Saturday, December 28, 2019

Gifting’s Last Step: “Thank you”

  “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”  Cicero

Develop Awareness of Gratitude and Thoutfulness 
  Teaching children to be appreciative of others is an important goal. However, helping children learn to value the attention and gifts from others is a big task. It takes time and effort. To develop this awareness families can lead by being good models : saying thank you and writing thank you notes in front of them.
Encouraging “Thanks”
  As our children’s first teachers, families can encourage children to foster a sense of gratitude and to practice the art of being aware of the feelings of others.
Learning to be appreciative, to say “thank you”, “ I’m sorry “, or to give a compliment, can develop naturally over time as young children listen to the conversations of others.  By making the effort to explain why you are saying these things and by coaching kids to remember to respond politely, you are helping foster awareness of feelings and a habit of kindness.
Practicing “Thanks” 
Sending Postcards are Easy and Fun!
   Many children need some practice with an adult to counter the natural inclination to ask for more and more or to ignore or make hurtful statements about gifts they don’t like.  This situation is a perfect time to reflect about feelings, and to think about words or actions that make others feel appreciated.  Often, a quick phone call or Facetime session to send a “thank you” or “sorry” message is welcomed.
Writing “Thanks”
  As Albert Schweitzer says, “At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
While a verbal “thank you” or “please” is a good first step, many parents, friends or relatives are happy to receive a little card or note from a child. All you need are  paper, crayons or markers, and an envelope. Or, postcards are really easy to write and fun to sent! 
Reading List for Appreciation and Feelings
In a quiet moment, help your child think about a special gift item or perhaps a gift of time or attention.  Make it a little project to write or draw a picture, address an envelope, and send it off to the gift giver. An old card turned into a post card works, too. Very young children can draw and decorate, then dictate a simple sentence and print their name. Older children can practice their cursive, an important skill to be able to read the cursive of others across the generations.
  Some books about feelings, being thankful, and how can we help others to feel appreciated and happy include: “Lots of Feelings” by Shelley Rotner, “Feelings”  by Aliki, and ” The Thankful Book”  by Todd Parr. 


For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and pod casts; Pinterest, Facebook, You Tube since 2009
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Simple Activities Fun in Snow

“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the snow.”  Aristotle 

   
Make Your Own Path in the Snow
Dashing around for twenty minutes or holding hands and making your own path in a snowy yard is a welcome break for children and adults in winter.  The fun makes the hassle of bundling worth it.
Quick and Easy
  One simple activity is making snow faces on tree trunks. Even if snow doesn’t pack well preschool children can press hands full of snow on trees to sketch eyes, nose, ears, and smiles. They also make good snowball targets. If the snow doesn’t pack well take a plastic tub of snow into the house for 20 minutes to increase the temperature and make the snow packable. Hula hoops placed flat in the snow or leaned against a tree are also good targets for snowball toss games.
  Children can make snowballs and turn them into small 
Make Snow Faces on Tree Trunks
snowmen villages with houses, cars, dogs, trees, flowers, mountains, and rivers. Fill up some spray bottles with water and  a little food coloring. The children can add color to their villages scenes. They can make decorations or modern art paintings with stripes and geometric shapes around the back yard. You can also take cake pans packed with snow into the house and children can paint with water colors and small paint brushes.  They will blend together and make beautiful art as they melt.
Camera Action 
  You can bring a camera outside and take close ups of icicles and tree branches. Then go inside and draw with pencils on white paper or chalk on black paper. 
  Turn a cardboard box into a sled. Break it into a rectangle shape and duct tape the sled.  If there are no long hills in your yard, make one from a pile in your yard. Young children don’t need much of a decline. You can take smart phone videos of children sledding and running around for relatives 
Take Photos and Draw Icicles and Branches Later
who are far away. Teens will show you how to send them.
Snow Maze
  Turn your yard into a snow maze. Stomp down lanes of snow with dead ends. Kids can  blow bubbles and let one freeze on a wand. Can they carry it through the maze before it breaks? The maze might end at a snow house safely made out of snow balls and filled with snow furniture.
   Almost any game like tag, baseball, tennis, and catch played in the summer can be played in the winter for a short time before heading inside for hot chocolate
For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and Google wnmufm.org/ Learning Through the seasons live on Tuesdays at 4:30 during the NPR news break and Saturdays at 8:30 am, plus pod casts on the station’s web site. 
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Swedish Snolykta Spreads Light

