Mandy
and Caylees learning from their
forthcoming book.
Holidays
always an interesting time for
us. Holiday to Caylee means
a holiday from everything she
feels is work….including
our book! However I did notice
she was referring naturally
to the skill of understanding
in a lot of our communication.
Its almost become second nature
which is great. It still leaves
me with the constant challenge
of trying to capture these moments
for the book. Also as Caylee
had not been reading so much
through the holiday she wanted
to give her ideas on a game
for support which is the skill
we are now working with. When
she read it out to me my initial
thoughts in my head were, “Is
it creative enough?” “Does
it have enough content to it?
“Is it too simple?”
I found myself asking Caylee
questions to develop the game
but this appeared to confuse
her. She said she had been clear
in her mind until I had started
to talk about it.
I
then took a step back and reminded
myself that I am an adult who
has had years of experience
at developing ideas. Caylee
is 11 and this is a big achievement
for her. More importantly it
was her idea and it came from
her as opposed to me.
It
then got me thinking that as
adults and parents don’t
we all fall in to the trap at
times of making things too complex.
What
if we were to look at our problems,
issues and situations through
the eyes of a young person.
They could be 5,10 or 15 but
it’s the simplicity they
still have. The straight forward
directness that adults seem
to lose .
And
even better if you have a son,
daughter or young person you
know ask them what they would
do in a given situation. Given
the chance young people love
to think their opinion and views
are important. And they have
an opportunity to give the advice
rather than the one who is seeking
it.
And
to finish this piece by sharing
an exciting moment!!
I
was really excited when one
of the staff from our local
Waterstones book shop asked
me how the book was developing.
She then went on to say wouldn’t
it be great to advertise a local
author in the area with their
new book. Author! I think she
meant me…. oops……….sorry
Caylee I mean us.
I couldn’t contain the
excitement.
Book
Report 1.
Kid
Co-operation. Elizabeth Pantley.
This
is a great book for giving lots
of practical tips on how to
have effective relationships
with your kids without nagging.
I
found the authors advice to
be direct, practical and easy
to follow.
It
gives parents a sense that their
problems are not unique and
in fact are shared by half the
population.
If parents do have partners
it also actively encourages
them to read it together and
find a certain level of agreement
on issues involving discipline
and expectations.
It
gives many great examples of
how to put requests over in
a clear, respectful manner and
focuses on the positive language
as opposed to negative.
e.g. NEGATIVE You Can’t go outside until you finish
your homework.
POSITIVE You May go outside after you finish
your homework.
NEGATIVE
DON’T eat that cookie
until after dinner.
POSITIVE
You CAN eat that cookie
right after dinner
Overall
there are no areas that let
this book down. I would say
its geared more towards primary
age kids than secondary. However
there are still some valuable
tips to pick up for the teens
and as the saying goes ‘its
never too late’..
Book
Report 2.
Story
Theatre. Doug Stevenson.
The
advantage of this pack is it
comes in audio pack cassettes
as well as books. This is especially
useful for people who are looking
to develop their presentation
skills or brush up on skills
they already have. This pack
teaches you how to connect with
your audience using stories
to teach, motivate and entertain.
It explores different types
of stories, the 8 steps of a
story structure, the phrase
that pays and acting skills
for dramatic effect.
The
strength of the pack/book is
in the minute detail that goes
into crafting a story to connect
with your audience.
However
some people may find this too
detailed and too overwhelming.
Having experienced Dougs training
for my self my advice on this
point is to stick with it. What
you have at the end of it is
worth it. |
