Barnes & Noble Book Signing in Bowling Green KY, With Children’s Author & Librarian, Chelsea DiCicco

Hello everyone! I'm thrilled to announce I'll be visiting the Bowling Green Barnes and Noble, located at 1680 Campbell Ln, Bowling Green, Ky 42104 on Saturday, July 8th from 1 PM- 4 PM, for an author book signing. If you live locally and would like to stop by, I'd love to connect with you! 

In addition to the book signing, I'll be bringing all sorts of fun giveaway prizes, freebies, and goody bags. 

Freebies:
💙 lollipops 
💙 word searches/spot the difference worksheets 
💙 lesson plans grades k-3rd 
💙 family resource packets with websites, book recommendations, and tips for neurodiverse families.

NO PURCHASES REQUIRED


Goody Bundles:
💜 Semigloss laminated bookmark 
💜 Free author autograph 
💜 Special edition "believe in yourself" stickers 
💜 Special release ADHD AND ME coloring book 
💜 Packet of crayons 

FREE WITH THE PURCHASE OF BOOK ADHD AND ME, DAY OF SIGNING, AT BARNES AND NOBLE. SIMPLY BRING YOUR RECEIPT TO THE SIGNING TABLE TO CLAIM YOUR GOODY BUNDLE!

Prize Drawing:
Interested in winning prizes? Post a review of ADHD AND ME to Barnes & Noble website: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/adhd-and-me-chelsea-dicicco/1143058981?ean=9780997933413 (AND/OR post a picture of the book, ADHD AND ME to your Instagram, tagging @chelseasworldofbooks account), the day of the signing and claim your prize drawing slip from the signing table! The winner will be selected at random from the first 10 participants!

Please note: if your Instagram account is set to private, tagging will not work, so make sure to leave a review of the book to claim your drawing slip for a chance to win the giveaway prize!

STEAM Homeschool Group Takeaways

Dear readers,

This October marked the 10th month of the STEAM Homeschool Group. From the first meet in January with 0 in attendance, oh, how our group has grown! I’m thrilled the share that this past group we had 60 participants!

Can you believe it? I sure can’t! How exciting it is to see all the new members we have gained and the families who have been able to connect from this fabulous group!

As you all know, this project is a passion of mine. I was a homeschooler, and I know how hard it is for families (especially with multiple children) to find inexpensive Homeschool Programs and resources. So naturally, I was beyond the moon excited to start this completely FREE program.

Not only does this group provide a safe space for families and children to meet other homeschoolers within their community, at no charge, but we’re also able to provide free resources like:

* Educational Textbooks
* Interactive Workbooks
* Leveled Reader Books
* Pre-planned literacy training worksheets
* Individually Created Honor Kits on various subjects (math, science, history, animals, plants, anatomy, weather, space, reading comprehension, poetry, biographies, language, etc)
And much more!

Every group meet I feel the same emotions.

Gratitude, joy, overwhelming happiness. And inspiration! Tons of inspiration!

To give you an idea of why I feel this way, I want to share some takeaways from what I saw during our group this past Monday.

Things I witnessed as I looked around the room:

* Creativity
* Inventiveness
* Curiosity
* Kindness
* Friendships forming
* Teamwork
* Problem-solving
* Learning inspired by natural play
* Engineering
* Building
* Kids thinking outside of the box to make something original, that brings them joy

I saw 100% unadulterated pure exploration, and what a sight it was! And guess what? The kids weren't the only ones playing and having a good time. Parents were too! 

These parents are connecting with their kids, and other adults! Forming community and cultivating a network of friends. Using their imaginations to help build and create at our STEAM tables!

What an absolute treasure this group has been. And what a pleasure it has been to see it grow and flourish! The feedback and love in this program has been astounding. I’m so grateful for all of our amazing participants of this group who help make it what it is.

So, here are some fabulous pictures from our time together in October. Enjoy!

Some kiddos enjoying our Fall themed worksheets and activities!
Here’s a group of boys working together at our “build” table!
Our “create” table is always a hit! Check out some of this fabulous, original artwork.
Mom is playing some games too at our “games and puzzles” table!
Our “science” table is booming with curious hands and minds!
Here are a few small hands forming some sight words!
Teamwork at its best! Keep it up, ladies.
Proud of what he built! And he should be, it’s pretty impressive.
One of our young members made this and gifted it to me. She also gave me a flawless sales pitch for her ideas for a new company and the products she will make and sell. She’s going places!
Another look at the “science” table!

3 ways to create a healthy support system for your child

Regulating consistency can be as simple as responding to situations and actions regarding house rules, in the same way, every time. It is very important that whatever you decide on, that you maintain it. This involves setting a goal and sticking to it.

Example of NOT responding consistently to situations or actions: 

Last week, Tommy asked if he could have dessert before dinner, and the reply was, “You know the house rules. Dessert is for after dinner, only.” This week when Tommy asked the same question, the reply was different. Why is this a problem? By giving a new reply, it creates an inconsistency with the house rules stated the previous week. Children, like adults, need stability to thrive. By not following through with the guidelines that you have provided, you are depriving your child of that stability.