  “You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world.” 
 Oprah
  
...find what sparks a light in you...Snolykta!!
When the days are short and darkness is long, the Swedish people make their own light. One of their proverbs is “Those who wish to sing always find a song.” Those who want light and happiness will make their own even in the darkness of winter. Their shortest days now are about six hours.
  One of the first structures Swedish children learn to build is a snolykta pronounced sno-lik-ta.  It is symbolic for many things. One is that great light shines in all of us. A snolykta or snow lantern is a cone made of large snow balls, with many tea lights in the center. They can be large, small, tall and thin or short and squat. Sometimes the top is left open like a volcano.  Other times a person of honor, perhaps the youngest child or the oldest relative places the last ball on the top.
Packing Snow
  To make a snolykta, children need snow that packs. If snow is powdery, shovel it into several plastic storage containers and bring snow inside to warm up. The snow either needs a lot of pressure or an increase in temperature.  Changing the temperature is easier. You can start making snowballs 
Step One: Make the Snowballs!
indoors about five to six inches in diameter and take them outside before they stick together.
  Choose a place in the yard where children will be able to see the snolykta from windows at night. Remove snow from the area where you want the snolykta to be placed. They can be two or more feet in diameter. Like snowmen, you can make a family of them or line the sidewalk as a welcoming display for guests.
Shining Light
  A large three- foot diameter family sized snolykta will require more than a hundred large snowballs. Young children can make a small one with less than 30 snow balls. Start by making a circle of snowballs on the ground. You’ll need a perfect circle which is a little math problem.  What will the children do to make a perfect circle since an oval will not look the same? Do you have any big circles around the house to use for a pattern? Children can also use a center spike and a string to make a circle. 
Step Two: Pile in smaller layers - leave spaces for the light
Outline of the snolykta with snow balls and make each succeeding layer slightly indented toward the center.  Leave spaces between the balls for light to shine through. Place many tea lights inside the snolykta on the ground next to the balls and cap with a large snowball, if you wish.
For more family fun see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com;wnmufm.org/LearningThroughthe Seasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.
Photos: Snolykta1 - Ulkl - Ulf Klingström
             Fran Darling, fdarling fotos




Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Stories Will Link Generations


Family Conversations and Stories Help Readers
Children who are successful readers have many stories read and told to them. They have family conversations about a wide variety of subjects including their culture and ancestors. Young children may not understand every nuance of the stories now, but they will later.
  Family gatherings provide perfect opportunities to tell about parents and grandparents growing up.  Storytelling is the first exposure to history and the stories of people they love. Most important, if family stories are passed on, they are not lost.
  One generation passes on the family’s values, morals, and religion through stories. They are family lessons of kindness, sharing, perseverance, courage, and triumph over difficulty. Some are just funny.
Grandpa and Lombardi
   Grandparents can help pass on little tips that make growing up a bit easier. One Grandpa grew up in Green Bay and took his bike to watch Vince Lombardi and the Packers practice. He watched the great team up close, but he was always careful not to use the same words Coach used or he would have his mouth washed out with soap. Lesson: Be your own person and be smart about what you say.
Telling Stories Takes Practice
   Telling stories takes a little practice. You can start with a story you know well. Perhaps your grandparents told you some stories.  Think back to an encounter with an animal, an experience you remember vividly, something funny, a lesson you learned, or a slightly scary story that turns out well. Use lots of description, sounds, moving around, and exaggeration.
  There might be a favorite book, Aesop’s fable, legend, or Bible story that teaches a lesson you want children to remember.   Another way to recall stories is to take out old family pictures and tell a story about the people. These stories are great for car trips, long winter nights, family holidays, campfires, or times when children need to settle down.
Recording
Recording Stories Keeps Family Histories
  Families can use smart phones to interview grandparents so stories and voices can live on. You can have the questions written in advance and practice with the technology. Grandparents can receive questions in advance to think about their answers.  Enlist young children to press the buttons and help ask some questions. You can start with the basics. What is your name and do you know why you have it?  When were you born? What did the family do for fun? What family chores did you do?  How has technology changed?  What were your favorite foods? What is your favorite funny family story? What were your special holiday traditions? Were there any fads while growing up? Were there any special home remedies when the family got sick? The interviews can be saved on cheap jump drives and given to family members. See grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

 Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos -- in Memory of Jim McCoy, The Storyteller

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Difficult Conversations Important


