We must communicate to our children every day that they are loved, says Sandra Magsamen, an expert on living your life with heart. But, sometimes words alone are not enough to express what we most want to say. Here are some ways Sandra says you can make lasting bonds with your children that will last a lifetime.

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1. THE BASICS
  •Hug! Never stop hugging your child. A hug connects physically and emotionally like nothing else.
  •Read lots of books to your children. Put time aside each day to look at, read and share stories. You can read the same ones over and over again.

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2. DANCE, sway and move as you hold your child and provide the comfort and connection that gentle rocking and movement brings. Get down on the floor and play, make puzzles, finger paint, roll around and laugh together. And tell them you love them, that they are special, that they are unique and that they are a gift

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3. SING OUT LOUD
Find your song and sing it. Don't worry if you don't have the pipes of Aretha, just sing and I promise your child will love it. Find "your song," the song you love to sing to your child. It will soothe them "and you"on those days where everything seems to be going wrong.

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4. WRITE YOUR CHILD A LETTER soon after they are born. (Or start it now!) Fill it with your thoughts, hopes, dreams and the experience of bringing a new life into the world. Place your note in an envelope and inscribe, "On the day you were born" on it, and tuck it in a journaling-type book.

 

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5. EACH YEAR on your child's birthday write

another letter to him/her--fill it with the memories, milestones, dreams, events, ideas and the life that you and your family have created throughout the year. When your child grows up and has a place of his or her own, present the book and continue to send the letters on your child's birthday. You will have written a book and told the story of two very special people: you and your child.

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6. IN SOAP OR LIPSTICK, write, "You're the best!" or "Have a great day!" on the bathroom mirror where your child will see it when brushing his or her teeth. And at breakfast, try spelling out, "I love you" with individual letters from alphabet cereal. Of course, you will have to pick through the box to find eight letters, but the message will then have your personal touch. Surprise your son with his favorite cookies in his lunch box-the sugary ones that he regularly begs for in the grocery aisle, but rarely receives. 

Or reach for a banana, like my friend did to keep connected to her boys. "During elementary school, I'd pack their lunches every day and I'd always put a banana in each bag. One day I started writing little notes-jokes and riddles on the banana peel with a permanent pen. The boys loved it and looked forward to their lunchtime surprise. I loved it, too, knowing that as I was thinking about them at lunchtime, they would be thinking of me. Of course, by middle school, they asked me to stop sending notes on their bananas. They were 'too old.' The boys really did get a kick out of it!"

If bananas aren't your thing, simply write a note, a riddle or cut a comic that your child loves from the newspaper. Your child will enjoy getting that extra-special something from you and all his or her classmates will be waiting each day to see what's next.

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 7. OTHER ARTFUL WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED 
  • Make Friday nights game night-relax together with pizza, some healthy snacks and competition. Invite your children's best friends to join you.
 
  • Make a family history book using favorite words, photos and souvenirs.
 
   • I love a good game of black out: Turn off every light in the house (including night-lights and VCR lights) and play hide-and-seek. Prepare to have a blast tripping all over each other and even getting spooked a time or two.
 
   • Plant a garden with butterfly bushes and enjoy the visits of hundreds of butterflies.

    • Create a revolving art gallery of your kid's work in your home. Show them you think their art is a masterpiece. String wire between two hooks and hang the art with clothespins

   • Turn off the TV and put on your own plays and musicals, and share stories.
 
   • Turn on the soothing sounds of jazz and watch your family relax. Make a CD of your family's favorite tunes to be played on long car rides or rainy Sunday afternoons.
 
   • Create new everyday rituals: warm vanilla milk, a story or a kiss on the forehead before bedtime-special touches that will help your child drift off to a peaceful sleep.
 
   • Plant a garden together, and then watch as the seeds grow.
 
   • Make a video of your grandparents. Interview them about their lives and ask the funny questions that will brighten their faces and make them laugh. This project will become a cherished family heirloom. To read the other ideas visit  Oprah.com

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Ways to Stay Connected with Older Kids...

   • Visit a make-your-own-pottery place and create a plate for each person in your family, or several pieces to celebrate a special event.

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   • Bake together. Make ice cream. Create an Italian feast of fresh pasta, bread and tiramisu, with a famous aria playing in the background.

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   • Bring armloads of comforters, pillows and blankets in front of the largest TV in the house and have movie night, all cozy together.

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   • Pick your own strawberries and make jam. Enjoy life. It's delicious.

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   • Build a campfire in the backyard (in a grill or fire pit), and roast hot dogs on sticks and make s'mores with chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers. Sit around, tell stories and enjoy the night air and the flames as they warm your fingers and toes.

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   • Go miniature golfing together. Set up teams and prepare to laugh as children and adults alike compete for the lowest score. Give prizes to the winners, both old and young.

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   • Get tickets for your local professional, minor league or college baseball game. Spend an afternoon in the sun eating chocolate malts, peanuts and singing during the seventh-inning stretch. (If you get there early, you may be able to catch fly balls from batting practice.) Consider tailgating, and create and serve a feast from the trunk of your car.

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   • Go ice skating or to a roller rink and dance to the music booming over the loudspeakers.

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   • Check out the local public gardens in your area, perhaps one that serves Chinese tea or has acres of roses.

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   • Journey down to your local theater and support your neighborhood thespians as they perform in A Midsummer Night's Dream or Annie Get Your Gun.

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   • Has the fair come to town? Carnivals and fairgrounds are a good way to change your routine and celebrate your country roots.

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 • Bust out all of the board games you can find. Enjoy some healthy competition as you play. Fill bowls with popcorn, chips, nuts and chocolates for the competitors.

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   • Sing at home in Karaoke style. Crank up the tunes and laugh as everyone takes a turn singing their favorite song.

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MORE THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS!

Things to do BEFORE You're TEN!!!

1. Roll on your side down a grassy bank
2. Make a mud pie
3. Make your own play dough mixture
4. Read under the bed-covers with a flashlight
5. Make home-made potpourri
6. Grow flowers or herbs on a windowsill
7. Make some bird feeders
8. Build a sandcastle
9. Climb a tree
10. Make a tent in the living room
11. Make a painting using your hands and feet
12. Organize your own teddy bears' picnic
13. Have your face painted
14. Play with a friend in the sand
15. Make some bread
16. Make snow angels
17. Create a clay sculpture
18. Take part in a scavenger hunt
19. Camp out in the yard
20. Bake a cake
21. Feed a farm animal
22. Pick some strawberries and apples
23. Recognize five different bird species
24. Find some worms
25. Ride a bike through a muddy puddle
26. Make and fly a kite
27. Plant a tree
28. Build a nest out of grass and twigs
29. Find five different leaves in the park
30. Grow vegetables
31. Make breakfast in bed for your parents

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Bringing families and classroom/program staff together develops a "Sense of Community…

SOME QUICK IDEAS

 

1. Pizza & Game Night: Pizza can be a variety made by children and staff (Boboli, English muffin and Bagel or purchased by the program. Parents can also sign up to bring a pizza or other goodies! Games can be in the gym (See Gym Games) and or more quiet Table and Thinking Games.

2. Potluck Dinner

3. Theme Night (Party)

4. Roller Skating Party

5. Ice- Skating at inside rink or outside 

6. Bowling

7. Breakfasts

8. Talent-Variety Show: Open this up to a variety of choices! Showcase children and children with their parents; also include staff members!

9. Drama Production Theater Night - Children perform original or well known skits and plays. 

10. Readers' Theater Performance

11. Carnival or Circus with Centers and Games

12. Parents and Kids Gym Night

13. Family Participation in a Community Service or Earth Day Event

 

14. Art Show or Art Auction (Below is Silent Auction idea & Spring Art Show)

15. Picnic/Barbecue (See below idea)

16. Create an After-School Experience for  Parent Participation. Use centers and open gym--provide snacks; have parents do what the children do! 

17. Pastries for Parents- Hold this in the evening or during an afternoon at SAC. 

18. Goodies for Grandparents: Any time would be a good time; however, Grandparents Day is the second Sunday in September.  How about doing this in September?

19. Muffins for Mom
For a Mother's Day celebration, Mom (or a favorite person) spends some morning time at the program. Children can give presents and cards they have made. Also offer muffins, fruit, etc. 
 
20. Mother’s Day Tea
The same as above except in the afternoon with tea and cookies!

21. Father’s Day Happy Hour

 
Around 4:00 (or later) in the afternoon, fathers have root beer and popcorn with their children and teachers. The children can invite a "Favorite Guy” if Father is not available. During this time the children present gifts and cards that they have made...a great way to get more Dads involved!

