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The Fall season is a magical time that shows us that new beginnings are here.  From visually seeing the leaves fall, change color, and bring about new life, we gain insight on perspective.  It’s all about how you view things.  With young learners, using their five senses are key to their learning environment.  The environment around us helps to serve as a learning tool.  

Our early elementary days provide memories of learning how to see, touch, taste, smell, and hear as our five senses.  It’s important for us to encourage little learners to fall into their senses.  Creative and nurturing author, Shelana McNeil, is here to allow young learners the opportunity to explore the world using their provided senses.  Affectionately seen as passionate, courageous, nurturing, humorous, and family oriented; Shelana is using her love for reading and motherhood to guide little readers everywhere.

“My preschool book will be used as a tool for learning by supporting learning in specific content areas. My book will help children recognize and identify new objects through illustration and images, develop the child’s imagination and assist with vocabulary building,” states Shelana McNeil of her new book, My Cool Senses. “The children will also learn through the engaging activity pages provided with the book,” she adds.

McNeil not only authored a book to support preschoolers but she went a step further to provide educational activity worksheets to further engage her readers.  “The activities are produced for education and fun. While completing these activities the children are having fun while learning,” she continues. As an author she is also setting out to achieve many goals.  “I wish to have more parents use reading as a bonding method with their children at a young age,” she illustrates.  

As a mother of a young daughter, she recognizes the hurdles that busy parents have to overcome while trying to foster family engagement on a daily basis.  She shares the following advice for busy parents looking to enhance their family engagement this season: “Meaningful connections are about the quality of time, not the quantity of time. Keep it simple and connect with your child in ways that make sense for your lifestyle and relationship. This can be as simple as leaving a note in your child’s lunch bag or writing an encouraging saying on a post it note or leaving it on the bathroom mirror.”

As a lover of reading, Shelana was inspired early on in her life to become an author as well.  “I was inspired by two things. The first was my grandfather! He introduced me to books and reading. He would literally read any and everything, which I followed and it began my love for reading,” the author shares. “Secondly, I wanted to build a mother-daughter legacy. I wanted my daughter to be a reader like her mom and great grandfather. Having her see published books with her as the main character while also being excited that her mom wrote the books for her to share with friends,” she adds.

So as we embrace our new season of Fall, let’s embark on creative ways to utilize our cool senses.  Our senses provide insight for not only young learners but adults as well.  Let’s continue to use our environment as a learning and exploratory tool for all ages.  Connect with children’s book author, Shelana McNeil, on Instagram as @learning_beezllc.  Her new book, “My Cool Senses!”, will be available on Amazon in late October and at bookstores near you. 

 

Writer, C. Scott, is a licensed social worker, freelance writer, and author.  Follow her online as @curls_coils and @thee_wellnesscollective.

 

Headshot Photography and Book Images Courtesy of Shelana McNeil