Busy, busy, busy...

I haven't posted any new articles for quite awhile now, so you're probably thinking I've been sitting at home all day eating bon-bons and watching Oprah. No way! I've actually been taking a conscious break from article writing to focus on a book... or two. What started out as an idea for one middle grade book has now become a picture book biography of Emmanuel Yeboah AND a teen how-to guide for Youth Venture! I'm not sure working on two so totally different books at the same time is a good idea, but they're slowly moving along.

I also joined the Advisory Committee of our regional SCBWI chapter last year, and was very busy helping to organize our 17th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference. It was one of the most daunting, eye-opening and rewarding experiences of my life, and I truly can't wait to do it again!

And now, back to work…

Wheel-y cool!

What has more kid appeal than a gigantic truck that drives from town to town looking for tires to chomp? One that cleans up the environment at the same time! Here's one company's latest invention intended to help clean up waste tires in the U.S. and Canada.

Child specialists

No, not the specialists who know a lot about children. Rather, the children themselves who know a lot about their chosen specialty. Is it better for today's kids to be well-rounded generalists or hyper-focused elites? That is the question I examined over the summer. You can read all about it here.

The risks and rewards of ‘specializing’ early, LearningMap, October 2007

KONO Magazine -- Bones of Steel article

KONO is a brand-new martial arts magazine for kids ages 5-12. My article about nutrition tips for healthy bones, "Bones of Steel," appeared in their May 2007 premier issue!

WeeOnes -- Extreme Treasue Hunting

Extreme Treasure Hunting, which introduces kids to the fun of geocaching, was the first article I wrote for children. It was accepted way back in April 2006, but finally made its appearance in the May/June 2007 online issue of Wee Ones Children's Magazine for ages 4-10.

FACES Magazine -- Riders for Health article

FACES: People, Places, and Cultures is a Cobblestone Publication for kids ages 9-14. I profiled an organization called Riders for Health for their March 2007 global health issue. By using fairly simple machines, Riders for Health has solved a complex problem. They use motorcycles to deliver medical supplies and services to regions of Africa with little or no infrastructure. Simply elegant.

Put those kids to work

You certainly can't tell by looking, but our kids love to help clean the house. Unfortunately, this is one thing I'm sure they didn't learn by example. If I enjoyed it even half as much as they do, we could probably do something crazy like invite people over for dinner once in awhile. Maybe someday they'll be able to do it all by themselves, but until then, here are some helpful techniques.

Choosing age-appropriate chores, ParentMap, January 2007

KNOW Magazine -- Spot the spots

Scientists at ECOCEAN are using pattern-recognition software developed for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope program to recognize individual whale sharks, which are covered with small, white spots on a dark background similar to a starry night sky. I wrote a short news piece about it for the May/June 2007 issue of KNOW--The Science Magazine for Curious Kids.

Kids Making a Difference

This was a fun assignment -- find out what local elementary schools and teachers are doing to teach philanthropy and community to their students. There were some great ideas, and the enthusiam behind the projects was truly inspirational!

"Little kids can make a big difference," ParentMap, December 2006

Newborn screening tests

This short article, about newborn screening tests, was the second half of BabyMap's Decision Digest column for the Fall/Winter 2006 issue.

"Prenatal and newborn screening tests," BabyMap, Fall/Winter 2006