22. Ice Cream Social:  Ice-Cream Socials are great family events! Consider adding the below silliness to you festivities:

Ice Cream Eating-No Hands Used!
Give each child a scoop or two of ice-cream in a bowl. Have them sit comfortably at a table ....
The fun is that they keep their hands behind their backs and eat the ice-cream with only their mouths! It's NOT a speed eating contest--just silly fun!
      • Be sure to Video Tape and Take Pictures!
      • Have Dads participate

'I Scream For Ice-Cream'!  Pair this up with your ice-cream social.
Teach the kids:
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Divide the group into teams (number of teams depends on number of youth)
   • Which team can say it the loudest?
   • Have a third party judge...

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EVENT IDEAS FROM YOU...

Two years ago we had a Silent Art Auction. Invitations went out well in advance to everyone the children knew...For more than a month children were involved in all types of art projects: drawing, paint, fiber, batik, water color, ink,  clay and jewelry making.

• We matted the children’s  art and displayed it from 5:00 until 7:30.

• We indicated the opening bids in dollar amount. Families wrote down their offers and put it in a slotted box next to the items.

 • Soft music played; we had water, cider, cheese and crackers. A few parents also brought cookies (Lots of visiting, and chatting! too!)

 • Make sure the children are there to get their family to bid on their things! IT WAS FUN AND THE CHILDREN HAVE ASKED WHEN WE CAN DO IT AGAIN--but we'll wait a couple more years to repeat it. Cassie in Michigan

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A very large program in Montclair, N.J. (38 staff and 225 children attend daily) offers a PAJAMA CLUB!

On Friday nights, staff members operate a pajama club for all students and their siblings, 3 years of age and older. The pajama club offers parents a night out from 7:00 pm–10:00 pm -- twice a month for a charge of $12 per child, paid in advance.

Children are encouraged to come dressed in their pajamas for stories, art, and music. Every month, the club “travels” to a different country and explores it together. Local restaurants have begun to offer discounts for families whose children participate in the club. (Parents dine out while children are at the club!)

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One of the ways Tasha in California has connected with parents is to "give them a night out" a few times a year! I imagine parents love her for it! Where can you go out and pay child-care of $10.00 for four hours? 

From Tasha ... I have had Parents' Nights Out, in which we charge $10.00 from 6 pm -10 pm. For one ‘Night Out” Example: Instead of having a party for Halloween during our program time, I had a Halloween Party during a 'PARENT'S NIGHT OUT'. 55 out of 100 students attended and about another 10-15 students from the school came (they paid the 10.00 fee). I then used the money to pay for extra things on site for parties, etc. -- A WIN WIN!

Tasha additionally wrote: We also have a 'Parent's Night Out' during other times of the year --such as a 'Sweetheart’s Ball' to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This gave parents a chance to go out for the special day. There was lots of participation because my kids loved dancing.

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Family Picnics
We invite families to come to a local park and ask for volunteers to bring different items. (Plates, utensils, napkins, desserts, hot dogs, buns, chips, drinks, etc) We post a sign up sheet for all to see... and Set up centers, play games, music, eat, dance, have fun!!!
Breezie

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Community Get Together
Something we do is choose a place that will donate a percentage of all the proceeds for a night (for us it's 15%) to our organization.
All the center families get together; enjoy some pizza, laughs and have conversation! It's great for moral and also a great way to bring everyone together to support the center/program!
Shutterbug1410

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As suggested by Roberta Newman in” Building Relationships With Parents and Families in School-Age Programs, 2nd Ed., have a White Elephant Auction Night - Each family contributes a usable item (or a mystery object) that they no longer want. One person serves as a "goofy" auctioneer and others bid on the treasures until all are sold. Proceeds can go to purchase an item for the program.

 

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BRAG NIGHTS (This child care center has regular Parent Events)
 From Shutterbug1410
I think that Parent-Teacher meetings are often hard for parents to attend or they just don't "feel like it"---so I came up with the idea to combine the meetings with a "Brag Night". I use these as a VITAL key in my program.

• For the first 20 minutes we watch a VIDEO PRESENTATION of the kids playing and at centers, activities, games, etc. from the past month as well as SHOWING OFF photos, artwork and the projects we have been working on.

• Next, we TALK about what the THEME UNIT will be for the next few weeks/ month, etc. and talk about ways parents can GET INVOLVED --as well as opportunities to go on field trips, etc. that they can take advantage of...

• During this time we also set up a "PROJECT TABLE" for the children to enjoy while we go over normal things such as center policies, etc.

• We also enjoy REFRESHMENTS together! We serve coffee, etc. but I always include a few things that the kids have on a regular basis, such as fun snacks that go with their theme, etc. This gives the parents a chance to see what we eat.

• It always turns out well and the parents love seeing their child in their environment as well as with their friends... and they love getting together with other parents and their teacher!

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 YOUR NEWLETTERS...

help connect your program and staff memebers to the families you serve. Make them as interesting, upbeat and complete as possible. Click here  for Tips, Ideas, and Articles to include in your News!

 

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SPECIAL TIME OF THE YEAR IDEAS for Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer... 

 

SEPTEMBER-- GOODIES FOR GRANDPARENTS: Any time would be a good time; however, Grandparents Day is the second Sunday in September.  How about doing this in September?

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SEPTEMBER--BEGINNING OF THE YEAR POWER POINT SLIDE SHOW... The first couple weeks of school, snap photos of students in all ACTIVITY AREAS—such as working and playing with other kids, team building activities, outside and gym play, etc. Include this with the slide show. Make sure you get ALL children in photographs! The presentation can be included with a question and answer session… Light refreshments- such as cookies and punch- are always a nice touch. This idea is from the Back to School Category. See other ideas ...

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OCTOBER--'LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL--- In 2012 it is October 18-There are also many ideas in the Lights' category that will work for Family Social Events. Click here

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NOVEMBER--HAVE A THANKSGIVING BUFFET-- 

Weeks ahead Post and Hand-out a Save-the date. Invite parents to attend and have them sign up to bring in foods traditional to Thanksgiving.Serve: Turkey, sweet potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, pies, fruits, etc.

Estimate the amounts you will need—and put out a sign-up sheet with how much you’ll need. Example-
Pies
1. __________________
2. __________________
3. __________________ 

Parents then sign up for their choice. Be sure to tell them to bring their contribution ready to go and serve! The program can provide juice, water, sturdy plates, napkins and utensils.

***Think about this! Time is short for us all--however-- there are many excellent food stores that make good turkey breasts, chicken pieces, potatoes, fruit, etc. Inform families their contribution does not need to be home-made!

Craft Activity: For the Feast, make themed place-mats and decorations the weeks before... See Thanksgiving pages

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JANUARY--WINTERFEST FAMILY EVENT...

Invite families to see how children spend their time!

What is needed?
   • Invitations made by the kids or computer
   • Materials to make snowflakes;
   • Balloons/helium; ribbon
   • Hot cocoa/warm cider, cookies and treats;
   • Special friends and family.

Begin to prepare for “Winterfest” when you return to school after the Holiday break. Early February would be a good time to hold it.
→ Make invitations NOW. Invite families and VIP's to join for an evening of fun, music, and treats to eat.

→ Start the event after dinner time but provide goodies that parents can sign up to bring.

• If your budget is low—you can also include items such as hot cups, napkins and utensils.
• You can provide the cocoa and/or warm cider punch and water. 

Set up “centers” for the event. Each group or team of children with an adult facilitator can choose what they want to do.

• One group may want to invent winter theme carnival games for guests to enjoy.
• One group may decide on an easy craft project or two and have everything prepared for their guests to create the projects with them.
• One group can facilitate gym games.
• If your group is large group, you may need another center. 
• Another idea is to have an area with “quick” table games or some of the circle games you play. How many centers are set up depend on the size of your program.
• Guests rotate through the centers.

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THE EVENING CAN END HERE WITH REFRESHMENTS OR........

After an hour of enjoying individual activities in centers, gather in a large area for a sing along led by the children—this is also goodie time!

• Maybe hot cocoa and warm cider punch? Have a yummy treat table which can be supplied by a previous sign-up sheet with family donations. Be sure to instruct families to have all snacks and treats ready to serve and eat.

Each team can make their own decorations for each center, but have all children decorate the main gathering room.

• Children can make a variety of snowflakes from tissue paper, doilies or cut-outs.
• The day of the event fill balloons with helium. Hang some of the snowflakes and balloons alone and float some balloons attaching snowflakes to them with different lengths of ribbon. If the ceiling is not too high, let these go in the room and they can float to the ceiling. A nice ideas is to hold your sing along under souvenir balloons/snowflakes with children's name on them!

