Mommy Blogs are coming in daily. Here's just a few of the recent notices. So far, every mom (or dad) who took the time to read has given the book high marks. Take a peek and then let us know what YOU think about New World Kids.

From An Island Review, a children's toy and book review wiki:

My Review (by Debra):
I learned so much while reading this guide, and it really had me thinking about how to develop creativity in my toddler. At this age it’s easy……she readily uses her imagination during playtime and I am constantly amazed at how she comes up with ideas.
The point the authors really drive home is that at some point, usually when kids are in school, “playing” stops being encouraged. Kids are often discouraged from thinking outside of the box.
What I love most about the book is practical, there are over 200 creative activities listed in different categories. Some even for adults, but most are for children. Some of my favorites were creating a secret code, fingerpainting with mud and earth, and building tin can stilts for a walk around the neighborhood.
The guide had me wanting even more lists of activities, but then I wouldn’t be using my own imagination and creativity to come up with ideas, would I? Hmmm.


Debra traded in high-powered suits and high-heeled shoes for a new role as mommy–crayon enthusiast, storyteller, and kisser of boo-boo’s. You’ll find her helping families at A Frugal Friend, where she teaches others how to reduce their expenses through coupons, rebates, freebies and deals.

Another:


This from Tales From the Mom Side

Parents always want the best for their kids. That means wanting them to grow up capable and ready to take the challenges that is in store for them in the future. With the trend our society is experiencing these days (highly capable cellular phones, high definition viewing, state of the art satellite dish, etc.), we see that the future will basically require kids to be armed with creativity to succeed. That is why it is pertinent, more than ever, to develop our kids' creativity. Parents who do so are ensured that their kids will be at the top their game when it is time for them (kids) to take up the reins of society.

New World Kids is an excellent way to help parents develop their kids' creative thinking. This book will guide parents in giving their kids the skill to be creative thinkers who will be an asset for and in the future.

From Washington, D.C. mom Dee

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And from Brimful Curiousities

One of the things I learned from my Odyssey of the Mind experiences is that creativity can be nurtured, even taught. A newly released book titled New World Kids: The Parents' Guide to Creative Thinking encourages parents to reach out to their children and help them exercise their active imaginations. The authors, Susan Marcus and Susie Monday, introduce parents to a new kind of alphabet--a sensory alphabet that consists of nine elements: line, shape, color, texture, sound, space, light, movement and rhythm. The book explores these elements in detail and offers activity suggestions for ways parents can incorporate them into daily life. Parents are also taught how to promote individuality by identifying their children's natural strengths.

The book made me stop and think about my daily interactions with my children. What am I doing to help foster their creative thinking skills? Sure, we engage in pretend play, build structures with blocks and those sorts of everyday activities. But do I regularly help build their imagination? Today we made cinnamon rolls. When the rolls are finished cooking I usually let my daughter choose whatever one she wants, but this time around I asked her why she picked out her roll. She briefly thought about the question and responded that she wanted one with just a little bit of cinnamon and she liked the pointy part in the middle of the one she chose. She took in the color, shape and texture of the rolls and used that information to make her decision. The book has been a kind of catalyst for me to enlarge our world. I'll caution that the book at times reads like a textbook, but the large number of color photographs add interest to the ideas presented and help clarify the topics discussed. I especially like all the activities and investigation suggestions. New World Kids takes playfulness to a new level and helps parents encourage their children to look, compare, contrast and collect impressions and observe the world around them.

Friday
22May2009

Another Blog Review: Maria's Space


ReesSpace

Maria, from Maria's Space, is the latest mom to put New World Kids on her blog, and, we have another winning review. Here are a few excerpts:

Wow, this book should be a mandatory read for anyone who works with children. Since reading it, I notice that I am seeing things in a whole new way and I can only imagine how children who learn this way will be as adults.

For parents, this is the perfect guide book for you, I couldn't put it down and it is full of ideas to help you nurture a child's natural ability to see the world outside and especially inside the box.

I love the emphasis of this book which is to foster and instill creative thinking among children. We and our children were taught "critical thinking" associated with analyzing and weighing information. This is no longer enough. Traditional thinking skills are still important but we need to filter in media, creating, making connections, approaching a subject sideways or solving problems from the inside out.

My personal favorite part of the book, talks about the Sensory Alphabet. The Sensory Alphabet as described in the book is a sensory language (line, shape, color, texture, space, sound, light movement, and rhythm.

And our publicist at Phenix and Phenix has sent us word that another blog review will appear on June 9 on the review site The Mom Buzz in Riverview FL at http://themombuzz.com.

Wednesday
20May2009

"Just Couldn't Put It Down" Review

New World Kids is making it into some of the well-read "mommy blogs,' and San Diego based mom gave the book a rave review in her popular blog, Mama Sparkles.

New World Kids is chock-full of activities that we can do with our children to develop their creative growth. It also has wonderful photographs and illustrations. One of my favorite sections was the Sensory Alphabet. I loved reading and learning about each element: line, color, texture, movements, sounds, rhythms, space, light and shape. I felt I actually viewed the world differently and appreciated it more after reading this section. The whole book kept me interested the whole time I was reading it - in fact I pretty much read it all in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down.

We're planning on seeing a nice turnout on the web, with lots of copies out there being reviewed. We'd love to have your comments and reviews, too. You can add them on our Amazon page -- tell us what you think and join the conversation.