The Benefits Of Interactive Workshops For Children With Self Confidence Concerns
Saturday, July 7, 2001
As adults we believe every child has the right to aspire to be the very best they can. We like our children to be happy, confident, enthusiastic and highly motivated to strive to their best potential!! We as parents, teachers, role models and councilors can often find it difficult to infuse theses elements into a child. For this reason we have motivational writers offering books to be read by children to implement these views. However some children do not enjoy reading or have the ability to read. In this case, they could benefit from an interactive workshop instead. Having been enthused by the methods that are available to create self confidence in children, I came across Angela Buck and became interested in her ethos, the motive for her books and the benefits that her workshops bring to children everywhere. This article discusses the benefits of interactive workshops as a method used within a child’s development. I will relate this discussion to Angela Buck, her books and her beneficial workshops particularly. This is because my interest is in workshops for children with self-confidence issues. Through which I found Angela Buck, successfully transforms children with a lack in confidence with activities that inspire them to explore their hopes and dreams, to respect others and live in a world where anything is possible.
Angela Buck is the author of “The Magic Sunglasses” and founder of “The Magic Sunglasses Project”, she has a keen interest in how the right self development can increase self worth and really improve quality and enjoyment of life, especially in children. With this in mind, she has expanded this ethos through her book and is now developing even more interactive concepts for children worldwide.
The Magic Sunglasses is a fun fantasy book for 7-12 yr olds. It is a touching story about a girl named Samantha, who finds some magic sunglasses which enables her to explore her dreams and her own specialties. These personal treasures she finds, then continues and develops without the use of the magic sunglasses. Making the readers intrigued to discover and cherish their own self worth.
For this message to reach as many children as possible Angela has devised a flexible interactive program to be used in schools and centre’s everywhere. Her aim is to spread her ethos globally. Whether it is a mud hut in Africa, a club in New York, a public school at Eton or a youth club in Hackney, Angela will deliver an inspiring workshop to motivate the new generation. The Workshop allows the ethos of The Magic Sunglasses to effectively bring out the message of positivity and inspirations to more intimate groups. By visiting individual classrooms for 20 to 30 minutes at a time she can tailor each presentation to a specific age level and effectively interact with the children in a more intimate environment.
Before she pioneered her workshops Angela Buck asked herself the question; how can I empower children with my vision of self discovery and appreciating own values, to those who don’t enjoy reading? How can I reach children who don’t see reading as a form of entertainment? She was aware that some children are reluctant to read. Maybe because they don’t enjoy it, or maybe they simply cannot read or just haven’t been given the opportunity. To create a solution to her quandary she devised an audio version of the book and broadened her audience with this workshop. She now finds that all children, of all ages, of all walks of life, of those who love reading and those who don’t, can now all enjoy and benefit from her concepts. Angela believes her innovative workshops offer varied attributes that develop the inspirations her book ignites from the first read.
Although the emphasis at the workshop will be on taking the ‘special value’ concept out of the book and into life – looking at values, role models etc. The lively, interactive presentations focus on childhood self-esteem but they also holds other implements that are beneficial for children’s development. Another fundamental aspect to Angela’s objective is to offer communication, interaction and the development of social skills. Through her workshop the children are inspired to interact with other children and through their communicational progression their personal development also evolves. Angela has derived activities that promote not only self exploration but the exploration of others. The fact it is an interactive method means children can participate, thus improving confidence as well as knowledge of others. The children will subconsciously develop social skills, communication skills, body language, manners, etiquettes and the diversity within values, religions and ideals. They will also learn to be respectfully aware of others while the go through the journey of self-discovery and self-esteem. Angela Buck’s book and her activities include insights, exercises and learning experiences that are geared to help children develop and deepen their understanding and appreciation of themselves as well as others. Through conversation with peer group and adults on the workshop, the children will also deeper their understanding about the aspects within the book, more than they may do individually. Collectively analyzing it will offer new insights to the concepts and a consensus in views. This improves motivation and confidence to proceed with the factors discussed, within their own lives. This then implements a positive attitude and a pro-active manner after they leave the workshop.
Another aspect of her workshop is to promote reading within a child’s lifestyle. The workshop encourages and provides interest in reading a book as not only self- exploration but also as an educational tool. Engaging children’s attention to concentrate on the English Language and English Literature is of high importance to Angela Buck. Improving educational literature and intellect within children’s learning is a fundamental aspect of Angela’s ethos. The Magic Sunglasses can be used as an affiliation to the National Curriculum. She wishes to expand children’s educations past the hours of schooling, with her interactive workshops that inspire fun and entertainment within an innovative environment. Their learning being on the forefront of objection, none the less!!
