The year of 2020 will always be remembered as the year where the world changed forever. As the threat of COVID-19 became increasingly dangerous, many schools went fully remote in the spring 2020. Shearin and John’s daughter, Aliyah, was one of many students in the country whose lifestyle changed, overnight, from spending the day in school and running around a schoolyard, to video chats with her class and instant messages with her friends. As parents, the hardest thing was seeing how the uncertainty, big changes, and overwhelming emotions were affecting their daughter. Shearin and John felt helpless at times, wanting to protect Aliyah from the pain and confusion, and have the answers she was looking for. But sadly, that isn't easy during a pandemic.
When Aliyah started getting upset because she didn't know why she was so sad and scared, her parents began to teach her mindfulness techniques they'd gained from their own experience as well as methods they'd collected from other resources. Having already run a website for kids and written a children's book, Shearin and John were well equipped to translate these exercises into something kid-friendly and accessible.
"We are so proud of my daughter for being brave and working through all her overwhelming emotions with us during this challenging time. We are proud that she wanted to help other kids and families so they could feel better as well. We are proud that she took all we have gone through, during such a scary time, and used it to inspire and help her classmates. We are proud of our entire family, for working hard to create something positive to help others during such a dark time in history. We feel very grateful for this opportunity, and hope it can help as many families as possible," -Shearin and John Lee
Big Changes, New Adventures! is designed to give kids, or the kid in all of us, a safe and empathetic place to work on developing a heightened emotional awareness. The workbook guides the reader through five of the universal emotions (scared, sad, mad, disgusted, and happy) and shares techniques to better understand each emotion, as well as a variety of things to do when those feelings become overwhelming. There are pages that refer back to the Covid crisis and encourage the reader to use the tools they’ve developed to help deal with their feelings about the pandemic. Children will engage in several exercises and activities with Joy and his friends to practice self awareness, compassion, mindfulness, breathing and movement techniques, creative writing, drawing, and so much more!
The Lee family felt so blessed when their workbook was featured on Fox 11's Good Day La and CBS 8's San Diego Living. The workbook has also been reviewed and approved by a doctor of psychology to ensure it is helpful and fit for children. Many psychologists have recommended it be shared in schools, especially with all the stress and emotions that will be involved for teachers and students as they return to the classroom and adjust to in person learning. "When we saw how much this project and the exercises were benefitting Aliyah, and our entire family, we wanted to share it with other families. Because we knew we weren't alone in needing help and mental health resources during the pandemic. While 2020 has been an overwhelming year for everyone, our family hopes that Big Changes, New Adventures! will be a source of comfort and inspiration for families everywhere." If you are a school or organization that would like to work with us, please contact us at info@joysunbear.com. Links Fox 11's Good Day LA Interview: https://www.foxla.com/news/family-publishes-workbook-to-highlight-emotional-challenges-of-pandemic CBS 8's San Diego Living's Empowered Reads for Kids: https://www.cbs8.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/san-diego-living/empowering-reads-for-kids/509-4ff559eb-47e7-499b-8a99-ac1fbf099544 Big Changes, New Adventures! Sneak Peek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_AM1UTAWUw&t=6s Kid's Perspective on Pandemic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R04meKp5NAk&t=17s Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Changes-New-Adventures-Feelings/dp/1732595119/ Website: https://www.joysunbear.com
To find this book and other great self published children's books, visit our website at www.magicbeansbookstore.com When you buy a book through MagicBeans we are able to donate new books to under served children, for some these are the very first books they have ever owned.
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