Mindfulness, Meditation, and More

November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

Looking into ourselves using meditation and mindfulness is the big new trend. However, I know many people that use other things to center themselves and meditate. I know people who use yoga, running, cooking, painting, photography, gardening, knitting, or other endeavors. Anything can be meditation, if done in a way that makes you more aware of yourself and soothes you.

I crochet to meditate. There is something about the rhythm, the textures of the yarn, counting, and so on that help me center myself and slow my mind down after a busy day, or to get me ready to face a busy day. The simple act of using a hook to shape yarn to create something soothes me in a way that can only be matched with how lost I can get in a fantastic book or singing a song that I know so well I do not need to actually think about the notes or words anymore.

I have also tried traditional meditation and guided mindfulness exercises. While some have served to soothe and calm my mind, I much prefer using a tactile focus rather than sound or breathing based techniques. I think it is important for everyone to find a way to meditate; whether it with with the expected breathing and mental focus of meditation and mindfulness exercises, the rhythm of running or working with yarn, or the process of sifting flour and kneading dough for the perfect bread. There have been recent studies about how coloring is a wonderful form of meditation.

Here are some of the best books that have come my way that might come in handy if you are looking to learn about meditation, or to turn one of your favorite activities into a form of mediation or mindfulness.

How to Train a Wild Elephant: and Other Adventures in Mindfulness by Jan Chozen Bays

One Zentangle a Day: a 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun by Beckah Krahula

Moving into Meditation: a 12-Week Mindfulness Program for Yoga Practitioners by Anne Cushman

The Mindful Mandala Coloring Book: Inspiring Designs for Contemplation, Meditation and Healing by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma

Crochet Master Class: Lessons and Projects from Today’s Top Crocheters by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

In Search of the Perfect Loaf: a Home Baker’s Odyssey by Samuel Fromartz

Turning the Mind into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham

Wherever you Go, There You are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Take a Deep Breath: the Haiku Way to Inner Peace by Sylvia Forges-Ryan, Edward Ryan

Meditation for Dummies by Stephen Bodian

If you would like a free class in mindfulness come to our Hypnosis Works! Hypnosis for Stress Reduction & Relaxation program on November 5th at 6:30pm.

Getting Outside More with The Kids

October 23, 2015October 13, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Now that the weather is cooler and the schedules for school and other activities are fairly stable, it is a great time to get out and more active with the kids. Whether this means hiking and exploring our state parks (don’t forget to check out the pass for free parking!) or just enjoying your own yard is not important.

My son loves playing I Spy as we take a walk, my daughter loves to have nature scavenger hunts, and they both love to make a mess in the dirt or by crafting with bits of nature that they discovered. I like just enjoying a walk on one of the linear trails, which often also includes chasing after the kids on their bikes. Whatever outdoor activities you like most, sometimes we all need some ideas for new activities that we just haven’t thought of yet.

Here are some books that might offer just the thing that will make your whole family happy.

Get Out!: Outdoor Activities Kids Can Enjoy Everywhere (Except Indoors) by Hallie Warshaw with Jake Miller

Go Outside!: Over 130 Activities for Outdoor Adventures by Nancy Blakey

Nature for the Very Young: a Handbook of Indoor and Outdoor Activities by Marcia Bowden

Outdoor Games! by Lisa Regan

Go Out and Play!: Favorite Outdoor Games from Kaboom

How to Raise a Wild Child: the Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott D. Sampson

The Adventurous Book of Outdoor Games: Classic Fun for Daring Boys and Girls by Scott Strother

Follow the Trail: a Young Person’s Guide to the Great Outdoors by Jessica Loy

And for the soon to be colder days:
The Kids’ Winter Fun Book: Homespun Adventures for Family Fun by Claire Gillman and Sam Martin

Spooky Selections for Middle Grade Readers

October 12, 2015September 14, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you have a middle grade reader that lovers anything spooky? This age group often loves to be scared, but not terrified, by their scary stories. Finding books that make parents and readers happy is sometimes hard, but here are some books that might just hit the mark.

