for kids

handmade bag with rain clouds and rainbow ran drops and art print

It is raining here in Manhattan, and I really wish it wouldn’t!  Especially this Saturday, when I’m supposed to share my new books at my first outdoor street fair along Amsterdam Avenue in the Upper West Side.

When I signed up for the booth originally, the weather forecast said it would be sunny and temperate.  Now, as we get closer and closer to the weekend, the forecast is saying it’ll be cold, rainy and windy,  which is not a good mix for boxes of books!

To help see rain as a more benign visitor, I thought this cute bag from Sewn Natural and this art print from Laura Di Francesco would be sweet and cheerful for a child to carry and to display in a child’s room… ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 27, 2011 · 0 comments | in a is for adorapet, b is for business, c is for children, accessories, for kids, hi, i'm yishaun, lifestyle

redondo beach helmet camera

Imagine peacefully kayaking in the ocean when suddenly a blue whale surfaces right next to you!  This is a great video that shows what it feels like, and the kayaker even dives into the ocean to see the whale underwater.

You know my love of the underwater world, and it’s amazing that the kayaker, Rick,was able to video tape his experience and share it with us… ~YiShaun

{via The Kid Should See This}

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by Administrator on October 26, 2011 · 0 comments | in for kids, to watch

fundraiser for elementary schools

M.A. Leslie, a husband and wife writing team, wanted to have a good, ol’ fashioned book fair… on the internet, and they corralled a bunch of writers, including me, to give a synopsis of our books.

I am thrilled to share with you that I received an email last night saying the books are arriving at the end of this week!  So for all the folks that pre-ordered books, you’ll be receiving them sooner than expected.  On to the books…

Astronaut Adventure: I love this book because it shows kids what it’s like to be an astronaut, from walking down the tarmac, to preparing for take off, to floating in space.  There are beautiful water color illustrations of the planets in our solar system based on NASA photos, along with an amazing spread that compares the size of the planets to each other. I think that’s my favorite part in the book.

Ballerina: When I wrote this book, I wanted to show kids what it was like leading up to a dance performance.  We can all imagine what it’s like to actually be on stage, but what about before that, when you’re still getting ready to go on stage?  So I included all the little parts of actually getting ready for the performance and how it would feel, along with the actual performance all the way to the ending bow in front of the audience.  And, I included the 5 basic ballet positions as well as additional ballet movements and positions for all the aspiring little dancers out there.

Chef: One of the things I love most about getting kids involved in cooking is how tactile it can be.  Also, getting them involved makes them more interested in eating the food on the table since they’ve had active participation in making it.  In this book, I include a child-friendly dessert recipe that allows kids to use their hands to pat the dough, sprinkle ingredients, use a rolling pin, etc. And the best part is, they get to each the fruits of their labor afterward.

Visit The Dentist: What actually happens at the dentist?  And how can we make it fun?  Those were the main questions I asked myself when I was writing this book.  This book shows kids that a visit to the dentist can actually be pretty simple and that there are benefits to following your dentist’s orders.

On The Farm: Where does orange juice come from?  From the super market.  Yes, and no.  This book shows your child where the oranges for orange juice come from, where milk and eggs come from, and what wheat looks like before it’s baked into a loaf of bread.

Firefighter Adventure: We know that firefighters ride firetrucks and fight fires.  But does your child know that sometimes firefighters are woken up in the middle of the night to go fight a fire?  This book gives your child a look at what firefighters have to go through, from being woken up by a loud ringing bell to sliding down a pole to fighting a fire.

Mermaid Adventure: I love scuba diving.  If you’ve never had the chance to go, I highly recommend getting certified and going to Cancun or some other beautiful tropical place to see how amazing the underwater world can be.  In the Mermaid Adventure book, I included illustrations based on beautiful underwater photography so kids can see what it looks like under that giant mass of water we call the ocean.  There is so much diversity underwater, and the mermaids in this book also learn a very important lesson on being true to your own unique self.

Pirate Adventure: I wanted kids to be able to be involved in the stories as much as possible.  With this book, I thought it would be so much fun if the kids could get involved in helping figure out the clues during the treasure hunt, so I included Rebus puzzles, which are word picture puzzles, that kids can figure out as they’re reading along in the book.  I also love how Rebus puzzles give you a chance to think and look at the world differently than usual.

Oh, and by the way, did I mention that the books are mainly written in iambic quadrameter and they rhyme?  My books were written to help you nourish your child’s happy mind, nurture your child’s dreams, and inspire a love of reading and discovery.   Parents have been telling me over and over again how much they love the books because the books are both fun and educational, and super portable for their families when they’re on-the-go.  Thank you for sharing them with your children… ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 25, 2011 · 0 comments | in a is for adorapet, b is for business, c is for children, children's books, educational, for kids, hi, i'm yishaun

NASA plays with water in zero gravity

Zero gravity is endlessly fascinating to me.  Objects floating in air?  Wow.  But what about things like water, that are a liquid instead of a solid?  How do they behave in zero gravity?  See this video to see an astronaut playing with a big blob of water in zero gravity.

Do your kids love astronauts and outer space?

I want to see what it’s like to float in zero gravity… ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 21, 2011 · 0 comments | in educational, for kids, fun with science, to watch

6 week old octopus feeding

At first, I had no idea this was a baby octopus.  I thought it was a jelly fish since it was clear, but now I can see their big bulgy eyes and the beginning outline of an octopus.  I have to say, even a baby octopus manages to be cute.

