NEW!
Talking Points for Parents & Teachers--Sparky & Yama Series (PDF)
(If the above link doesn't work, email: willy@cowbillywillys.com with "Talking Points" as the subject and we'll email the file to you directly.)
Some of my fondest early childhood memories came from watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in the early 1970's. I was maybe 4 or 5 years old at the time. One episode I'll never forget was when he took us on a "field trip" to see how newspapers were made. EVERYTHING was covered! From cutting the trees, to turning the wood pulp into paper, to printing and folding the finished newspapers, we got to see it all!
There was only one Fred Rogers. I know I will never have that wonderful positive effect on children that "Mister Rogers" had... NOT EVEN CLOSE! Among other things, my age and post-covid health make it nearly impossible. Add to that the shorter attention spans and general lack of imagination and curiosity that our modern society has forced upon this generation of children. It's become far easier to just tell kids WHAT TO THINK than teach them HOW TO THINK.
Giving them "conclusions" without giving them the process used to reach those "conclusions" is the same as giving them the "answers" that we want them to arrive at. Most children readily accept this PROGRAMMING because THOUGHT is akin to WORK. WORK is HARD, and being given the answers is EASY. Given a choice, children will ALWAYS choose EASY. Those who wish to destroy our society know this, and they COUNT ON IT! Our children are our future. If we allow them to destroy our children, they WILL destroy our future.
For this reason, I encourage EVERY PARENT to take the time to TALK to their children. Teach them the lessons that our stories have to offer. This is why we've included "Talking Points for Parents" at the end of every storybook (as well as the link above) to make it easier. ENCOURAGE THEIR CURIOSITY!
This is why we've included the Video Links to topics related to the stories. Take a "field trip" to a Rubber Farm. Find out how an engine works, or how a motorcycle is built! These videos are just the tip of the iceberg of what can be found online. If your child MUST spend hours online, make it EDUCATIONAL instead of INDOCTRINATIONAL!
The video links above are provided for Educational Use only. I do not own them, nor do I own the rights to them. I only host them because it seems impossible to provide working links to the original YouTube videos. I've left the owners' information within the videos, and I encourage you to search for them online and provide positive feedback and comments to their owners!
