Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D., Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard

The Blurb:
A compendium of straightforward techniques on how to accentuate the positive and redirect the negative, increasing productivity at work and at home.

What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale?

Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.

When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).

In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives.

What I Felt About The Book

I saw this book on my manager's desk and as usual was curious to know what he was reading. Honestly, when I first had a look on the cover, title and back page; I had the impression of another blabbering self help book. But still, I read the first few pages and was glad to find that the author(s) have chosen to teach the lessons through story telling.

ABC Of Performance

What I Liked About The Book:
1. Short Book and thus short chapters having big font: Yes, the really like the books with font big enough to be read with naked eyes without much concentration. Full marks to the publishers for it.
2. Failure Scenarios: Generally, book like this skip the hardships people face while applying the underlying strategies or techniques. I really liked the part where Wes had trouble applying Whale Done Principles in his office. The detailing could have been better though.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
Though it is a very very short book, I got the jest of all in less than half of pages. After that, everything was just the repetition of all excellent principles and it did get a bit boring.

In a very short book too, there were instances when I found myself nodding sharply and smiling at others. Picture below lines from the book:

Catching people doing things wrong is easy.

The very basic example is how we help and groom our kids with basic activities like walking. They never ever succeed in first attempt.

Good thing I didn't spank the kids when they didn't stand and walk perfectly the first time. We'd have had teenagers crawling around the house.

Another set of lines were around common gossip we all do when we see a person yelling for no reason - "must have got into a fight with the spouse", "must have got a good hearing from the manager"and many more.

Ripple effect of GOTcha. The boss yells at one of his managers, that manager yells at one of his associates, who goes home and yells at his spouse, who yells at the kid, who kicks the cat.

And there were more:

When you're dealing with an eleven-thousand-pound animal who doesn't speak English, you do a lot of learning.

The more attention you pay to a behavior, the more it will be repeated.

You got to ac-cen-tuate the positive, e-lim-inate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative...

The one thing your competition can never steal from you is the relationship you have with your people, and the relationship they have with your customers.

And the final and most liked ones - i think;

Book Review - The Killing of Aarushi and The Murder of Justice by Rajesh Talwar

The very gruesome and mysterious murder of teenager Aarushi Talwar and her house help Hemraj is not new to the whole India and is even widely known all over the world because of vast media coverage. After a number of courtroom sessions, various hypothetical stories, long debates, candle marches, media highlights of all forms, the judiciary system held parents of the teenage victim responsible of her murder and sentenced them to life time imprisonment.

I must mention that I have zero knowledge on the procedures of any legal charges, but still, the fact that two people are a sentenced to 'rigours imprisonment for life' just on the basis of fictitious facts derived on the basis of different theories is still indigestible to me. Of course there are reasons and some conclusion drawn on the basis of various evidences (many of which were not even collected from the crime scene or were lost due to delay in collection), medical reports (which were again questionable and the judge himself agrees that they cannot be relied upon as the doctor 'lacks expertise and his evidence cannot be accepted'), statements recorded by various witnesses etc. .


The clear picture is yet to surface and I doubt it would ever float over.

The book gives a very minute and interesting examination on the verdict given by "the Court of Additional Sessions Judge/Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, C.B.I., Ghaziabad" led by CBI judge Shyam Lal. Divided in four parts, the author has tried his very best to probe all possible sides of the case.

There are 4 parts in the book:
Part one - Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar murdered Aarushi and Hemraj
Part two - The servant's associated committed the two murders
Part three - Someone else killed Aarushi and Hemraj
Part four - The murder of Justice

The imaginary sarcastic conversation with regard to lawyers statement derived from his own marriage when he tries to prove that the old servant had physical relations with the teenage girl was hilarious. I cannot stop smiling with surprise every-time the concept comes to my mind...

Even when as a reader, I knew all details and findings, specially after the movie, it was interesting to get a through peek at all plausible angles. I even had a look at the 210 page verdict out of curiosity. Almost all of it except the details of evidence, witnesses etc is discussed in the book.

Book Review: Thicker than Water by Lexie Conyngham

About The Author:
Lexie Conyngham has written multiple series in historical crime.  Murray of Letho and Hippolyta Napier aare two of her series. Thicker than Water is tenth in the series 'Murray of Letho' series. Author can be found on her personal website ~ Lexie Conyngham and on good reads profile.

