Having lived with these circumstances in my young life has enabled me to write this book. I love helping others. If my life experiences can help any young child, the book has been worth my time and effort. My goal is to reach young children in a way that they may reach out to a professional for help. Writing this book and taking the photographs has been a complete joy. My mother is still living, but my father, two brothers, and sister are all deceased. I have been a resident of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, since 1998. I assist my husband, Dr. Stan Hufford, in his chiropractic practice. I have two living daughters and a son who is deceased. I am blessed to have two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. I also have four stepchildren and eleven step-grandchildren. I enjoy fishing, painting, singing, and writing.

A collection of activities designed to teach such critical science skills as observing, predicting, ordering, exploring, sorting, and creative thinking.

Get ready to be dazzled! This lively reference book for the younger set introduces a fascinating variety of Earth’s rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, and shells--from granite to gold, marble to malachite, and conchs to clams. Discover how rocks are formed, the three kinds of rocks, and the difference between rocks and minerals. Learn how rocks and minerals are used in art, architecture, industry, and science. Then journey to the oceans to explore seashells and the amazing animals that once inhabited them. Packed with more than 200 stunning photos, including closeups of each specimen, this colorful book showcases breathtaking natural sites such as the Giant’s Causeway and human-built structures such as the Great Wall of China. Filled with fun facts and designed for interactive learning, the Little Kids First Big Book of Rocks, Minerals, and Shells is sure to become a favorite with young rock and shell collectors and their parents!

Based on Alan Wolfelt’s six needs of mourning and written to pair with Companioning the Grieving Child, this thorough guide provides hundreds of hands-on activities tailored for grieving children in three age groups: preschool, elementary, and teens. Through the use of readings, games, discussion questions, and arts and crafts, caregivers can help grieving young people acknowledge the reality of the death, embrace the pain of the loss, remember the person who died, develop a new self-identity, search for meaning, and accept support. Sample activities include grief sock puppets, expression bead bracelets, the nurturing game, and writing an autobiographical poem. Activities are presented in an easy-to-follow format, and each has a goal, an objective, a sequential description of the activity, and a list of needed materials.

Self-directed science activities to answer the how, the why, and the what happens next?