Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts

Friday, November 28, 2014

The new hardcover edition is here!

The new hardcover edition of, When I Build With Blocks, is available for sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble  and more!! Teachers, parents and children can now enjoy this fun book right along side the block area with this sturdy hardcover edition!

http://www.nikialling.com/p/when-i-build-with-blocks.html

http://www.nikialling.com/p/when-i-build-with-blocks.html


 Available for sale at:

Friday, December 20, 2013

Festive Winter Windows

Every season in our Pre-K class, we like to have something pretty in our windows. Recently, we've been studying shapes and colors. What better way to explore those two things together, than with stained window projects? For this project, we searched the internet to find some ideas. Then we modified what we found somewhat, to fit our class.

We found a few stained window projects that use contact paper such as  this one, shown here with these cute hearts -http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/tissue-paper-stained-glass/

However, for our class, we decided to use wax paper and glue. Wax paper is less expensive than contact paper, and painting the glue onto the tissue paper led to some nice small motor skill activity, and some great discussion about how the colors blend together when the tissues are overlapped. Each child was able to chose the shape of their frame, (heart, square, rectangle, oval, or triangle) which was then glued to the finished and dried piece of wax paper and tissues later. The frames were pre-cut ahead of time using black construction paper. Here is the results of our new window treatment for winter, they are quite stunning when the sun is bright. I'm looking forward to trying this again at home during the winter break with my grandchildren. They make a nice colorful addition to any sunny window!


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Block Area

It's back to school time again! For anyone looking for a good way to introduce the block area to the children at school, or if you have a child who loves to build with blocks, this book is for you!

 


Friday, August 23, 2013

Charcoal drawings in Pre-K

A few years ago I tried an experiment with our Pre-K class. We were getting ready to take a trip to the Johnson Museum of Art and we wanted to give the children an idea of the different kinds of art they would see there. So I brought some drawing charcoal to school and set up a simple bowl of fruit. I also had some shading sticks for them to try. The pictures below are a few of the results! When we arrived at the museum, they were able to find some charcoal drawings on the walls and they knew what they were and how they were made. They did an amazing job!





Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Imagination Fascination



When I observe how children play at school, in the classrooms I've worked in, it always amazes me how they can think of new things that have never been thought of before. How even through repetitive play, and building with blocks, and playing dress up, each child knows how to put their own unique spin on their play and learning.

Play is such a big part of learning for young children. It’s where they try new things, and explore new ideas and create something they didn’t know they could. Every child has their own favorite place in the classrooms too, and every class is different. Some years, the block area is the all-time favorite, some years, it’s the dramatic play area or the art area. In every case, you can see the seeds of inspiration and imagination dawning in these young people, who have only been around for 3 to 5 years.

As much as academic learning, with letters and numbers and writing is important, my heart is in learning through play. Play is full of problem solving, although you may not think so, it’s supposed to be fun right? Consider all that the children learn through play, including sharing, conflict resolution, communication, teamwork, not to mention flexing their creative muscles….and the list goes on.

When I wrote the book, When I Build with Blocks, I did so because I felt it was a book that many children could relate to. I wrote it because I couldn’t find one exactly like it anywhere else, and I wrote it because the kids just love to build with blocks in the classroom. They inspired me with their ideas, which I incorporated into the book, and they inspired me with their enthusiasm, which they showed me after I read it to them – they went straight to the block area to show me what else they could build. I feel honored that I was able to spark their minds to continue to create, and that they enjoy the book that they can see themselves in.

Imagination is a wonderful thing!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

GIVEAWAY CONTEST!!

 Giveaway contest & Sale!!

I'm giving away an autographed paperback copy of my children's book, Your Father's Love, on Goodreads! This contest will run for one week. (Click below in box to enter contest.)

 In the mean time - the ebook version of this book is on sale now at Amazon for only .99 for a limited time!! (Ebook Regularly $2.99/Paperback Regularly $10.99)

Good Luck with the contest and Happy Father's Day!



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Your Father's Love by Niki Alling

Your Father's Love

by Niki Alling

Giveaway ends May 24, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Monday, May 6, 2013

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Grandchildren are the Greatest...