Individual songs can simply be led by the children or different Teams. You can sing to Cd’s, a piano or keyboard. Maybe the music teacher can join the celebration and assist?!!! Just have fun!

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN FEBRUARY--Share it with your families! (This would also be a fantastic idea for May! May is "Inventors Month"!)

In celebration of this month--challenge the children to come up with unique and useful inventions!

1. Open up your recycled supply area and provide materials such as- pieces of wood, used CD's, milk containers, straws, tape, pipe cleaners, paper clips, yarn, string, paper, glue, poster paint, markers, crayons, elastic, fabric scraps, construction paper, pom-poms, rubber bands and safety pins.
 
2. Children can work individually or in small groups; Give them plenty of time to brainstorm ideas. Challenge children to come up with unique,  creative, and useful items.
 
3. The kids may need more than one day to complete their projects; however, when complete- share the inventions with the group. 

• What is it?
• What does it do?
• What materials are used to make it?

5. SHARE IT...This is an activity that takes time and thought. Honor the children's work by inviting parents and visitors to view the display. A written description of each "invention" would also be a good idea.

This would be a nice "sharing with families time"; it could be held through-out the program afternoon or as social time after the program ends. Add punch and cookies and have a social event...

If awards are given out, be sure that each child or group recieves one--the most unique, smallest, largest, useful, fun, amusing, original, helpful, practical, handy, amusing, entertaining, most materials used, least materials used, colorful, heaviest, lightest, etc. (Look up synonyms for descriptive words)

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MARCH--How about a St. Patrick's Party with a GREEN ICE-CREAM BAR? Consider making it an ICE-CREAM SOCIAL FAMILY EVENT...

 Ingredients:
  • Pistachio and/or Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream; lime sherbet 
  • Green M&M's 
  • Green Gummy Worms 
  • Green Sprinkles 
  • Green Shamrock Cookies 
  • Green Maraschino Cherries 
  • Chocolate Syrup 
  • Whipped Cream

Set up the ingredients in bowls on a buffet table for the families to create their own sundaes. YUMMY! Play some of the fun St. Paddy games from this site!

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APRIL--EARTH WEEK ART AND PROJECT EXHIBIT

This will need to be starts weeks before Earth Day which is April 22… Display photography, sculpture, drawings, pastels, etc., as well as crafts, toys, and nature projects made by the children. FOCUS EVERYTING ON THE ENVIRONMENT or MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS.

    • Set up your "Exhibit" and Hold a FAMILY EVENT after school. You can also invite school classrooms to walk through and view.

    • Serve refreshments/snacks with an Earth theme...Ideas for snacks are in the Earth Day-Every Day Category.

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A WARM WEATHER ART SHOW...

Families enjoy their children's art as well as their children's titles and writings. Consider a springtime sidewalk art show to share children's explorations with art and writing.

Involve children in mounting and displaying the artwork on the sidewalk or along a hallway.

Put up a clothesline and help children hang their mounted works with colorful clothespins. Try attaching children's names to the clothespins for easy recognition. Ask children to draw "invitation cards" sent home to families with the date and time of the event.

Serve some easy refreshments...
Make a video of the event as families enjoy the art and writing...

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MAY

MUFFINS FOR MOM

For a Mother's Day celebration, Mom (or a favorite person) spends some morning time at the program/school/classroom. Children can give presents and cards they have made. Also offer muffins, fruit, etc. 
 
MOTHER'S DAY TEA

The same as above except in the afternoon with tea and cookies!

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MAY IS INVENTORS MONTH...Also check out the Inventions Idea above in February's Black History Month! May is Inventors Month! The inventions activity for a Parents Event would be awesome!

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JUNE

FATHER'S DAY HAPPY HOUR

Around 4:00 (or later) in the afternoon, fathers have root beer and popcorn with their children and teachers. The children can invite a "Favorite Guy” if Father is not available. During this time the children present gifts and cards that they have made...a great way to get more Dads involved!

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I used to have fun with the following idea at our Father's Day/END OF THE YEAR PARTY EVENTS. (Sorry, I don't remember where I first saw this--but it's fun! Cassi in Michigan) This would also be fun at a large family get together.

Get together a few families and play the FATHER'S DAY/CHILD GAME. Divide into four father/child teams. Ask the fathers to leave the room while the children sit in chairs. Ask the same four or five questions to each child about their fathers. Bring in the fathers and ask them the same questions. Will the father and child have the same answers? Switch places and see how well the father's know the children. Award a red rose to the winning father/child team.

Question Ideas: Favorite color, movie, candy bar, color of toothbrush, memorable moment with you, best friend, hobby, talent, food, animal, cartoon, pizza topping, ice cream topping, restaurant. Most embarrassing moment. Favorite holiday.

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JUNE THRU ALL OF SUMMER...Check out the #22 ICE-CREAM SOCIAL!

Return to top of page

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Part Three: Consider these ideas for a Newsletter! ...Or for yourself

HAVE A "TIP OF THE MONTH" COLUMN!

The following is rather long to be put in a newsletter at one time. Consider including one "TIP" each month  It would give you 7 Tips for 7 newsletters--- 
 

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CONNECTING WITH OUR CHILDREN...
We must communicate to our children every day that they are loved, says Sandra Magsamen, an expert on living your life with heart. But, sometimes words alone are not enough to express what we most want to say. Here are some ways Sandra says you can make lasting bonds with your children that will last a lifetime.

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1. THE BASICS
Hug! Never stop hugging your child. A hug connects physically and emotionally like nothing else. You should also read lots of books to your children. Put time aside each day to look at, read and share stories. You can read the same ones over and over again.
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2. DANCE, sway and move as you hold your child and provide the comfort and connection that gentle rocking and movement brings. Get down on the floor and play, make puzzles, finger paint, roll around and laugh together. And tell them you love them, that they are special, that they are unique and that they are a gift

__________________
3. SING OUT LOUD
Find your song and sing it. Don't worry if you don't have the pipes of Aretha, just sing and I promise your child will love it. Find "your song," the song you love to sing to your child. It will soothe them "and you"on those days where everything seems to be going wrong.

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4. WRITE YOUR CHILD A LETTER soon after they are born. (Or start it now!) Fill it with your thoughts, hopes, dreams and the experience of bringing a new life into the world. Place your note in an envelope and inscribe, "On the day you were born" on it, and tuck it in a journaling-type book.

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5. EACH YEAR on your child's birthday

write another letter to him/her--fill it with the memories, milestones, dreams, events, ideas and the life that you and your family have created throughout the year. When your child grows up and has a place of his or her own, present the book and continue to send the letters on your child's birthday. You will have written a book and told the story of two very special people: you and your child.

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6. IN SOAP OR LIPSTICK, write, "You're the best!" or "Have a great day!" on the bathroom mirror where your child will see it when brushing his or her teeth. And at breakfast, try spelling out, "I love you" with individual letters from alphabet cereal. Of course, you will have to pick through the box to find eight letters, but the message will then have your personal touch. Surprise your son with his favorite cookies in his lunch box-the sugary ones that he regularly begs for in the grocery aisle, but rarely receives. 

Or reach for a banana, like my friend did to keep connected to her boys. "During elementary school, I'd pack their lunches every day and I'd always put a banana in each bag. One day I started writing little notes-jokes and riddles on the banana peel with a permanent pen. The boys loved it and looked forward to their lunchtime surprise. I loved it, too, knowing that as I was thinking about them at lunchtime, they would be thinking of me. Of course, by middle school, they asked me to stop sending notes on their bananas. They were 'too old.' The boys really did get a kick out of it!"

If bananas aren't your thing, simply write a note, a riddle or cut a comic that your child loves from the newspaper. Your child will enjoy getting that extra-special something from you and all his or her classmates will be waiting each day to see what's next.

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 7. OTHER ARTFUL WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED
Make Friday nights game night-relax together with pizza, some healthy snacks and competition. Invite your children's best friends to join you.
 
   • Make a family history book using favorite words, photos and souvenirs.
 
   • I love a good game of black out: Turn off every light in the house (including night-lights and VCR lights) and play hide-and-seek. Prepare to have a blast tripping all over each other and even getting spooked a time or two.
 
   • Plant a garden with butterfly bushes and enjoy the visits of hundreds of butterflies.

    • Create a revolving art gallery of your kid's work in your home. Show them you think their art is a masterpiece. String wire between two hooks and hang the art with clothespins

   • Turn off the TV and put on your own plays and musicals, and share stories.
 
