Big Dreams, Bigger Fears

As children we all had big dreams, and yes most of us admit it, we had even bigger fears. When we are little we are often asked "What do you want to be when you grow up?" John Lennon famously replied "Happy." That is the best dream of all, but most children usually answer with familiar and somewhat innocent standards like "a fireman, doctor, teacher, nurse etc." It takes us a lot of our growing years to realise the importance of simply being happy with ourselves for who and what we are. One of our biggest fears is that we may not grow up and reach the full potential of our dreams. Walt Disney was one of the biggest dreamers of us all, but he also had a very big fear. Disneyland was born from his dreams and fears. The dream of building a fantasy world where parents could take their children and escape their everyday life and his fear of never being able to make a second movie as good or better than his original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While his staff at the studio consistently made animated film after film, Walt Disney fixated on bringing the world his greatest creation, Disneyland. The results speak for themselves, crowds today flock to Disneyland in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. Walt Disney is famously quoted as saying :-

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

My dream, for as long as I can remember, was to write books for children. Books that will make them laugh, learn and find a love of reading. My biggest fear was that I wasn't good enough and that nobody would take me seriously. After years of teaching and writing I finally tested the waters with my first short chapter book for early and reluctant readers. "Gingerbread Aliens" was received with great enthusiasm and gained many favourable reviews. I was on my way. "Alien Shenanigans" followed and book three, "Alien Milkshakes" will be released in a few months.

Children however have much simpler dreams and fears. Shadows and monsters

under the bed, or in the cupboard are rather familiar ones.

This is why I began writing my picture books using uniquely Australian animals as the characters.

"Emma the Eager Emu" dares to dream big. She dreams of being the same as all the other birds at flying school. Emma dreams of one day being able to fly, just like her friends, Rosie Rosella, Kelly Kookaburra, Patsy the Pink Galah and Cathy the Yellow Crested Cockatoo. This is a subtle tale about learning to strive to reach your goals and finding your own unique qualities to fulfill your dreams in your own individual way.

"Frazzled Freya" is my newest release which is coming soon. Freya is a frill neck lizard who with the help of her desert friends learns to face her fears. Freya is too frightened to go out in the heat of the midday sun. She is happy to sit under a rock and watch while all her friends play and have fun. I teamed up once again with my fantastic illustrator Dianna Budd, to produce this gorgeously illustrated Australian picture book to tell a second subtle tale. This time it is about learning that some of our biggest fears once faced proved to be quite small after all and that the biggest fear of all is fear itself. Freya's Cover will be released within the next week or two. She should have her own link on my wesite and be ready for pre-order then also.

What are your biggest dreams and fears? Does your child have dreams or fears? Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear what they are and if they have been faced. Perhaps my books can help.

Collaborative Class Journals Produce Oodles of Reading and Writing.

I belong to a wonderful group of writers and authors with a common interest, that is, encouraging kids to learn to read through new and interesting children's literature. This month we have a theme to post suggestions on book making with kids. Mine was all about collaborative class journals that produce oodles of opportunities for kids to both read and write. What more could you want from a making books together? The project encourages reading and writing for all students from the most basic level, that includes those beginning Kindergarten in the earliest pre-writing stage up to independent writers in classrooms in years 2 or 3. As the year progresses, the journal entries develop and intrigue each student who participates, consequently encouraging them to share their stories and adventures. Students are eager to open the pages of the journal each day to read the next anticipated entry.

Kids writing a class journal was a project I worked on several years ago when I was teaching kindergarten, however as mentioned above it can be used in classes ideally from K-2. It encourages both learning to read and write. The premise begins with introducing a new member to the class, (or a class pet), someone that the students have to learn to take care of. The animal in question is a soft stuffed toy that they can cuddle and take anywhere. In our case, our class was given a soft cuddly lion cub which we named Caesar.

To introduce our class pet I wrote a book about his adventures on our property trying to search for kangaroos. The kids loved the story. I made it into a laminated spiral bound book and a power point presentation to read on the smartboard.

I then showed them the cover of the journal with the class pet's photo on the front with plenty of blank pages for each class member to take turns in writing something about the pet that they did with him when it was their turn to take him home. Each night the students wrote in the journal, read the previous entries and read my story. At the beginning the students had help from their parents who would take photos and write a sentence or two as dictated by their son or daughter. The kids loved the part of the day in class when we read each new entry in the journal. As the year progressed they drew pictures and as their confidence in writing grew , they began writing their own entries. To encourage their imagination I took our class pet on other adventures throughout the year and wrote several other books too. Some students wrote about their trips to the snow with him, sharing family meals and celebrations, while others about adventures on their bikes together or simply laying on the floor reading together.

