Faith Crafts an Indonesian Rain Stick from Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia

My friend Faith made a rain stick using directions from my book, Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia (Mitchell Lane Publishing). It is a simple craft using a paper towel roll and markers to decorate the outside with crazy happy colors and designs. It just takes a couple of other household items to complete this fun... Continue Reading →

Canterbury Book Fair reunites friends

This spring I was invited to participate in the Canterbury Book Fair in Fort Wayne. It was a joy to see many people I met last year when I was the guest speaker. Laurie Gray, author of Summer Sanctuary, and I have been friends for several years and she coordinated the visits. Thanks, Laurie! Students,... Continue Reading →

Teaching Kids to Love to Read by Offering Crafts

Photos of young friends of mine who have read my books are posted here today. Kitti enjoys reading about Hermes, the Messenger god. They chose which of my nine books to read and then we talked about the books together. You can find more about them on my Books page. One student is making a... Continue Reading →

Meet Children’s Book Author Ginny Rorby

I first learned about Ginny Rorby in 2009 when I was unpacking new books at our school library. Flipping through the back of Hurt Go Happy I read a note from the publisher that the author was interested in corresponding with students about her books. With the support of our principal, I arranged to have... Continue Reading →

Try this Indonesian recipe for Satay Ayam

Start the New Year with a cultural experience! This simple, delicious recipe is from my children’s cookbook, Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia (Mitchell Lane Publishing). Satay Ajam can be served with rice and peanut sauce, another recipe found in the book. The book, written for students in grades 4-8 (many adults have purchased it!),... Continue Reading →

Tyson Brooks is “Riding High”

Tyson Brooks is a 7th grade science teacher at the school where I work in the library. I knew something was up when he always wanted to read our Dirt Rider Magazines. When he told me what he did, I thought, "Good story idea!" I hope you agree. If you do, please leave a comment!... Continue Reading →

Mandy & I Present Demonstration of the Culture of Indonesia

Last night my daughter Mandy & I presented a talk/demo about Indonesia to patrons of the Wells County Public Library. We showed Indonesian items Mandy has brought home and talked about the importance of crafts in that culture. I then showed some of the crafts middle school students made with me for my book, Recipe... Continue Reading →

Making an Indonesian Gamelan Drum

Today I’m featuring one of the crafts from my book, Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia. My friend Braden helped me make the Bali Gamelan Music drum.   It was a fun craft to make because all of the materials we needed were at our fingertips – oatmeal box, construction paper, yarn, brads, and a... Continue Reading →

Teaching kids to make a cookbook

On June 2, 2011, I made a presentation to a homeschooling group at Allen County Public Library downtown Fort Wayne. It was great fun talking with the group about creating their own cookbook. I used my book, Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia (Mitchell Lane), as a guide. The book contains 10 recipes and 10... Continue Reading →

Kiah makes an Indonesian craft from my book

Here is a photo of a student who read my book, Recipe and Craft Guide to Indonesia, and made one of the crafts. Kiah read the directions for the weaving project and made herself a brightly-colored belt for herself. It’s beautiful! You can spot it in the photo laying atop some items from Indonesia. There... Continue Reading →

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