The Blurb:
When young Walter finds a dead body along with the dead fish in his tutor’s fishpond, he knows he should tell his old master, Charles Murray of Letho. The dead man leaves a pretty wife and child and a broken string quartet, but someone must have profited by his death – could it be the avenger from his past as his widow fears, or is it someone from closer at hand? St. Andrews is once again the setting for a murder mystery, and a puzzle that Murray must solve before the murderer strikes again.

About The Book:
I generally do not read Crime Thriller but whenever I read them, I am always surprised by the imagination of authors. I personally find it extremely hard to pen down a crime fiction and that too in a thriller genre.

Honestly, I had some problem initially with the tone of writing, but as I held my patience, I got the heck of at and was more and more comfortable. I would not say that it's an easy read but then it's not difficult as-well. The story starts with artist, leading to a pleasant journey. There were curiosity, mystery, accidents, murder, blood, shock and almost all elements of a thriller. The way each chapter ended with a surprise or a question or a shock made the reader jump on to next one without stopping or taking a break.  The transition from one revelation to another felt surprisingly smooth and as a reader I found myself connecting various clues and trying to solve the mystery.

I must mention that there is something about horses that almost all writer capture very easily. I could not help but imagine the "beautiful black stallion" at every mention.

I found the plot very crisp and the author did not took much pages to get to main scene. I could not stop reading ahead after that. The story has background of long long time back and thus I could very easily identify the generation gap in all areas - society, dressing up, studies, occupation and many other things.

Many might not relate it, but I found below lines too inclined or inspired by old Bollywood movies.
"There were two signs of hope, as far as Murray was concerned: the thrawn old man had managed not to die straightaway, hanging on till he was found, and while he was being tended to he did, just once, squirm under the doctor’s hands and mutter something entirely incomprehensible."

Well, generally, some lines equivalent to quotes make a way to my diary, I am actually guilty rather being sad or disappointed that none did this time. Thanks to my bad vocabulary and difficulty in reading the style of writing. But here is one I typed:

"He was growing impatient to return to St. Andrews and see what progress had been made."
and so was I... I know its not funny. - wink wink.

It was a good and pleasant read which gave me a short break from the type of books I generally pick myself.

In case you wish to buy the book, here is the link to kindle edition:


Note: I received a kindle version of the book in exchange of honest review from  b00k r3vi3ws.

The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma

I picked up this book from the pack of ten books by Robin Sharma gifted to the team from one of my colleague on his last day in the

current office. The reason I held my hand on this one from ten is, first the title - of course I can not miss this one. The second reason is the blurb:

Jonathan Landry is a man in trouble. After a bizarre encounter with his lost relative Julian Mantle-a former high-powered courtroom lawyer who suddenly vanished into the Himalayas-Jonathan is compelled to travel across the planet to collect the life-saving letters that carry the extraordinary secrets that Julian discovered. 

On a remarkable journey that includes visits to the sensual tango halls of Buenos Aires, the haunting catacombs of Paris, the gleaming towers of Shanghai and the mystical deserts of Sedona, The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari reveals astounding insights on reclaiming your personal power, being true to yourself and fearlessly living your dreams.

About The Book:
The book comprises of valuable life learning in the form of nine talismans. In the words of Robin Sharma,
Talismans behold much deeper meaning than life lessons. Talismans are -
"Small statues or amulets. There are nine of them. Each holds a piece of essential wisdom for happiness and a life beautifully lived. Individually, they are just symbolic tokens, but together they hold extraordinary trans formative powers. They can, in effect, be lifesaving."

There were one or two instances, I could relate to myself. Like, the way Chava recited his Son's success story, I could totally relate to it. Even my son Ricky had many times expressed his desire to become a doctor, a player and recently to travel to moon. The only way I currently show him is study well and be a good boy. I am sure we too would find our way to his dream one day.

What I Liked About The Book:
1. Letters: The title made it impossible for me to pick it up.
2. Travel Story: The author has very easily managed to present life learning in form of a journey. All teachings were beautifully blended in the locations and their bearers.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
1. Journal: I so wish Jonathan had written more in the journal he kept on his journey. Some deep handwritten confessions would have added to the beauty of whole book. The push-ups made me smile.

