Get ready for Christmas with an Advent Story Calender!

It's nearly that time again!

In the exciting build up to Christmas, children everywhere will be prising open little cardboard doors (or drawers on the more sophisticated types) and discovering Christmassy pictures (or sometimes not so Christmassy pictures), or finding yummy treats. 

Yes, I'm talking about Advent calenders.

If you're a story fan - a writer or a reader who wants to impart your love for books at every opportunity- then Advent is a great time to get children engaged with stories too.

Why not create an Advent calender that has that in mind? What could be better right now than an idea that gets children involved in stories and prepares them for Christmas all at the same time?

One way is to pick out your child's favourite Christmassy or winter tales - you could include library books to ensure you have plenty ie 24, one for each day of Advent. Wrap each book, or place them all in a decorated box, and let your child choose one a day until December 24th to share and enjoy.

Little Owl discovers it's great being an owl - especially at Christmas time!

Author  Brenda Williams' Brown Bear, Reindeer and Co which is free to enjoy HERE

And Activity Village have lots of free stories and poems.HERE

Or here is how to use the stories for a Story And Advent Activity:

Using coloured card or paper cut out your Christmas tree shape.

Get your child to colour or decorate this and then hang or pin it up.

Encourage your child to choose one book a day.

When you snuggle up and share each story, get your child to draw or create a picture of something from it. They don't need to be van Gogh. All efforts are amazing! And just to prove it, hang or stick each day's masterpiece on the tree. Write the day's number on each picture. You willl have 24 by the end of Advent.

You could make the last day the Nativity story and perhaps decorate your Advent Story Tree with a star at the top.

Happy Advent, happy story sharing!

Stories - and emotional well-being

There is plenty of evidence from the findings of research that tells us that children and young people benefit in many ways from being taught relaxation, calming techniques and how to be "mindful".

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment. Not trying to suppress thoughts or ignore emotions but to "just be" and accept whatever thoughts and feelings we might be having. It is a form of meditation. 

Learning how to meditate isn't an arduous or boring activity for children. Children are naturally mindful and, given the time and opportunity, can benefit physically, emotionally, cognitively, intellectually and socially from learning how to incorporate moments of calm, or how to respond or deal with stressful moments in a healthy way.

Brain imaging scans of adults have shown changes in brain patterns and responses in people who meditate or practice mindfulness. Improvements in concentration, ability to be resilient, handle stress, learn, focus etc are all linked to these changes.

Two sources that discuss and explain this in more detail are:

http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/yoga-4-classrooms-blog/scientific-evidence-for-yoga-and-mindfulness-in-schools-how-and-why-does-it-work

and 

http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/docs/documents/impact-of-mindfulness---katherine-weare.pdf

So we can conclude that knowing how to stop, be calm and "just be" and developing the ability to step back and respond in better ways to stress or difficult moments is a good and healthy thing for both adults and children.

(c) Karl Newson

Stories of the Story Therapy variety have a contribution to promoting this sense of calmer well-being in children too. The right stories can be healing, nurturing and inspiring. They can help children open up about how they are feeling or, through the characters and storylines, see that they are not alone. They can help children develop empathy and compassion and understanding of others. Other types of story can help develop imaginations, and fun interactive story-lines and role playing enable children to step out of their lives momentarily and experience adventures or different situations as they pretend to be someone/something else or elsewhere absorbing calming and emotionally strengthening lessons or life skills along the way.

A simple story that introduces children to relaxation or meditation is a great way to enable a child to calm down or feel relaxed. Such stories can be shared on a one to one basis with a child or with a group of children too: a kind of story time with added benefit.

Audio stories set to fun and calming music are also great for groups of children. Visualisation or interactive type stories invite children to act out the story - or simply listen and imagine.

Listen here:

Story Therapy series is a collection of stories, books, print/audio/CD that offer stories that nurture, inspire and heal. There is something in the collection suitable for children from preschool age up to twelves (guide only) and they can be used with a child or children at home, with groups or by play therapists, counsellors etc working with children.

Check out the series here

https://uk.pinterest.com/strawberryjambo/story-therapy/

Why stories matter

I really believe a love of books and reading is one of the best gifts parents or carers can give to a child.

Experts agree that in homes where there are books - and preferably lots of books! - children become readers faster themselves. A link has also been found between the home with books and storytelling parents and later success in school and even life in general.

See what The Literacy Trust says.

This makes sense to me. Apart from the fact that they give more exposure to the way thoughts and information is put into words, sharing stories with children is also a way of bonding and  fostering emotional health - stories even trigger the release of oxytocin, the feel-good and bonding neuropeptide. 