Although the importance is providing inspirational literature as an educational tool, the emphasis will be on having fun. Angela believes creative exploration and the freedom to use their imaginations will encourage aspirations and potentials. Through play and enjoyment a confidence will be built and dreams will be imagined. Think back to when you were a child. We can all remember playing with cardboard boxes and sheets, creating dens, cars, a house, a cave, or a castle. We can all recall having a best friend over and playing prince and princesses, cowboys and Indians. We created magical places, dressed-up as famous people, storybook or movie characters. All of these unstructured, play-filled activities were and still are essential for cultivating imagination. They are remembered and stay with us for our whole lives. Experts reveal that children who engage in imaginative play tend to: have a broader vocabulary, be more content and confident, have an increased ability to show empathy for others and cope better with difficult situations. All of which are aspects of keen interest to Angela, all of which are explored in The Magic Sunglasses. Through the workshop children learn their own self values, act out their own dreams and be infused to aspire their potentials and believe in themselves
If you yourself have a child, have a school, a community centre, a child care centre, a play school, an after school activities centre, a local gym or anywhere else you believe a child could benefit from learning self worth, learning own special values, improving self esteem, learning to respect others and improve literacy and social skills this workshop is for you!!! Please get in contact via the website: http://themagicsunglasses.com and mention this article.
Watch the video related to children books
Help answer the question about children books
What are some best friend children's books?I wanted to buy "The Best Friend's Book" by Todd Parr as a present for someone but it is out of print. Are there any other children's books that have a similar message that would be good to give as a gift to a best friend?
About Author
My names Kaley Herrick and i spend my time researching and exploring the development of children with regards to the benefits of using contemporary children’s literature. I have a BA Honours degree in Performing and Media Arts and have a keen interest in child development and the creative arts.
July 7th, 2001 at 11:17 am
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
July 7th, 2001 at 11:43 am
it’s almost like a photo
great painting 
July 7th, 2001 at 11:10 am
How about weekly trips to your local library. Get a new pile of stories every week. It's a great outing that kids love.
July 7th, 2001 at 11:18 am
- A math or science book (not a workbook) geared for young preschool / Kindergarten aged girls or girls and boys. I'm looking for practical and simple, non-technical writing that my daughter could understand. She enjoys learning about volcanoes, plants and animals, the human body, physical science, basic math, word problems, etc. The books I find are usually too technical or geared for gradeschool or they seem geared for boys (i.e. getting dirty and gross with slime). I'm interested in finding something that is not so gender-specific either. For example, not looking for princess stuff. Just something that a preschooler/Kindergartener can grasp and remember. I think kids around this age ask a lot of "why" questions. My daughter can get pretty technical and can grasp things if I use simple language. Typical questions might be: "Why do hot things make steam?" and "Why are owls awake at night?" Today she told her grandma what nocturnal meant: Nocturnal means when animals are awake at night because that's when they hunt for their food and they sleep in the morning. Sorry if I'm going on and on, just trying to give you some ideas here.
I'd also like to see more Learn-To-Read series of books, something like the Biscuit dog series. I'd like to see basic sight words worked into an engaging story, more modern pictures. I don't mean abstract, I just mean something newer and more updated. The illustrations and basic story line play a big role in how much my daughter wants to read the series. The story line can be kept pretty simple with the holidays, basic play, manners, etc.
-Illustrations should have a simple, colorful but entertaining style. I see a lot of stuff that's either too stylized, too CG or animated looking, dated, or cluttered.
-Really enjoy books that have lift-up flaps and things to pull but they often get stuck or torn. Wish there was a way to make this work better and also that there were more books with these features that were not just meant for toddlers. One set of books that were terrific that were age appropriate were In The Country and At School by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais
You can actually see inside this book if you click on the picture of the cover here:
http://www.amazon.com/Country-Lift-Flap-Learning-Book/dp/2020694182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241033751&sr=1-1#
Just some suggestions, hope this helps.
July 7th, 2001 at 10:48 pm
A-W-E-S-O-M-E your works is very awesome! cool!!!! very good
July 8th, 2001 at 12:09 am
i use photoshop
July 8th, 2001 at 4:02 am
wich program he is for doing this ? beside a tablet ofc
July 8th, 2001 at 9:17 am
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!
July 8th, 2001 at 1:35 pm
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
July 8th, 2001 at 10:44 pm
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
July 8th, 2001 at 10:15 pm
That long? I'd be willing to bet that it come up around 2010, just in time for the next election.
July 9th, 2001 at 12:29 am
Well I prefer to donate them to a public library because then everyone gets to read them but on the other hand I like a school because they have less books…I would do a public library because a school would only have 1-2 grades that are interested and a public library more people would read them and I think you get some money off of your taxes…ask for some tax form thingy.
July 9th, 2001 at 11:29 am
The Curious George collection is good, Dr Suess of course, Where the Wild Things Are is classic, and don't be afraid to challenge them. Our eight year old read Harry Potter to our five year old. It was a wonderful experience for both.
July 9th, 2001 at 7:47 pm
Awesome work Williamsshamir
Great video.
Much love Kat
July 9th, 2001 at 8:45 pm
Doctor Dan the Bandage Man- sexist and stereotypical. In my opinion he behaves in a condescending manner while interacting with his female playmate and treats her like she is inferior just because she is a girl.
July 9th, 2001 at 9:21 pm
There's a book called How to Raise a Gentleman, it was actually published a few years ago by Brooks Brothers if you can believe that! As far as kids books I would check with the local Christian book store I bet they would have some.
July 10th, 2001 at 5:05 am
I think there are lots of them, but it's a little hard to identify them because they don't always state that they're "gifted."
Here are some I can think of that may apply:
Roxaboxen / Alice McLerran: A hill covered with rocks and wooden boxes becomes an imaginary town for Marian, her sisters, and their friends. Marian called it Roxaboxen. (She always knew the name of everything.) There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill — nothing but sand and rocks, some old wooden boxes, cactus and greasewood and thorny ocotillo — but it was a special place: a sparkling world of jeweled homes, streets edged with the whitest stones, and two ice cream shops….
Christina Katerina and the Box / Patricia Lee Gauch: Christina finds many uses for the large box that housed the new refrigerator.
The Big orange splot / Daniel Manus Pinkwater: When a seagull drops a can of orange paint on his neat house, Mr. Plumbean gets an idea that affects his entire neighborhood.
Meggie Moon / Elizabeth Baguley: Normally, no one dares to play in the yard where Digger and Tiger spend all their time, but when a girl invades, they soon realize that she has some brilliant ideas for playing with the junk found there.
The legend of the Indian paintbrush / Tomie De Paola: Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-Vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.
The fossil girl : Mary Anning's dinosaur discovery / Catherine Brighton: In simple cartoon style, tells the story of a twelve-year-old English girl's discovery in 1811 of an ichthyosaurus skeleton.
Emma's rug / Allen Say: A young artist finds that her creativity comes from within when the rug that she had always relied upon for inspiration is destroyed.
Benny : an adventure story / Bob Graham: When Benny the dog steals the show from Brillo the magician, he is forced to look for a new home where his rare talents such as juggling and tap dancing will be appreciated.
My family plays music / Judy Cox: A musical family with talents for playing a variety of instruments enjoys getting together to celebrate.
Granite baby / Lynne Bertrand: Five talented New Hampshire sisters try to care for a baby that one of them has carved out of granite.
Looking for Daniela : a romantic adventure / Steven Kroll: Antonio, a street performer who admires a rich merchant's daughter, must use his talents in juggling, tightrope walking, and guitar playing when he rescues her from bandits and tries to get her home again.
The seven Chinese sisters / Kathy Tucker: When a dragon snatches the youngest of seven talented Chinese sisters, the other six come to her rescue. (And of course the Five Chinese Brothers by Clare Huchet Bishop, or the Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy)
213 valentines / Barbara Cohen: Wade has trouble adjusting when he is transferred to a special fourth grade class for the gifted and talented, so he plans to send himself 213 valentines signed by celebrities.
Amanda Bean's amazing dream : a mathematical story / Cindy Neuschwander: Amanda loves to count everything, but not until she has an amazing dream does she finally realize that being able to multiply will help her count things faster.
Frosted glass / Denys Cazet: Gregory the dog's vivid imagination gets him in trouble at school, leading him to draw cities and spaceships when he should be doing something else, but his artistic ability does not go unrecognized.
Painted dreams / Karen Lynn Williams: Because her Haitian family is too poor to be able to buy paints for her, eight-year-old Ti Marie finds her own way to create pictures that make the heart sing. Ti Marie dreams of being an artist. Whenever she gets some time away from watching her little sisters and helping Mama in their market stall, she finds a cement wall or a scrap of waste paper and lets her imagination soar….
Alistair and the alien invasion / Marilyn Sadler: When aliens invade from outer space, boy genius Alistair is the only person able to save the Earth.
This is the story of Archibald Frisby : who was as crazy for science as any kid could be / Michael Chesworth: Archibald Frisby, mad about science and wise beyond his years, is sent to camp to have fun and ends up broadening the horizons of his fellow campers.
Herbert Binns & the flying tricycle / Caroline Castle: Herbert Binns is such a clever mouse that some of the other animals are jealous of his talents and plot to sabotage his new invention, a flying tricycle.
Baby Brains superstar / Simon James: A musically gifted baby is invited to play the electric guitar at a star-studded rock concert.
Alphabet soup / Kate Banks: A boy's ability to spell words with his alphabet soup comes in handy during the magical journey he takes in his mind with a friendly bear.
Porkenstein / Kathryn Lasky: Lonely after his two brothers are eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, Dr. Smart Pig invents a wolf-proof friend to keep him company on Halloween.
M & M and the super child afternoon / Pat Ross: When best friends, Mimi and Mandy, turn out to be more talented at each other's special choice in a "Super Child" class, they decide to go their separate ways after school.
First graders from Mars. Episode 4, Tera, star student / Shana Corey: Although she is smart, Tera must learn the importance of working together on a group project. Tera is a star student. So when Pod 1 is assigned a group project to build the solar system, Tera is sure she has all the answers. But with her overzealous nature and her know-it-all ways, Tera ruffles a few tentacles. Why does being right sometimes feel so wrong?…
Regards to the man in the moon / Ezra Jack Keats: With the help of his imagination, his parents, and a few scraps of junk, Louie and his friends travel through space.
July 10th, 2001 at 6:24 pm
Try amazon they have some good ones:
http://www.amazon.com/tag/pagan%20childrens%20book