NIH - DrugAbuse.gov
Are parent and child conversations getting harder and more important than ever? Every stage of growth requires important conversations.  Along the way your family has surrounded children with what Communities That Care (CTC) call Protective Factors and conversations, researched proven ways to prevent problems before they start. 
 They include: 
  • Providing a strong family unit that works together, learning a moral order, emotional control, and being volunteers to help others and receiving praise and hugs, learning a positive helpful view toward other people.
  • Providing opportunities for prosocial involvement in the community like Scouts, sports, Y, 4-H, faith based clubs, and giving recognition for prosocial involvement.  
  • At school having opportunities for participation in prosocial learning, volunteering, working hard, helping in many activities nurturing talents and potential, and receiving recognition.  
Learning Before Conversing
  And then comes the kicker. Your fifth grader is using marijuana THC and it is not like the any marijuana before. Families can go to government sites like drugabuse.gov, for trusted information to be knowledgeable before these new conversations.  Vermont Public Radio has a great article: “Marijuana’s Effects on the Developing Brain” is very helpful. Google images “brains on marijuana” has images of THC effects on the brain.
Hear and Read: Effects of Marijuana on Developing Brain
  Here is a sample of information: A child’s brain, including middle school, high school and beyond is still
 developing and highly susceptible to the chemical changes that occur in the body when substances, like THC are introduced.  It can affect decision making, concentration, and memory for days after use, especially in people who use marijuana regularly. 
  Some impacts include: Reduced school performance. Students who use marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of school than non- using peers. Usage affects attention, memory, and learning lasting for days or weeks. Children who start young are 4-7 times more likely to develop dependency. They are significantly less likely than non-using peers to finish high school or a degree. 
  Research suggests that people who use marijuana regularly for a long time are less satisfied with their lives and have more problems with friends and family compared to people who do not use marijuana.
  Marijuana impairs driving. It affects skills required for safe driving—alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time, judging distance, and reaction to signs. It’s not safe to drive high or to ride with someone using. High school seniors who use marijuana are twice as likely to receive a traffic ticket and 65% more likely to get into an accident.
Marijuana potency, measured by the percentage of THC found in confiscated samples, has risen from an average of 3.8% in the 90's to more than 50% to 80% and greater THC content today. For every tax dollar taken in, taxpayers spend $4.50 on consequences.
  Parent and child education and conversations may be the greatest of protective factors. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com.  Your Brain on Marijuana 

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Help Kids Be Healthy and Happy

During Critical Learning Years, Here's How To Help
   Children have settled into a new school year. They are growing and building confidence and skills.  During these critical learning years, adults want to be sure they are doing everything they can to help their little ones become healthy happy learners. 
   A national study indicates that there are behaviors which help young children remain healthy.
Nutrition Routine
   Eat nutritious meals six or seven times per week with the family at a table.  Good nutrition gives children the very best chance for a healthy body and a mind ready for learning.
   A study at the University College of London has a warning.  It reported that young children cared for by grandparents a significant part of the week were much more likely to be 
overweight than their peers. They are served more fatty and sugary foods and sometimes a diet of fast food and takeout meals.  Check the government recommendations at choosemyplace.gov. for guidelines about amounts and types of nutritious meals and snacks. The site suggests attractive snack fruits and vegetables and water for drinks rather than colas and sugary juices. 
Good Nutrition Starts With Routine
Monitoring Technology
  The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children under 2 years of age should experience no screen time.  Read to them. Other child health organizations advise that 1-2 hours per day should be the maximum limit for screens of any kind.  Unfortunately, many children watch in excess of 4 hours a day.  Too much screen time has been linked to obesity, irregular sleep and behavior problems. Some experts have found that violence in movies and games can lead to an acceptance of this kind of behavior in real life and spills into school and family behavior. Excessive watching means less time for exercise and imaginative play.
   Here are some suggestions from child psychologists:  Set a good example.  Eliminate background TV noise. Turn off the TV at mealtime. Talk and eat at the table. Plan which shows and how much time children may watch.  Keep technology out of the bedroom. Especially for preschoolers, parents might want to watch shows together and talk about the content. Does it meet family standards? 
Best Homework Is Done With Media Off
Best homework is done with the media off. In general, work can be finished before media time. Computers are part of life, and can be a source of discovery and learning or a source of danger. Children using a computer need to be supervised and the computer placed in a public space. Find out ways to block sites and information that you feel are inappropriate for your student. Ask yourself what is computer time replacing? Family time? Outdoor exercise? Doing a good job with homework? Reading? Helping around the house? Extracurricular activities? 
For more ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.comwnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.
Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Monday, October 7, 2019

