Small Things Book Club
Us Small Thingsters love our books! We love the way they feel in our hands, their smell, that quiet uninterrupted moment they bring. We’re always passing books along to each other and everyone else we know and we love the conversations they start.
Here’s what we are reading right now to challenge the way we think, illuminate new perspectives and ground us as we search for guidance in our quest for digital health.
Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids
by Kristen A. Jenson (Author), Debbie Fox (Illustrator)
We all know how easy a ‘google oops’ can happen and it only takes a few taps on smart phone for a curious child to find an endless supply of hard-core, violent and addicting porn. This book is a great resource to help porn-proof our kids, it makes a difficult discussion easy and empowering.
Grandparenting Screen Kids How to Help, What to Say, and Where to Begin
by Gary Chapman, Arlene Pellicane
The gap between grandparent and grandchild may feel wider than ever as young people become increasingly immersed in a world of digital technologies. This book is a great step towards bridging the gap, helping grandparents understand the world of iPads, YouTube and video games. We love the suggestions to keep grandkids occupied without screens and tips to navigating differences with adult children. Digital technologies are here to stay and grandkids need grandparents more than ever to teach them what computers can't!
Raising Humans in a Digital World Helping Kids Build A Healthy Relationship With Technology
by Diana Graber
Sexting, cyberbullying, revenge porn, online predators… all of these potential threats can tempt parents to snatch the smartphone or tablet right out of their children’s hands. While avoidance might eliminate the dangers, that approach also means your child misses out on technology’s many benefits and opportunities. We love how this book empowers kids to navigate the digital realm and gives useful tips for busy families to slip into daily routines.
Digital Minimalism
by Cal Newport
We love this book because it is written by Cal Newport who is around our age and he illustrates how it is not that difficult to have a digitally minimalistic family life. In fact, it can make life much easier! Loaded with tidbits to get you thinking, for instance, the value of solitude and high-quality leisure activities, along with practical tips to help you embrace digital minimalism if you choose. It is inspiring and we are encouraged that this movement is starting to happen!
Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8 - 12: Your real guide to the pre-teen years
by Kaz Cooke
We really value Kaz Cooke’s Australian voice on the topic of puberty and the pre-teen years. This book fits under pillows and was written with the help of medical and other experts. It is jam packed with fun tips, lists and ideas on everythings from ways to get strong, how to feel more confident, great book series to read, snappy comebacks to use on bullies and things parents need to know about digital technologies as well as guides to Australian helplines, websites and tools.
Sand Talk: How Indiginous thinking can save the world
by Tyson Yunkaporta
This book looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. Tyson Yunkaporta asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation? How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? Sand Talk provides a template for living. It's about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It's about how we learn and how we remember. It's about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It's about finding different ways to look at things. Most of all it's about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world.
The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness
by Hugh van Cuylenburg
While volunteering in India, Australian school teacher Hugh van Cuylenburg consistently observed that the underprivileged children he worked with seemed so content and resilient compared to children back home in Australia who struggled with mental health despite having food, shelter, friends and loving families. Hugh set about exploring the reasons for this and in time came to recognise that the key traits and behaviours these children possessed were gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. The Resilience Project explains how we can all get the tools we need to live a happier and more fulfilling life.
Brain Wash; Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships and Lasting Happiness
by David Perlmutter
Brain Wash builds from a simple premise: Our brains are being gravely manipulated, resulting in behaviours that leave us more lonely, anxious, depressed, distrustful, illness-prone and overweight than ever before. Based on the latest science, the book identifies the mental hijacking that undermines each and every one of us and presents the tools necessary to think more clearly, make better decisions, strengthen bonds with others and develop healthier habits. Featuring a 10-day boot camp program, including a meal plan and 40 delicious recipes, Brain Wash is the key to cultivating a more purposeful and fulfilling life.
Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder
by Richard Louv
This is a book to change minds and lives by highlighting the staggering divide between children and the outdoors. Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s digital natives to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. This updated edition offers practical advice on how to help children to enjoy the natural world, starting in our parks and gardens, homes and schools.
Fully Human: A new way of using your mind
by Steve Biddulph
Steve Biddulph, an Australian author, activist and psychotherapist wants us to feel more alive, more connected, more fully human. This book explores the new concept of 'supersense' the feelings beneath our feelings which can guide us to a more awake and free way of living every minute of our lives.
Ten-ager: What your daughter needs you to know about the transition from child to teen
by Madonna King
At ten, we know how girls are pigeonholing themselves into what they think they should be. Whether they see themselves as academic or not, whether they are interested in boys, puberty is a reality, friendship fights are underway, and the influence of social media is impacting. So many parents struggle to understand the pressures our girls are under and how to deal with their emotional volatility. Brisbane based Journalist and social commentator Madonna King has an extraordinary ability to connect with experts, schools and the girls themselves to deliver the answers parents need and the communication our girls want.
50 Risks to Take with Your Kids
by Daisy Turnbull
Australian primary school teacher Daisy Turnbull presents 50 risks that build physical skills, social confidence and character development before kids enter those 'risky' teenage years. In this book you will find some all important parenting risks that will encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and think a little differently about raising children. It may sound counterintuitive to say that the more opportunities you give children to test boundaries, the better they will ‘adult’, but it is true. The more children are allowed to play in the mud, create games and find their own solutions to problems, the more they will thrive later in life.
Raising girls Who Like Themselves
by Kasey Edwards & Christopher Scanlon
Free of parental guilt and grounded in research, Raising Girls Who Like Themselves is imbued with the warmth and wit of a mum and dad who are in the same parenting trenches as you, fighting for their daughters’ futures. This book details the seven qualities that enable girls to thrive and arm themselves against a world that tells them they are flawed. Packed with practical, evidence-based advice, it is the indispensable guide to raising a girl who is happy and confident in herself.
Vitamin N
by Richard Louv
A great book full of practical ideas on how to bring nature into your daily life. Focusing on everyone; communities as a whole, adults, and children, this book is a must-read for anyone inspired to reignite their love for the natural world… or for those who are ready to embrace it for the first time. If you like Last Child in the Woods, read this next!