HOW TO STOP A BULLY

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HOW TO STOP A BULLYHOW TO STOP A BULLY

Children often wonder how to stop a bully.  Should they tell a teacher?  Should they tell their parents?  The bigger question is why kids bully in the first place.  I often wonder if we could stop the bullying before it starts by teaching our children to focus on something they love.

Yeah, I know…it sounds a little WOO-WOO to think love could be the secret to how to stop a bully, but you never know until you try.  I mean, could we ignite the hearts and minds of our children so much so that they can’t even recognize the impulse to bully another?

What started out as a book tour in support of Saltwater Taffy, where I have had the privilege of speaking to over 10,000 kids nationwide, the Saltwater Taffy Tour is not just another author trying to sell a book, but a movement of literacy and education, a movement of creativity and desire, and quite simply, Read more

READING SALTWATER TAFFY TO KIDS

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Award winning children's bookReading Saltwater Taffy to Kids!

Reading Saltwater Taffy to kids is just amazing and something I will never get tired of doing.  This amazing award-winning children’s book is touching lives across the country and the tour is still on!.  I have had the pleasure of traveling around the country…from Los Angeles, Fresno, California, Port Orchard, Washington, New Orleans, Louisiana, Bremerton, Washington, and all the way to Dallas, Texas.  To see the enjoyment by the middle school children across the country, I have compiled some of our video of me reading Saltwater Taffy to kids across the country to show how much fun we’re having with this award-winning Children’s book.

CLICK HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlE5T03Zbzk

7 AMAZING HAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

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Happiness secretsHAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, happiness secrets for Tweens is the easiest post I could ever write.  The reason is because I know what you are going through.  Being a Tween-Ager can be confusing, challenging, and sometimes…well, for lack of a better word, it can downright be very frustrating.   That being said, there are some amazing happiness secrets for tweens that can help make this time feel more like an adventure than an ongoing nightmare.

Being happy in life takes practice.  Ask you parents.  It is an ongoing choice we all get to make, day in and day out.  No matter what you go through in life… Read more

7 STEPS FOR CREATING YOUNG READERS

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Saltwater TaffyCREATING YOUNG READERS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, I feel I have learned what it takes to create young readers.  Here are 7 Steps for Creating Young Readers:

1. START EARLY: Twenty-six percent of children between the ages of three and five, who were read to at least three or four times in the last week by a family member, recognized all letters of the alphabet.  This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.

2. LEAD BY EXAMPLE: If you want your child to read, pick up and book and show them how enjoyable reading can be.  If you don’t like to read, change your mind and think again.

3. FIELD TRIP: Grab the kids and spend a few hours at your local library.  Sign them up for their own library card.  Check into events for children and sign up! Read more

TWEEN READERS

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Tween ReadersTWEEN READERS!

In order to create more Tween Readers in our country, I sat down and wrote the adventure novel Saltwater Taffy so I could teach the ideal: Your life is up to you!

Nobody can do it for you.  Not your parents.  Not your teachers.  Not even your best friend.  If you want something special out of your life, the journey is entirely up to YOU.

Going after a dream that is out of the ordinary takes work.  You have to really want it.  Each moment in your life is an adventure and should be treated as such.  If you don’t, all that will show up in your life is more of the same.  If you want greatness, you have to start with thoughts about greatness.  If you want adventure, your thoughts need to be adventurous.  If you want happiness, your thoughts need to be about happiness.

Saltwater Taffy is an adventure novel for tweens and is endorsed by 12 Teachers of the Year around the country.  The book has become an Accelerated Reader title and tween reader favorite for children’s book clubs.