Wise As Stories

02/07/2025

Of all the things busy parents could be de-prioritising, shouldn't be one of them ...

"New research from HarperCollins UK, however, has found the number of parents reading aloud to children is at an all-time low.

Fewer than half of parents of children under 13 said reading aloud to children was “fun for me”, while fewer than half of 0- to 4-year-olds are read to frequently."

My hot tip: If the books that you are reading feel boring, try looking for titles that have been developed with the long suffering parent in mind e.g. (plug incoming) our "Willow the Wonderer" series.

Threaded within our 'kids' books' are seeds of wisdom and metaphors specifically for the grown-up in the room so that they too may get enjoyment and learning out of the experience - even if it is the 100th time they are reading the book out aloud!

Look beyond the obvious "kids' books" and you will find other similar gems.

And don't be too concerned about age guidance either ... I personally think this is where the industry goes wrong.

Kids have an enormous capacity to learn at a young age - a child in a bilingual home will effortlessly learn two languages while those in a single language home will grow up knowing one ...

So, find a genuinely good read and it won't feel like a bother.

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/goodnight-to-the-bedtime-story-the-reason-fewer-parents-are-reading-aloud-to-their-children-20250619-p5m8u0.html

New research from Australia and the UK suggests that the number of parents reading aloud to children is at an all-time low, while children’s audiobooks grow in popularity.

02/07/2025

Bedtime stories are the best! If you don't enjoy the experience, try reading different books that have something for you as well - eg our Willow the Wonderer series :) We always weave in threads of wisdom and metaphors that will resonate with adults reading the books and give them something to like, laugh at and learn from.

New research from Australia and the UK suggests that the number of parents reading aloud to children is at an all-time low, while children’s audiobooks grow in popularity.

27/06/2025

Buy 2 Get 3 - Limited Time Offer for Book Sets :) https://wix.to/UJ8RTMU

17/06/2025

Darren hated school. Reeta loved it. What both agree on however, is that our education system needs to change - and soon!

In this episode we look at one of the most formative parts of our lives - schooling. We share our personal schooling experiences from different parts of the world and discuss the impact that traditional education system had on us.

With the benefit of hindsight and many years of 'adulting', as well as awareness of the changes that are afoot, we also discuss the aspects that needs to change: From personalized learning that reflects a student's strengths, interests and learning abilities to integrating mind training and ethics into the curriculum, reducing rote learning, and even shortening the time spent in formal education.

Yes, we believe that keeping young adults constrained within an institution isn't the best idea… School should be over by the time we are 16 and what should follow is a year or more of travel and selfless service.

We feel these are what will better equip children for the tumultuous world that they will inherit - and will make them better humans.

What do you think? If you could change something about schooling, what would it be?

Darren hated school. Reeta loved it. What both agree on however, is that our education system needs to change - and soon!In this episode we look at one of th...

04/06/2025

is not just a hype - it is a new technological paradigm that in 5-10 years time will change how we live and work - and hence what skills we need to teach kids (spoiler alert - it's not prompting!).

It is important that everyone understand what is going on - because right now all our data, content and intellectual property is being hoovered up to enrich 6 men in Silicon Valley ...

Reeta and Darren share their perspective in the latest episode of .

Last week, I found myself at the center of an 'internet storm'. It was self inflicted - I posted a comment on Reddit that irked quite a few folks. The offending comment was a prediction: Mass unemployment in white collar professions and the Arts by 2030, thanks to widespread adoption of Artificial I...

03/06/2025

🚨 Last week, I found myself at the center of an internet storm on Reddit. It was self-inflicted - I had dared to predict "mass unemployment in white collar professions and the Arts by 2030, thanks to widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)."

Reading through the comments, I realised that many people still have their heads buried in the sand when it comes to AI - underlining a need for conversations surrounding AI’s impact on employment and more importantly on education.

If AI is going to be doing all the creative and high paying jobs, what do we teach kids?

And this is exactly what Darren and I got up to for Episode 3 of our newly launched, Wise As Podcast. A great listen on commute or walk.

In this episode, we explore Reeta's 'viral' Reddit post predicting mass unemployment in white-collar professions and the arts by 2030 due to AI. As you can e...

20/05/2025

🔥 What is the hardest stage of life? In the second episode of our podcast series, we dive deep into the challenging stages of life and share our personal experiences. We explore the concept of getting through hard times in life, reflecting on our teenage and early adulthood years. We discuss the importance of wisdom and life lessons that could have made these phases easier.🌟🎧
https://wix.to/GD1viWw

The first full episode of our 'Wise As Podcast' is here! We start with a topic close to our hearts - and really what became the impetus for picking up the pen and developing Willow the Wonderer series: Reflecting on the hardest time in our lives and the wisdom that would have made it a whole lot eas...

17/05/2025

Out first full length episode is here. We dive deep into the challenging stages of life and share our personal experiences. We explore the concept of getting through hard times in life, reflecting on our teenage and early adulthood years. We discuss the importance of and that could have made these phases easier - the motivation as you know behind all the work we are doing to develop and promote our Willow the Wonderer books :) Happy listening and do let us know your thoughts - what wisdom would have helped you during tough times?

Navigating Life's Toughest Phases with WisdomIn the second episode of our podcast series, we dive deep into the challenging stages of life and share our pers...

14/05/2025

🌟 At Wise As Stories, we are committed to creating stories that inspire and educate the next generation! 📚✨ Explore our website to find out how our books can enrich your child's learning journey! Check it out here: https://wix.to/fOStqgb

13/05/2025

🌟 Discover the magic of storytelling! 📚✨ Join us in celebrating creativity and imagination with our beautifully illustrated children's books at Wise As Stories. Unleash the joy of reading for your little ones today! Check out our collection here: https://wix.to/cYtmtLE

13/05/2025

🎉 Exciting News! 🎙️ Dive into 'Wise As Podcast' with our pilot episode. 🌟 Join Darren and I as we share our origin story, recorded at a special spot in the picturesque Nambucca Valley. It's a short 9-minute listen, perfect for your day! 🌊✨

Discover how our journey evolved and our mission to leave behind a wiser world. 🌍 The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Don't miss out! 👍✨

Check out the full episode here: [https://wix.to/FwrmsHX](https://www.wiseasstories.com/post/sneak-peak-watch-the-pilot-episode-of-our-wise-as-podcast)

I remember reading a case study on Madonna at university. Believe it or not, this was for my Master's Degree in Commerce … The central theme was that Madonna was one of the few pop music stars who had managed to carve out a decades long career in what is usually a fiercely trendy and youth oriente...

11/05/2025

Thanks for your love, generosity and wisdom - Happy Mothers' Day❤️

99% of people who have bought books from us are women ... Grandmothers, mothers and carers who embody the spirit of generosity, love and wisdom. One day is clearly not enough to acknowledge all you do. But we are glad that, even in this day and age, we are able to set aside a day for reflection. Tha...