*Of course, in life, there will always be exceptions. Changes and unexpected circumstances are inevitable. That being said, if your routine must change, be consistent about explaining to your children the reasons why it must change, and preferably, express this change before it takes place.

Example: “Next week, when Grandma comes to visit, you will be able to have dessert before dinner. This is an exception to our house rule, and after Grandma goes back home, we will continue having dessert after dinner.”

By explaining the situation beforehand, you have acknowledged the change prior to it being made. This allows the child to anticipate it. Not only that, but you have also made the transition clear. Once Grandma goes back home, things will go back to normal. This helps the child to understand the boundaries of the house rules so that there are no uncertainties.

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Establishing trust is the cornerstone of importance when it comes to creating a healthy support system for your child.

One of the best ways you can establish trust with your child is by making sure to respect his/her preferences and boundaries. Each child is different, so each child will display his/her preferences and boundaries in different ways. 

Example of a child displaying preferences/boundaries: Father comes home from work and gently pats child’s head. The child frowns and pulls away. The father asks, “why did you pull away?” The child responds, “I don’t like when my head is touched.” The father nods, “Okay, I’ll remember that.” The following day, the father comes home from work and greets the child with a smile. Instead of touching his child, he asks, “How was your day today?” The child smiles and replies, “It was good.”

What do we learn from this scenario? 

The child is sensitive to physical touch. They displayed this by pulling away. Instead of ignoring this, the father asked a follow-up question to get further information to better understand the child’s perspective. When the child responded that they did not like their head being touched, how did the father respond? Did he force his child to conform to his own level of comfort and boundaries toward physical affection? No.

After the child expressed their boundary and level of comfort, the father took note of their preference. The following day, when he arrived home from work, he made a point of respecting his child’s boundaries. What is the result? The child now feels a level of increased comfort toward the father. By respecting his child’s sensory boundary, he has established trust.

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Another way to create a healthy support system for your child is to make yourself available. By making yourself available to your child, you show them that you value them with your time. This reassures them of their importance, not only to you but as individuals. (This also helps boost their self-esteem.)

Example of making yourself available: Mother is making dinner in the kitchen. Her son comes up to her with something important. “Mom, I need to talk to you.” “Can it wait?” Mom says. “No, I need to talk to you right now.” What do you do? 

The truth is, sometimes, the answer needs to be, “not right now.” If you are in the middle of something, like cooking dinner, and you are dealing with time-sensitive things, sometimes, you cannot provide your child with undivided attention at that exact moment. That being said, there are ways to go about this to maintain a healthy relationship with your child that both show that you value them and that their feelings and thoughts are important both to you and in general.

Example of how to respond if you CAN’T talk right now: Pause from what you are doing and give direct eye contact (in some cases, where appropriate, you can establish focus by gently placing your hands on your child’s shoulders.) “I’m very busy right now cooking. If I try to handle dinner and our discussion at the same time, I may burn the food or not be able to focus fully on what you are saying. I would like to hear what you have to say and give you my full attention. As soon as I am done here, I will sit down with you at the table, and we will talk. Okay?”

Key points about this response:

  1. Mom gave direct eye contact and focused on the child, validating their self-esteem and expressing genuine interest in what they had to say. Why is this important? Because this reassures the child that mom cares about what they have to say.
  2. Mom didn’t say, “maybe later.” Instead, she gave a definite response, “we will talk,” and she even set a specific time and location, “as soon as I’m done here, I will sit down with you at the table.” What does this do for the child? This establishes stability. They have a definite answer.
  3. And finally, mom gave an explanation as to why she could not provide undivided attention at that moment. By doing this, Mom was teaching her child that “time and place” are important and relative to sharing thoughts. This is something that all children will need to learn as they grow. By giving this explanation to your child when they are young, it will help prepare them for adulthood without inflicting damage on their self-esteem. Rather than feeling confused about why they couldn’t have their parent’s attention at that moment, they will understand that it is not personal; rather, it was simply not the right time and place.

By implementing these three things into your child’s life, it will significantly increase your child’s level of comfort and trust in their support system.

Special Author Event at the Gallatin Public Library in Sumner County, TN- September 18th, 2021

Calling all local Sumner County TN residents! Are you a parent or educator? Visit us on September 18th at the Gallatin Public Library.

We’ll be discussing special needs in education, neurodiverse learning differences and how to build healthy support systems within the family unit and tackling how to identify and assess problems and acknowledge and validate your child’s emotions.

Guest speakers: Local Children’s Author & Blogger, Chelsea DiCicco, Autism Tennessee Community Ambassador, Indie Author & Co-Host of Amazon Live Special Needs TV show, Mary Elizabeth Jackson, and Jason Scruggs, Children’s Crisis Counselor. (Read more about similar local Sumner County, Tennessee events in the article published here.)

Who is this event for?

  • Parents
  • Children
  • Educators
  • Family & friends

If you’re elementary school teacher, PLEASE stop by and pick up your FREE LESSON PLANS, GRADES K-3RD GRADE (or simply download them HERE.)

Don’t live local? No problem! Download your free interactive lesson plans, worksheets, color pages, spot the difference sheets and other fun freebies and resources under the TEACHER CORNER tab of my website.

We hope to see you, September 18th, 2021! 10:00am-2:00PM Gallatin Public Library