Good Discipline is Teaching

"Discipline" Means Impart Knowledge, Skill, Setting Limits - Teaching
According to child psychologists, age appropriate good discipline is used to prevent future behavioral problems in children. The word “discipline” means imparting knowledge, skill,  teaching, and setting limits. Bad discipline, including no teaching develops children who are mean to others including siblings, do dangerous or disruptive things, and revolt as they grow.   Preschool children should be able to follow simple rules, respond to commands, have self -control to wait for things they want, and deal with frustration from not getting their own way. 
  There are many reasons for misbehavior: jealousy, a feeling they are not getting enough positive attention, frustration, stress, hunger, lack of sleep. When children misbehave, they usually get a lot of attention even though it is negative.
  Pediatricians recommend avoid yelling, hitting (spanking) or getting too worked up during episodes. These increase negative attention and reinforce that it is right to get out of control and be aggressive. 
Catch Kids Being Good
It is easier to reward and praise good behavior, to reinforce it, rather than having to change bad behavior. To promote good behavior, doctors suggest families might spend special attention time with children as often as possible.  Be very clear about expectations for children. State rules in clear and simple terms, apply reasonable consequences for 
Praise and Reward Good Behavior
misbehavior as soon as possible after the incident, make consequences brief, be consistent with your rules, and learn to ignore minor or unimportant behaviors.
   Let children know when you are happy that they are being good or have accomplished something. Avoiding power struggles by giving several simple choices, plan ahead and set up rules and expectations. Do not disciple when you are out of control.
  Some strategies that may work to improve children’s behavior include: Kindly with a soft voice allow children to see the natural consequences of actions (if they throw and break a toy, then they can't play with it); Logical consequences (if they don’t put toys away, then toys will be put away for a time);  Withholding privileges (find things that your children enjoy, playing a game, renting movies, and take them away);  A reasonable time out (one minute for every year); Age appropriate reward or token systems can also be effective for a short time in changing bad behaviors.
Count to Fifty
  When your children misbehave or are disruptive, you can remove yourself and ignore, a technique called extinction.  Walk away and breathe deeply from the stomach. 
Sometimes Just Remove Yourself - Count to 50
The approach may work for temper tantrums at home and frequent whining, or other disruptive type behaviors. Be firm, consistent, calm, kind, use a normal volume, and be loving.  Hug and talk about appropriate behavior when you are both calm.  It’s only the behaviors you don’t like, not the children. The health department has classes in your area. See grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.comwnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, live and podcasts.
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Science and Art Merge in Autumn

Teach science and art of leaves.
  Leaves are changing colors rapidly as days shorten. Families have little time left to teach young children the science and art of leaves. Soon they will be crunchy little bits. For these activities you will need a bag, variety of leaves, paintbrush or sponge, paper, paper plates, heavy books, clear packing tape, and white craft glue. Teaching the science of how leaves change color is a good way to combine art and science with common materials. While walking with children collect a bagful leaves like maple, oak, and willow. Discuss how maple trees are shaped like an open hand whereas oaks are long and thin with a few fingers sticking out.  

 Sort quickly before the leaves dry and curl and help children tape a sample leaf on each plate as a label. Take out a few leaves at a time and help children match leaves to the one on each plate. 
Science Chat
Science Conversations About Leaves


You can carry on a science conversation about attributes like kind of tree, color and shape. Explain why leaves change colors. The leaf’s main job is to make sugar food for plants to live and grow. They use part of the air called carbon dioxide, sunlight, and green color in the leaves. There are many excellent library books and free online videos to help children understand the process of photosynthesis and vocabulary. This sugar food is carried by the trunk to the roots and stored.  As sunlight hours become shorter in autumn the work slows down and a cork wall forms across the base of each leaf closing it off from the tree. The water supply is stopped so a leaf dries and dies. As it dies, green color fades so red, yellow, orange and other colors that were there all along show up. Eventually leaves turn shades brown. Older children will enjoy “leaf pigment experiments” found online to show the different hidden colors.
Dabs of Color - It's Just the Start!!

   After sorting, spray leaves with hair spray to retain color and allow to dry. Press the leaves in a thick book with a weight on top. Paper towel sheets can keep leaves from touching and damaging pages.