This video from the Vancouver Aquarium shows 6 week old baby octopi octopuses eating thawed krill, and even occasionally fighting over a piece of krill with their incredibly adorable and rhythmic version of tug of war.

Do your kids dream of underwater exploration and seeing all the amazing underwater creatures in the ocean?

I’ve had the opportunity to scuba dive in underwater national parks, and I love how diverse and gorgeous the underwater world is… ~YiShaun

{via The Kid Should See This}

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by Administrator on October 20, 2011 · 0 comments | in educational, for kids, to watch

fundraiser for elementary schoolsA woman I recently met and had the pleasure of chatting with asked me if there was some way I could help raise money for her child’s preschool/elementary school.  My response was an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

I like to believe teachers are eternal optimists, believing in the potential and promise of all the students under their care.  They teach addition and subtraction to the future actuaries, how to read and spell to the future writers and authors, the golden rule to the future leaders of our country.

Central to my mission is to nurture children’s dreams, nourish happy minds, and inspire a love of reading and discovery in children.  Anything I can do to help further teachers’ and schools’ missions of nurturing the potential of children, I will do without hesitation.

With this woman’s children’s school, I suggested an Author Visit via Skype (hugely popular nowadays, with over 17,000 teachers signed up on Skype In The Classroom) so kids can learn and ask an author questions, coupled with a portion of all book sales going to the school.

Would you like me to help you raise money for your child’s school?

Let me know if I can help…  ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 17, 2011 · 0 comments | in activities, educational, for kids, ideas and inspiration, shine your light

Children's room ideasGrowing up, I had white furniture against a white wall next to a white dresser and a white desk.  Even though the trend now is apparently to have “pale rooms, sucked free of distracting reds, blues and yellows,” I think you can add so much more whimsy to a child’s room with bright bursts of color.

What kind of kids rooms do you like to see?

I love the little airplane hanging from the ceiling.  What a great way to spark your child’s imagination… ~YiShaun

{via Babble}

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by Administrator on October 14, 2011 · 0 comments | in design, for kids, ideas and inspiration, lifestyle, rooms

Cobra Weave Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction
Have some time with your little ones and a lot of popsicle sticks? Try to create a cobra weave chain reaction with these Instructables instructions.

Somehow, by interlacing the popsicle sticks together like that, there’s just enough tension so that when it’s released, the chain “explodes” while looking like a cobra with an arched back. I am very impressed by this family’s amazing feat of using 1000 popsicle sticks for their cobra weave exploding chain reaction. I wonder how long it took them??

I love how excited the kids are, and I’m sure that this family activity will be a cherished family memory for years to come… ~YiShaun

{via The Kid Should See This}

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by Administrator on October 12, 2011 · 0 comments | in activities, creating cherished family memories, for kids

This is my first foray into creating a video narrating my entire book and uploading it onto Youtube to share with the interweb world.  Writing 8 rhyming children’s books has been an amazing creative journey, and I’ve learned so much over the past year!

Do you have any questions I can help with? It can be on writing a children’s book, entrepreneurship, how to make a simple video…

The book I’m narrating in this video is the AdoraPet’s Pima Puppy and Pico Puppy On The Farm book.  Living in Manhattan, I know how rare of a chance it is to be able to go visit a farm if you don’t live anywhere near one.  I grew up in Southern California, where we’d drive by farms just driving down the 101 Freeway.  Actually seeing the food you eat coming out of the ground is a pretty amazing sight, and I hope this book is a nice introduction for your little ones on where some of the foods they eat come from…  ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 11, 2011 · 0 comments | in a is for adorapet, b is for business, c is for children, children's books, food, for kids, hi, i'm yishaun

checklist for kids There have been big changes happening here at AdoraPet.  I’m so excited to share with you that I received the advance review copies of all 8 AdoraPet children’s books!  I know I’m biased, but I think the books are so cute.  I can’t wait for you to see them and share them with your kids!

I’ve been updating the website and blog for the last couple weeks and transferring them over to a new server, so things have been spotty… That’s why I’ve been MIA for the last couple of weeks: I couldn’t log into my account!  But I think I have all the kinks worked out now for the most part…

During this time, I’ve been busy thinking up all sorts of goodies for you to share with your family.  Drum roll please… My first printable gift for all you AdoraPet Insiders out there: a Get Ready for School with Pima Puppy and Pico Puppy checklist!

When you sign up on our mailing list, you’ll get a link to a full-size, 8.5″x11″ checklist that you can download for free just because we love you for loving us.  And to show just how much we love you, when you sign up, you’re automatically entered into our Free-Book-A-Day giveaway, where I randomly pick one of our mailing subscribers each day for the rest of 2011 and send the winner a free book!  Oh, and did I mention that you also get a coupon code and a chance to win a $100 Barnes & Noble gift card also?  Yes, we love you lots.

I got this email from a mom who shared our checklist with her kids: ”We looked over each item and talked about it. And my 4 year old started making his bed because of it! He never used to make his bed before and when we were going over the checklist and I said that Pima Puppy is making her bed, he asked me what that meant and asked me to show him, so I did. So he’s been making his bed ever since! My sons loved the pictures and they liked that they can relate to it and it’s things they can do themselves! I am glad too that my 4 year old is making his bed AND his little brother’s bed…” -Andreea A., Colorado

That email seriously made my day.  I love how kids love learning and mastering new things.  All we have to do is show them how.

If you were to win our Free-Book-A-Day giveaway, which book would you pick?  ~YiShaun

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by Administrator on October 10, 2011 · 0 comments | in a is for adorapet, b is for business, c is for children, activities, for kids, lifestyle