   • Turn on the soothing sounds of jazz and watch your family relax. Make a CD of your family's favorite tunes to be played on long car rides or rainy Sunday afternoons.
 
   • Create new everyday rituals: warm vanilla milk, a story or a kiss on the forehead before bedtime-special touches that will help your child drift off to a peaceful sleep.
 
   • Plant a garden together, and then watch as the seeds grow.
 
   • Make a video of your grandparents. Interview them about their lives and ask the funny questions that will brighten their faces and make them laugh. This project will become a cherished family heirloom. To read the other ideas visit Oprah.com

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TIPS FOR PARENTS: MEANINGFUL MOMENTS

 

Ways to Stay Connected with Older Kids...

   • Visit a make-your-own-pottery place and create a plate for each person in your family, or several pieces to celebrate a special event.

 ______________
   • Bake together. Make ice cream. Create an Italian feast of fresh pasta, bread and tiramisu, with a famous aria playing in the background.

_______________ 
   • Bring armloads of comforters, pillows and blankets in front of the largest TV in the house and have movie night, all cozy together.

_______________ 
   • Pick your own strawberries and make jam. Enjoy life. It's delicious.

_______________ 
   • Build a campfire in the backyard (in a grill or fire pit), and roast hot dogs on sticks and make s'mores with chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers. Sit around, tell stories and enjoy the night air and the flames as they warm your fingers and toes.

_______________ 
   • Go miniature golfing together. Set up teams and prepare to laugh as children and adults alike compete for the lowest score. Give prizes to the winners, both old and young.

________________ 
   • Get tickets for your local professional, minor league or college baseball game. Spend an afternoon in the sun eating chocolate malts, peanuts and singing during the seventh-inning stretch. (If you get there early, you may be able to catch fly balls from batting practice.) Consider tailgating, and create and serve a feast from the trunk of your car.

________________ 
   • Go ice skating or to a roller rink and dance to the music booming over the loudspeakers.

________________ 
   • Check out the local public gardens in your area, perhaps one that serves Chinese tea or has acres of roses.

_______________ 
   • Journey down to your local theater and support your neighborhood thespians as they perform in A Midsummer Night's Dream or Annie Get Your Gun.

__________________ 
   • Has the fair come to town? Carnivals and fairgrounds are a good way to change your routine and celebrate your country roots.

________________

 • Bust out all of the board games you can find. Enjoy some healthy competition as you play. Fill bowls with popcorn, chips, nuts and chocolates for the competitors.

_________________ 
   • Sing at home in Karaoke style. Crank up the tunes and laugh as everyone takes a turn singing their favorite song.

___________________________

 

A Nice Piece to Have Available as a Hand-out...
STAMP OUT SIBLING RIVALRY (Yes, it's possible!)
By Lisa Lombardi

You find your kids practically coming to blows over who got more cream cheese on their bagel, and you can't help but think: There is just no way to avoid sibling rivalry. Well, if the goal is to avoid it entirely, then you might be right, says John Rosemond, author of The New! Six-Point Plan for Raising Happy, Healthy Children (Andrews McMeel Publishing).

Want to (almost) keep the peace? Put these strategies to work in your house.
 
1. Resist the urge to rush in, because "when you intervene, you're likely to identify one child as the villain and one as the victim." The obvious problem: It takes two to squabble, and you may be unfairly maligning one kid. The not-so-obvious problem: You're creating a dynamic that will quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. "If that victim gets attention for being a victim, he's going to continue to elicit that villain behavior from his brother or sister," Rosemond says. Instead, let them work out squabbles themselves. The only caveat? If your younger child is 3 years old or under, or you sense either child is in physical danger, by all means play ref.

_______________ 
2. Don't compare siblings to one another... You probably know not to say, "Why can't you be more like your sister?" But it's a common mistake to compare kids in even more subtle ways (e.g. "Julie, look at how nicely your brother is playing with those puzzles"). It's fine to praise one child's unique skills, says Rosemond. Just make sure you don't have a hidden agenda -- like getting Julie to stop hurling puzzle pieces across the room.

_______________ 
3. Be a super model... You and your spouse provide a powerful example of how two family members should speak to each other. "If the kids see you arguing and calling each other names, it's hard to get across the message: We don't do that in this family," points out Rosemond. So play nice with your sweetie, and who knows? You just might hear less bickering from the playroom.

_________________ 
4. Give each kid space... You know the famous line by Robert Frost about how fences make good neighbors? Well, imaginary lines (in the car, in a shared bedroom, and so on) make good siblings. To avoid turf wars, "the ideal situation is for each child to have his own clearly-defined space," stresses Rosemond. If you can't spare a bedroom, give each child his own desk or toy chest in their communal space. Rosemond says that doing this will give each child "a sense that this territory is mine."

________________

5. Don't insist on shared play dates... Sure, it would be easy if your 7-year-old could take your 4-year-old under her wing whenever she has a pal over. But asking older kids to always include younger ones on play dates and fun outings creates serious resentment on the part of the older child (and risks embarrassment in front of friends). Plus, there's another reason to steer clear of making the older child the de facto babysitter: Having private friend time means the older child is more likely to play nicely with the younger one when no peers are around. And to keep the left-out child content, plan a fun alternate activity, or give the greatest treat of all: one-on-one time with you.  Adapted from Real Families 

___________________________

 

TEACHING A CHILD TO READ

 

The successful parent employs a variety of strategies to encourage a child to read, and to keep reading.
Here are proven techniques you can use to teach your child that reading is valuable and enjoyable:

  • Set a good example as a reader - let kids see you reading every day.
 
  • Get a subscription in his or her name to an age-appropriate magazine for your child. When relatives and others ask for gift ideas, suggest magazine subscriptions, books, or a book store gift certificate.
 
  • Make reading fun - a time that you and your children look forward to spending together.
 
Check out The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (New York: Penguin Books, 1995). It's loaded with fun tips and reading recommendations.
 
  • Keep lots of books, magazines, and newspapers around the house. Visit the library often and shop for books at garage and yard sales, swap meets, and used bookstores.
 
  • Don't fret if "Captain Underpants" has captivated your child rather than Robinson Crusoe. The important thing: he's reading! Encourage it and he's likely to move on to more sophisticated titles as he gets older. Tips from: www.nea.org

________________________

 

TIPS FOR READING TO YOUNG SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN:
Your child has started school, but he still needs you to read to him at home. Your child will do better in school, and you'll enjoy the time spent together. Here are helpful tips for reading to and with young children in school, kindergarten through third grade:
 
• Keep reading to your child even when he can read. Read books that are too difficult or long for him to read alone.

__________ 
• Try reading books with chapters and talk about what is happening in the story. Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next, and connect characters or events to those in other books and stories.

_________ 
• Talk with your child about reading preferences that are beginning to develop. Ask whether she likes adventure stories, mysteries, science fiction, animal stories, or stories about other children. Encourage her to explain the reasons for preferences.

_________
 
• Talk with your child about favorite authors and help him find additional books by those authors.

__________
 
• Take turns reading a story with your child. Don't interrupt to correct mistakes that do not change the meaning.

___________ 
• Talk about the meaning of new words and ideas introduced in books. Help your child think of examples of new concepts.

_________

• Talk with your child about stories using the notions of the beginning, middle, and end of the story to organize thinking and discussion.

_________
 
• Ask your child to tell why a character might have taken a specific action. Ask for information from the story to support her answer.

__________
 
• Enjoy yourself and have fun. The most important thing you can do to help your child become a successful reader is communicate that reading is valuable and enjoyable.

____________________ 

TIPS IN READING TO CHILDREN IN GRADES FOUR TO SIX
It is critical that your child keeps reading and being read to at this age. Young readers need to become practiced at reading, and the only way to get good at it -- is to practice!

Helpful tips for reading to and with children in grades four through six:
• Take turns reading a book with your child.
 
• Ask your child to compare a book to another familiar book. How are the characters alike or different? Do the stories take place in similar settings? How are the illustrations the same or different?
 
• ASK:
Ask what part of the story or book your child liked best and why.
Ask if your child liked the ending of the story. Why or why not?
Ask your child what type of mood the story or chapter in a book creates.
Ask how the author creates the mood. For example, does she use certain words, events, or settings that create a particular feeling? If your child has read more than one book by the same author, ask how the books are similar or different.
From: www.nea.org

_____________________________

 

BEING A GOOD SPORT WHEN CHEERING ON YOUR CHILD...

