Introducing Ellie - Self Portrait.

Ellie, Loves to draw pictures of herself on the sidewalk. A self portrait helps a child to see themselves. When you allow your child to draw themselves they can begin to create the picture of themselves that they will hold in their mind. As they grow and change,
the picture changes. It is important to know how to draw your own picture quickly and hold it out there to be seen by others. In the future you will notice that everyone creates a mental picture of you, usually based on a quick assessment, but the picture that you hold of yourself is the most important picture you will ever have.

A farm girls story

 Introducing Ellie's inspiration came from my life on a small dairy farm in Groveland, New York. We didn't own the farm but we lived in the farmhouse and I played with the farm girls that were the daughters of the farmer. We ran around inside the combine and walked over the cow pit on a thin plank to act out plays in the hay loft. We caught pollywogs in the pond keeping them in a giant jar and they soon grew into frogs that we released back into the wild. My mother practiced her oil painting and gave me small bowls of paint, allowing me to paint on the wall while she painted on canvas. I remember well the year my older sister went to school and for an entire year I had my mother to myself. She let me dress up as I dream of Jeannie and Cher and Shirley Temple. That first day of kindergarten is always the most exciting day of a child's life. The first steps away from your parents and into independently relying on your own abilities in the world. What will you do to ensure your children's ability to create independently and become strong little people that grow into expressive big people? How can you insure you never loose your kinder garden spirit. Art ! Art is a great place to explore and have adventures with your children. Let your imagination run free and spend time with your children building their creative imagining. This time will be the best moments of your life when you reflect back on your journey through time and how you helped the little one's in your Kinder Garden, grow....

Read Introducing Ellie to your Child. Now on Amazon for down load to your Kindle, Ipad, Phone or Computer.

My husband George Thomas Apfel grew up in Buffalo, New York, until the age of 10 when he moved to Las Vegas, there he grew into a Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee in 2003 for his 33 years of work in Broadcasting. You can hear George on the Kindle Kids version of Introducing Ellie, Reading the Story to you.

Anne and George are available for readings, workshops and lectures. Ganne.apfel@gmail.com

Mistakes..

Introducing Ellie, New on Amazon Kindle....

Mistakes

    Sometimes Ellie makes mistakes. Ellie is allowed to make mistakes in her work. When you allow a mistake without being critical you learn a new way of seeing art. There are no Mistakes in ART...! When encouraging a young artist we do not want to point out their mistakes. How can you turn a mistake into something else? When we learn to bite our tongue and not criticize, we allow children to problem solve on their own. This is critical for development of problem solving skills.

Never punish a child for making a mistake. Always help them problem solve so they learn to turn what seems to be wrong into something right. There are no mistakes! Pick a time to create with your child when you have time. Clear your schedule so that there are no distractions. In this way you allow a creative flow to happen.

Ellie's thought  of the day - When you see beauty in art you are ready to have fun

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Encouraging Creativity

  Introducing Ellie, New Kinder Garden Kids Book on Amazon Kindle..... By Anne Apfel.

Ellie encourages young artists and authors to publish their work. As Ellie paints with her mother she develops artistically and gains confidence. Confidence is key to creativity. As children are growing in skill and developing their art skills it is good to offer validation to them. Sidewalk chalk drawing is a fun way to develop creative expression in your child.  Art is a reflection of the self and the world you live in and as such should never be criticized. In the winter Ellie works with chalk and construction paper allowing her work to reflect her inner child. When you validate your child's creative nature you help them develop confidence to create further.

Ellie's message of the day - never criticize art and allow your inner child to be free to create.

Introducing Ellie !

Introducing Ellie !                                                               Introducing Ellie! on Amazon Kindle



   Is about taking the reader back into the creative space of a kinder gardener. Garden the child in yourself. Remember when you were 4 or 5 years old and you had all the time in the world to do and be what you wanted; with not too much responsibility? Introducing Ellie takes us back into that time and we can take our children back with us as we read the story to them.

What happened to all the creativity we had as a child? Too many adults have had their creativity shut down by growing up. The creative world of Introducing Ellie, allows us to reconsider opening that creative door. Pick up some sidewalk chalk and go outside with your children and grandchildren.
Create a self portrait of yourself while being in the shoes of a kinder gardener. Allow your creative energy to flow as you have fun. Ellie is all about having fun and embracing your inner child. Treat your child as you would anything you are trying to grow into a beautiful adult.

Ellie's message of the day -

Create and enjoy your creation...It's okay to have fun and be in the space of a kinder gardener for the day. You can close the book and pick up your responsibilities on the way out.