Research tells us that when we listen to a story it affects and alters neuro-chemical processes in our brains. Stories can affect the way we feel about others, ourselves and the world. They can also help children deal with difficult situations or emotions they may be experiencing by depicting characters finding solutions and good outcomes to similar events or feelings. See this fascinating article:

The science of story

So for children pre-literacy skills, communication and social skills, emotional health and development of empathy can all be enhanced by regular listening to and later reading of books.

Books open up the world and, as Mason Cooley would say: "Reading gives us some place to go when we have to stay where we are." 

Filling your child's life with books needn't be an expensive undertaking. There have never been more places to find, borrow, buy or access books. Snuggling up with your little ones with a much-loved story, turning the familiar pages and enjoying a fun and nurturing tale creates such special and memorable moments. 

The children's sections of bookshops large and small are full of brilliant books. Libraries are also fun places and most hold story-time sessions too!

And if your looking for free stories then there are a whole host of online sites where you can access or download them. 

Magic Keys is just one of them:

http://www.magickeys.com/books/

Whether you browse online to buy or read or visit bookshops, remember age guides on books are just that, guides. Children develop at different paces, have different interests and needs so let your child select books with you too. Build your child's home library and discover stories and their magic together!

from http://www.quoteslike.com/

Bluebells and inspiration

www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower our whole life would change" - Buddha

One of the best things, for me, about this time of year is ... bluebells!

I love the way they suddenly appear in the woods along the road from our house. One minute everything is sparse and wintry (although the woods are one of my favourite places all year round) and then, right on cue, more or less, they transform the brown twiggy floor into a gentle, glorious blaze of blue carpet.

Every year I'm compelled to make my way down there to find the best path through the trees that will lead to the perfect spot to pause and admire and breath and take in what to me is a soul-touching, meaningful and, being a writer, inspiring sight.

It's the combination of nature's perfect but natural, detailed and delicate artistry against the gentle woodland silence and sound of birdsong. So I have to sit there, on a log or tree stump, sometimes with son or husband or friend, watching and noticing nature's special bluebell message:

On it's own one single bluebell is tiny and fragile. And each one unique in a way. Beautiful and special, next time you have the chance notice the delicate petals, their little heads hanging demurely in clusters on one slim stem. Small, yes, but never too tiny or too fragile to withstand the unpredicable spring weather. Little miracles of nature. Perfect.

And then together they do something astonishing. The bracken and the nettles, the ivy and the mud are still there, but the woodland floor is transformed into a breathtaking blue covering that creeps from tree to tree and expands into all the spaces in-between.

www.lovethesepics.com

There's an almost magical and ethereal atmosphere sitting amongst this, as though you haven't really experienced the woods until you see this too.

Whatever else you are experiencing/have experienced in life THIS is here too.

The miracle of bluebells are a reminder that life gives us as individuals a mixture of stuff, experiences, ups and downs, brilliant moments, terrible moments and everything in-between. But overall, when we step back and pause for long enough we can see and begin to understand the complete picture or tapestry of our own lives too. All the experiences and moments woven together to make the whole. 

And more than that. Whatever force of life caused the beginnings of the creation of these perfect little flowers caused our beginnings too. While different, we are all part of the same creation. Essentially what nurtures and enables them to live nurtures and enables us to live too. The same nature with its cycles of beginnings, renewals, change and endings...we are all part of the same miracle.

So I'm noticing the bluebells and feeling inspired.

www.wallpapersxl.com
Whatever has gone before I will make something beautiful again.

The power of story - books that nurture and inspire!

http://www.hilaryhawkes.co.uk/strawberryjambooks/news.shtml

I've loved putting this series together as I truly believe in the power of story as a way to nurture and inspire children - but especially children needing encouragement and extra support at certain times. Sharing a story where characters overcome a particular problem or find a good way to deal with something can give children the opportunity to discover new ways of seeing or thinking about problems or situations. Stories with quiet messages can have a powerful effect and may help readers or listeners feel less alone, encouraged and perhaps willing to talk about their own feelings if, or when, they feel ready to do so. 

In addition, I think narratives that encourage children to be still and peaceful at times - in as far as they are able to do so naturally - can introduce them to very simple, natural and useful techniques that can be relaxing, calming and anxiety reducing. This is a skill everyone needs in life - the ability to take a moment, step back or reflect is something that can be introduced to children through story and activities.  This calming stepping back idea is at the heart of relaxation methods, mindfulness, meditation and other ideas and has been found to help children unwind, focus, calm down, sleep better and handle worry. 

http://www.artofliving.org/meditation/meditation-for-you/why-should-children-meditate

Stories and storytelling have been around since the beginning of human time, of course. Think of our early ancestors huddled together in caves or shelters listening to the wise and entertaining stories handed down from one generation to the next. They were our way of conveying important information and messages, entertaining, educating and helped us create bonds with each other too.

