Friday 24 April 2009

The Benefits Of Interactive Workshops For Children With Self Confidence Concerns


As adults we believe every child has the right to aspire to be the very best they can. We like our children to be happy, confident, enthusiastic and highly motivated to strive to their best potential!! We as parents, teachers, role models and councilors can often find it difficult to infuse theses elements into a child. For this reason we have motivational writers offering books to be read by children to implement these views. However some children do not enjoy reading or have the ability to read. In this case, they could benefit from an interactive workshop instead. Having been enthused by the methods that are available to create self confidence in children, I came across Angela Buck and became interested in her ethos, the motive for her books and the benefits that her workshops bring to children everywhere. This article discusses the benefits of interactive workshops as a method used within a child’s development. I will relate this discussion to Angela Buck, her books and her beneficial workshops particularly. This is because my interest is in workshops for children with self-confidence issues. Through which I found Angela Buck, successfully transforms children with a lack in confidence with activities that inspire them to explore their hopes and dreams, to respect others and live in a world where anything is possible.

Angela Buck is the author of “The Magic Sunglasses” and founder of "The Magic Sunglasses Project", she has a keen interest in how the right self development can increase self worth and really improve quality and enjoyment of life, especially in children. With this in mind, she has expanded this ethos through her book and is now developing even more interactive concepts for children worldwide.

The Magic Sunglasses is a fun fantasy book for 7-9 yr olds. It is a touching story about a girl named Samantha, who finds some magic sunglasses which enables her to explore her dreams and her own specialties. These personal treasures she finds, then continues and develops without the use of the magic sunglasses. Making the readers intrigued to discover and cherish their own self worth.

For this message to reach as many children as possible Angela has devised a flexible interactive program to be used in schools and centre’s everywhere. Her aim is to spread her ethos globally. Whether it is a mud hut in Africa, a club in New York, a public school at Eton or a youth club in Hackney, Angela will deliver an inspiring workshop to motivate the new generation. The Workshop allows the ethos of The Magic Sunglasses to effectively bring out the message of positivity and inspirations to more intimate groups. By visiting individual classrooms for 20 to 30 minutes at a time she can tailor each presentation to a specific age level and effectively interact with the children in a more intimate environment.

Before she pioneered her workshops Angela Buck asked herself the question; how can I empower children with my vision of self discovery and appreciating own values, to those who don't enjoy reading? How can I reach children who don’t see reading as a form of entertainment? She was aware that some children are reluctant to read. Maybe because they don’t enjoy it, or maybe they simply cannot read or just haven’t been given the opportunity. To create a solution to her quandary she devised an audio version of the book and broadened her audience with this workshop. She now finds that all children, of all ages, of all walks of life, of those who love reading and those who don’t, can now all enjoy and benefit from her concepts. Angela believes her innovative workshops offer varied attributes that develop the inspirations her book ignites from the first read.

Although the emphasis at the workshop will be on taking the ‘special value’ concept out of the book and into life - looking at values, role models etc. The lively, interactive presentations focus on childhood self-esteem but they also holds other implements that are beneficial for children’s development. Another fundamental aspect to Angela’s objective is to offer communication, interaction and the development of social skills. Through her workshop the children are inspired to interact with other children and through their communicational progression their personal development also evolves. Angela has derived activities that promote not only self exploration but the exploration of others. The fact it is an interactive method means children can participate, thus improving confidence as well as knowledge of others. The children will subconsciously develop social skills, communication skills, body language, manners, etiquettes and the diversity within values, religions and ideals. They will also learn to be respectfully aware of others while the go through the journey of self-discovery and self-esteem. Angela Buck’s book and her activities include insights, exercises and learning experiences that are geared to help children develop and deepen their understanding and appreciation of themselves as well as others. Through conversation with peer group and adults on the workshop, the children will also deeper their understanding about the aspects within the book, more than they may do individually. Collectively analyzing it will offer new insights to the concepts and a consensus in views. This improves motivation and confidence to proceed with the factors discussed, within their own lives. This then implements a positive attitude and a pro-active manner after they leave the workshop.

Another aspect of her workshop is to promote reading within a child’s lifestyle. The workshop encourages and provides interest in reading a book as not only self- exploration but also as an educational tool. Engaging children’s attention to concentrate on the English Language and English Literature is of high importance to Angela Buck. Improving educational literature and intellect within children’s learning is a fundamental aspect of Angela’s ethos. The Magic Sunglasses can be used as an affiliation to the National Curriculum. She wishes to expand children’s educations past the hours of schooling, with her interactive workshops that inspire fun and entertainment within an innovative environment. Their learning being on the forefront of objection, none the less!!

Although the importance is providing inspirational literature as an educational tool, the emphasis will be on having fun. Angela believes creative exploration and the freedom to use their imaginations will encourage aspirations and potentials. Through play and enjoyment a confidence will be built and dreams will be imagined. Think back to when you were a child. We can all remember playing with cardboard boxes and sheets, creating dens, cars, a house, a cave, or a castle. We can all recall having a best friend over and playing prince and princesses, cowboys and Indians. We created magical places, dressed-up as famous people, storybook or movie characters. All of these unstructured, play-filled activities were and still are essential for cultivating imagination. They are remembered and stay with us for our whole lives. Experts reveal that children who engage in imaginative play tend to: have a broader vocabulary, be more content and confident, have an increased ability to show empathy for others and cope better with difficult situations. All of which are aspects of keen interest to Angela, all of which are explored in The Magic Sunglasses. Through the workshop children learn their own self values, act out their own dreams and be infused to aspire their potentials and believe in themselves.

If you yourself have a child, have a school, a community centre, a child care centre, a play school, an after school activities centre, a local gym or anywhere else you believe a child could benefit from learning self worth, learning own special values, improving self esteem, learning to respect others and improve literacy and social skills this workshop is for you!!! Please get in contact via the website: http://www.themagicsunglasses.com/ and mention this article.

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