Even though there was nothing new in the book, I actually enjoyed reading it. I loved the way Robin Sharma created characters to be the safe keepers of each letter. They could not have been any better. All in all, it was a good one time read.

Before you hop on to next page, here are a few lines from the book that made way in my notepad:

Every big dream starts small.

The tiniest of actions is always better than the boldest of intentions.

I was more than my limitations; I was learning

Life itself is a journey after all, and what matters most is not what you are getting, but who you are becoming.

PS: Next read from Robin Sharma would be "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" and "Who Will Cry When You Die". I am waiting for my colleagues to return both of them... I am sure none of them are reading them, but still, being a courteous co-worker, I am patiently waiting... wink wink


Buy from Amazon-

Paperback edition                      Kindle  Edition
                   

Or,

Story Telling - The Cavity Hunter

I received the pack of Colgate - Magical Space Adventure pack few days back.

The moment I told my son Ricky about the activity, he was super excited. Poor kid, he had to wait for two days so that we can skip the naughtiness of his younger brother and weave a story in peace. He is a little monster we all love.

Ricky and mumma worked together to weave a small moral story encouraging kids to brush their teeth daily - two... no three times a day. Yes, Ricky said three times - morning, afternoon and bed-time.

Watch the video for our story or scroll down to read the story.

Once upon a time, there were three astronauts - Sahaj, Frozen and Ricky. One day, Sahaj and Frozen were having a ball while working on some minor faults in the space station. 

When they returned to the space station, they noticed that there were some warning signs from one of the rovers.
They immediately checked what it was. It was a signal of danger.
"A danger!", Frozen said.
"It's from the planet Mars.", added Ricky as he entered in the lab.
"It's a UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object has been noticed orbiting around the earth.", said Sahaj.

Ricky was an expert in wars and weapons. He got his rocket ready and launched for the adventurous mission. Sahaj too went in another smaller spaceship and took his position on planet Venus to help Ricky. Frozen was in the space station to guide and help her both friends.

While Ricky's rocket was following the UFO, Frozen warned him about a comet which was right after him. 
She warned,"It has really long tail. Stay alert.".
Ricky turned the rocket just in time to escape from being hit. They got another signal from the Rover on planet with a ring - Saturn, "A UFO was orbiting along and gathered some information from earth. Not sure what is was all a about.".

Sahaj immediately left from Venus and headed towards Mars to help his friend Ricky. As soon as Ricky's rocket landed there, he was surprised by what he saw.

An alien had cornered Sahaj and was trying to dig holes in his teeth. He stopped when Ricky asked him to put his hands up.

"There are some naughty kids on planet earth who do not brush their teeth everyday. We would collect all cavities from their teeth and make an enormous cavity army. No one would be able to stop us then."

"But where did you come from?", Ricky asked.

"Ha ha ha.", the alien laughed aloud. "We are from the planet that revolves in the opposite direction than yours.", he said grumpily.

"Venus! I just came from there.", Sahaj added.

While Alien turned to Sahaj with his witty tools, Ricky shot him with his laser gun. The alien fell on his knees and pleaded for mercy. Sahaj, Ricky and Frozen, all three of them warned him from their headphones, "Never ever mess with children from next time. And for the kids you were talking about, they have already promised their parents to brush their teeth two times a day. Now go back to your planet before we kill you."

The alien ran towards his space ship and the UFO disappeared in the sky in seconds, never to be seen again,

Back on earth, everyone was overjoyed and celebrated the victory of brave Astronauts. From that day, all the children never broke their promise to brush their teeth and taught their younger siblings to do the same as well.

As they say, learn while you play, the kiddo has grasped most of things from the pack. Here they go.

Ricky introducing the characters:

Below are the pictures of cut-outs:

I’m blogging my #ColgateMagicalstories at BlogAdda in association with Colgate

Special thanks to my all time saviour Mukesh Gulia - my brother for the narrations :D...

Story Telling - Bubbles Owns Up

I have been sceptical about starting the YouTube channel for my son for a while. Finally, after much thought, here is his first video. The videos would be very basic but I would try to improve the sound quality from next time.