A good story remains at the heart of some of the best forms of entertainment to this day - even though the means through which we access the story may have changed. So what is it about stories that attracts us and draws us in so readily? It's surely more than a desire to be entertained? I think so. Stories enable us to connect with something deep within ourselves and others. They tap into the core of us and within them we find meanings, purpose, identities, insights and understanding about life, ourselves and the lives and motivations of other people. Sometimes that can happen without us even realising. Other times we may get a "wow, yes, that's so true" moment. And other times we might come away from the story feeling a kind of warm, connected understanding.

When it comes to sharing stories with children there is an extra important element: the act of sitting quietly and cosily with your child or a group of children creates an important bond between parent/adult and child.  Research also shows so many benefits of reading to or listening to children read - from developing language, communication and social skills to aiding the growth of knowledge and empathy. So we can make stories a fun and natural way for conveying those quietly nurturing messages that we want children to absorb and which will help them develop strong emotional health, thoughts or habits for life.

A Red Ribbon Winner in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Just Bee with Bizzy Bee! is a colourful short picture book story about Bizzy Bee who, like all busy bees, spends his days working hard collecting all that nectar. But now and then he stops and finds a safe warm place to JUST BE!  Children are encouraged to think about stopping and pausing in order to feel calm, peaceful and quiet whenever they need to and the story ends with a simple relaxation activity which a parent etc can do with or talk a child through.   Click here to see Just Be with Bizzy Bee

Bronze Winner in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, The Forever Tree is an interactive narrative which is intended to be shared with a child or group of children. The story encourages children to imagine they are a strong, tall tree with roots firmly connected to the ground and experiencing all the seasons and weather as the year comes and goes. A section at the end of the book on how to deal with worries, anxieties etc can be shared too - giving the chance for children to talk about feelings. Click here to see: The Forever Tree

Stories for Feelings is a collection of short stories that help children recognise and deal with different emotions, feelings and situations in life. Themes include loss, change, exclusion, worrying etc. There are two versions of the book - one with colour illustrations on each page which children will enjoy and one without illustrations which many older readers (of all ages!) might prefer. Click here to see Stories for Feelings Illustrated
Click here to see the Stories only version

The Story Therapy Series have also won the prestigious Mom's Choice (R) Silver Award.

I'm working on adding to the Story Therapy Series further - more books and perhaps some useful non-book resources too!

Hilary
Strawberry Jam Books

Readers' Favorite reviewers have given the story therapy series books five star thumbs up, with the following comments included in their reviews:

The Forever Tree: "the author has so cleverly used a wide collection of vibrant colors to provide a world where children can get in touch with themselves, learn about the different seasons of time and, most importantly, the seasons of their soul...inspiring, well thought out."  Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Just Bee with Busy Bee! "a fun and instructive book that uses a bee to teach kids how to enjoy relaxation. I loved the brightly colored pictures of Bizzy at work, and appreciated the simple and subtle way in which the author introduces a different type of time out than most kids are used to. Rather than being something at best boring and, at worst, a mild form of correction, Hawkes engages the child in an activity that is mind expanding, enjoyable and restful all at once. The Guided Relaxation Exercises she includes are suitable for 'bizzy bees' of all ages as well, even those adults who happen to be sharing the book with their young companions. Just Be with Bizzy Bee! is highly recommended." Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite.

Stories for Feelings: "Hilary Hawkes' children's short story collection is a modern-day Aesop's Fables designed to help children realize that they're not the only ones who have feelings, and provides examples of how to cope with them. This collection is upbeat and filled with easily accessible tales that are neither preachy nor didactic. I especially loved the story of A Heavy Load and appreciated the creativity inherent in the tale, Broken. But perhaps the most important story in the collection is The Flower and its gentle encouragement to grow, change and not be afraid. These stories are perfect for storytime, and the accompanying illustrations are cheerful and brightly colored. More experienced young readers will also find this to be a rewarding and challenging collection of stories to expand their reading abilities. Stories for Feelings For Children: The Illustrated Edition is highly recommended." Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite.

About the author:
I'm a writer and children's author, having been published by several different UK publishers. I created Strawberry Jam Books in 2012 - a creative social enterprise project of children's books and resources that promote friendship, kindness, understanding: ourselves and each others' differences (or disabilities). I have worked in publishing and as an early years/Montessori teacher. 
You can visit my website here:
http://www.hilaryhawkes.co.uk/index.shtml

and Strawberry Jam Books here:

Strawberry Jam Books