The journal gradually became a much loved piece of writing that even some years later when I taught the same students again, they asked me if I still had Caesar and if I still kept the journal so that they could re-read some of their favourite entries. I have recently had the suggestion made that I should have made copies of the journal at the time to be placed in the school library. This is a wonderful idea especially as the journal was so loved it became very dog-eared from over-use. I would recommend perhaps making a copy for the library once a month rather than waiting for the end of the year. Perhaps laminating the library copy as well.

Collaborative class journals are a brilliant tool for engaging young students with the reading and writing process as the expectation to write may be as simple as one line under a photo or drawing or up to a whole page depending on each individual's ability level. As the entries are all from class members they are all keen to read too. With the new school year due to start next month here in Australia why not consider introducing a class pet and journal in your classroom? I guarantee it will bring oodles of fun and imagination to your students days and they will learn all about sharing, caring and co-operation. It really is a win-win opportunity.

Consider a Different Gingerbread Man this Christmas

The Christmas season is almost upon us and with that comes plenty of opportunities for baking with the kids. Reading recipes can mean a lot of fun in the kitchen especially when the cooking ties in with a story as well. This Christmas instead of baking the usual gingerbread man why not consider a different kind of gingerbread man this Christmas? Think about the alternative fun baking Gingerbread Aliens instead while reading about the mischievous antics of three young boys as they cook a Gingerbread Alien and all the possibly antics that can go so unexpectedly wrong. This is just one suggestion in my post on "Batch of Books" for more information read the link below.

http://batchofbooks.com/2015/11/baking-for-kids-gingerbread-aliens/

Spreading a Helping Hand

The majority of us go through life lending a helping hand wherever we can, not really planning to try to save the world in any huge way. Most of us don't have the ability to make a huge difference in the lives of great numbers of people at any one time but in general we do attempt to make a difference in whatever small way we can. Whether that be by volunteering at a hospital, helping the homeless, reading in a classroom on a regular basis, or simply raising our own children to the best of our capabalitiies, we all hopefully make a difference in at least one other persons life during our lifetime. Although not everyone has the time to volunteer or the ability to provide their services somewhere, even a smile as we pass by a stranger can brighten someone elses day, a kind word to a child or a moment taken to listen to a friend's problems can change their outlook and make a problem that seemed insurmountable suddenly manageable.

When I began teaching primary school I believed my way of helping society was through increasing literacy skills in our youngest generation of readers. However as the years progressed I hoped to achieve this through writing children's books and spreading a love of reading with fun and laughter instead.

Imagine my surprise when just last week I discovereed I was also lending a helping hand in a completely different way with my books than I ever expected or planned.

I always enjoy spreading a helping hand by encouraging home reading through my facebook group "Raising Awesome Readers" as well as giving away many of my children's books to people in need. Earlier in the year I gave a copy of each of my books to a fellow who lives a somewhat difficult family life. He happens to be a "fly in/fly out" dad to three kids, one of which is severly Autistic and another with Aspergers Syndrome. You can imagine the difficulty and frustration not only for him livng away from his family three weeks at a time as well as his wife trying to manage while he is away. So I gave him copies of Gingerbread Aliens, Aliens Shenanigans and Emma the Eager Emu to take home on his R&R to read with the kids. He was so grateful to be given a simple opportunity to read aloud and share a few precious moments with his children.

I hadn't heard anything from him, nor did I expect to, until I ran into him just last week. I was delighted to learn that not only did his family enjoy all the books very much but his wife, who is a psychologist, found the stories were so good for her children she began taking the books to work.

Her clients are mostly children of parents going through break ups mainly from the rigors of the fly in/fly out life style. She is using my books on a regular basis with the children as they find the characters real and relatable. My stories are spreading a helping hand to help chidren overcome anxieties, fear, tension, sibling rivalry. lack of self-confidence and helping them to learn to face conseequences for their actions all in an entertaining and light-hearted manner. The use of the books have become so successful, she is now lending them to her colleagues.

It is not only nice to know that in my own small way I am making an imapct in childrens lives different to that which I had ever anticipated. It is also rather overwhelming to know that children that need love and understanding are gaining so much more than just a simple smile from reading the pages of my children's books.

What are you doing in your small way to spread a helping hand in your community?

Frazzled Freya is Coming!

The Australian Outback is a harsh and dry place.Not the ideal environment for a game or race. Freya is too frightened to go out and play. So she hides in the shadows to watch all day.

Her friends are all out in the heat of the sun. But Freya is too frazzled to join in their fun. Can Freya face what frightens her so? Or will she forever hide and say no!

Frazzled Freya is my second pictured book beautifully illustrated by Dianna Budd. If you adored her images of Emma the Eager Emu and her other Australian bird friends, you will equally enjoy the delightful designs Dianna has brought to the pages of my latest story.

While Emma has the tenacity to chase her dreams and try to learn to fly, Freya is a rather timid frill-neck lizard who, once again with the help of her friends, (this time desert dwelling animals) must learn to have courage. Will she come to the realisation that the only thing to fear is fear itself?

What are you afraid of? Come on a journey of self-discovery with Frazzled Freya and see if you can face your inner monsters too!

Copyright Sandra Bennett and Dianna Budd

Classroom Science Trouble!

National Science Week this week, National Book Week next week, so no other better time than for a school visit and book reading of my chapter book series for early readers. Both Gingerbread Aliens and Alien Shenanigans incorporate plenty of scientific kitchen and classroom experiments that evolve into enough inevitable disaster and trouble to make young readers and their parents laugh along with the mix-up of mischief, mayhem and mishaps. Tomorrow I head in to do a school reading for a group of year 2 students who are looking forward to not only my reading of a chapter of "Alien Shenanigans" but also watching me erupt a paper mache volcano for them as well.

Alien Shenanigans opens with a classroom full of anticipation as the year 6 students prepare to erupt their volcano experiments.As in all good stories nothing goes to plan and our hero is naturally assumed guilty. My volcano tomorrow will not explode in quite the same astonishing manner, but I hope the students will be suitably impressed!

Later in the story the classroom teacher, Mr Haggardy and the boys next door neighbour, Mrs Witherbottom are inadvertently involved in another somewhat unplanned science experiment. Have you ever seen the reaction when mentos mints are added to a bottle of cola? I'd love to demonstrate this one tomorrow as well, however I don't think I would ever be invited back to the school if I made a terrible mess in the library. Instead I will settle for showing them via a youtube video clip where other scientists not only get to make all the mess but have a whole lot of fun doing so.

What is your favourite classroom science experiment?

Fun, laughter, mischief tied together in my two new books!

As most of my readers know by now, one of my goals in life is to help parents improve the literacy skills of their children by providing uniquely fun and imaginative books for them to read together. As I stood beside my former colleague and dear friend Sue LaFlamme and listened to her present the opening speech for my double book launch I realised two things. She really gets me and understands my dreams. I felt so honoured by her wonderful words of praise for both myself and my books, that I wanted to share her speech with all my readers that could not make it on that memorable morning here in Canberra. So, without any further ado, I give you Sue :-

It is with great pleasure that I introduce a fabulous person and author, Sandra Bennett, to you today. I have known Sandy for more than a decade and I have observed some wonderful things about her: - she is fun - she loves to laugh - she enjoys good mischief - she has a great sense of humour - she understands lots of special things about other people and particularly about kids, (big and small)

Most importantly she knows how good a fabulous well planned, researched, well-written and well-read book can be. So, I'm extremely lucky today because I am able to suggest that you dive into the pages of two new books. These are called "Emma the Eager Emu" and "Alien Shenanigans/" The two books are completely different, cleverly illustrating that Sandra Bennett is an adaptable author, knowing that her reading audiences love to read a range of genres and books that emphasise different things.

I think that your toughest decision today will be which one to read first, Emma the Eager Emu or Alien Shenanigans? Flip a coin! Heads. So, it's Emma the Eager Emu.

Actually, I'm not going to read it to you, but I'll introduce Emma to you through my eyes. First of all, Emu's are such big birds, that have big dreams. I'll tell you now, Emma is the same. She dreams big - of something I always wanted to do as a child - and that is to fly. Emma is extraordinary. She has intellect, persistence and the strongest of desires to make dreams real. Emma sets about this. as her creator - Sandra Bennett, sets about tasks - she plans, imagines, deliberates, investigates and keeps on going!

In the end I think you'll discover Emma's amazing feat. I can't tell you more, except that you will really enjoy reading this book. I will add that the illustrations are an absolute delight. Gourmet! Emma the Eager Emu will be well loved and recommended.

Now I turn to "Alien Shenanigans." It has a certain unknown mystery about it. Dad da daa! Are there truly such things as aliens? If so, or not (as the case may be) we can imagine that there are! We can also imagine a melody of mishaps around mischievous full of beans kids, especially when they come into contact with an observant, witty, lovable alien.

I wonder what your favourite part of Alien Shenanigans will be? Will it be foods that fly, the giggles, the serious investigations or the extreme science experiments?

My favourite part is the driving force behind the story - the kids. Sandra Bennett knows that without these characters - the kids - books, life and the universe would be somewhere less special, adventurous, creative and imaginative. True!

So, without further so ons, I'll introduce the lovely, clever and fun Sandra Bennett and her two new reads: "Emma the Eager Emu" and "Alien Shenanigans."

Thank you so much Sue for your faith in me and my books. The time you spent reading and preparing your speech was very much appreciated. I hope the kids in your class enjoyed both books.

Hands up, who believes in aliens? Could there really be lovable, mischievous aliens hiding out there somewhere?

For helpful tips and tricks to improve your child's reading come and join in the discussion by joining my facebook group Raising Awesome Readers. https://www.facebook.com/groups/847306541974020/855851921119482/?notif_t=like

The Importance of Reading Aloud.

The one main take home message I gained from having a stall at our community fair the other month came from discussions with parents as they looked at my books. I realised that parents still don't understand the importance of reading aloud to their child no matter the age. This has also been confirmed during my days working in the gift shop at Cullen Bay Darwin and selling my books during the book launch there as well. "What age is this book appropriate for?

"My child is only in kindergarten, she can't read that herself yet."

Time and time again it has become obvious that parents are still not getting the importance of shared reading aloud with their children.

Teachers can only do so much in the classroom when it comes to teaching reading, the fundamental building blocks of language have to be established in the family home. Reading together from birth stimulates the brain and enables significant connections to be made that develop the foundations for literacy.

Reading out loud to a child during the early pre-school years not only gives you a wonderful opportunity to snuggle with your children and show them how much you love them, it also allows you time to demonstrate a number of pre-reading language skills.

Picture books like "Emma the Eager Emu" provide a wealth of opportunities. 1. You model reading with great enthusiasm and expression. 2. Reading alliteration helps teach that language is made up of individual sounds not just words and syllables. 3. Repetition increases familiarity and produces opportunities for guessing what might happen next? 4. Vibrant illustrations allow for discussions and further language learning. 5. The more often you read, the more they will make the pre-reading connections such as which way up the book should be, front to back, words flow left to right and top to bottom to tell the story. 6. They will also realise the significance of the pictures in the story telling too. A picture truly can be worth a thousand words. 7. Increases empathy and understanding of the world around them. 8. Extends their vocabulary.

Once children reach that early independent reading level, parents seem to think their child needs to do it all alone. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Books like Gingerbread Aliens and Alien Shenanigans might be early independent chapter books but they are still excellent resources for sharing reading out loud together. Your 6 - 10 year old still needs you! 1. They still need to hear modeled reading out loud for expression. 2. It can be fun to share a humorous chapter book with your child. 3. It opens opportunities for discussion when you read together. 4. It provides opportunities to discuss any words they may have difficulty reading or understanding. 5. You can determine through questions whether they have comprehended what they have read. 6. If you read a book just above their level of ability, you extend their comprehension and vocabulary. 7. It builds wonderful memories of special time spent together reading and sharing no matter their age.

If you enjoyed reading this post and are interested in joining a discussion on helping parents, grandparents and other carers with encouraging children to read, please come and join us in my new group forum Raising Awesome Readers https://www.facebook.com/groups/847306541974020/?pnref=story. I'd be happy to see you there, I look forward to more people becoming involved in our chats and spreading the word on the importance of reading aloud.

How often do you read aloud with your child? What are you doing to build fond memories with them no matter what their age? What are you reading with them to help expand their vocabulary?

Cool Classroom Science - Make and Erupt a Volcano

A couple of weeks ago I made a paper mache volcano and erupted it during my book launch at the Paperchain Book Store in Manuka, Canberra. Why would I do this? Mr Haggardy's year 6 class all make their own volcanoes and attempt to erupt them in the first chapter of "Alien Shenanigans," The Bradberrie Brothers Alien Adventure, Book 2. I promised to perform the experiment while reading part of the first chapter at the launch. It was a lot of fun, although I do admit, owing to the nervousness of the manager of the bookstore, I kept the explosion somewhat more controlled than I (and my audience) would have preferred. Below are the instructions for how to make a paper mache volcano and how to consequently erupt it!

Beware! The more baking soda you use, the bigger the reaction!

The Making of a Paper Mache Volcano

1. Find a suitable disposable plate to build your volcano on. (I used an aluminium pizza tray)
2. Find a cylindrical tube you can use in the centre of your volcano to hold the liquids for your experiment. (For this I used an empty Berocca container)
3. Gather strips of newspaper.
4. Make glue from 1 cup flour, a little water and a pinch of salt to preserve volcano. Mix to a thick pancake like consistency.
5. Place your cylinder in the middle of your plate start adding strips of newspaper dipped in paste. Continue to add layers until volcano takes shape. Sometimes I feel it is best to paint the strips of paper with the paste when on the volcano rather than dipping into the mixture. (This is less messy).
6. Leave to dry. Depending on the weather this may take a few days. If it is cold, place in front of a fire to dry faster.
7. Once fully dry and hardened, paint as desired.

Erupting A Paper Mache Volcano

You will need:

• Water
• Liquid Soap
• Vinegar
• Food Colouring
• Baking Soda

Then:

1. Fill centre of volcano halfway with water.
2. Add a couple of drops of food colouring. (ie: red and yellow if you want orange lava)
3. Add a few drops of liquid soap.
4. Now fill the volcano almost to the top with vinegar.
5. Add a heaped teaspoon of baking soda and stand back!

Watch your volcano erupt!

[videojs height="400" webm="http://www.sandrabennettauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/VolcanoEruption.webm" poster="http://www.sandrabennettauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/VolcanoEruption-mp4-image.jpg"]

Five Fun Facts About Kookaburras

Last week I wrote 5 Fun Facts about Emus, as Emma the Eager Emu was the star of the first book launch last Saturday morning. This week, with one more book launch to go on Friday night, it is Kelly the Kookaburra's turn to share some fascinating key facts about herself. In last weeks post I mentioned that  emus like to steal food from unsuspecting picnickers and campers, which leads me to my first fascinating fact about kookaburras.

1. Did you know that Kookaburras are the largest member of the Kingfisher family? So you would expect them to eat fish, but they don't. Kookaburras much prefer worms, insects, mice and even snakes and lizards. They particularly  like to dive from high in a nearby gum tree and swoop down to steal a sausage or two from your BBQ. (Maybe the sausages look a bit like a snake or lizard sizzling on the hot plate). Kookaburras don't need to drink as they get all the water they need from their food.

2. Kookaburras live in native bushland all over Australia but also among our many coastal towns and cities. It is easy to see them regularly around your backyard especially if you frequently feed them a bit of raw mince meat by leaving the meat out in a bird feeder or on your verandah railing. They will get rather demanding though so don't start this habit unless you are prepared to do it everyday. Note: Like most native wild birds it is best to let Kookaburras find their own food, not become reliant on people.

3. All throughout the Australian Bush you can hear kookaburras call out in the early morning or towards the evening. Their unusual call sounds more like a great big belly laugh as if something has really amused them, but they are not really laughing at all, they are actually telling other kookaburras that this is their territory.

4. Kookaburras live in families just like us. They mate for life and raise a family together, with the older siblings helping to raise the younger babies. Chicks are born blind and with absolutely no feathers which take a month to grow. (No wonder they need help from their older brothers and sisters.)

5. Most people see the common kookaburra around their homes, however further north and close to the coast is also the blue winged kookaburra aptly named for the colour in its wings. They are both 47 cm (18.5 inches) long and weigh about 0.5 kg (1 lb), interestingly that means a kookaburra weighs about as much as an emus egg!

Here is a link to a video you can watch and hear a kookaburra laugh.

Laughing Kookaburra call

Added Bonus

"Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" is a well known old song that was taught as a round to kids in schools all over Australia for many years. Below is a link to a version of the original song being played in a round and a second link to the words of all the verses of the song (with a few extras that have been added over the years).

Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree song

The words to Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.