Title: Elements for Girls: A Fun & Engaging Self-Discovery Project
Authors: Mary Ellent Young & Sandra McDonnell
ISBN: 978-0-9912279-2-1
Suggested Retail: $24.99
Spiral bound book, 124 pages.
My oldest daughter still has a few years until hitting her pre-teen years, but I wanted to take advantage of ways she could express and develop her authentic self. AuthenticME is a company created by two gals who have dedicated their careers to helping adolescent girls. I was sent the company’s newest book, ELEMENTS for Girls A Fun & Engaging Self Discovery Project to try out with my daughter. This title is recommended for pre-adolescent and adolescent girls.
ELEMENTS for Girls has 10 elements of self-discovery and growth. There is also a cool bag of hemp string and beads for girls to create their own bracelet as they go through this book. The bracelet also serves as a reminder for each of the skills they have learned and their own strengths they have discovered while working on ELEMENTS for Girls.
Each chapter or element promotes reading, reflection, creativity, and also provides activities that focus on feelings, self-acceptance, empathy, decision-making, and communications. This book also has sections on self-care, like the importance of sleep, healthy eating, and stress management woven into the pages.
ELEMENTS is designed in black and white so that your daughter can decorate and color it to showcase her own unique personality. It says their are no rules – make your own.
Each element provides lots of opportunity to journal and write on self reflection. Affirmations are included with each element also.
The authors, Mary Ellen and Sandra, have been working with adolescent girls over the last several years and have daughters of their own who helped create this book. Mary Ellen speaks to groups of girls and parents about bullying and about being strong. Element 7 has a flip flop to represent putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and the importance of building empathy.
“It is our goal to create a reminder for our girls so that when the temptation is there to throw out their arm and save a seat, instead they will look at their wrist, think about what it feels like to be that girl standing there, and make room.”
“Girls benefit greatly from opportunities for personal reflection and self-awareness,” says McDonnell who is also the current HGNA president. The project was a creative family affair with Young and McDonnell’s three high school- and college-aged daughters playing key roles. Sierra Young, a talented artist, created all the original doodle art, Nora Young inserted her keen sense of style into the book and bracelet designs, and Emma McDonnell researched and selected “the coolest beads” she could find.
So far my daughter is just through chapter/element 3 now. Thankfully she hasn’t been hit too much by peer pressure or pressure from the media yet to question her own self worth and make her think that she needs to look and act differently.
With the first element focusing on authenticity, it prompted my daughter to talk with me about how she may see ads on television or hear things said that may make her question her own self. We talked about how she will need to try embrace her differences and how boring it would be if everyone looked and acted the same. I know that this topic will certainly take on some future discussion.
My daughter must have been skimming ahead because she came to the story of Lizzie Velasquez, which is in element 5. She asked to look her up online with the web address that was provided. Then my daughter mentioned that Lizzie was blind in one eye and weight less than her, which she read about. Then my daughter got to learn how Lizzie teaches kids and adults about tolerance and how appearance is only skin deep so that was neat.
ELEMENTS for Girls comes with a kit to make the bracelet with beads that represent the theme of each chapter. The book and bracelet, priced at $24.99, are available at online at www.authenticme.biz. I hope someday the authors may collaborate again and publish other ELEMENTS books for girls.
Disclosure: I received this book to review. No other compensation was received.
