Eliana on her first day of 4th Grade 2009-2010 school year

10 TIPS TO MAKE BACK-TO-SCHOOL COOL
By Dianne de Las Casas

On Eliana’s first day of 4th grade, she dashed out the door like Hare but looked more like Tortoise with her backpack strapped to her back like a turtle’s shell. And so, the morning races have begun. Your family is probably no different from our family. Everyone’s in a mad dash to change, eat breakfast, and get to school on time. Here are some tips to ease the transition from summer’s loose schedule to the fall’s regular school routine.

Get into the Groove with Early Bedtimes
The kids have been staying up late and getting up later because it’s summer. But it’s not too early to start readjusting their circadian rhythms to their regular school routines. One week before school starts, implement a strict bedtime. Do “practice runs,” in which the children get up as early as they do for school. This will help their bodies adjust to the back-to-school schedule. There is nothing worse than grouchy, grumpy kids who didn’t get enough sleep!

Pack It Up, Pack It In!
Whether you are organized and ordered pre-packaged school supplies or whether you like to catch those back-to-school sales, have all the school supplies ready to go one week before school starts. Pre-sharpen the pencils. Put all the supplies in one place, fitting as much as you can into your child’s backpack (without overloading them). On the big day, you’ll have everything you need at hand.

Label, Label, Label
Invest a few dollars and purchase a labeler like Dymo. I love my Letra Tag labeler. It beats handwriting your child’s name on every notebook, folder, and binder. With my labeler, I just press “Print” and the label with my child’s name magically appears – 50 times, if I want!

Wash, Iron & Set Out Clothes
If your child wears a uniform, wash and iron all the uniform pieces. Check for missing buttons and make any necessary repairs. If your child wears regular clothes, pick out each day’s outfit and have it ready for the first couple days of school. This will make it easier as your child transitions into the routine.

Lunch & Snacks
No matter what your children’s age, have them prepare or help you prepare lunch and snacks. This will enable them to have a say in what they eat (which means they are more likely to eat it) and give them responsibility by allowing them to pitch in. It’s fun to have Little Debbie’s or Hostess snacks but balance your child’s meals with fruit and veggies too. Plus, you can plan energy-boosting snacks like raisins, granola bars, and peanut butter and celery sticks. I like giving “Surprise Snacks” after school. I put the snack in a pretty paper bag and staple it closed. It’s like getting a present or one of those cool grab bags at the dollar store.

Prepare a Special “Welcome Back” Basket
Make a teacher’s day and send a “Welcome Back-to-School” basket or bag filled with supplies teachers need, cool books, or a gift certificate to an office supply store, book store, or education store. If your budget does not allow a basket, write a “Welcome Back-to-School” note and let the teacher know how much you look forward to working with him/her this school year. This sets the stage for a great teacher-parent relationship and shows your interest in your child’s education.

Picture Perfect First Day
Your child will never have another first day at school in this grade. Take a picture in the morning before everyone dashes out the door. You will love looking back and these first days and seeing how much your child has grown.

Note from You
Tuck a little note into your child’s snack, lunch or backpack. You can say:

* School is cool but you are cooler! Hope you’re enjoying your first day!
* You are a back-to-school super star!
* Happy Back-To-School! I’m proud of you!
* Roses are red. Violets are blue. School is cool and so are you!

Back to School Sign
Make a sign that says “Happy Back-to-School! I love you!” and hang it on the front door. Your kids will love the greeting just before they leave the house for school. What a great way to start the day.

Sweet Surprises – A Spoonful of Kisses
This makes a super sweet surprise for your kids. Take a plastic spoon and draw a funny face on it. Grab a small handful of Hershey Kisses. Place the kisses inside the spoon and wrap a small plastic bag or piece of cellophane around it. Tie a ribbon around and attach a little note: “A Spoonful of Kisses for You on Your First Day of School.” Then reward yourself and eat the rest of the bag. You deserve it. You made it through the first day of school!

Madame Poule and Monsieur Roach, A New Orleans Folktale

Friends:

Happy Happy Joy Joy! Today, I received 2 book contracts in the mail, one I was expecting and one that was a delightful surprise. I received a new book contract from Libraries Unlimited for Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales and a new picture book with Pelican Publishing Company, Madame Poule & Monsieur Roach. The illustrations for the picture book will be done by Marita Gentry, illustrator of The Cajun Cornbread Boy.

So yes, today was a great day. Jumping up and down, up and down, up and down. And I’m not even dizzy yet! LOL

Happy Tales to You! Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Dianne de Las Casas & Tedd Arnold - Sept 25, 2008

On Thursday and Friday, the Baton Rouge Public Library hosted a children’s book author/illustrator program (this is their 31st year). Their featured author/illustrator was Tedd Arnold. Tedd Arnold is the author/illustrator of Green Wilma, No Jumping on the Bed, Parts (and its sequels), Super Fly Guy (and its sequels), and many other books.

Thursday night’s program was a family program with the presentation geared for kids. Tedd Arnold shared how he was inspired by his two sons, Walter and William, and their stuffed animals, Charlie (the dog) and Foxy (the fox) for a couple of his books. No More Jumping on the Bed was inspired by Walter. No More Water in the Bathtub was written for William. Tedd’s books are filled with laugh-out-loud humor. If you haven’t read any of the Parts books, you have to! Here is Tedd drawing the main character from Parts.

Tedd Arnold Drawing character from book, Parts - Sept 25, 2008

Tedd’s presentation was infused with great humor and light audience participation. He held the interest of children and adults alike. Super Fly Guy is one of Tedd’s most popular book characters. Tedd drew Fly Guy for the audience.

Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy - Sept 25, 2008

Marita Gentry, the illustrator for my picture book, The Cajun Cornbread Boy, won an illustration from Tedd Arnold.

Marita Gentry & Tedd Arnold - Sept 25, 2008

Here is a picture of our book cover. Isn’t Marita talented?

The Cajun Cornbread Boy By Dianne de Las Casas Illustrated by Marita Gentry

My 18 year old daughter, Soleil, is majoring in art at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She wants to pursue a career in children’s book illustration. I thought it would be a good idea for her to attend the program. Soleil really got a lot out of both the Thursday night presentation and the Friday morning program. She was able to see the other side of being a children’s book illustrator – presenting for the public. Here is Soleil with Tedd Arnold.

Soleil & Tedd Arnold - Sept 25, 2008

I highly recommend Tedd Arnold’s books. He’s a phenomenonally funny author and great guy, a super “fly” guy! LOL

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Leaf Man - Gather leaves

Friends:

Leaf Man is a fantastic book by Lois Ehlert where the leaves transform into people, birds, fish, vegetables, trees, and more. It’s a great book for the Fall but works year round because trees are everywhere!

Materials:
Lots of different leaves in varying colors
Sheet of white paper
Pictures of animals (if you wish)

Directions:
First, gather leaves. Gather a variety in different colors. We try to pick leaves that have already fallen to the ground. Next, decide what type of animal you want to make and begin assembling the leaves on a white sheet of paper. This may take some experimentation. Try not to alter the shapes of the leaves – work with what you have. Creating leaf illustrations is like assembling a puzzle. Disassemble the puzzle and start again! Here are some examples. This is a mouse by Eliana.

Leaf Mouse by Eliana

This is a peacock created by moi!

Leaf Peacock by Dianne

This next one was a mother-daughter effort. Can you guess what it is?

Leaf Gator Snapping a Fish

Use your imagination to create something whimsical, something wonderful!

Leaf Man Book & Leaf Peacock

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

My 17 year old daughter, Soleil, had to do a children’s book project for English V Honors. The book is about a young girl named Holly Wood who is afraid of taking risks.

She doesn’t like riding bikes, roller skating or swimming. The catchy chorus running throughout the book is preceded by a question: “Swimming in the Ocean? Holly shouldn’t… Holly couldn’t… Holly wouldn’t.”

When Holly’s best friend, Michelle, encourages her to try out for the school play, Holly decides to take the leap.

“Acting in the school play? Holly should… Holly could… Holly would!” This delightful story, full of clever word play and bright illustrations already has fans. One of Eliana’s (my 7 year old) classmates’ mother saw the book and asked Soleil if she could buy a copy!

I am certain that you’ll be seeing Holly Would on the bookshelves. I think it will be Soleil’s first children’s book. Publishing a children’s book? Soleil should… Soleil could… Soleil would!  “Soleil, I know you’ll make it. I believe in you!”

I believe Soleil is going to be a bright new star in the children’s book world. And she’s only 17! Just wait! By the way, she’s already working on a second book: The Beastro, a story about monsters cooking up a storm.

Way to go, Soleil!

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Soleil, my 17 year old, is a senior in high school and applying for art school. Schools she is considering include Louisiana State University (in state but low on her priority list as she wants to move out of state), Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York (her #1 choice because she is in lust with New York), Rhode Island School of Design, and Savannah College of Art and Design (my husband and I are leaning toward this choice – in addition to art school, it’s a college and set in the beautiful Southern town of Savannah). Ultimately, we have to see where the $$ falls… We’re hoping for a great scholarship/financial aid package. Soleil has the grades, test scores, and school involvement (she is fifth in her class with a 3.63 GPA, received a 28 on the ACT, and is very involved in school). Okay, yes, I am a proud mama!

We have been working hard on getting her art portfolio together. Here are samples of her art pieces. This piece, done in graphite, is called “I am Woman; Hear Me Roar.”

This next piece, rendered in ink, is called “Lone Wolf.”

This next one is called “Slave to Fashion.” I love the concept of this piece. It was rendered in Prismacolor colored pencils.

The following piece is a photograph of her sister, Eliana (who was 5 years old at the time), that Soleil took and developed. It is titled “Sleeping Beauty.”

This final piece, done in ink and water colors, was commissioned by me for my Kamishibai story, “The Magic Pot.”

Soleil wants to be a children’s book illustrator. I think she’s well on her way.

I have had so many people make comments like, “She’s so smart! Why are you encouraging her to go to art school?” As a successful “artist” (performing and literary, not visual) myself, how can I not?! I believe that if you are passionate about your dreams, then you should pursue them. Because Soleil has grown up with me as the model of artist entrepreneur, I know she understands how much work goes into establishing a successful career in the arts. I also think that she has the drive and determination to create a successful career for herself.

Life is too short not to try to live your dreams. Where there is a will, there is always a way. Soleil, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”

So friends, find your way and go in the direction of your dreams. You can do it!

Warmly, Dianne