 

You are your children's biggestand most important cheerleader. Whether they're competing in a sport or performing in a theater production or music group, your presence is a key way to support your children. But the way you are present also makes a difference in the way your children feel about you, themselves, and the activities they are in. Consider these ideas:

  • Attend as many of your children's games and performances as you can. Kids notice when you're there and when you're not.

  • Focus on supporting your child and the other kids there. If you're overly competitive, ask yourself why winning is more important to you than supporting the kids who are involved. I

  • Point out what you liked about your child's performance. The more specific you can be, the better. For example, say, "I enjoyed hearing your trumpet parts in the band, or "I am so proud of you for blocking that kick."

  • Invite other significant adults in your child's life to games and performances. Consider occasionally inviting grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and other important adults.

  • When you take photos or record your child's game or performance, also remember to put down the camera and cheer! It's important to be fully present in the moment, and one way to do that is to set technology aside so that you can witness firsthand your child's achievements.

  • Ask your kids periodically what they like about their sport (or-activity). Ask what they have fun doing or learning-and if there is anything they'd like to change if they could.
Source: MVParents.com

________________________

GOOD WEBSITE! MVParents.com
Involved Parents Are the Real Heroes:
All parents want to be "Most Valuable Parents" who help their children and teens make smart choices and avoid pitfalls of growing up. Unlike advice sites, MVParents.com is a trusted, research-based resource with tips, ideas, and strategies for raising smart, strong, responsible kids.

Parents can get positive, proactive, and down-to-earth guidance on how to respond to the changes and challenges of parenting in positive, healthy ways. Topics include underage drinking, family volunteering, curfews, school success, juggling work and family, and much more. A good website!!! http://www.mvparents.com/

_________________________ 

TIP: Visit the Child Development Category  and Thought of the Month ...they may also contain articicles you could include in your newletters or post at your Information Center.

 

The sections of 'Newsletter Category' are:

The sections of 'Newsletter Category' are:

Click for the  Entire Newsletter Category

Part 1. What to Put in Newsletters

Part 2. Prose, Poems and Cute items for Newsletters

Part 3. Timely Newsletter Topics to Connect Kids and Parents

Part 4. Newsletter Topics of Health and Food

___________________________________________

IN HERE ~ BOOKS FOR ALL AGES!

...AGES 4-8

Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham
Library Binding - 32 pages Reprint edition (February 1993)
HarperCollins Children's Books

The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie De Paola
Hardcover - 29 pages (April 1980)

Drummer Hoff by Ed Emberley
Paperback - 32 pages (September 1972)  Aladdin Paperbacks

Matthew and Tilly (Picture Puffins) by Rebecca C. Jones
Paperback Reprint edition (December 1995)

Andrew's Angry Words by Dorothea Lachner

Spink Sulks by by William Steig
Paperback Reprint edition (March 1991)

I Like Being Me: Poems for Children, About Feeling Special, Appreciating Others, and Getting Along by Judy Lalli
Paperback - 64 pages Children's edition (August 1997)

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Reading level: Baby-Preschool
School & Library Binding (February 1987)
Viking Press

No Fighting, No Biting by Else Homelund Minarik
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback (November 1978)
HarperTrophy

Let's Be Enemies by Janice May Udry)
Paperback Reprint edition (September 1988)
HarperTrophy

When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry...
by Molly Garrett Bang
School & Library Binding - 40 pages (March 1999)

_________________________________

ADULT RESOURCES FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION...

How to Handle Bullies, Teasers and Other Meanies: A Book That Takes Out of Name Calling and Other Nonsense
by Kate Cohen-Posey, Paperback - 91 pages (November 1995)
Rainbow Books, Inc.

Good Friends Are Hard to Find: Help Your Child Find, Make and Keep Friends by Fred H. Frankel
Paperback (September 1996)
Perspective Pub.

Teaching Conflict Resolution through Children’s Literature J. Kreidler, James Graham Hale (Contributor)
Paperback - 112 pages (December 1995)
Scholastic Trade

Getting Thru to Kids : Problem Solving With Children Ages 6 to 18
by Phillip Mountrose
Paperback - 140 pages (July 1997)
Holistic Communications

Helping Kids Resolve Conflicts Without Violence (Johnson Institute Resources for Parenting) by Carole Remboldt
Paperback (October 1996) Johnson Inst

Ready to Use Conflict Resolution Activities: Over 100 Step-by Step Lessons with Illustrated Activities -Grades K-6 by Beth Teolis
Paperback - 255 pages Spiral edition (January 1999)
Ctr for Applied Research in Educ

__________________________

BOOKS WITH AN ANTI-BULLY THEME OR MESSAGE

ADULTS  TEACHING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL  (Also great for parents!) 

• Beane, Allan. Bully Free Classroom: 100 Tips and Strategies for Teachers K-8.
• Brddulph, Steve. Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different - And How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men.
• Cappello, Dominic. Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Their Children About Violence.
• Coloroso, Barbara. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander.
• Cooper, Scott. Sticks and Stones. Seven Ways Your Child Can Deal with Teasing, Conflict and Other HardTimes.
• Davis, Stan. Schools Where Everyone Belongs: Practical Strategies for Reducing Bullying.
• Fried, SuEllen and Paula Fried. Bullies, Targets & Witnesses: Helping Children Break the Pain Chain. Available from STOP Violence Online Store.
• Garrity, Carla, et al. Bully-Proofing Your School. (303) 651-2829.
• Gurian, Michael. The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men.
• Gurian, Michael. The Wonder of Boys.
• Kar-Morse, Robin and Meredith S. Wiley. Ghosts from the Nursery.
• Kindlon, Daniel, Michael Thompson, et. al. Raising Cain.
• Kraizer, Sheryll. The Safe Child Book: A Commonsense Approach to Protecting Children and Teaching Children to Protect Themselves.
• Northway-Ogden, Sally. Words Will Never Hurt Me: Helping Kids Handle Teasing, Bullying and Putdowns.
• Olweus, Dan. Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do.
• Pipher, Mary, Ph.D. The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families.
• Pipher, Mary, Ph.D. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls.
• Rindler, Nancy. Quit It: Teacher’s Guide on Teasing and Bullying for Use with Students in Grades K–3.
• Thompson, Michael, Ph.D. Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children.
• Urban, Hal. Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things I Want My Kids to Know.
• Zarzour, Kim. Facing the School Yard Bully
  _________________________________________

 FOR ADULTS TEACHING MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL

• Canada, Geoffrey. Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun.
• Delpit, Lisa D. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom.
• Lantieri, Linda. Waging Peace in Our Schools.
• Garbarino, James. The Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent.
• Hersch, Patricia. A Tribe Apart: A Journey Into the Heart of American Adolescence.
• Kivel, Paul and Allan Creighton. Helping Teens Stop Violence: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Educators, and Parents.
• Mathias, Barbara. 40 Ways To Raise a Non-racist Child.
• Nuwer, Frank. The Hazing Reader.
• Pollack, William. Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood.
• Shaw, James, Ph.D. Jack & Jill: Why They Kill.
• Seeter & Grant. Making Choices for Multicultural Education: Five Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender.
• Simmons, Rachel. Odd Girl Out.
• Simmons, Rachel. Odd Girl Speaks Out.
• Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence.

________________________________

ANTI BULLY/ACCEPTENCE BOOKS FOR KIDS TO READ OR BE READ TO

...AGES 4-8

• Burnett, Karen Gedig. Simon’s Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-Downs.
• Carle, Eric. The Grouchy Ladybug.
• Carlson, Nancy. How To Loose All Your Friends .
• Cosby, Bill. The Meanest Thing to Say.
• Couric, Katie. The Brand New Kid.
• Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses.
• Golenbock, Peter. Teammates.
• Hammerseng, Kathryn M. Telling Isn’t Tattling.
• Hood, Susan. Too Small Paul, Too Tall Paul.
• Lovell, Patty. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.
• Ludy, Mark. The Grump.
• Madonna. The English Roses.
• McCain, Becky Ray. Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story About Bullying.
• Munson, Dereck. Enemy Pie.
• Naylor, Phyllis. King of the Playground.
• O’Neill, Alexis. The Recess Queen.
• Polacco, Patricia. Thank you, Mr. Falker .
• Shapiro, Lawrence. Betty Stops the Bully .
• Silbert, Linda. I’ll Be Your Best Friend .
• Surat, Michelle. Angel Child, Dragon Child .
• Thomas, Pat. Stop Picking On Me: A First Look at Bullying.

