Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Author Visits At School--Does Anyone Convey Them?

Hey everyone!

It has been a busy calendar week calling in addition to connecting amongst local schoolhouse districts in addition to principals close me in addition to thence I tin shipping away come upward create an writer see to the classrooms, read my book, in addition to create a piffling hands-on math activeness amongst it.  The entirely problem I lead maintain is... non many are getting dorsum to me.

Do yous lead maintain writer visits at your school?  When I telephone phone the schools it seems that many of them lead maintain non in addition to to a greater extent than or less are non interested.  I am thinking I volition quest to become to the schools in addition to thence they tin shipping away catch how educational in addition to what a slap-up resources it could live for the kids.  Here's a piffling video I did in addition to thence people tin shipping away catch what the hardcover volume looks like.


This is my electronic mail to the principals of specific schools...

Hello Principal ...., 

I lead maintain a wonderful, novel volume called The Pancake Menu which gives children the chance to practise math skills equally they play restaurant, at abode or inward the classroom.  They consummate sales in addition to brand alter using play Menu Money in addition to it aligns good amongst many Common Core Standards.

Being a swain educator (BS Degree inward El Ed 2000 from BYU) I would honey to come upward into your schoolhouse in addition to create a few 20-25 infinitesimal presentations/activities inward your tertiary in addition to quaternary bird classrooms.  It tin shipping away live extended to sec in addition to fifth equally well, simply tertiary in addition to quaternary is the target.  

About a calendar week earlier my see I would similar to shipping out an lodge cast if the parents of the students would similar to buy an autographed re-create for their student, in addition to on the twenty-four hr menstruum of the presentation I would give the purchased books to the teachers for the children to lead maintain home.  During the presentation I would loan books for the kids to role for the activity.

I would live happy to come upward encounter amongst yous to farther hash out this in addition to demo yous the volume in addition to play money.  There are a handful of reviews on Amazon and the volume website is www.kidsmenubooks.com.  I would besides live happy to offering your schoolhouse 10% dorsum of all sales to your PTA.

Thank yous for your fourth dimension in addition to I hold back forwards to speaking amongst you!

Sincerely,

Lucy Ravitch
(phone number)
Blog: 

So far, I haven't heard dorsum from them, simply it may live that schoolhouse is withal getting dorsum into the swing of things or that my electronic mail got mixed upward amongst the majority of other junk emails principals receive.

If whatever schoolhouse wants a visit, I besides create virtual visits where nosotros tin shipping away create a video conference telephone phone on Google Hangouts or Skype.

In other news, I lastly signed onto Goodreads.com!  I volition live running a giveaway starting adjacent Th that volition run for 1 month.  Ten lucky winners tin shipping away larn a hardcover book!  I'll post close it 1 time it is live.

Take care!  I'd honey to take away heed if your schoolhouse has always had an writer visit. Thanks!

Goodreads Giveaway! Opened Upwards For 1 Calendar Month Only. Come Inwards Today!

Hey everyone!

The Goodreads.com giveaway for The Pancake Menu is nether way!  Please part amongst friends in addition to associates then yous tin dismiss hold upward i of the lucky 10 who larn a beautiful hardcover re-create of the book!  Enter here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/154680 before midnight on Oct 17th!

Thanks for your support!

Have You Lot Idea Of Writing Children's Book? Gratis Ebook In Addition To Listing Of Organizations & Websites!

Hello Teachers together with Educators!

I relish writing for kids together with today I stance I would portion amongst yous some of the organizations I am utilisation of simply inwards illustration yous desire to write too!  I set inwards some swell websites also : )

So, I am utilisation of 3 organizations together with at that spot are also some FB groups equally well.  One of the organizations simply made a gratis ebook titled Teacher to Teacher: Advice for Educators who desire to write for Children.  You tin respect my advice on page 22 : )

Here is my listing of writing groups inwards monastic say of my involvement together with all the same they come upwardly to my mind.
Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles is a grouping close together with honey to my pump since my friend founded it v years ago.  It is a non-profit arrangement that helps prepare together with inspire writers together with let's everyone know they accept a voice.  Although, nosotros come across inwards the South Bay expanse of Los Angeles yous are gratis to follow the facebook page together with proceed upwardly amongst CBW-LA.org's official newspaper--Scribbler's Scoop (lots of expert insights)!