Ricky has the series of Bubbles story books. Each book has a short story teaching good habits to the child. The book also has a set of questions in the end. Ricky loves those questions and makes it a point that I never skip them.

The book can be brought from below links.

                                           Flipkart

Law Of Nature - Sushmita Sen speaks up about Female Foeticide

I shared my views on one of the most heart-wrenching issue around women - Female Foeticide in my earlier post.

I came across this beautiful message from none other than Miss Universe 1994, Sushmita Sen.
(For the readers who do not want to or can not view the video, read the transcript below)


English Transcript:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It's been a strong and beautiful night and you all have been very very patient. My name is Sushmita Sen and I am a proud mother of two very beautiful, young ladies. One of who is already, ready to be model. May I please... I am a little scared with her on stage. Maa! Where is my maa? Every one, Ladies and gentlemen, please my mother.

I need to come back to a point where I can see you all. I believe ** ladies and gentlemen. I believe 'k duniya mein jo bhi hota hai kisi wajeh se hota hai". It's not an accident. Every single human being in this room tonight is here for a reason. And that reason is - that the age of the Aquarius is on its way by December 2012. Have you heard of it? Oh no! You have'nt Haan! Age of the Aquarius is when women will rise. It is the time when we will come to the awareness of the female strength. It is not a coincidence then, that tonight we have this wonderful platform.

God bless you Lilavati hospital, God bless you Manish Malhotra, God bless you Lubna adams, Vipul Bhagat, Sangeeta, all beautiful ladies that participated tonight who are also mums. Because when we do this, we create the single most important awareness.

I have been blessed, to be born in a family. To a mum and a dad who raised me just as a human being. They didn't differentiate between a girl and a boy. So, I never grew up, like many of us blessed people realising that this is what happens to the girl child in the smallest of districts of our country.

We will no get into statistics. You know why? Because it is depressing. We are not going to talk about the cruel things that happen to them. Because we have to focus on stopping it. We have heard about the problem, we know the problem.

But as Mother Teresa once told me, just a year before she passed away. She changed my life I tell you that. I was 18 years old and I went and met her in Kolkata. And, I told maa, that maa you know, I see so many babies. There must have been 55 cribs in there. And they are all girls! They don't have boys or do you have a separate room for boys. So she says no, we had only 4 boys and all have been adopted. These are only the girls.

And the reason she smiled about it. She said these are the lucky ones. They didn't end up in dustbins. They ended up with a future. Where some body, a loving home is going to recognise the fact that there is a reason why the law of the nature says to you - I will not let you choose. When you become pregnant, you will not know- you shouldn't. If it's a girl or a boy. That is laws nature of keeping the balance between the nurturer and the provider. When we kill the nurturer ladies and gentlemen, we create an imbalance. An imbalance that we will be so sorry in generations to have done. Because life will stop to exist the way we see it.

I made a promise that day that I am going to, Ok - let's clap.

I know, I just really, this is something very very close to my heart. And I can't stop talking about it. Because I keep. Feeling, k 'Agar aap, itni choti si baat agar aap samajh lete hain. K jab log duniya badalne chalte hain...'

You can't change the world. Are you crazy? There are number of people doing all numbers of things. How do you change the world?

Don't worry about it. The world will change on its own.

You change one life. You change one thought. You tell one father. Today, truly you are a blessed man. Because not only do you have a girl, you have the womb of the universe. She will then nurture life beyond. Right?

And so, with all of your blessings and all of my country that despite being an Indian woman, You gave me the courage to be a single mother. Everyday being asked about my Renne and Alisha.

You have given me as you should every girl child this opportunity. Because god as my greatest truth I tell you, all of us here. Stood on our own two feet, because we are capable and that no body can take away from us.

Ladies and gentlemen, you are beautiful people and you have been tremendous source of strength    For me my entire life. Tonight, take that strength home, change one opinion, one life. I will do that with Renne and Alisha. You that with whoever you want.

I love you people. Thank

We should all look forward to doing more of this. Salam shukriya

I absolutely loved the part when she quoted Mother Teresa  saying that these are the lucky ones with a smile. This is one of the biggest example of creating positive feelings from difficult situations. I am sure everyone would have had a sad feeling when they heard that all boys were adopted and only few girls got parents. But the simplicity with which the message was passed on is truly amazing.

I have already been a fan of this lady. The more I see and hear her, more I fall in love with her.

This post was to be written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year was 'WOMEN and ISSUES AROUND THEME'. Click at the link to check other common issues women face in and their respective links.

Blood in the Paradise -A tale of an impossible murder by Madhav Mahidhar

Source

About the Author: Madhav Mahidhar launches his first book in English with this suspense thriller. He is is a passionate thinker and a technology enthusiast as he describes himself through his Goodreads introduction video.

The Blurb

This is a tale of Madhumitha Nandan. Her courage, her determination, her mission and her pursuit.

This is a tale of DCP Vishwaroop. His honesty, his intelligence, his shrewdness and his focus.

This is a tale of Anupriya Gautam. Her theories, her influence, her credibility and her dependability.

This is a tale of an impossible murder. The puzzle begins.

Goal – Freedom from the fear of death

Weapon – Deceiving the minds

The Bait – Law—breakers

Evidence – Nullified because of the weapon

Crime designers – Unknown to the executor

The Cover

The title and then the subtitle very clearly states the contents of the book. Blood dripping from the corner of an eye is very obvious image for the title plot. For thriller lovers, despite all revealing details, I still found it good one to be picked up from the shelves.

What I Felt About the Book

The opening line itself does not disappoint its readers and the first and most important chapter makes sure readers is glued to the pages. The book has all elements of a crime, suspense and a thriller. The news debate, court room trials, police interrogations etc. made it look all real and attractive.

What I Liked About the Book

1. Last Chapter - I absolutely loved this one. Actually, the plot was very obvious and predictable. So, the last chapter makes it all worth reading the whole book.

2. It’s a Woman’s Story – I love any and all stories related to women and this one did not disappoint me.

What I Did Not Like About the Book

1. I know it’s not fair to include same point in likes and dislikes. But then, I so wish there were quite a few casual hints to the ultimate catch it in between the story - without making the reader think about it.

2. The author decided to pay attention to only the main plot and thus might have missed his chance to include some small yet interesting sections like the state of children - innocence, curiosity and the hidden fear.

The author – ‘Madhav Mahidhar’ did his homework well and came up with really interesting debates on news and courtrooms. The complete chapter of Madhumita’s interrogation wasan interesting read – I read it very slowly as if I were to answer those crucial questions!

‘Blood in the Paradise -A tale of an impossible murder’ is thus a good pick for a weekend or an overnight read.

The book can be purchased from following links.

Amazon Kindle Edition                     Amazon Paperback                            Flipkart Paperback

I won a review copy from The Tales Pensieve as part of Reviewers Programme. Register on #TTP for lots of #book fun and activities.

Tale 0' 12 by Biranchi N Acharya

The Author:

Biranchi Narayan Acharya published his first book 'Encounter with wisdom' in December 2014. He writes in various platforms including newspapers and blogs. He can be reached at infobnacjarya@gmail.com

The Blurb:

Every life event is a story. In fact every moment of our life is part of a story being happened. We always ignore those because we think stories have no connection to real life happenings. But when we read stories or fictions suddenly we connect ourselves to the story-line or some of the characters emotionally or otherwise. That's why stories always fascinate us, entertain us & give us some lessons of life. 'Tale O' 12' is a collection of twelve stories inspired from real life events written in a fictional narrative. One would definitely connect to the characters of the stories someway or other because all the stories have something that's related to everyone's life.

The Cover Page:

The cover page is not bad. It very clearly gives the message that the book has twelve stories. It could have been better if some other background related to stories had been used instead of the clock. Yet, as I said it’s OK, I might pick it up from the book shelf and read the blurb to find out more.

What I Felt About the Book

Short stories are always a gem to read and many times, they do leave a lasting impression on the reader's mind and heart. When I read the blurb, I was excited to read the stories which were inspired from real life. No doubt real life is much more dramatic and adventurous than we can ever imagine or read about.

All twelve stories actually looked very much from day to day life events and thus justified the summary.

What I liked about the book:

1. Language – The simplicity of words and language makes it easy for the reader to connect with the stories.
2. Ability to connect - All the twelve stories narrated by the author Biranchi N Acharya are very ordinary and any ordinary person would definitely relate to some or the other.
3. Choice of morals – Each story very clearly shouts some moral to the readers. The lessons thus sent across are very much needed and appreciated in present era.

