Personal Child Stories was founded by Australian native Shara  Lawrence-Weiss. Shara currently resides in Arizona with her husband  and two children.

While earning a degree in Elementary Education,  Shara saw a need in many children that she longed to address. So many  children in our classrooms today struggle with emotional hurdles,  learning disabilities, developmental delays, and so on. No doubt this  was always the case, however, the “stigma” has lightened to the point  that addressing these issues is no longer taboo. Quite the contrary.

At Personal Child Stories , books can be created for any and every  reason, including story-lines that relate to tolerance, acceptance,  change and diversity. These personal books containing custom photos  are quickly embraced by each child becoming a fast favorite.

Personal Child Stories is currently moving more deeply into the creation of  books for Special Needs children, IEP students, and children who would  greatly benefit from a book focused not on what is being done wrong  but rather on what can be done that is RIGHT.

Each book is laminated  and coil bound making them durable, easy to clean, and safe for
children of all ages and stages. Books may contain a page on which to  write with a dry erase marker in order to practice writing numbers,  letters, words, or concepts. Group books can also be created to read  to the class as a positive approach to explaining one another’s
differences.

You can find out more information by going to http://www.personalchildstories.com 

We would like to kick off the week with our very first “Kidz Kudoz” given out to companies and products that are working to promote acceptance and cultural diversity. As Simple as That, a company owned and operated by Deb Capone, works to alert their readers of cultural events, newsworthy articles & books/products that can help them introduce different cultures and experiences to their children.Deb’s newsletter is easy to read, full of wonderful information & FREE to receive!

She is currently working on several major projects including her, As Simple As That Foundation which raise awareness of issues affecting children and gives financial assistance to children in need worldwide. The Foundation’s primary charitable purpose is to charter, promote and assist the respect and celebration of all culture, choices and ‘abilities’ throughout the United States.

As Simple as That is also hosting a World-Wide Birthday Party on March 29th in New York. In addition to the foundation & Global Birthday Party, Deb has written 3 books which help to show children that although we may seem different sometimes, we really are very much the same.
Her books :

You can find out more information about Deb and her project at www.assimpleasthat.com

Thanks to, As Simple as That – Kudoz to you!!
Lisa

How many times do you grab a good book, pull your child or children into your lap or snuggle on the couch and read to them?  So many of us are guilty of never finding the time, when reading is such an important skill for children to learn, and we as parents have the greatest influence over whether or not they begin to learn or choose to learn to read.  We can encourage them to learn to read by making books and reading an important part of their life from day one.

“Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.”
—    Marilyn Jager Adams

Reading offers so many valuable things to children.  Here are just a few:

1.    Reading is entertaining.  Do you think they always had cable television wired to most every house in America, well of course not?  Great literature was a popular concept many years ago, much more so than it is today and reading was a favorite past time of almost everyone.  Why not make that the case for your child by starting them out reading at an early age and continuing to encourage them to read over the span of their childhood.

2.    Reading encourages learning.  Reading to your child encourages them to want to learn and gives them the opportunity to have their curiosity stirred by new ideas and concept, such as how people live differently in different places, how things are made, or where things came from, so many questions can be formed in the mind of a child as you read to them.  Thus encouraging them to dig in and find out more!  This of course helps them to learn new things.

3.    Reading increases your child’s vocabulary.  If you want to ensure that your child begins to talk at the right age, learns to say your name, the names of their family members and even things out in the world, you can help them to do so by reading to them.  Reading to a child begins teaching them and exposing them to a wide vocabulary even as a baby.  Many doctors encourage women to even read to their babies while they are still in their womb.

4.    Reading gives your child knowledge.  Knowledge about the world, people, themselves, everything you can think of, it thousands of ideas, topics, themes and concepts can be found in written form in books, on billboards, on the side of your morning cereal box.  Knowledge is all around us and we consume it by reading it.  Encouraging your child to read allows them to soak up all this knowledge.

Do your kids understand and embrace the ethnic diversity of those around them?  Or, have they never been exposed to other races, cultures and ethnicities enough to even know that there are differences.  Today’s culture lends itself to be a little more open about such differences, and this is a positive turn in our society.

Flip on the television and even on the preschool channel there are a variety of culturally diverse shows including Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, Little Bill and even Pinky Dinky Do, whose main character has pink hair.

Allowing your child to watch this variety of shows will show them at an early age that there are many different types of people in our world today.  Pointing out the differences but realizing that these differences do not make one group of people better than or worse than another group of people will help your child to understand and embrace all cultures.

There are also movies out there that can show your children a wide variety of cultural areas and allow them exposure to the different cultures that make up the world.  You can also purchase dolls and clothing that are culturally diverse teaching your children even more about the many cultures that come together in our society.

The United States is becoming more and more of a “melting pot” as so many of were taught in history class years ago today it is becoming a reality.  We want our children to embrace this concept of cultural diversity and be tolerant of people who are different from them.

Pop culture joining the ranks can only help us to teach more effectively.  Allow your children to play with culturally diverse toys so that they can learn to be tolerant and loving to other cultures.  Teach them about their own culture, helping them to understand why culture is important to everyone.

Be tolerant and embrace the cultures who are different from you and your family, your child will almost allows copy what their parent is doing so what how you act towards other ethnicities.  Begin with yourself and then teach your children, soon the world will be made up of one big happy diverse family if we all work together to encourage tolerance and diversity.

Phoenix, AZ (11/2/07) – In today’s fast paced world consumers are always looking for products that combine multiple functions into one easy to manage device. Lisa Hillery-Smith, a new mom, has taken that same concept and applied it to fashion and education.

Regionz Kidz is a full line of designer children’s tees that feature black and white caricature-like images of toddlers from varying ethnic backgrounds hand drawn by a local artist. This line is  one of the few places parents can find up-scale children’s clothing that is produced using a scientifically advanced, eco-friendly printing process.

“I had been searching for a designer clothing line for my daughter that was unique and eco-friendly. When I didn’t find it I figured, why not make one of my own? I want this line to highlight some of the fun aspects about living in a country as diverse as the US and teach children to celebrate the diversity,” Lisa, Founder and CEO of Regionz Kidz, said.

The boys and girls shirts are made from 100% preshrunk cotton and come in four colors. Moms can strut their multicultural fashion too as the line features a matching set of t-shirts in women’s sizes. With Regionz Kidz, the consumer can also be the designer. The Regionz Kidz artist will create personalized pieces for parents who send in photos of their children.

Regionz Kidz is not just a clothing line. The company’s website blog features articles, cultural event listings & family-friendly product reviews that bring awareness to the types of activities, toys, books, & movies that parents can use to teach their children about diversity & tolerance.

Lisa wants her customers to get more than just one-of-a-kind funky designs with Regionz Kidz; she hopes to expand their knowledge of tolerance and multicultural sensitivities. Her line of region based books and educational children’s products allow parents to teach their children about the different regions of the USA and aid them in learning to read. The books feature multi-cultural children’s stories for two different age groups; 0-2 years & 2-3 years, and the website features 8 sets of downloadable Regionz Kidz flashcards – three in Spanish.

About Regionz Kidz
Beginning in 2007, Regionz Kidz has clothed and educated families across the U.S. with pride. The company is the result of one mom’s quest to find a unique infant and toddler clothing line for her daughter. After visiting a regional gift show and realizing there was a lack of infant and toddler clothing that was upscale, culturally-diverse and customized for kids, she decided to create her own designer infant and toddler t-shirt line. She wanted a regional children’s clothing line that would highlight some of the fun aspects about living in a country as diverse as the US. She also wanted multi-cultural designs celebrating the diversity of the children and families all across the country. For more information about this line visit regionzkidz.com

Hello everyone & welcome to the launch of Regionz Kidz!

We hope you enjoy browsing our store and checking out all of the great products we have to offer.

Please check our blog regularly & sign-up for our newsletter to receive helpful information & product reviews. We will update you on cultural events, toys, books, & movies that teach children about different cultures, unity & tolerance.

Celebrate Diversity & Unity!

Sincerely,

Lisa Smith

Owner/CEO, Regionz Kidz