Member Article

Children’s Author Barks Up the Right Tree for Stay at Home Kids

A former inspector of early years education has created a unique series of children’s books and learning activities that harness her professional skills and her love of dogs, a combination that is helping stay at home kids learn by having fun.

Dr. Lesley Hunter from Washington has worked all over the UK, Middle East and Europe and has coupled her experience in education with her pedigree as an accomplished author to produce a series of books and learning materials for young children.

Each book features Lesley’s German Shepherd dog, Keeno, as the central character and is designed to help with basic numeracy and literacy as well as linking seamlessly with the curriculum topics for early years.

“Keeno is a fabulous dog and he loves to explore so I’ve used him as my inspiration to help teach young children about the world around us. When Keeno learns something new he signals this by wagging his tail and saying woof.” said Lesley.

Lesley’s dual passion for education and dogs shines through this initiative. “My aim is to have children wagging and woofing in homes around the country; to have children actively learning about the world around them, while developing their literacy and numeracy skills, through engagement with Keeno and his adventures.”

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Lesley has decided to do what she can to help parents educate and engage their young children at home in these testing times. She has made read-along animated versions of Keeno’s first three books freely available on the website www.keenoexplores.com and on her YouTube channel. To further encourage learning she has created a 10-day challenge for each book, including activities such as word searches, spot the difference, counting, drawing, writing and practical craft activities, where parents can download free resources then children showcase their work on Keeno’s Facebook page and gain award stickers.

“This is my way of giving back … of saying thank you and supporting the #stayathome movement during this difficult period when schools remain closed. Reading and storytelling are vital parts of children’s learning that need to be nurtured and developed. I know after getting feedback from parents that the books really do engage their children and that they love being part of Keeno’s adventures, so by making everything freely available to download and watch online I hope that it will help parents plan their days and give the children meaningful activities to enjoy. By encouraging children to wag and woof with Keeno we can be sure that they are not simply being kept amused but are genuinely learning and having fun at the same time.”

The resources can be downloaded free of charge from www.keenoexplores.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .