Tag Archives: kids activities

Championing Change: A must-read Book for fighting racism and prejudice

If you’ve seen my activity book, The Fashion Fix, you’ll know I’m passionate about incorporating sustainability into my clothing choices whilst my mindfulness books, BElieve in YOUrself and Be More You, provide a science-led approach to mindfulness. So it’s not going to surprise anyone that one of my mantras is how making lots of these small changes all add up. And today, I’m excited to be sharing an an educational/ activity book on this theme that I REALLY wish I’d written: Everyday Action, Everyday Change by Natalie and Naomi Evans published by Hachette. This book focuses on helping readers identify and address racism and prejudice, and it’s both absolutely brilliant and (sadly) still very necessary.

Book cover for Everyday action, everyday change

The challenge with a book like this which tackles big, important topics (race, religion, gender, equality/ equity, sexual orientation) is to make it fun and non-preachy. Mission accomplished. As well as addressing each topic clearly and fairly, there are questions to ask yourself, a handy glossary at the end, and useful links to further reference materials.

This is a must have for every home, and every school library. I’m going to finish with a quote from the end of the book: 

“We are so proud of you for reading this book, for thinking about and writing down the everyday action plans and for doing the everyday mindsets, and we are so proud of you for being YOU! And remember,ber: be compassionate and kind to others, be kind to yourself, be OK with getting things wrong and keep learning from others, especially those who have different lived experiences to you. Together we can all be CHANGEMAKERS.”

Everyday action, Everyday change

Blurb

Making changes that help make the world a fairer place can feel overwhelming.

Where do you even start? Well . . .

Small actions really can make a big difference!

In this inspiring guide, changemakers, sisters and founders of Everyday Racism, Natalie and Naomi Evans, give readers empowering advice for dealing with the issues we see, hear about and face every day, from racism and sexism to homophobia and ableism, providing you with achievable everyday actions to create change!

Tips for practising positive everyday mindsets and self-care before things get stressful make this a go-to book for feeling informed, positive and motivated too.

Join us on our journey to creating sustainable change, one small step at a time.

#EverydayActionEverydayChange #NetGalley

Conservation Superstars: Unveiling the Secret Lives of Wildlife Guardians and Their Amazing Careers

I’m so excited to be part of the book tour for “Caring Conservationists who are changing our planet” by Kate Peridot, and richly illustrated by Sarah Long. There’s a super mix of conservationists featured from the obvious (Sir David Attenborough), and I’m embarrassed to say I had not heard of most of them myself so found it really interesting. Great mix of info on the people, facts, and simple activities. I actually think there’s a great angle here to discuss career options as well as the animal aspects.

Extension activities for parents/ teachers

For fun, I thought I’d ask ChatGPT to give me some ideas for extension activities as the activities included in the book are fairly simple. Here’s what it suggested (unedited):

  • “Wildlife Detective: Solve the Conservation Mystery!” – Frame the blog as a thrilling detective adventure where children must solve a conservation mystery. Introduce different conservation careers, such as wildlife biologist, park ranger, or marine biologist, and present clues and challenges for children to uncover the solution.
  • “Conservation Champions: Create Your Dream Team!” – Encourage children to assemble their own dream team of conservationists. Provide descriptions of different conservation careers and ask children to choose team members with complementary skills. They can design their team’s logo, create backstories, and imagine exciting conservation missions.
  • “Conservation Safari: Explore the World of Wildlife Careers!” – Take children on a virtual safari to explore various wildlife careers. Each stop on the safari can introduce a different career, such as animal trainer, wildlife photographer, or animal behaviorist. Provide interactive quizzes or games to help children discover which career suits them best.
  • “Animal Rescue Challenge: Become a Wildlife Hero!” – Present a series of animal rescue scenarios and challenge children to think like wildlife rehabilitators. Provide information about the animals in need and ask children to come up with creative solutions to rescue and care for them. Encourage them to share their ideas and discuss the importance of teamwork in conservation efforts.
  • “Conservation Art Show: Express Your Love for Nature!” – Highlight the role of artists in conservation and encourage children to unleash their creativity. Ask them to create artwork, such as paintings, sculptures, or digital illustrations, inspired by nature and endangered species. They can share their artwork with family and friends and discuss the importance of art in raising awareness about conservation.
  • “Animal Planet Interview: Meet Real-Life Conservation Heroes!” – Conduct imaginary interviews with renowned conservationists, presenting them as guests on a talk show. Children can come up with their own interview questions and learn about the experiences, motivations, and challenges of these inspiring conservation heroes.

What do you think? I actually think ChatGPT has done a pretty good job of coming up with extension activities suitable for a range of ages, and if it was my book (and I really wish it was as it’s fab), I’d be doing a downloadable class pack building on some of these.

Blurb

Travel around the world and discover the stories of 20 conservationists and the endangered animals they are helping to save, including the orangutang, blue whale, Indian tiger, rhino, honeybee, Komodo dragon and sea turtle. Positive, uplifting and packed full of information, with 20 fun activities for children to try, this book will show children no one is too small to make a difference.

Author bio

Kate is an author of both fiction and non-fiction children’s books. Originally from London, she now lives with her family in the South of France. She writes wild and adventurous stories about animals, people and STEM that encourages a can-do spirit, a quest for knowledge and a sense of adventure. Caring Conservationists (Walker Books) is her first non-fiction children’s books. A further nine books are in production launching between 2023-2025. 

I like to move it move it

OK, now you’ve got that tune stuck in your head all day! But I can’t look at this book cover without starting to sing.

The fact that it’s written by professional movement coach and award-winning author Darryl Edwards of the excellent TED Talk “Why working out isn’t working out” is very obvious. His childhood reminds me of my own – outdoors until called in for dinner, and more likely to fall out of a tree than bed. So I knew I was going to love My first animal moves. And I do. I really do.

One of the online gym classes I did during lockdown (with Sarah Liebelt, not Joe Wicks) started every session with bear crawls. By the way – do you remember when WHSmith confused me and Joe Wicks and the tweet went viral with lots of people admiring my beard 🤣! If you missed it, here goes …

Anyway, back to the book, I can see an author visit using this book being fantastic, energetic, fun. After all, as he demonstrates in the talk, exercise should be fun. Focus less on working out, and more on playing out.

Win!

If that sounds good, you could win a signed copy of the book and a fitness cards deck by entering here. (UK only)

Blurb

Nathan loves to play, but he loves his video games more. Can a trip to Animal Moves land convince him there’s more fun outdoors? 

Best-selling author and speaker Darryl Edwards has created this fun adventure inspired by his passion for encouraging kids to move in an ever-increasing sedentary environment.

MY FIRST ANIMAL MOVES

Discover the joys of animal moves with your little cubs in this first book of movement. Join Nathan and his cute, but sometimes lazy, dog as they crawl, jump and balance their way through the animal kingdom re-enacting moves designed to emphasise fun. It’s all in this exercise for kids book that focuses on family fun boredom busters.

HELPING KIDS MOVE AND GETTING KIDS OFF SCREENS THROUGH FUN ANIMAL PLAY

✓ Do you want to make physical activity for kids fun?

✓ Are you looking for ways to help your children develop strength, coordination and balance?

✓ Do your children love learning about animals?

✓ Are you worried about too much TV and screen time? 

✓ Do you want to teach young children about the importance of physical activity?

✓ Would you like easy and fun fitness games to include in your day?

My First Animal Moves is your answer. Play along together, keeping everyone healthier and happier, promoting physical, mental and emotional well-being. You’ll all release more mood-enhancing hormones as a result, which help you feel good every day.

My First Animal Moves distils the ideas in his bestselling Animal Moves book and Animal Moves Fitness Decks into a colourful picture book for children.

A Children’s Book to Encourage Kids and Their Guardians to Move More, Sit Less and Decrease Screen Time.

This unique story takes a different stance to many popular titles in this arena, with a fun activity that encourages children’s active play while aiming to get families moving and reading together. It takes the humour and colour in kids’ yoga books such as Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey, Yoga Bug by Sarah Jane Hinder, and You Are a Lion by Taeeun Yoo to a whole new energy level with active play for the entire family.

Get My First Animal Moves to help your family thrive through movement today.

About the author

Darryl Edwards is a Movement Coach, author of the best-selling books “Animal Moves” and “My First Animal Moves”, and a thought leader in the area of creativity and innovation in fitness and health. 

Darryl developed the Primal Play Method™ to inspire others to make physical activity fun while getting healthier and more robust in the process. 

Hedgehoggy snuffles

I loved Mrs Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter and remember my dad reading it to me often. So a hedgehog book is always going to make my heart melt. But first, have a confession. I have never seen a hedgehog. In fact it’s on my bucket list. Preferably not one squashed on the road. Anyway, when I saw Hoglets’ Christmas Magic I invited the author Lynette Creswell for a chat about books and everything hedgehogs.

  1. Tell us a little about yourself. (How did you get started writing? What do you do when you’re not writing?)

Hi, I’m Lynette and I’ve been writing for over thirty years. Having suffered a dysfunctional childhood, I was compelled from an early age to write stories that took me to another place. I created new realms and magical creatures influenced by stories such as The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair, written by Enid Blyton.

Years later I wrote stories for my own children. It gave me such a buzz to see their eyes light up when they realised they were one of my crazy characters. My husband could see how much joy writing gave me and bought me a laptop. He told me it was time to live my dream and write something substantial. I couldn’t wait and in 2012 published my first YA book Sinners of Magic. 

When I’m not writing I tootle off to my static caravan in Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire. It’s a wonderful seaside town and my ‘happy place’. We’re situated right by the sea. I enjoy long walks along the prom, eating ice cream and paddling in the sea. I get inspiration for writing new stories there. 

2. Is this your first children’s book?

Yes. Hoglets’ Christmas Magic is written for children aged 5+. It tells the tale of Prickles and Primrose, two adorable hedgehogs.

