Poetry Inspires Motion September 20, 2010

“It’s been a long time since you’ve written any poetry, Ratty,” Mole said.

Like some of you, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a book I return to often for a solid jolt of reading joy. More than that, it gets my creative juices flowing. When writer’s block and editors’ deadlines collide, I remember Mole’s gentle words to encourage Ratty. Taking a few moments to compose a couple of lines of poetry is one of my favorite ways to refresh and recharge before plunging into a major writing assignment. Try writing a few lines of poetry each time you are faced with a looming task–it might be something as ordinary as doing the laundry or as rare as repainting the kitchen. You’ll discover, as Ratty did, that Mole was right!

What does patriotism mean to a child? September 13, 2010

“Patriotism means loving your country more than you love ketchup.” From THE FABULOUS FLYING FLAG FARM by Nancy Robinson Masters/MasAir Publications

In this book little Hubie Hernandez explains the meaning of  the word “patriotism” to his friend, Ed Roy Odem, in a way he knew Ed Roy, who ate ketchup on everything, could clearly understand.  I wrote this book several years ago and it received the “Grown and Made in the USA” recognition from the National Cotton Council. It continues to be a favorite of parents and teachers seeking to teach kids why pledging allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America is a way to show how people need to work  to make our country the best it can be for everyone.

It’s difficult to define words like “patriotism” to adults and doubly difficult to define the enormous concepts this word represents to young children. If you are looking for a way to define patriotism to your child, try this:

Think about something your child cherishes–a toy, a favorite play place, or another object (not a person or pet).   Quote Hubie Hernandez, only replace the word “ketchup” with the name of that object.  It will set a foundation in place you can begin building the values, ethics, and ideals you want to instill in your kids in ways that are understandable and personal to them as individuals.

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