At Aulexic, we love books. We love reading. And we love sharing stories with others. We are strong advocates for providing emergent readers with a solid foundation in the love of story, because we feel from that comes the ability for anyone to learn to read for themselves. Children are born with innate curiosity and […]
My brother was one in a million. Literally. Many of those who watched my TEDx Talk wanted to know more about my brother so I thought I’d write a little more about him here. My brother, Gaelon, was born with Xeroderma pigmentosum (or XP for short). It’s a very rare skin condition that basically means […]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJURVAnYsk&w=560&h=315] I had a wonderful time talking to Imani about Diversity in Fiction and being an author with chronic health conditions, both mental and physical. I’ve found I naturally gravitate toward including characters with mental health or physical disabilities because it’s natural to share my lived experiences through my characters. I’m particularly excited (and […]
I’m going to say something kind of controversial in the dyslexia support industry. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not a fan of phonics. This funny (not suitable for kids), two minute video from teacher-turned-comedian, Ben Knight, gives a great example of why phonics really is difficult. It’s not just hard […]
Forever Loved: Of An Autistic Child by Rebecca Laffar-Smith Three words, unsaid yet heard, while left unspoken, tell more stories than a thousand voices aloft in garbled, off-key song that warble in a group, but one is silent. He does not smile along with all his peers. His head bobs in time to a tune […]
With summer vacation well underway in many parts of the world, parents — especially those with limited means to send their children to camps or other summer programs — may be anxious about how to make sure boredom doesn’t inspire the kids to come up with less than ideal forms of entertainment. These may include […]
Last Thursday, the Bec J. Smith team (Rebecca, Kaylie, and Joshua) set about planning their P.I. Penguin Christmas Special. I’ll tell you a secret, we actually had the first ideas for this in December last year but it was too late to write, get illustrated, and publish a book in time to enjoy that holiday […]
This month Bec J. Smith had some wonderful adventures with P.I. Penguin. Check out what we’ve been up to, where we’ve been hanging out, what we’ve been doing, and see if you can spot a penguin or too! Children’s Book Week This week, I had the joy of visiting some schools in the City of […]
On this episode of The Literate Child, our guest is the lovely Dayna Martin. Dayna is an advocate in the radical unschooling movement, and is an inspiring human being. She has written two books – ‘Radical Unschooling – A Revolution has Begun’, and ‘Sexy Birth’. She is a speaker, thought-provoker, and change maker. In this episode, […]
In this episode, Rebecca and Nanci talk about sensory, environmental, and emotional triggers, and how we can meet our children’s specific needs without limiting their experiences in the wider world. As well as playing an impromptu Trigger Game, Nanci and Rebecca explore the following concepts: Safeguarding against meltdowns before they occur. Identifying the triggers behind […]
