Pt.2 of My Equine World's Interview with author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

By My Equine World

Part 2 of my interview questions with author of The Guardian Herd series, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is now live...check it out!!!

Love,
My Equine World

Windows of Opportunity for Learning

 By Dale Ho

Getting ready to build a bird feeder!

Building bird feeders for our winter friends is another window of opportunity for learning more about different types of birds, what is migration, design, measurement and more, it also encourages growth in areas such as creativity, imagination and social skills. It's the ideal opportunity to spend quality time together.

Construction in progress...

There is always so much to take away from everyday life experiences and once we learn to recognize these windows of opportunities for our kids, they now become opportunities for learning, growth and development.

My Equine World interviews author, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

By My Equine World

Hi everyone and welcome to my second official post as My Equine World.

A little while ago I interviewed Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, author of The Guardian Herd series, today I want to share it with you.

The Guardian Herd series follows these amazing herds of pegasi and their adventures, one of my favourite series of all times!

Jennifer has two already published novels, Book 1: Starfire and Book 2: Stormbound and Book 3 coming out in 2016, Landfall... I cannot wait!!!!

Watch Jennifer Lynn Alvarez below as she answers some of my questions in part 1 of the interview: 

Thank you so much Jennifer for all your time, this was an experience and so much FUN! 

Follow her blog at jenniferlynnalvarez.com and don't forget to pick up a copy of her new book Landfall in 2016!

See you guys soon!

Victoria aka My Equine World :)

Meet the Maplelea Dolls! *Sponsored*

By Dale Ho

Just as there are many forms of play, there are many benefits TO play, as outlined in one of my previous articles ..."Play Is"

the Maplelea Friends

Imaginative play and role playing are two that come to mind when I think of the Maplelea dolls, to be honest I can't imagine a time that I was AS intrigued with a doll and as the name suggests this is a Canadian owned and operated company that has delivered nothing short of quality and affordability to its customers since 1988.  With a vast array of 18" dolls that include the Maplelea Girls, each representing the provinces and an assortment of Maplelea Friends to choose from, I guarantee you there's something that's sure to please all.

So exactly why are these types of play so integral to any child's development...they build on socio-emotional and literacy skills, play such as this also helps children make sense of the world around them, by providing the time, space, opportunity and the resources we can support this growth at home.

Both the Maplelea Girls and the Maplelea Friends come with a wide array of furniture and accessories to compliment each doll to facilitate these types of play and very much like us the Maplelea Girls comes with their very own story or you might have the kids get creative and create their very own story for the Maplelea Friends using the journal provided.

Meet Charlsea

We are the proud owners of the newest addition to the Maplelea Girls, Charlsea!  Charlsea hails from
Canada's west coast, she lives on Salt Spring Island, one of her favourite pastimes include going on adventures and her goal is to become an architect...read more of her story here. Overall I can say we are VERY pleased with everything about the brand from the attention to detail that goes into each of these dolls, the accessories and the furniture, the positive message of living a healthy and active lifestyle they portray and the stories that bring them to life for each child.

As an educator I see all the benefits of the Maplelea brand and as a parent I enjoy watching the hours of endless fun our daughter takes away from it each time as she is fully immersed in the wonderful world of PLAY.

If you would like to find out more about the Maplelea Dolls please visit their website at Maplelea.com or visit them at their newly opened seasonal store in the Promenade Mall, Vaughan, ON.

It's more than just blogging

Opportunities arise to learn something new everyday

She's blogging right along with me, pretty soon the little guy will join me too!

My Equine World is her pseudonym, you may have read her very first blog post already, if not head on over! The Basics of Grooming Your Horse

I believe blogging has many benefits for children and youth. In my eyes I see it as much more than simply 'blogging', children are acquiring a myriad of new skills along the way.  Literacy is the first one that comes to mind...from coming up with new and intriguing ideas for articles, interview questions, writing scripts, editing to interviewing, the opportunity we can provide for learning and growing are limitless.

The connections they make within the community is priceless, especially those within their field of interest, once they've found their passion this now becomes an open window of opportunity and the learning begins!!

Confidence is built, self esteem goes on the rise, imaginations soar and creativity is sparked.  Then there's that sense of fulfillment, accomplishment and sheer pride.

Keep in mind with all the advantages of blogging it is important to always keep safety as a top priority. 

So you can see exactly why I don't think of it as simply 'blogging'...Instead, I see it as a multitude of opportunities and experiences to connect, explore, learn and grow.