3. What or who inspired you to write this book?

I actually published Hoglets’ Christmas Magic for my blog a couple of Christmases ago and the response was phenomenal. I received a mountain of messages and emails from parents and grandparents enquiring when the story would be published. I can’t deny it’s taken oodles of blood, sweat and a pandemic to get the book published. Yet, now the hoglets are here, I’m glad I listened to my readers and took the plunge.

4. List three interesting facts about yourself.

  • I’m scared of Daddy-long-legs.
  • I’m partially deaf.
  • I gave birth in 1985 to my eldest son in Berlin. The room was right above the medical bunker of Herr Hess, Adolf Hitler’s Deputy-in-Chief. 

How to help wild hedgehogs

Once I started raising money for Happy Hogs Hedgehog Rescue Centre, I realised I wanted to do more to help hedgehogs in the wild. I went online and bought a hedgehog house which I placed in a sheltered part of the garden. It has a slate roof and two rooms inside and I filled the bedroom compartment with barley straw, (straw is better than hay as it doesn’t get too damp). Next, I surrounded the hoggies new home with a few plants to make it slightly hidden from view. I also turned the entrance of the house towards the fence so that it made it harder for cats to get their paws inside. 

Once the house was secure, I needed to make a feeding station. This is because you mustn’t put food inside a hedgehog house, this must be separate. 

Here’s how to make a feeding station of your own…

1. For the structure of your hedgehog feeder, get a plastic see-through box at least 30 cm (12 inches) wide and 45 cm (18 inches) long.

2. You can turn the box either way but make sure you weigh it down with a heavy object so it doesn’t blow away. I used part of a broken patio paving slab.

3. Cover the floor with newspaper and acquire two small bowls. One for food and the other for water.

4. In the side of the box make an entrance hole. Usually the size of a CD disk and use thick tape to smooth the edges to make sure the hedgehog doesn’t hurt itself.

5. Place the bowls inside and away from the entrance. Use specific hedgehog food such as Brambles hedgehog kibble and/or soft wet cat meat (non-fish). Cat food is high in protein which hedgehogs need to survive. Remember NEVER give hedgehogs milk. They’re lactose intolerant and you could cause the hedgehog harm.

6. Keep it safe. Place the feeder a hand’s length away from the wall to prevent cats getting in and stealing food.  

Congratulations! You’re now the proud owner of a feeding station and you’re helping hedgehogs in the wild.

Tips for keeping hedgehogs healthy

A hedgehog’s natural diet mainly consists of slugs, ground beetles, caterpillars and worms. Please don’t use slug pellets in your garden. Hedgehogs eat these and can die.

Get more involved!

If you’d like to learn more about hedgehogs you can join the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. You’ll find them on Twitter under @hedgehogsociety or you can visit their website: http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk. The society’s great for sharing valuable information about hedgehogs and if you need help you can contact them directly.

As a parent or teacher who would like more information, there’s a great website People’s Trust for Endangered Species (ptes.org) have information on hedgehogs and on their site you’ll also find a link to Hedgehog Street. This is a website where you become a Hedgehog Champion. If you visit Hedgehogstreet.org you’ll find free downloadable resources, a photo gallery and forum.  

Thanks Lynette. Now I’m off to look into building a hedgehog house. Watch this space!

Delightfully different, totally terrific

Dilly the penguin has one leg, so she hops rather than waddles. Some penguins are fine with this, others not so. Approaching the topic of “difference” often feels like a potential parental minefield, but I promise you can’t go wrong with Delightfully Different Dilly. There’s a learning here, obviously, but many stories which cover this scenario feel uncomfortably forced or contrived. Not so here. This is a classic adventure set-up, with courage, teamwork, and friendship shining through, and it’s flawlessly done.

Stunning illustrations (see the pic), tons of drama, great characterisation, and an important message that is not rammed down your throat – this is an absolute must for every home bookshelf and classroom book box.

Not only are there great talking points leaping from every page, but I was so impressed with the linked sensory activities done by @rascals_and_rainbows that I have to highlight them here. Check it out!

Blurb

When Dilly is born, her parents think she is perfect – from the top of her head to the bottom of her foot. The other babies notice that she is different but soon accept her, and love her different way of doing things. They even try  to copy her – in the funniest ways! Their mummies and daddies aren’t sure, though – someone different makes them anxious, they like everyone to be the same. Can their babies convince their parents to accept Dilly – and to understand that it’s actually brilliant to be different?

Author bio

I began writing magazine fiction and have sold thousands of stories all over the world, but when my daughters were born and I started reading to them, I was reminded just how wonderful children’s books are, and decided to try writing them myself. They are the most fun of all and I have had over eighty books published from picture books up to novels for up to age 12. 

Some of them deal with issues I have faced with my own children such as a pet dying – Scrumpy (Andersen) or an over-adventurous hamster – Hammy (Orchard), others cover issues common to many children, such as being scared of monsters – Nothing Can Frighten a Bear (Nosy Crow), being different – Delightfully Different Dilly (Quarto 2021) and being small – Billy and the Balloons (Salariya) and Off to Market! (Frances Lincoln -a runner-up in the Dundee Picture Book Award and based on my journey on an over-crowded minibus in Uganda filled with villagers, furniture and animals!