________________

...AGES 9-12

• Bosch, Carl. Bully On the Bus.
• Cohen-Posey, Kate. How to Handle Bullies, Teasers and Other Meanies.
• Howe, James. The Misfits.
• Kaufman, Gershen and Lev Raphael. Stick Up for Yourself: Every Kid’s Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem.
• Ludwig, Trudy. My Secret Bully.
• Polacco, Patricia. Chicken Sunday.
• Romain, Trevor. Cliques, Phonies and Other Baloney.
• Stoltz, Mary. The Bully of Barkham.
• Verdick, Elizabeth. Bullies Are a Pain In the Brain.
• Yee, John William. The Bully Buster Book.
• Zier, Joan. Stick Boy.

______________________

FOR ADOLESCENTS

• Devillers, Julia. GirlWise: How to Be Confident, Capable, Cool and In Control.
• Duvall, Lynn. Repecting Our Differences: A Guide to Getting Along in a Changing World.
• Flake, Sharon. The Skin I’m In.
• Marsh, Cassady. Great Scenes From Minority Playwrights: Seventy-Four Scenes of Cultural Diversity.
• Roberts, Anita. SafeTeen: Powerful Alternatives to Violence.
• Shandler, Sara. Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self.

NEW BOOK!
DEAR ANJALI
Author: Haber, Melissa Glenn

Review Date: June 15, 2010
Publisher:Aladdin
Pages: 288
Price ( Hardback ): $16.99
Publication Date: July 6, 2010
ISBN ( Hardback ): 978-1-4169-9599-9
Category: Fiction

Grief, bullying and friendships are the focus of this layered, complex tale from Haber. When her best friend Anjali dies as a result of a stunningly brief illness, Meredith is set adrift. The ensuing tale unfolds in the first person, interspersed by letters Meredith writes to Anjali; poignantly, she leaves typed missives around her room for Anjali to “read” because “…it wasn’t like she left a forwarding address.” When her secret crush, Noah, joins Meredith in grieving for Anjali, a tentative bond is formed. However, a less appealing aspect of the girls’ friendship is uncovered when the truth of Noah’s relationship with Anjali and her traitorous friendship with Meredith’s arch-nemesis Wendy is revealed. With a perspicacity beyond her years, Meredith comes to terms with Anjali’s transgressions in a way that honors the finer points of their relationship but no longer leaves Meredith feeling diminished. This empowering tale is a great read for readers navigating the precarious waters of adolescent friendships. (Fiction. 9-13)

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 Kids like~

 

• FOUR TO SIX AGE bracket:
  Buy books that combine bright, interesting pictures with a story line that keeps children interested. Popular books for young children include books with stories about families and day-to- day events. This is because children enjoy associating what they read with their own lives.

• SCHOOL-AGE:
  They can't wait to learn how to read. They still enjoy having someone read to them, but they will be ready to try out their own skills. Some stories they usually like are about adventures, mysteries, and fantasy.

• OLDER YOUTH:
  Reading well on their own want to read books that are longer and have a subject matter that keeps them entertained for long periods of time. The Harry Potter books are of course some of the most requested books in the children's literature market today.

Other themes of books that older children will appreciate are books where the protagonist solves a problem through the mastery of personal power. These types of books appeal to older children since it gives them a feeling of self control and personal growth. Of course, youth may not think of what they read in such a way, but they will still be reaping the benefits of positive and well written literature.
Adapted from: articlecips.com

 

__________________
 •  DID YOU KNOW...
BEING A BOOKWORM GIVES BRAINPOWER?
From the "Readl Age website" of Michael Roizen, MD, and Dr.Mehmet Oz (The well-known doctors often seen on OPRAH ...)

"Being a bookworm doesn’t just make you smart. It makes you mentally tough. It builds so much cognitive reserve that bookworms’ brains may be bolstered against bad things like pollution and toxins.

On cognitive tests, book lovers outperform people with lower reading levels. No surprise there. But the big news is that people who read regularly - may develop a "cognitive reserve." What’s that mean? That they’ve got extra brainpower to keep the mind rolling when brain cells are under attack........
If your looking at this post--that means you!"

 

 

 

FYI***Help children in your program discover the joy of owning a new book through First Book, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide children from LOW INCOME FAMILIES with their own new first book.

If your organization is interested in receiving books through First Book, go to First Book and click on the "Receive Books" tab.

 

___________________________

 

 

 TIPS FOR PARENTS

TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO READ...

 

The successful parent employs a variety of strategies to encourage a child to read, and to keep reading.
Here are proven techniques you can use to teach your child that reading is valuable and enjoyable:

  • Set a good example as a reader - let kids see you reading every day.
 
  • Get a subscription in his or her name to an age-appropriate magazine for your child. When relatives and others ask for gift ideas, suggest magazine subscriptions, books, or a book store gift certificate.
 
  • Make reading fun - a time that you and your children look forward to spending together.
 
Check out The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (New York: Penguin Books, 1995). It's loaded with fun tips and reading recommendations.
 
  • Keep lots of books, magazines, and newspapers around the house. Visit the library often and shop for books at garage and yard sales, swap meets, and used bookstores.
 
  • Don't fret if "Captain Underpants" has captivated your child rather than Robinson Crusoe. The important thing: he's reading! Encourage it and he's likely to move on to more sophisticated titles as he gets older. Tips from: www.nea.org

________________________

 TIPS FOR READING TO YOUNG SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN (K-Gr.3)
Your child has started school, but he still needs you to read to him at home. Your child will do better in school, and you'll enjoy the time spent together. Here are helpful tips for reading to and with young children in school, kindergarten through third grade:
 
• Keep reading to your child even when he can read. Read books that are too difficult or long for him to read alone.
 
• Try reading books with chapters and talk about what is happening in the story. Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next, and connect characters or events to those in other books and stories.
 
• Talk with your child about reading preferences that are beginning to develop. Ask whether she likes adventure stories, mysteries, science fiction, animal stories, or stories about other children. Encourage her to explain the reasons for preferences.
 
• Talk with your child about favorite authors and help him find additional books by those authors.
 
• Take turns reading a story with your child. Don't interrupt to correct mistakes that do not change the meaning.
 
• Talk about the meaning of new words and ideas introduced in books. Help your child think of examples of new concepts.

• Talk with your child about stories using the notions of the beginning, middle, and end of the story to organize thinking and discussion.
 
• Ask your child to tell why a character might have taken a specific action. Ask for information from the story to support her answer.
 
• Enjoy yourself and have fun. The most important thing you can do to help your child become a successful reader is communicate that reading is valuable and enjoyable.

____________________ 

TIPS IN READING TO CHILDREN IN GRADES FOUR TO SIX
It is critical that your child keeps reading and being read to at this age. Young readers need to become practiced at reading, and the only way to get good at it -- is to practice!

Helpful tips for reading to and with children in grades four through six:
• Take turns reading a book with your child.
 
• Ask your child to compare a book to another familiar book. How are the characters alike or different? Do the stories take place in similar settings? How are the illustrations the same or different?
 
• ASK:
Ask what part of the story or book your child liked best and why.
Ask if your child liked the ending of the story. Why or why not?
Ask your child what type of mood the story or chapter in a book creates.
Ask how the author creates the mood. For example, does she use certain words, events, or settings that create a particular feeling? If your child has read more than one book by the same author, ask how the books are similar or different.
From: www.nea.org

 

•  LOOKING FOR NEW GAMES? Check out
Chicken and Noodle Games: 141 Fun Activities with Innovative Equipment  by John Byl, Herwig Baldauf, Pat Doyle, & Andy Raithby

 

 •  Increase physical activity while having fun by introducing innovative games using easy-to-find, inexpensive equipment such as pool noodles, sponges, rubber chickens, and tennis balls in non-traditional ways. These creative games require minimal organization and offer an opportunity to include children of all ages and abilities.
Can be purchased at School Age Notes and Amazon 

 

 

YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITES

 •  "Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf" by Jennifer L. Holm
(Grades 5-8) $12.99
The story is told through pages of “stuff”…it’s the story of Ginny Davis’s 7th grade year. Instead of traditional text-there are school schedules----handwritten notes, instant messages, and bank statements. Recommended as the perfect book for reluctant readers. I have it for older kids and they like it... From Sarah in Oakbrook

 

 •  The book I go to most frequently to find good books is "How to Get Your Child to Love Reading" by Esme Raji Codell.
I often do themed units (for example, one year we studied each continent of the world) and this book is great because it breaks down lists of books by theme, and even notes which are for older readers, etc. From Giraffe Lady in Saginaw, Mi.