Today I became a Grandmother for the third time! Life just doesn't get any better than this. I've spoke often about my own Grandmother, who is now 96 years old, and about my two Granddaughters, Eva & Takeda, well today we welcome my first Grandson, little Johnnie. There is just something about Grandchildren that make life complete. At least for me they do.

Maybe it's because I have such fond memories of time spent with my Grandparents when I was young. Fishing in the creek with Grandpa and picking peas in his garden. Making Grandma's special Christmas cookies every year with her, or staying up late playing gin rummy with her, when my sister and I stayed overnight. Life was good at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I want to be that special place where my Grandchildren can come, when they need a break from everyday life. When they're older and homework is too hard, and daily chores are tiring, I want to be the place where they can come to unwind, pull up a chair at the kitchen table, play cards and make cookies into the night. I want them to eat the peas from my garden before I get a chance to cook them, take them fishing at the pond down the road, and throw all the fish back and watch them swim away. I want to help them find the wild berries in the yard, and hope we still have some in the quart when we get back to the house.

Yes, I love being a mother too, but lets face it, motherhood is harder, parenthood is harder. Mother's and Father's have the weight of the world on their shoulders with the day to day responsibilities. I love that I can take some of the load off my daughter and her husband's shoulders every now and then, and have the kids come stay with Grandma, for a night or two.  

Becoming a Grandmother came a little sooner in my life than I thought it would, but the way I see it, I get all these extra years of loving! Who couldn't use a little more of that? ;)

Happy Birthday little Johnnie, you have been added to my list of people to write books for! I love you!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

New Release!

New Release - Hearts Are For Loving


Shapes are all around us. This fun, colorful book shows children that shapes can be for many things. It’s designed to spark the imagination and have children thinking about shapes in ways they might not have before. This book can be for Valentine's Day or any time of year.

(Click the picture to take you to Amazon's book page.)

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Free ebook this weekend 1/12/13 - 1/13/13

Free ebook on Amazon 1/12/13 - 1/13/13

Take a trip around the world with a little girl, who is proud of her rich multicultural heritage.

The Roots of My Family Tree by Niki Alling, is a celebration book for children, families and educators to use as an enjoyable springboard for conversations about family heritage. Bright, colorful, full illustrations, written in rhyme.
Countries around the world she travels to:
USA
Australia
Africa
Scotland
England
Poland
Italy
France
Spain
Buy The Roots of My Family Tree from Amazon for Kindle & Paperback

Buy The Roots of My Family Tree from Barnes & Noble in Paperback

Buy The Roots of My Family Tree from CreateSpace in Paperback


 Book Trailer for 
The Roots of My Family Tree - by Niki Alling

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Mother's Day is coming!

Hi all!
Happy soon to be Mother's Day. Just a small note to say hello and to invite you to check out my new picture book all about Mothers titled, Your Mother's Love and one for Fathers too - Your Father's Love.

For those of you who haven't seen my author page in awhile, it's growing all the time! Currently, I'm working on a new picture book specifically for children in the pre-k/kindergarten class room. I expect it to be ready in about 2 or 3 months. Also, I'm working on a Young Adult fantasy series, not sure of the publish date for that one. I'll keep you posted!
Here is my updated author page at Amazon:
amazon.com/author/nikialling

You'll notice that most of my books are now offered in print too!
Have a great weekend!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Five Generations Happy Mother's Day

When Mother's Day comes around it has so much more meaning to me now that I'm a Grandmother too. My Grandmother who will be 95 years young next month has been an inspiration to me my entire life. She has been the rock in our family through thick and thin. And now with the birth of my Granddaughter last year, we are five generations strong! I've been put in the unique position to be a Granddaughter, and a Grandmother, at the same time. I feel very blessed. So on this Mother's Day I'd like to make a special wish to every Grandmother and every Granddaughter, and every Mother in between, that your day is full of love and happiness!
As I've stated before, most of my designs are made from the heart. This one is for all the Grandmas in the middle like me!
Happy Mother's Day!

Click here for gifts with this design

Also -
For anyone who has a daughter who is expecting her first baby, I've written this card just for you, for any day of the year -