Science Art
   After a few days, leaves will be ready to glue onto fall pictures.  Children can make gift bookmarks by coloring strips of paper and gluing on small leaves. Adults can place clear wide packing tape on the front and back to thicken the paper bookmark. 
  Children can also dab a little red, orange, or brown poster paint or almost dry watercolor paint on leaves and press on paper to make leaf prints.  They can also make rubbings by placing a leaf under a paper and gently running a peeled crayon over the leaf. The leaf’s veins and outline will show up. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning through the Seasons.
Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Monday, August 26, 2019

Help Children Focus on Homework

Step One: Get ALL the Info to Organize
   Step one for helping children focus on school related tasks is to start with correct information. It helps to read everything the teacher sends home including textbook instruction, if needed, and the assignment book. Children may insist something absolutely must be done a certain way when it is not true.
Moving the Body and the Brain
  Before doing a task, consider a study by Faber-Taylor.  It shows that playing in a green setting helps children to focus and pay attention. Planning a little time outside in nature before sitting down to do something that requires focus helps concentrating, following directions, and completing tasks. 
  Take a little walk.  Run around the house outside a few times.  Ride a bike for ten minutes. Run, walk or jump around to help get the fidgets out and focus.
Turn off technology
Move & Prepare, No Tech, List To-Do's
   You can turn off all screens and phones and place them by a family charging station. When older children insist they can multitask with music, often the moment you are out of the room they will play a game or talk to friends.
  Before children tackle homework or anything else that takes concentration, turn off the noise of technology, unless technology is part of the the homework. If others are watching a screen or listening to music encourage ear phones or move to a quiet area to be far enough away from distraction.  Studying regularly in the same quiet place next to an adult, with an adult on call, or checking often is a good family habit.
Make a List
  Having homework and chores can overwhelm children. Help them focus on getting things done and done correctly. To avoid a melt-down make a list together and cross of the item when completed. Plan to finish projects days in advange and put that on the calendar.

Have some signals
Signal, Breathers, Habits

Take Breathers
  Homework can be exhausting. After working for 10 minutes or more depending upon the age and skill level stand up and take a drink located close by and then get back to work. Make the relaxing time short.
Develop Habits
  Child psychologists suggest we create magic moments within our family as incentives to finish tasks. Little children like a bath and talking time with a parent. Older children can take a relaxing shower, washing their hair, having a snack, brushing teeth, and reading before lights out. Playing video games, watching videos, or texting friends turns on the brain again and interferes with a great sleep.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Warren Buffett: A Good Model for Kids


Develop Principles to Guide You Through Life
  “Who do you admire?” a third grader asks his grandpa.
 “One is Warren Buffet. He has principles and principles don’t change. They are your guide to help you be happy, successful, and care for others. You are never too young to learn them.”
Find work that you love
  Even when you are very young you will boost your chance of success and happiness. Learn to like work, not sitting around being lazy. Find joy in working hard and focus on that. Any job can create satisfaction. Warren Buffet happens to like working and reading about numbers. He likes to say he’s been able to “tap dance to work.” He means he likes to do his work. Search for  things you really like in school. They are there. Pay attention in school, ask questions, volunteer, participate, discuss, and work hard. Buffet says, “I just have a great time time every day. I’m getting to do exactly what I want to do in life and it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Stay calm under pressure
   Warren Buffet avoids making emotional decisions, panicking, losing his temper, or acting out. Take deep breaths, count to ten, say a little prayer, take a walk, make a little joke, laugh it off, or chuckle and discuss later.
Don’t compromise your integrity
Never Stop Learning
  Help someone when you know it’s the right thing to do. If someone is being bullied on the playground don’t be a bystander. Tell someone of authority, speak out, or redirect the group.  If someone is lying, stealing, or cheating, get out of there. Don’t be a part of the situation.
Never stop learning
  Warren Buffet reads, learns from books and newspapers, asks questions, and thinks.  He reads 500 pages a day. Always have a couple books going—school books, fiction, and nonfiction. Have an insatiable appetite for learning. “That’s how knowledge builds up like compound interest,” Buffet says. Compound interest is when you earn money on the money you’ve already made. 
Polish your Communication Skills
  Talk in front of groups of people every chance you have. Volunteer to be in front of people. Mr. Buffett is known for his folksy way of talking about subjects so people can understand. He said he was terrified about public speaking and had to learn how to do it in a Dale Carnegie class. He faced his fears and overcame them.
Keep Life Simple
Don’t Overspend
You don’t need all that stuff. Keep life simple.
Stick to Your Principles
   Think for yourself. Don’t always follow your friends. Your parents and faith have taught you right from wrong. Some books to read are Becoming Warren Buffett by Roger Lowenstein; IBD Buffett article by Adam Shell, for adults; The Tale of Tortoise Buffett by Lucas Remmerswaal, for kids; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; Facebook and Pinterest.
Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos