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

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

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