What I did not like about the book:

1. Too much wisdom – Personally, I read books for pleasure. This is the reason I prefer fiction. Knowledge and wisdom if gathered along with the entertainment is like icing on the cake. So, the long and detailed insights about various topics did lead me to a bit of boredom.
2. Spelling mistakes – I can recall two instances of a misspelled word (“clean ‘saved’ face”) in two different stories. This can always be because of the auto-correct feature in all editors, but then editor and proof readers must have come to the rescue.

Out of twelve stories, I have following two as my favourites:

‘Why Lesson For Lessons?’ – Absolutely simple story which can me a remake of one of the classic moral stories titled ‘The Greedy Woodcutter”.

“Fear and Danger” – A decent read which leaves the reader to decide the lesson learnt upon himself. I did felt like reading a short story in newspaper though.

‘The Story of Snehalata’ and ‘An Accident I Never Forget’ both had a bit of emotional quotient silently giving a slap on cruel and selfish mindset of society.

The stories might interest readers who like reading about politics. The readers looking for some inspiration on various topics like politics, religion, society etc. would definitely like it. Insightful debates over different subjects would also be interesting for their target audience.

Even after few favourites, but I am disappointed with the book. Some stories had so much scope but just ended up being predictable. I so hate to write this, I did not even finished reading some of the stories. May be, they did not fit into my cup of tea.

The Book can be brought from following links:

Amazon Paperback Edition                  Amazon Kindle Edition                 Flipkart Paperback

This review is a part of the biggest "Book Review Program" "Indian Bloggers". Participate now to get free books!

Thanks Giving Message with Scratch Art

 I am sure all of us specially the parents and the kids must have seen the attractive art boards being displayed in those toy shops. They look like a black board and when scratched with an object or our nail, leave behind those colourful lines. The boards are actually magnetic and can be erased and reused.

Then there are the ready-made scratch art papers available in the market. This is the one we made at home this time.

I had a note in my son’s diary to help my child make a thanks giving message on a cut out of a leaf. I had the message ready after some Google searching and was ready to go back home, get my child color some paper and white the message over that. One of my friends gave me an idea to do it in a different manner – The scratch art or paper etching.

I called up my son and told him we would make a card for his mam with magic!!!

Here it goes.

Step 1: Take a blank sheet of paper. Try to use a thicker one. Ask your child to fill it up with colors of his/her choice. Children love this part the most. 

The very idea that they just have to scribble all over it without any boundaries or color directions fills them with excitement. 

I preferred filling up some left over white patches after my son was done.

Step 2: Now, my son is currently mad over water colors. He also likes using black color – may be because he rarely gets to use it. 

Place the sheet over a newspaper and ask the child to fill it up with the black poster color. 

Make sure that it is not diluted and try to make it as thick as possible.

 Step 3:

Let it dry. It was the most difficult part for me. 

The kiddo came asking me every 2 minutes if it was done.

Step 4:

Turn the sheet on other side and draw the outline of shape you want to cut. We made a simple leaf. Actually, I put dots and ask my son to join them. It was for his school and thus obviously I did not want it to be messed up. 

Cut the shape along the outlines. The kid has now understood that it is the job for grownups.

Step 5:

Take a sharp object (not too sharp to tear or cut through the paper) and draw your imagination. Toothpicks are the most common choice. We had a message to write, so I wrote it. We used the back or out paint brush. Make a few stars or smileys here and there to make it look alive.

Here it was all ready:

The card might not look very neat and professional. I also forgot to add his name and ended with messing it up with writing followed by trying a colored tape. 

When it comes to his homework and projects, I make him do the stuff he can. It does not make his projects look the best in class, but then he gets to know the effort it takes and he also enjoys exploring. Plus, my purpose of not doing my child homework is also resolved. Yes, we are supposed to help our kids in their assignments not do the job for them.

The kiddo was obviously not happy with me doing all the magic and thus I gave him the left over sheet and he went on scribbling. I am definitely going to try it again with him and let him make some nice magic drawing. I am sure he would be telling his mam and friends that he made the card with magic!