Hello folks, and hopefully, happy early Spring,

Calli and I were out for a very breezy walk yesterday morning when I heard a rather loud ongoing conversation. Usually, my neighborhood is quite quiet in the early morning. I couldn’t make out the words of the conversation, but it seemed to get closer. I suddenly discovered the sounds were coming from overhead and were from a flock of geese, chatting with one another, ostensibly about the weather and the direction in which they were heading. 

The friendly sounds reminded me of an article I shared with readers last year, introducing my book, Do You Know How to Talk with Your Young Child? Learn the 4 Step Connect Approach to Converse and Connect.

If you haven’t read it before, I hope you enjoy this brief article about geese and teamwork, and how to use a teaching tale to connect with your little one.

Gus and the Golden Flyers Teaching Tale (Teamwork)

Gus, a young male goose, was a member of a well-known goose team, the Golden Flyers.

Geese are good team members.  They take care of each other when hurt or sick.  If a goose is a single parent, a close goose friend will often help the parent care for the little geese, ensuring they learn how to fly, swim in a straight line, and mind their manners.

The Golden Flyers were a well-known team because of their safe and speedy flying record when traveling from the warm south to the cooler north in summer and returning to the warm south as the fall chill began in the north.

This particular fall season, Gus, who was a very strong flyer with a good sense of direction, was having some pain in his right wing from playing too roughly with some of his other young goose friends.  He was beginning to worry about the long goose trip coming up as the days were growing shorter and colder.  Would his wing be able to manage the long flight south?

Gus talked with his dad and his friends about his concerns. His flock refused to leave Gus behind. He was a part of them and the Golden Flyers team. 

The geese take turns being leaders as they fly to give the one who flies in the lead a chance to rest from setting the pace and facing the wind first. Gus’s friends agreed they would take Gus’s turns as the leader, sparing him and his sore wing the strain of flying in front. 

Geese talk with one another as they fly, giving directions, pointing out hazards, and suggesting food stops along the way. Gus, with his great sense of direction and very loud voice, suggested that he would be a great goose guide during the trip, especially looking for lunch stops like big cornfields on the long flight. The team thought this was a good use of Gus’s talents while his wing healed completely.

The plan worked well as his team was not willing to leave Gus behind alone and he did not want to hold up his team’s flight to the warm south.

Gus and the Golden Flyers Talking Points: (Choose the points most useful for you and your child. If you read the story again, you might choose different talking points to extend the conversation. Try to practice reflective listening as you and your child discuss the story.)

• What does it mean to be on a team? (Work on something together? Play a sport that needs more than one person? Take turns to get something completed?)
• What are times when being on a team is more useful than doing something alone? (When a job is too big or too hard for one person to do? Times when people have unique skills that are needed to finish a project? When it’s fun to work with other people?)
• Some people enjoy being on a team. What do you think they like about it? (Making new friends? Getting help when you need it? Learning new things?)
• When are times when being on a team might not be so much fun? (When one member isn’t helping? Times when you feel you are doing all the work? When you feel that others aren’t including you?)

Working on a fun project together to bring the story to life can be a bonus for a parent and child, helping them learn and practice teamwork while doing. Think of some ways you and your parent or other family members can work as a team this week. Doing a project around the house such as pulling weeds, helping one another make the bed, or putting away groceries?

I hope you enjoyed your sample format of Do You Know How to Talk with Your Young Child? If you did, please order it on Amazon. It is available in Kindle and paperback formats. As one of my readers told me, "This is a good book for all ages!" If you like the book, I would love to have a positive review so other readers will find it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFJYZWTD

Update on my forthcoming novel, Trouble at OverTrails Farm: A Journey of Challenge, Persistence, and Awareness

I’m in the final stages of editing my book, which overlaps the categories of YA cozy mystery and literary fiction. It contains major characters from my two previous novels, who are back in their hometown of Bellaire. The concept of the book is this: What if a disabled teen became the hero of his story? And what if his devoted friends helped solve a murder that was blamed on him? More to come. 

Here is a copy of my book cover. I love the colors, and, of course, Harry, the English Setter. I hope it interests you.

Thank you again, and be well, my friend.

Suanne