Review and Giveaway: Winner’s Choice of Hands-on-Prints Books! (US, Ends 6/12) #HandsOnPrints #IC #Sponsored

Disclosure:  I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Hands-on-Prints books. I received books to facilitate my review.

Children learn in different ways.  Some will quickly pick up a concept after they read printed words, others respond to pictures, and others may need a sensory experience to truly understand.  Incorporating various elements of physical communication for children in a learning environment let’s each child find the most effective path.

Nature, travel, cultural differences – all things that can be taught simultaneously with the basic education of reading and math.  If you are having a child read a passage for language arts, why not make that a passage about traveling the world?  Children are naturally curious about exploring the world around them, why not make a math exercise about an insect found in nature?

Summer “brain drain” is real and now is a great time to pick up some books for your children to stay sharp over the summer.  I find myself moving more and more towards learning apps, videos and other electronic means that are increasing our screen time to higher and higher levels.  I’m making a pact to get us outside and reading books!

What I love about the Hands-on-Prints books by author, Christinia Cheung, is their holistic approach to educating a child and the recognition that children learn in different ways.  The Hands-on-Prints are a series of five books that engage a child’s natural sense of discovery.  They inspire not only curiosity but a love of learning itself.  Christinia teamed with several authors in creating the Hands-on-Prints series that shared her vision of storytelling and promoting mindfulness.

The book in the series that I was most excited about is Geometry through Architecture.  My daughter is in third grade and is learning about more complex shapes and how they relate to each other as part of her third grade curriculum.  She enjoys the subject, so I knew this book would be a popular choice.  The second reason that it caught my eye is because it explores the Chartres Cathedral, which I have been fortunate enough to see in person and was always one of my favorites.

The construction of Geometry through Architecture tells you immediately that this is a book to read again and again.  To flip pages, not one at a time strictly in order, but instead to go forward and back again.  With a wire binding inside the cover, this book will stand up to curious hands for years to come.  The over-reaching theme that I read in the book is that there can be much, much more to an object than what we initially see.  There are details and meanings that are only discovered when we slowly contemplate and reflect.  That creators of treasures like the Cathedral at Chartres had much to tell us if we are willing to go beyond the surface beauty.  The windows at Chartres are of course, stunning and beautiful.  But intrinsic in the design is a much deeper beauty of timeless story of divinity and humanity.  I hoping that my daughter will find something new and different in this book each time she reads it, just as we find some fascinating detail of the Cathedral each time we see it.

What turned out to be my favorite in the series?  Do I have to? What if I don’t want to.  It looks like a book for very young children, but it actually pertains to children (and adults) of all ages.   In fact, it teaches parents how to relate to the emotions of their child, every bit as much as it teaches children to express their emotions.  I’ve been reading recently about “Emotional Intelligence” as a predictor of success.  In my career I saw over and over how success came to the people who had the personality as well as the knowledge.  There are experts in many fields that never achieve success despite knowing everything they need to know technically.  What separates them from their bosses is not knowledge but maturity, communication skills, and the ability to manage their emotions.

In addition to Emotional Intelligence, I’ve also been thinking about my daughter’s self-awareness.  It’s important to me that she learn to stand up for herself, to find ways to make her own needs clear to others, and to be her own person rather than be overly influenced by her peers.  In order to do this, she needs to know who she is and what she wants.

After reading Do I have to? What if I don’t want to, I’m realizing that I need to be a better listener.  I need to give my daughter the time, space, and encouragement to express her feelings.  She will not only learn to manage her emotions and define who she is, our bond will be strengthened and she will have tangible expression of the fact that she is understood and loved.

Do I have to? What if I don’t want to is a book for parents and children that has an important, often-neglected message.

Amazon.com Book Links to the Hands-On-Prints series:
·       Geometry through Architecture  illuminates for schoolchildren how to use geometry to read the chief stories depicted on the famous Medieval cathedral at Chartres.
·       Around the World from A to Z contains acrostic poems introducing children to a famous site and physical activity, exploring nature, culture, and traditions.
·       A Persistent Vine  borrows its format from traditional tales to explore the contemporary dilemma posed by invasive species, as well as the timeless question of man’s relation to the natural world.
·       Nuts for Coconuts written as a playful first-person account, explores the variegated uses of the coconut around the world and in a range of cultures.
·       Do I have to? What if I don’t want to  presents children with essential self-awareness skills and actions that support healthy emotional expression.

For more information go to the Hands-on-Prints website:https://hands-on-prints.com/

Get outside and read this summer!

One lucky KLY reader is going to win their choice of books from the

Hands-on-Prints series.

Enter in the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway