Begin Fascinating Facts Friday with Help from💛Mrs. Good Choice💛

Mrs. Good Choice is a former public school principal who has spent her life teaching children to make wise choices. She now wants to help YOU! 

First off, I need to apologize for the long time frame between posts. I have been busy finishing an early chapter book series for young readers and beginning a middle school chapter book. I also work two part time jobs, one in an elementary school helping children with reading skills and the other, I am a Clinical Supervisor helping Student Teachers perfect their skills.

With that said, I hope that many of you have incorporated Mannerly Monday, Thoughtful Tuesday, Witty Wednesday, and Thematic Thursday into your children’s week! Would love to hear about your experiences. Please share at dawn@mrsgoodchoice.com.

Now it is time to add Fascinating Facts Friday to round out the week. I remember when I was a child, my younger brother hated to read books.  The only books he ever showed interest in were books that discussed World Records. He would constantly rattle off facts to us out of the blue. My parents were happy that he at least was reading something.

Kids love interesting facts. Our world is full of amazing facts. A great place to start is by exploring books from your child’s school library and public library.  There are many web sites to explore with your children.  Here are just a few:

Cool Kid Facts     https://www.coolkidfacts.com                                                                                   Fun Science Facts for Kids     http://www.sciencekids.co.nz                                                      Weird But True     https://kids.nationalgeographic.com

In my own research, I came across the following list of facts about some very famous books that you have probably already read to your children.

Here are 16 fun facts about your favorite children’s books:
1. On Market Street
Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel’s most famous characters, make a surprise appearance in another of his books, “On Market Street.” Look for them on the “T” page, hiding in plain sight as hand puppets.

2. The Cat in the Hat
It was born out of Dr. Seuss’s desire to find a more compelling way to teach kids basic reading skills, according to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial.

Goodnight Moon
3. Look for the mouse that appears on each page, and notice that the clock slowly changes from 7:10 to 8:10 as the book progresses. Another Margaret Wise Brown book, “The Runaway Bunny,” appears as an open book on the bookshelf in the background. Speaking of Margaret Wise Brown, she didn’t have any children when she died at the age of 42, so she left the rights to “Goodnight Moon” to her young neighbor, according to Mental Floss.

4. Clifford the Big Red Dog
The titular character of this classic children’s book series was almost named Tiny. Author Norman Bridwell changed the name after a suggestion from his wife, according to Scholastic.

5. Where the Wild Things Are
When Maurice Sendak was illustrating a book about horses, he realized he wasn’t very good at drawing them. Instead, he turned them into strange beasts. The book became “Where the Wild Things Are,” the Caldecott Medal award-winning children’s book.

6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Beatrix Potter’s manuscript was rejected by publishers six times. Potter was determined to see her book in print and self-published 250 copies. Since then, it has sold more than 45 million copies.

7. Henry Huggins
After she realized that all of her characters in “Henry Huggins” were only children, Beverly Cleary, according to her website, added in Ramona as Beezus’ little sister. Ramona ended up as one of Cleary’s most famous and beloved characters.

8. Nancy Drew
The famous girl detective Nancy Drew might have been known by a different name. In the early stages of the series, the publisher considered naming her Stella Strong, Nan Nelson or Diana Dare, says January magazine.

9. Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss bet his publisher $50 that he could write a book using 50 words or less. He won, according to CNN, after creating “Green Eggs and Ham,” which contains exactly 50 words.

10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Since it was first published in 1969, Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has sold a copy a minute, according to Mental Floss.

11. The Outsiders
When she was just 17, S.E. Hinton saw her book “The Outsiders” go to print.

12. The Polar Express
Keep your eyes open to find a white bull terrier in Chris Van Allsburg’s books, including “The Polar Express” and “Jumanji.” The dog is based on Winston, his brother-in-law’s white dog, says his website.

13. The Night Before Christmas
According to St. Nicholas Center, Clement Clarke Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas” gave the world a modern description of Santa Claus: plump, bearded and the owner of eight reindeer.

14. The Phantom Tollbooth
None of the illustrations actually show the main character Milo in a tollbooth.

15. Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll’s classic introduced new words into the English language, including mimsy, chortle and jabberwocky, according to the Oxford Dictionaries.

16. Curious George
The authors of Curious George were forced to flee Paris during World War II’s German occupation, according to the New York Times. They weren’t able to carry much, but one thing made it into their suitcase: the original Curious George manuscript.Your child’s school library or the public library have numerous fact books to check out. I remember as a child, my brother hated to read books. But he loved books with World Records. He was always quoting us facts.