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 __________________________________

The Center for School Change (n.d.) lists the following ways that parents can become involved in schools:

 

COME TO SCHOOL TO ASSIST

1.  Share information with a student or class about a hobby.
 
2.  Share information with a student or a class about a career.
 
3.  Share information with students about a country you visited or lived in.
 
4.  Tutor one or a small group of students in reading, math, or other area.
 
5.  Help coach an athletic team.
 
6.   Help check a student's written work.
 
7. Help put out a school or classroom newsletter (can also be done at home).
 
8.  Help sew or paint a display.
 
9.  Help build something (such as a loft in a classroom or new playground).
 
10. Help students work on a final exhibition or project (can also be done at home or workplace).
 
11. Help answer the schools' phone.
 
12. Help plan a new playground for the school.

13. Help plan a theme-based presentation for students.
 
14. Help present a theme-based program for students.
 
15. Demonstrate cooking from a particular country or culture to students.
 
16. Share a particular expertise with faculty (such as use of computers, dealing with disruptive students).
 
17. Help students plan and build an outdoor garden or other project to beautify the outside of the school.
 
18. Help coach students competing in an academic competition (such as Odyssey of the Mind, Future Problem Solving, Math Masters).
 
19. Help bring senior citizens to school to watch a student production.

 
HELP ARRANGE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY

1. Help set up an internship or apprenticeship for a student at your business, organization, or agency.
2. Host a one-day 'shadow study' for one or a small group of students about your career in business or some other organization. 3. Go on a local field trip with a teacher and a group of students.
4. Go on an extended (3-5 day) cross-country field trip with a teacher & students.
5. Contact a particular local business or organization regarding possible cooperation.*
6. Help to create a natural area outside the building where students can learn.

 
SERVE ON AN ADVISORY OR DECISION-MAKING COMMITTEE

1. Serve on the school-wide site council.
2. Serve on a school committee that reports to the site council.
3. Serve on a district committee representing the school.
4. Serve as an officer in the school's PTA.
5. Help organize a parent organization for the school.
6. Help design a parent and or student survey for the school.
7. Help conduct and or tabulate results of a parent survey regarding the school.

 
SHARE INFORMATION OR ADVOCATE FOR THE SCHOOL

1. Serve as a member of a 'telephone tree' to distribute information quickly.
2. Write a letter to legislators about the school.
3. Write a letter to school board members about the school.
4. Go to a school board meeting to advocate for the school.
5. Go to another school to provide information about this school.
6. Help design a brochure or booklet about the school.
7. Help translate information from the school into a language other than English.
8. Help translate at a parent-teacher conference for people who don't speak English well.
9. Provide transportation to a parent-teacher conference for a parent who needs a ride.
10. Write an article for publication in a magazine about the school's activities.
11. Help arrange for a political leader (mayor, city council, state representative, member of Congress) to visit the school.
12. Increase financial resources available to the school.

 

HELP WRITE A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD BRING NEW RESOURCES TO THE SCHOOL

1. Donate materials to the school.
2. Arrange for a business or other organization to donate materials to the school.
3. Help with a fundraiser for the school.
4. Help other parents develop their parenting skills.
5. Help teach a class for parents on ways they can be stronger parents.
6. Help produce a videotape for parents on ways they can be more effective parents.
7. Help write, publish, and distribute a list of parenting tips."

Source: North Central Regional Educational Libraary
This list is not copyrighted; readers may reproduce it for their own use.

 

You will find the following resources in Poems and Quotes for Teachers. 

 

Click here for The Little Boy~Are you Squashing your Children's Creativity? (A wonderful lesson by Poem)

Click here  for Poetry, Verse, and Cool Things for Teachers

Click here for 72 Quotes for Teachers and Trainers

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Share the verse below with caregivers, teachers and parents! They're wonderful to include in a newsletter, print on pretty paper, give to staff... or  post at your information center. Some like the first one are fun for yourself!

FROM A BRAND NEW TEACHER
Author Unknown

Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. Not only that, but I'm to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity and behaviorally modify disruptive behavior. I've got to teach them good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook and how to apply for a job.

I am to check their heads occasionally for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of potential antisocial behavior, offer advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and scholarships, encourage a respect for cultural diversity of others.

I am required by my contract to be working on my own time (summers and evenings) and at my own expense toward additional certification, advanced certification, and a Master's degree. I am to attend committee and faculty meetings, and participate in staff development training to maintain  my current certification and employment status.

I am to be a paragon of virtue larger than life, such that my very presence will awe my students into being obedient and respectful of authority.

I am to purchase supplies, room decorations, bulletin board supplies, supplies for children who can't afford them, and luxury items such as scissors, glue, scotch tape, paper clips, notebook paper, red pens, and markers with my own money as there is no money in the budget for these items. I'm to do all this with just a piece of chalk, a few books, and a bulletin board, and on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps in many states...

Is THAT all?

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BEHAVIOR LABELING
By Dixie Fletcher

If an adult is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it recognition.
If a child is reinforced for behaving appropriately we call it bribery.

If an adult laughs we call it socializing.
If a child laughs we call it misbehaving.

If an adult writes in a book we call it doodling.
If a child writes in a book we call it destroying property.

If an adult sticks to something we call it perseverance.
Of a child sticks to something we call it stubbornness.

If an adult seeks help we call it consulting.
If a child seeks help we call it whining.

If an adult is not paying attention we call it preoccupation.
Of a child is not paying attention we call it distractibility.

If an adult forgets something we call it absent mindedness.
If a child forgets something we call it attention deficit.

If an adult tells his side of a story we call it clarification.
If a child tells his side of a story we call it talking back.

If an adult raise his voice in anger we call it maintaining control.
If a chiild raises his voice in anger we call it a temper tantrum.
If an adult hits a child we call it discipline.
If a child hits a child we call it fighting.

If an adult behaves in an unusual way we call him unique.
If a child behaves in an unusual way we call him in for a
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATUON.

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BETWEEN TEACHER AND CHILD
Dr. Haim G. Ginott
I have come to a frightening conclusion.
I am the decisive element in the classroom.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

As a teacher
I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis
will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.

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EIGHT REASONS TO BECOME AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

1. Cute little children...cute little paychecks.
2. Confidence that you will never ever forget how to count to ten.
3. You get to sing your favorite songs over and over and over again.
4. Play, play, play!
5. With all this bending who needs aerobics?
6. Your classroom art is proudly displayed in many kitchen galleries.
7. Small hands...large crayons.
8. You get to make the little ones count.
Author Unknown

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BUTTERFLY IN THE WIND
Author unknown
A child is a butterfly in the wind,
Some can fly higher than others;
But each one flies the best it can.
Why compare one against the other?
Each one is different!
Each one is special!
Each one is beautiful!

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CHILDREN ARE LIKE KITES
Author Unknown
You spend years trying to get them off the ground.
You run with them until you are both breathless.
They crash ... they hit the roof ... you patch, comfort and assure them that someday they will fly.

Finally, they are airborne. They need more string, and you keep letting it out.
They tug, and with each twist of the twine, there is sadness that goes with joy.
The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long
before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together
and will soar as meant to soar... free and alone.
Only then do you know that you have done your job.

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CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
Dr. Dorothy Law Nolte
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with security, they learn faith.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with acceptance, and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.

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DON'T BELIEVE ME! PLEASE
Author Unknown
Don't be fooled by me. Don't be fooled by the face I wear.
For I wear a thousand masks and few of them are me.
I give the impression that I'm secure, that all is unruffled within me.
That confidence is my name and coolness my game.
That the water's calm and I'm in command.
But don't believe me. Please.
Beneath dwells the real me, confused and afraid.
I'm afraid your glance will lack acceptance and love.

So begins the parade of masks-and my life becomes a front.
I chatter to you idly, suavely.
I tell you everything that is really nothing and nothing of what is everything.
When I'm going through my routine, don't be fooled.
Please listen carefully and hear what I'm not saying.
I dislike hiding. I really do.
Please hold out your hand, even when that's the last thing I seem to want.
Because each time you're kind, gentle, and encouraging
I get braver,
closer to leaving
the masks
behind
one
by one.

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FINGERPRINTS (To use for handprint or print art)
Author Unknown
Sometimes you get discouraged,
because I am so small
And leave my little fingerprints
On furniture and walls.

But everyday I'm growing
And soon will be so tall
That all these little fingerprints
Will be difficult to recall.

So here's a little handprint
That you can put away
So you will know how my fingers looked
On this special day.

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 GOD MADE TEACHERS
Author Unknown
God understood our thirst for knowledge, and our need to be led  by someone wiser;
He needed a heart of compassion, of encouragement, and patience;
Someone who would accept the challenge regardless of the opposition;
Someone who could see potential and believe in the best in others . . .
So He made Teachers

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GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE...
THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED
No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. If your sister hits you, don't hit her back;
they always catch the second person. Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato. You can't trust dogs to watch your food. Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot. Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair. Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac. Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time. School lunches stick to the wall. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts. The best place to be when you are sad is in Grandma's lap.

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HUMAN FAMILY
By Maya Angelou
I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.
We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

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IF I HAD MY CHILD TO RAISE OVER AGAIN
By Diane Loomans
If I had to raise my child all over again,
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting,
I'd take my eyes of my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I'd run through more fields, and gaze more at stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love. From the book, Full Esteem Ahead,
100 Ways to Build Self Esteem in Children & Adults

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ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW
Author Unknown
One hundred years from now
It won't matter
What kind of car I drove...

What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in the bank
Nor what my cloths looked like
BUT
The world may be a little better
Because, I was important
In the life of a child.

Teacher's Prayer
Author Unknown

Lord, Please help me,
To strengthen their voices,
bodies and minds,
To express their feelings and
control them sometimes,
To explore what's near
and venture afar,
But most important to love
who they are.

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THE ROSE
Author Unknown
When we plant a rose seed in the earth
We notice that it is small, but we do not
Criticize it as rootless and stem-less. We treat it as a seed, giving the water
And nourishment required of a seed.

When it first shoots up out of the earth,
We don't condemn it as immature and underdeveloped;
Nor do we criticize the buds for not being open as they appear.
We stand in wonder at the process taking place
And give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development.

The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed
To the time it dies.
Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential.
It seems to be constantly in the process of change;
Yet at each state, at each moment,
It is perfectly all right as it is.

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 TO EVERY PARENT
Author unknown
There are little eyes upon you,
And they are watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly take
In every word you say;
There are little hands all eager to do
Everything you do,
And a little child who's dreaming of
The day he'll be like you.

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TEEN CREED
Author Unknown
Don't let your parents down,They brought you up.
Be humble enough to obey, You may give orders someday.
Choose companions with care, You become what they are.
Guard your thoughts, What you think, you are.
Choose only a date, Who would make a good mate.
Be master of your habits, Or they will master you.
Don't be a show off when you drive, Drive with safety and arrive.
Don't let the crowd pressure you, Stand for something-
Or you'll fall for anything.

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UNITY
By Ray A. Lingenfelter
I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child's mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher:
the tools she used were books and music and art;
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.
And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
could never be sold or bought!
And each agreed she would have failed
if she had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher stood the home!

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A YOUNG PERSON'S BILL OF RIGHTS
Author Unknow

• I have a right to live rather than merely exist.

• I have a right to personhood rather than being an object of possession.

• I have a right to equality with every other human being regardless of age.

• I have a right to be respected as a human being.I have a right to be uniquely myself with my own identity.

• I have a right to speak my thoughts and feelings, and to be heard.

• I have a right to ask "why?" and to receive and answerI have a right to receive discipline without insults, yelling and put-downs.

• I have a right to be encouraged to grow to maturity at my own pace.

• I have a right to bfree of physical harm at the hands of others.I have a right to be loved for who I am.

• I have a right to think for myself and, with guidance, to make my own decisions.

• I have a right to be responsible for myself.I have a right to feel joy, happiness, sorrow, bereavement, and pain.

• I have a right to my achievements and a right to my mistakes.

• I have a right to care and be cared for, to give and to receive.

• I have a right to develop my own convictions, beliefs and standards.I have a right to know and experience personal freedom.

• I have a right to my own body, mind, and spirit.

• I have a responsibility to recognize and accept the rights of others regarding their Bill Of Right.

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YOU KNOW YOU'RE A TEACHER WHEN...

You repeat everything you say to your friends at least
five times.

You think of the new year starting in August.

You tell your husband to spit out his gum.

Your favorite place to shop is the teacher’s bookstore.

You can eat an entire meal in 20 minutes or less.

The neighbor’s trash looks like something you can recycle for your classroom.

You count all your Valentine Day cards and smile.

You pick up a handful of napkins in a restaurant.

Your wardrobe is covered in paint.

You wake up in the middle of the night and say, "Who’s talking?"

Other people joke that it must be nice to have three
months of vacation.

You are afraid to take a sick day because the sub doesn't know your kids like you do.

Johnny swears and you smile because it was a grammatically correct sentence.
Author Unknown

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 101  WAYS TO PRAISE A CHILD Author Unknown

Wow!  ♥   Way to go!  ♥  Super!  ♥  You're Special ♥  Outstanding!  ♥  Excellent!  ♥  Great! ♥  Good! ♥  Neat!  ♥  Well done! ♥  Remarkable! ♥  I knew you could do it!  ♥  I'm proud of you! ♥   Fantastic!  ♥  Super Star! ♥   Nice work!  ♥  Looking good! ♥   You're on top of it!  ♥  Beautiful! ♥   Now you're flying!   ♥  You're catching on! ♥   Now you've got it!  ♥  You're incredible!  ♥  Bravo!  ♥  You're fantastic!  ♥  Hurray for you!   ♥  You're on target!  ♥  You're on your way! ♥   How nice! ♥   How smart! ♥  Good job!  ♥  That's incredible!  ♥ Hot dog! ♥   Dynamite! ♥  You're beautifu! ♥  You're unique!  ♥  Nothing can stop you now! ♥  Good for you! ♥   I like you!  ♥  You're a winner!   ♥  Remarkable job! ♥   Beautiful work!   ♥  Spectacular!  ♥   You're spectacular!  ♥  You're darling! ♥   You're precious! ♥   Great discovery!  ♥  You've discovered the secret! ♥   You figured it out! ♥   Fantastic job! ♥   Super job! ♥   Hip, hip, hooray!  ♥  Bingo!  ♥   Magnificent!  ♥  Marvelous!  ♥  Terrific!  ♥  You're important!  ♥   Phenomenal! ♥  You're sensational!  ♥  Super work!  ♥  Creative job!  ♥  Super job! ♥   Fantastic job! ♥   Exceptional performance!  ♥  You're a real trooper!  ♥  You are responsible! ♥   You are exciting!  ♥  You learned it right!  ♥  What an imagination!  ♥   What a good listener!  ♥  You are fun!  ♥  You're growing up!  ♥   Your tried hard! ♥   You care! ♥   Beautiful sharing! ♥   Outstanding performance! ♥   You're a good friend! ♥   I trust you! ♥   You're important! ♥   You mean a lot! ♥   You make me happy! ♥   You belong!  ♥  You've got a friend!  ♥  You make me laugh!  ♥  You brighten my day!  ♥   I respect you!  ♥   You mean the world to me!  ♥  That's correct!  ♥   You're a joy!  ♥   You're a treasure!  ♥   You're wonderful!  ♥   You're just about perfect!  ♥   Awesome! ♥   A+ job!  ♥   You're  A-O.K! ♥   My buddy!  ♥   You made my day! ♥   That's the best!  ♥   A big hug!  ♥  A big kiss!  ♥   I love you! ♥

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THE CRAYON BOX THAT TALKED
Poem by: Shane DeRolf

While walking into a toy store the day before today
I overheard a crayon box with many things to say
"I don't like Red!" said Yellow and Green said "Nor do I"
"And no one here likes Orange but no one knows just why"

 "We are a box of crayons that doesn't get along
Said Blue to all the others "Something here is wrong"
Well, I bought that box of crayons and took it home with me
And laid out all the colors so the crayons all could see
 
They watched me as I colored with Red and Blue and Green
And Black and White and Orange and every color in between
They watched as Green became the grass and Blue became the sky
The Yellow sun was shining bright on White clouds drifting by
 
Colors changing as they touched becoming something new
They watched me as I colored - they watched me till I was through
And when I finally finished I began to walk away
And as I did the crayon box had something more to say
 
"I do like Red!" said Yellow and Green said, "so do I"
And Blue you were terrific! So high up in the sky
"We are a box of crayons each one of us unique

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WOULDN'T IT BE TERRIBLE...?
A Poem that Might work with one of your Diversity Activities...

Wouldn't it be terrible? Wouldn't it be sad?
If just one single color was the color that we had?
If everything was purple? Or red? Or blue? Or green?
If yellow, pink, or orange was all that could be seen?
Can you just imagine how dull world would be
If just one single color was all we got to see?

Visit the portion of the DIVERSITY Category for activity that goes with above poems...

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