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
Unhappy about moving into a converted church in the country with her mother and new stepfather, Molly must put aside her dislike of her little stepsister, Heather, when the child is possessed by a malevolent ghost.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Raised since he was a baby by ghosts, werewolves, and other residents of the cemetery in which he has always resided, Bod wonders how he will manage to survive amongst the living with only the lessons he has learned from the dead.

Doll Bones by Holly Black
Zach, Alice, and Poppy, friends from a Pennsylvania middle school who have long enjoyed acting out imaginary adventures with dolls and action figures, embark on a real-life quest to Ohio to bury a doll made from the ashes of a dead girl.

A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm, #1) by Adam Gidwitz
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering witches, devils, warlocks, kindly strangers, and other helpful folk as they take charge of their own happily ever after.

The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand
Practically-perfect twelve-year-old Victoria Wright must lie, sneak, and break the rules when her investigation of the disappearance of her best–and only–friend, Lawrence, reveals dark secrets about her town and the orphanage run by the reclusive Mrs. Cavendish.

Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant, #1) by Derek Landy
When a not-so-innocent twelve-year-old girl named Stephanie inherits her eccentric uncle’s estate, she must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the world from an ancient evil.

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Looking for more spooky mayhem that will please a middle grade (or older) reader? Here are a few more of the many avalible options: Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn, The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki, The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn, The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Lewis Barnavelt, #1) by John Bellairs, School Spirit (Suddenly Supernatural #1) by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac, The Ghost Comes Calling by Betty Ren Wright, Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver, Ghosts I Have Been by Richard Peck, and The Ghost’s Grave by Peg Kehret.

October 4th-10th is Fire Prevention Week!

October 5, 2015September 14, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day proclamation to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire. This tragic 1871 event killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871. Despite the tragedy of that fire, it was not the biggest that year, or even that week. That sad distinction goes to the Peshtigo Fire, the most devastating forest fire in American history. This fire also started on October 8th, 1871, and roared through Northeast Wisconsin, burning down 16 towns, killing 1,152 people, and scorching 1.2 million acres before it ended. firesafety

Since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. According to the National Archives and Records Administration’s Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public health and safety observance on record. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925. Each year has had a special fire safety theme, this years is; Hear The Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm! For more information on the history of this week of awareness please visit the National Fire Prevention Association website. There is a great deal of helpful information and resources throughout the site, including printable activity sheets for children.

Fire safety is an important topic to share with children, often the younger the better, so they know how to react during a fire drill or an emergency. Here is a selection of books you might want to share with your children to educate and prepare them, while entertaining them.

A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe Around Fire by Maribeth Boelts, Fireboy to the Rescue!: A Fire Safety Book by Edward Miler, Stop Drop and Roll by Margery Cuyler, Fire Safety by Lisa M. Herrington, No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) by Jean Pendziwol, Fire Safety by Dana Meachen Rau, Miss Mingo and the Fire Drill by Jamie Harper, Fire Safety in Action by Mari Schuh, Firefighters!: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell,If There is a Fire by Wil Mara, Staying Safe around Fire by Lucia Raatma,Fire Drill by Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender, andThe Firefighters by Sue Whiting.

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Celebrate the Freedom to Read with Challenged Children’s and Young Adult Titles

September 25, 2015September 15, 2015 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read anything and everything that catches our fancy. This usually happens during the last week of September, and this year it runs from September 27 through October 3 2015. For more information on banned books weeks and challenged books in general, you might want to check out the American Library Association’s dedicated pages on the subject here.

Banned Books Week brings together everyone who loves books, reading, and readers. This includes librarians, book sellers, teachers, and readers of all ages who support the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those that might be uncomfortable or unpopular. To celebrate banned books this year, I am going to read as many of the children’s and young adult books that have faced challenges that I can. This will mean rereading some of my favorites, and reading some books for the first time. I have noted after each book whether it is a young adult book (YA), children’s chapter or poetry book (CB), or picture book (PB). How many of these challenged books have you read and are you surprised by the number of books many consider classics or favorites are on the list?