Tips For Sending Your Child Of To School

Every year millions of young children start school for the very first time. They carry backpacks, lunchboxes, pencils, sometimes a grin on their face, but more often, a look of trepidation about what school will really be like. They wonder: Will my teacher be nice? Will I have friends? What if I can’t find my way? Who will sit with me? What will I do? What if I don’t like it? What if I miss home? What if it’s too hard?

As parents guiding our children off to start school for the first time, or to begin a new school year, we want to do all we can to ensure that they have a great experience. At the same time, we want to encourage their independence as they set off on a new journey in their development.

Kathryn White, author of Ruby's School Walk, early educator and mom of five children, shared her tips to ease children's start-of-school anxiety and make this an enjoyable milestone:

Click HERE to meet Ruby!

• Read with your child and talk about the school experience. Share with them stories about your memories of school, both the good and the less so. School is an adventure, and like all adventures, it has its ups and downs.
• Help spark your child’s imaginations about school to encourage them to talk about their concerns and face their fears. You can do this through stories, books, drawings and other art forms. Ask them questions such as what they think school will be like, what they are excited about and worried about, what they think they will learn, etc. These conversations can also be had with grandparents and other favorite people in your child’s life.
• Build a community in your neighborhood. It is amazing what a familiar and friendly face can do to help a child overcome their fears about going to school. As your family journeys to school each day you might see this friendly neighbor, or only see them occasionally, but it will help your child feel comfortable and safe on their trip to school.
• Sit down together and create a fun map to school. Note interesting landmarks and have your child color them in or place numbers at each point. On that first morning to school, your child will be preoccupied with checking off the landmarks on their special map. The school can be drawn with welcome signs, making it a great triumph upon their arrival.
• Walk with your child to school whenever possible. If you don’t live nearby, take public transport, bike or drive and get out a few blocks away and walk together. The walk will become a meaningful way to spend time together and help get the day off on the right foot.
• Create traditions. Take pictures of your child in front of your home or on their way to school. Each year you can reflect back on these first day of school photos and see how much your child has grown in every way.
• Know that if the first day went well or didn’t go well, there are many more days of school throughout the year and peaks and valleys along the way.

We hope your child’s first experience with school is part of their magnificent journey of growing up!



The Cozy Book Tree

Go Green - Go Global Meet Eco-Libris

Trees. They are a subject near and dear to my heart. As you get to know me you will find I am what they call a "tree hugger". I adore trees. They make me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Every since I was a little girl my favorite thing to do is, grab a book and blanket, find me a big tree and curl up under it and read for hours or lay and stare up at the sky watching the clouds make shapes as they move slowly across the sky.

The Cozy Book Tree (that's us) as you know by now are Ambassadors for Barefoot Books and both us and our publisher is focused on the environment, we are always looking for new ways to help preserve our planet’s resources. We were delighted to find Eco-Libris – a company who helps publishers and book buyers to be green!

Eco-Libris Vision

Let’s start with the bottom line: we believe in providing people with easy and affordable ways to take responsibility for their actions and go green. We don’t believe in preaching doom and gloom. It’s not our style. We do believe in taking action and in the power of small changes to make a big impact.

Visit Their Website HERE

Eco-Libris is a green business that enables people to do something reasonable, affordable yet with an impact: plant one tree for every book they read. By working with individuals and publishers to plant trees in developing countries, Eco-Libris makes sure that each tree is planted where it provides significant value for both the environment and the local communities.

We worked with Eco-Libris on our book Earth Tales to plant a tree for every copy we sold of Earth Tales this past Spring.

We continue to promote their program through our Ambassador Community and want to spread the word about their great work as much as we can.

Find out how you can make a direct impact on the environment by planting a tree for every book you read by visiting www.ecolibris.net.

Thank you!

Play, Learn, Create

Precious Baby Memories

Being a mom myself I know there is nothing more precious than celebrating the birth of a new baby. I have two children now ages 19 and 27 and I often wonder where the time went. Keeping records and memories of your child not only is for Mom and Dad but something to pass along to your kids as they grow older and start having children of their own.

Kids LOVE hearing about their baby stories and we love telling them.

Click on Book to View

I would like to introduce you to a sweet baby's first book beautifully illustrated by Clare Beaton. Baby's First Book celebrates the treasured moments of your baby's first years with this beautiful book that features first rhymes, everyday scenes and simple items. The colorful pages offer plenty to look at and talk about.

Whatever you do in this life always remember to let your children know how much they mean to you and tell them you love them everyday!