GRAND Magazine - January 2009 - (Page 11)

tips & hints GRAND CENTRAL + share & show + comments & conversation + links & legacies + wise whys & wherefores CRisp piCks: EDitoR’s ChoiCE A scaffold for kids’ hopes “Even the birds and the squirrels were helping.” From “The Legend of Olandorf” by Kenneth, age 10 Jessica W., of Phoenix, writing in You Can Call Me HOPPA! The Grandparents’ Guide to Choosing a Name That Fits, is our fave: “My dad had decided he wanted his grandparent name to be Chief.… We tried to get…the first grandchild to say it. When [he] finally did, it came out quite clearly as ‘Cheap.’ It was so hilarious and so fitting that we convinced [Dad] to keep it.” Author Lauren Charpio includes cultural choices as well as a wealth of idiosyncratic family tags—and she invites readers to share their stories with her at www. callmehoppa.com. A portion of the proceeds from this book will help support the nonprofit Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (www.autismcenter.org). What can industrious birds and squirrels in an imaginary land called Olandorf have to do with the hurricane devastation of New Orleans? Quite a bit, to judge by the new collaboration between Louisiana Children’s Museum and Think It Ink It Publications. A colorfully illustrated, wordless 20-page book, this project is “an intergenerational tool because a parent or grandparent can spark conversation with a child,” explains Museum staff psychologist Valerie Wadja-Johnston, who was involved in its creation. The story book shows the destruction and rebuilding of a neighborhood tree house. The streetscape orients the book to New Orleans. However, according to Dr. Alice Wilder, the publisher’s founder and a prominent television producer (Super Why!; Blue’s Clues), it has been effective when she has used it in other settings. “If a child is being supported by an adult who is really listening, it works. And it works for any age between 4 and 12 because the child finds what’s inside his imagination. It just depends on what the trigger is.” Community and friendship have been big triggers, she’s found. The book is designed to bring out hope, she says. “The way to health or well-being is support.” According to Dr. Wilder, children emerge with universal messages “we want all of them to hang onto.” Adds Dr. Wadja-Johnston, “In general it’s easier to talk to a family member once removed [a grandparent!] about trauma-related events. With younger kids—6, 7, 8—they like to talk in metaphor. It creates distance. When a grandparent creates a discussion, it’s a way to know what the child’s emotional experience was.” The book can be used two ways. Children and their adult “partners” can write or dictate their stories on the blank pages of the softcover book. Or they can work online and get back a personalized hardcover. The New Orleans book is the fifth in a series and is illustrated by New Orleans artist Katie Rafferty. To write a “Hurricane Katrina” Think It Ink It Publishing story, go online to www.LCM.org or www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com. —Patty Friedmann Ali and Gage, MI Amelia, CA JJ and Vivian Grace, CO Dani, AL Rachael, NH Stephen, OR JANUARY 2009 GRAND 11 http://www.callmehoppa.com http://www.callmehoppa.com http://www.LCM.org http://www.autismcenter.org http://www.thinkitinkitpublishing.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January 2009

GRAND�Magazine - January 2009
Grand View
Contents
Isn't it Grand?
Grand Central
Tips on Teens
Grand Gestures
Toddler Town
Help! My Grandson's Being Raised Vegan!
Cover Story: Casualties
Leader of the Pack
Reunions
Together Time
Resources
Grand Finale

GRAND Magazine - January 2009