Everyday experiences become learning tools

Jennifer Waters has devoted her life to helping children and families. A children’s author and sole proprietor of Novel Tea Publishing, she writes books designed to help children build both practical knowledge and confidence through everyday experiences.

For example, she recently published a book designed around making the kitchen a safe learning environment for children. Learn to Read Activity Workbook: Knowledge in the Kitchen is now one of her most popular books, earning a spot on Amazon’s Top 10,000 books.

“Children often learn best when education connects to familiar experiences,” Waters said.  “My goal is to keep each lesson visually simple, engaging and approachable, so children can focus on learning without becoming overwhelmed.”

Waters said children are naturally curious, and curiosity can lead to a safety concern or valuable learning opportunity.  Her goal for Knowledge in the Kitchen was to create a resource that encourages parents to make the kitchen a place where children safely build confidence, practical skills and healthy lifelong habits.

Topics in the workbook include how to set a table, measuring tools, how to use an oven and stove, reading directions, storing food, washing hands, food safety, washing dishes, fire safety, staying safe in the kitchen, reading food labels and much more.  The book even explains and demonstrates the Heimlich maneuver.  

Sprinkled throughout the workbook are activities such as fill-in-the-blank, matching, true/false questions and drawing prompts.  The workbook teaches reading and how to identify words related to food and kitchen items and includes a section on cooking verbs.  At the end there is a quiz, along with a certificate of completion. 

Waters describes her books as visual reference workbooks. To date she has self-published 24 workbooks. In addition to Knowledge in the Kitchen, her other top sellers are Counting Money and Telling Time. Most of Waters’ books are targeted at ages 7 to 10, with a few designed for younger children. She currently has five more in the works – Creative Art Skills, Everyday Life Skills, Practical Consumer Skills, Thinking Skills and Soft Skills. 

“Each workbook focuses on a different area of practical learning while sharing the same educational philosophy of connecting learning with everyday life,” Waters said. She intends to expand into books targeted at teenagers in the future.  

Waters said she turned to writing due to life-changing medical issues, and while her medical issues are part of her story, they don’t define her story.

As a single mom with two children under the age of 2, she faced numerous challenges. After working a variety of jobs, she fell into the field of education.  As a para-professional, she tutored in Riverton during the summer months. In the Riverton and Ball-Chatham school districts, she helped in general and special education roles, served as a study hall teacher and was a security monitor.  Through these opportunities to engage with children and families, she discovered her passion for youth and education.

She went on to become the director of education at a Springfield-area Sylvan Learning Center and volunteered as a Sangamon County Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, which gave her the opportunity to see children in many different environments.  She also became certified as a mediator.

In 2019 she faced debilitating health issues that had a profound impact on her life, even limiting her ability to walk and talk. However, she never gave up.  As her children, who are now 19 and 20, were getting ready to graduate from high school, she was seeking a new purpose for her days, and that’s when she decided to write children’s books. Her mission through her writing is to create resources that nurture the whole child in the mind, heart and home.

For privacy and safety reasons and to keep her personal and professional life and social media separate, she publishes under the pseudonym Genevieve Steinhardt. Genevieve is inspired by a combination of her given name and childhood nickname. Steinhardt is a combination of the name of the doctor who helped her regain her quality of life, along with a representation of power and strength.

Writing children’s books has allowed Waters to find joy, and she now thrives by continuing her passion to help children and families through her writing.

This article appears in Parent Fall 2026.