Society of Children's Book Writers together with Illustrators (SCBWI) is an international non-profit arrangement that is also amazing together with has been around for most twoscore years!  They accept 2 conferences a twelvemonth inwards Los Angeles together with New York together with they accept satellite branches around the globe.  There are a lot of things to larn together with SCBWI tin attention the newbie to the to a greater extent than experienced.  There are many FB pages for the diverse areas, but hither is the primary i Fans of SCBWI

Children's Book Insider has some swell insights together with a handy newsletter.  They are currently giving away an ebook for Teachers interested inwards writing for children that gives inspiration together with insights from over 75 instructor writers!

KidLit411.com has a swell website amongst a wealth of data together with they also accept a Facebook grouping (although it is a unopen grouping where yous quest to acquire permission to join).

KidLit.tv is a neat site that also has a unopen Facebook group, but in i lawsuit you're inwards at that spot are many things there.  The website is helpful together with has swell videos!

Here are also some sites that are swell to know about...

  • Picturebookmonth.com has PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month--every November, xxx ideas for xxx motion-picture demonstrate books)
  • 12x12challenge.com has yous challenged to write a motion-picture demonstrate majority each month!
  • Inkygirl.com--Debbie reads, writes, together with illustrates children's books together with has a swell site!
  • Taralazar.com--Another swell author spider web log amongst tons of information!
together with best website for information on literary agents...
Wow, a lot of information is out at that spot if yous desire to write for kids!  Best of luck to all yous teachers together with teacher/writers out there!


What 1 Woman Rear Experienced Later On Discovering Her Fry Was Suffering From Dyscalculia (A Math Disability)

Let me innovate Zyana Morris, a passionate blogger who loves to write on disciplines such every bit wellness attention in addition to lifestyle.  She is a featured author at diverse blogs in addition to a staff author at Centracare.org, a Tampa urgent attention provider.  She reached out to me in addition to wanted to percentage her storey near her boy in addition to Dyscalculia.  Here is her story, which she hopes volition assist others.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Seven years agone was the fourth dimension when I started hearing from John’s teachers that he is non behaving similar other children, that he is non able to decease on upwards amongst other children, that something mightiness last bothering him due to which he is non able to concentrate, that math seemed to last the worst ghost ever that existed inwards his world! Not exclusively there, but when I used to sit down amongst him to brand him consummate his homework, I could only experience that something was non working right. Yes, my kid was non beingness able to selection basic mathematical concepts. He actually could not. I eventually took him to the doctors for a thorough cheque upwards in addition to what triggered me was proven to last right! Some disability…
I constitute out that my kid was suffering from math disability, inwards complex damage “Dyscalculia”, an number that causes severe difficulties inwards learning mathematics. I felt null to a greater extent than than shattered in addition to broken completely.
4-6% children endure from this math disability. The ratio seems likewise picayune to last negligible, but who would fifty-fifty imagine that the immature ones yous attention for everyday would last caught past times it? I wondered what he or I did incorrect that he became the 1 to suffer.
I think when I was young, I had to confront for certain uncertainties inwards life that led me to severe depression, but I was glad that afterward years of struggling I was able to assist myself, stand upwards up in addition to alive life again. I did non desire my kid to decease through the same, the argue though beingness different. This was the fourth dimension when I felt a picayune contented near what I went through, in addition to I did non desire my kid to endure in addition to react the same way.
There was no 1 inwards the theatre unit of measurement I could recall having such issues to believe that it was hereditary. It broke me fifty-fifty to a greater extent than when I constitute out it has happened due to encephalon evolution issues. At that moment, the exclusively words that kept triggering my hear were, “I want I could donate math noesis to my child, he is agency likewise precious to me... I exclusively wished I could.”
Since it was the fourth dimension of his life where a kid is encouraged to report (being the most of import stage of life), what I wanted to brand him larn was that grades don’t matter. I never wanted him to stand upwards out inwards schoolhouse to, but to larn in addition to empathise the concepts well. Furthermore, I decided to accept assist to an educational psychologist. She beingness a professional person knew evidently much to a greater extent than than me. She took tests in addition to evaluated John’s status in addition to confirmed that he has math disability. I was disheartened but she was a smashing back upwards for me in addition to John, in addition to would come upwards to assist him amongst this situation. She taught me how to bargain amongst John's situation. The exclusively thing I kept inwards hear was consistency, confidence in addition to non to lose hope.
By keeping notes of what I figured out was bothering him helped me in addition to John to acquire encouraged, in addition to to function on his weaknesses. These notes were e'er helpful to remind me what should last focused on inwards particular, in addition to function on accordingly.
Thanks to his teachers who own got been real cooperative in addition to agreement to what my kid was going through. Their assist in addition to back upwards has been a smashing contribution for him, to plough his math disability to an powerfulness to produce math. When I felt my earth would autumn apart, I got back upwards from his teachers in addition to psychologist.
I asked John to exercise inwards forepart of me, evidently keeping inwards hear that he doesn’t experience burdened. Practice in addition to drilling (with patience inwards mind) helped him a lot to acquire ameliorate on his weaknesses. Whenever I could, I tried that he mingle amongst his grouping mates in addition to don’t experience left out. Even though that’s a hard thing for such children, but I e'er encouraged him that he could produce it.
Problems in addition to complicated situations, 1 afterward the other, kept haunting my hear in addition to what I could run into inwards the time to come was exclusively the weather condition related to the math disability (i.e. medical weather condition that co-exists amongst it similar ADHD in addition to dyslexia). This happened during the fourth dimension I started reading near dyscalculia in addition to that if I could percentage my experiences on the internet.
All the extra fourth dimension given to my kid at schoolhouse was actually worth the help. Children usually panic when it’s fourth dimension to mitt over their examination papers to their teachers in addition to when they know they yet own got a picayune left to complete. For my kid these normal weather condition that children confront were non fifty-fifty real. He needed fourth dimension to understand, empathise other things that were ordinarily understood to a greater extent than easily past times other children. This led a fearfulness inwards me that my child, non beingness able to explain, mightiness lose self-esteem in addition to confidence in addition to consider himself odd amid his peers. I was also worried every bit whatever other nurture may be.  I did non desire my kid to experience special inwards whatever way. I wanted him to rest amongst other children, report amid them, in addition to acquire along amongst them. All cheers to his teacher’s patience in addition to support, she helped me educate confidence inwards myself too. I was able to assist my kid amongst an fifty-fifty to a greater extent than positive attitude.
Here is what I learned near the signs in addition to symptoms that my kid suffered through in addition to what I learned over the meshwork to assist my kid overcome it. I promise yous all volition honor it useful to analyze if yous experience that there’s something incorrect amongst your child.
  • Children facing a math disability are non able to empathise in addition to memorize basic mathematical concepts in addition to computations. (I own got seen John suffering from this.)
  • They mightiness experience overburdened spell solving questions that include multiple steps in addition to agreement reasonable methods. (It was real depressing seeing John getting demotivated over such a picayune thing.)
  • Long worksheets mightiness also brand them experience burdened every bit they lack the capacity of remembering in addition to treatment mathematical operations. (Worksheets amongst a lot of function e'er scared John.)
  • Counting becomes a problem for them in addition to they cannot recognize in addition to relate the number symbols in addition to words. (The initial times were hard for John to count the numbers, fifty-fifty from 1 -10.)
  • Solving discussion problems becomes a smashing occupation sometimes. They are non able to selection what’s of import in addition to how it needs to last solved. Verbal explanations usually produce non function every bit they are non able to follow in addition to recall. (During those times, John was actually non able to function over them.)
  • Some children amongst a math disability mightiness non last able to speak, read in addition to write properly. They aren’t able to follow the directions or write correctly inwards at nowadays lines or columns. (He was given graph papers to solve things which also led him to larn in addition to write on the lines.)
  • Children amongst a math disability confront difficulties recognizing shapes, their dimensions, graphs in addition to charts. (We trusted in addition to supported John in addition to made him exercise learning through drawings, newspaper crafts in addition to solid objects to recognize them.)
  • Activities that require speed in addition to distance are usually avoided past times them. They lack confidence inwards it in addition to are usually non able to care upwards amongst others inwards this regard. (I e'er encouraged John to decease on trying fifty-fifty if he is working slow.)
It’s been 7 years now.  Today I am actually glad that John has been able to encompass upwards his disabilities in addition to he is working quite good inwards mathematics. I am hopeful that these hindrances volition non come upwards inwards his time to come in addition to fifty-fifty if they do, I volition e'er function harder than ever to aid him to overcome them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thank yous for sharing your experiences Zyana.  I know life tin last hard, but when nosotros are able to acquire assist when nosotros demand it, it is quite a blessing.

Now I'm Reviewing Books, Link To The Review For This Is Non A Math Book

Hey everyone!

I've had a proficient sum of things happening lately.  I went to a local SCBWI upshot inwards Orange County called Editors Day in addition to I met Ronna.  She has a nifty children's mass review site called GoodReadswithRonna.com that she started years ago.  I mentioned to her almost my mass in addition to showed her The Pancake Menu, but she said she doesn't review independent books but if I wanted to post a review I tin make the sack pose my bio in addition to links there.

I idea that would move great, at starting fourth dimension thinking I would merely review once.  Then I constitute out she would honey to bring individual to become over math related books that come upwards her way--so instantly I am a mass reviewer too!

Here is the link to my starting fourth dimension review: http://www.goodreadswithronna.com/2015/10/15/this-is-not-a-math-book-by-anna-weltman/

The publisher, Kane Miller, does non pose their books on Amazon but in that place is a link to purchase it inwards the review straight from Usborne (which Kane Miller is the imprint of).

It was fun to review in addition to I hold back forwards to seeing what other math related books come upwards out.  I mightiness also move doing or in addition to then crafting in addition to cooking ones equally good equally a few books I mean value my piffling kids mightiness like.

Oh, in addition to inwards other news--I am going to move selling my mass at a local Elementary School mass fair inwards almost 3 weeks!  It is inwards connecter amongst Skylight Books located inwards Los Angeles.  I'm super excited to bring my mass inwards their store!

Barnes & Noble Wants My Book, But...

I was thence excited to larn the missive of the alphabet from Barnes together with Noble later submitting to their pocket-size press department.  It has about expert news--they would dearest to purchase copies of my book!  The bad news--they exclusively direct keep books from majority distributors together with wholesalers, which they attached a spreadsheet of 10 distributors together with iii wholesalers.

Distributors direct keep a large per centum of the majority cost, only they equally good advertise the majority for you, thence hopefully to a greater extent than copies of your majority would survive sold.  Book wholesalers solid your majority together with direct keep it inward their catalogue thence if a school, library, or bookstore wants to purchase it they can.

Besides the large fee to laid an trouble concern human relationship alongside Baker & Taylor (my preferred majority wholesaler) I equally good desire to brand kidsmenubooks.com await to a greater extent than professional.  I decided to run about other crowdfunding campaign!  Hence you lot volition run across the crusade inward the upper correct : ).

At commencement I was going to larn alongside Kickstarter again, only thence I looked into Indiegogo... They direct keep about features that I actually liked, mainly the flexible pay together with the extended 'InDemand' thence people tin purchase fifty-fifty later the crusade is over.

So hither it is... http://igg.me/at/thepancakemenu

My Indiegogo crusade to heighten coin for a redesigned website for kidsmenubooks.com together with to pay for laid fees thence The Pancake Menu tin larn into libraries together with bookstores!

Please considering supporting past times purchasing a majority for
  • You, your kids or grand-kids
  • Other solid unit of measurement members
  • Your local uncomplicated school
  • Your uncomplicated schoolhouse you lot attended equally a child
  • Anyone who has kids ages 6-11!

A Few Literacy Sites, Starfall & Sightwords

Today I idea I would simply allow yous know of a few literacy sites too ones that convey skillful resources.

One that my kids honey too convey loved since they were lilliputian is Starfall.com.  It used to all last gratuitous too those things are nevertheless gratuitous but they convey likewise expanded too made a larger department that yous tin sack access amongst subscription.  My kids favorites this fourth dimension of yr is putting the expression upward on the pumpkin.

The side yesteryear side i is Sightwords.com.  They are a flake newer but is a neat site packed amongst data on getting your fry to read too a smaller department on math.

There are gratuitous too printable materials designed to promote learning inwards the classroom too at home. The site's features include:
•  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Curriculum roofing the total arrive at of Phonological too Phonemic Awareness
•  Classroom-tested Lessons based on the latest research, consummate amongst “how-to” videos
•  Printable painting demonstrate cards, discussion lists, too game boards
•  Teaching Tips for tailoring games to the specific needs of your students

I haven't used it a ton, but in that place is a wealth of data on there.  My 4 yr erstwhile is certain to produce goodness from this!

Till side yesteryear side time...