Children love to research new topics. When they are looking up facts, they are not only reading but learning in the process.  Hope you enjoy your family time together.

💛Blessings until next time,💛

Dawn Young Ed.S                                                                                                                                Author
 

“Manners Matter” says Mrs. Good Choice

Mrs. Good Choice is a former public school teacher, principal, and teacher evaluator, who has spent her life teaching children to make wise choices. She now wants to help parents and educators to do the same!

As adults, it is so important to think before we speak. Have you ever felt as though you just put your foot in your mouth? I know I have, more times than I have fingers to count. In this fast-paced world we live in, it is easy to just open your mouth without thinking first. We are all guilty of this, at one time or another.

I love the following acronym reminder to help THINK before you SPEAK …

T ~Is it true?

H ~Is it helpful?

I ~ Is it inspiring?

N ~Is it necessary?

K ~Is it kind?

Not only is it a wonderful reminder for adults, it is a very good tool to teach children. As a teacher and elementary principal, I shared this little reminder with many children over the years. I would have copies for the older children to copy down in their own writing and keep in their pocket or in a safe place.

Parents, I advise you to teach your children the meaning of the words true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind. Practice as a family listening for positive words being spoken.

I can’t stress it enough, the importance of being a role model for your children and the youth of today. Remember, little eyes and ears are watching and listening to every word that comes out of our mouths.

I encourage you to give it a try! It might be one of the best things you ever tried.  Please know that I am here to help YOU! Contact me at dawn@mrsgoodchoice.com.

Blessings until next time,

Dawn Young, Ed.S                                                                                                                                                              Children’s Author

SAY What YOU Mean and MEAN What YOU Say to Children says Mrs. Good Choice

Mrs. Good Choice is a former public school principal who has spent her life teaching children to make wise choices.  She now wants to help YOU!

Teaching children in today’s world is a tough job. It doesn’t matter if you are a parent, guardian, home school parent, or educator, the task is the most important job you will ever do.  My belief is before you can begin teaching children anything you need to have your own value system in place.

Children are smart!  Their actions often model what they witness first hand. So it is our job to model expectations that we want our children or students to exhibit. Honesty and integrity are two of the most important character traits a child can learn.  If they can learn the importance of being honest at an early age, it will help them to become responsible adults who are able to form their own value system.

As a parent or educator, it is important to have a discipline plan in place.  Children need routines and consistency in order to learn their boundaries.  If you tell a child you are going to do something; make sure you follow through. SAY what YOU Mean and MEAN what YOU Say!  Children learn quickly who to believe and who not to believe.

Examine your own actions on a daily basis.  Are you treating others the way you want your children to do?  Do you always tell the truth, no matter what the circumstances in tell?  Have you heard the old saying Apples don’t fall far from the trees?  Don’t forget that little eyes and ears are watching and listening.  It is our job to model our expectations at all times.

If you have questions I can help answer, please email me at dawn@mrsgoodchoice.com. Mrs. Good Choice is the new Dear Abby for children. You and your children may want to email me together.  Expect an answer from Mrs. Good Choice in a timely manner.

Blessings until next time,

Children’s Author                                                                                                                                                   Dawn Young Ed.S

Mrs. Good Choice is on the Road to Help Children of all Ages

Mrs. Good Choice is a former public school principal who has spent her life teaching children to make wise choices.  She wants to help YOU!

Grandparents, parents, principals, teachers, librarians, youth pastors, day care directors, and others, are you searching for fun, interactive, moral based programs and books for your children?  Then you came to the right place.  The Mrs. Good Choice Series and The ABC’s of Making Good Choices can be found at amazon.com.  Contact author, Dawn Young, at http://www.mrsgoodchoice.com if you would like to set up a Children’s Program and visit from Mrs. Good Choice, herself.

My ultimate goal is to help the youth of today, learn how to make good choices that can last them a life time. Our world  is jam packed with outside influences that can change a child’s values in the blink of an eye. It is our job as adults, to teach children the meaning of moral character traits and coping skills to help them grow into productive adults.

If you Need Free HELP or advice of any kind dealing with your children, please contact me at dawn@mrsgoodchoice.com.  I am here to serve!  No Question is a Dumb Question!

If your child needs help with moral advice or how to handle certain situations, allow them to write to Mrs. Good Choice.  Many times children will talk or write their thoughts to someone other then their guardian.  They may write to me at the same email.   I love hearing from children!  Expect a response in a timely manner.

Here to Serve & Blessings until next time!

Dawn Young