Parent Newsletters - Issue 3

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 3/ February 25/06

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
2. YOUR CHILD’S IMAGINATION
3. PLANTING FLOWERS (THE POWER OF POSITIVE THOUGHT)
4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS
5 TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
7. SPONSORS

1. Welcome to issue 3 of our kidsgoals newsletter.

Our aim is to help you help your child get the best possible start in life by sharing information and stories about successful parents and successful kids!

In this issue you will read about the power of the mind and how having a more positive attitude yourself can be a great benefit to your child. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. Check out the article on how to fuel your child’s imagination and keep his/her creativity flowing.

Cassie and I are over the moon about the positive feedback we have received thus far about our newsletter and the kidsgoals.com website in general. We thank you for your continued support. Please help us by emailing Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com with your questions, comments and suggestions for future issues.

Monicka (Editor).

2. YOUR CHILD'S IMAGINATION

The child’s imagination – what a powerful force!

A child’s imagination is untamed. Parenting should not tame it but encourage it. Your child can use his imagination for play, for goal setting and much more.

Here are some parenting tips for encouraging imagination and imaginative play in your child.

1. Music and Imagination

Listen to a classical song with your child. Close your eyes together and ask your child to use her imagination to create a story in her mind to go along with the music.

2. Art and Imagination

Dress your child in a smock and give him a safe place to paint, where he can really get into creating without you worrying about the mess. Now encourage him to use lots of colours! Rather than instructing him on how to make his pictures “look more accurate”, praise him for his use of colour and form, however abstract his work looks.

3. Child’s Play

Imagination takes over when a child is at play, so when she talks to you about her games encourage wild imagination and thinking instead of bringing her down to earth with comments about “that’s not real” or “you can’t actually do that”.

4. Play the Cloud Imagination Game

On a warm summer’s day, what better way to stimulate your child’s imagination and get some nice time out than to lie on your back with him in the garden or a field, watch the clouds passing by and share with your child what your respective imaginations are inventing for you to see in each strangely shaped cloud!

5. Your very own child’s imagination

Now it’s your turn! As a parent you are the one who knows your child best. What special ways can you encourage your own child’s imagination that she will really enjoy? Have fun with this idea, and please email Cassie and Monicka to share your stories!

A child’s imagination – some great quotes:

“Open your child's imagination. Open a book." Anonymous

”One of the virtues of being very young is that you don't let the facts get in the way of your imagination.” Sam Levenson

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso

”I can open a child's imagination … that's the poet's job." Arnold Adoff

3. PLANTING FLOWERS

My youngest son is in hockey and if you have a child involved in any sport I am sure you can appreciate the effort it sometimes takes to get your son or daughter to out of town games. Hockey is especially brutal because the younger players sometimes get the early morning ice times. It is not uncommon to have a game start at 8 AM. Not to mention the coaches like to have the boys there at least half and hour earlier so they can have a bit of a warm up.

Last weekend my son had an out of town game scheduled for 9:00 A.M. We had a good two-hour drive ahead of us and to make matters worse we were running a bit behind and I was not able to have my morning caffeine fix. I was not in the best frame of mind and suggested to my husband that we pick up a coffee for the road. He didn’t stop until we were about fifteen minutes from our destination and by that time my mood had gone from bad to worse. As luck would have it, when I finally had my coffee in my hands and was about to take a sip, my husband hit a pothole and I dropped the cup causing scalding hot coffee to spill all over my lap. I don’t know which hurt worse the burn on my leg or the fact that I never had even a taste of my coffee.

We arrived at the arena and quickly rushed in and got our son suited up and then went upstairs to wait for the game to start. As it happened the maintenance people were a little slow cleaning the ice so the game would be a late start. Since we had a good ten minutes to spare my husband suggested that one of us should take our dog Rocky for a quick walk. We didn’t have time to take him before we left, so I reluctantly volunteered. I went to our vehicle to get him and was aghast to find that he had gotten sick to his stomach. I did not have a lot to work with but I tried my best to clean him up with a bit of bottled water and a small piece of tissue that I found. I got him settled after about 15 minutes and headed back into the arena. All I could think about was washing my hands. I went into the ladies and tried to turn the water on and nothing came out. By this time I was at my wits end. What else is going to happen to me I thought, as I ranted and raved? Finally after a few minutes I took a deep breath and thought about my situation.

I have always believed that all of our feelings are based on our internal thoughts. We are in control whether we believe it or not. We can be positive or negative, active or passive the choice is ours. I have read so many books on the subject you would think I would know better. Here I was suffering from PMS (Poor Me Syndrome), and my anger and frustration was just fueling it. Once I clued in to this revelation and could look at the situation for what it was, I realized if I could bring on the negativity, then I could also rid myself of it. My mind was finally clear enough to assess the situation and find a solution. There had to be a reason the water from the faucet was not running? The toilets seemed to be working fine, so I checked to see if the valves below the sink were turned on. For whatever reason someone had shut them off and all I had to do was turn them on again, simple. After that epiphany I washed my hands and headed back upstairs to watch the hockey game with an inner knowing the rest of my day was going to be GREAT, and it was. My son’s team won their game 8-7 in the last few seconds and I went away with a newfound understanding about the power of positive thought.

By being more positive yourself you can give your children a wonderful gift. Teach them that even if they are having a difficult day they can turn it around just by thinking about all the good things in their lives. A very wise teacher once told me, “ For every weed (negative thought) you must plant a hundred flowers (positive thoughts)” Teach your children to plant more flowers.

flowers or weeds Weeds or flowers illustration by Suzanna

Parents can promote positive thinking and by doing so can help raise the confidence and self esteem of their children. Here are some ideas to keep in mind.

When your child is doing something that pleases you make sure you mention it to him or her. A child cannot read your mind and must be told repeatedly that you are happy with them. Children remember the positive things we tell them and replay them in their thoughts. Give your child gifts of encouragement throughout the day.
Teach your children to practice making positive self-statements. Negative self- talk is behind depression and anxiety. What we think determines how we feel. Instead of he/she saying, “ I can’t do this Math question” teach them to say, “ I can do this if I keep trying.”
Avoid criticism that a child may take as ridicule or shame. Use “ I statements” rather than” you statements.” Such as, I would like you to keep your room tidy as opposed to, your room is such a mess, or you are so lazy.
Teach your children the importance of decision-making and praise them when they have made a good decision.
Help your children focus on their strengths by pointing out to them all the things that they CAN do.
Laugh with your children and teach them to laugh at themselves. In order to enjoy life to the fullest it is important to have a good sense of humour and not take ourselves too seriously. Nothing is ever as bad as we may think it is.

4. KIDS CORNER

Chocolate Earth Balls (Kids of all ages love making and eating these)

1-cup peanut butter

1/3-cup honey

2 Tsp. Unsweetened Cocoa powder

1/2 half-cup raisins

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2- cup chocolate chips

1/4-cup sesame seed

1/4-cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts, peanuts, pecans whichever you prefer)

Mix the peanut butter, honey and cocoa powder, until well combined. Stir in the raisins and only 1/8th cup of the coconut. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.

Place the remaining coconut, sesame seeds and nuts into three separate bowls. Using a spoon scoop small scoops of the peanut mixture from the bowl and roll into 1 and a half -inch balls. Roll into the coconut, sesame seeds and chopped nuts. Arrange balls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!

Kids crafts Yarn Vase (ages 5 and up with adult supervision)

What you need:

A tall slender glass jar; smaller olive or pickle jars work the best) Yarn scraps in different colours; craft glue; a toothpick

How you do it

1)-Cover about half an inch of the bottom of the glass with glue.

2)-Wind the strips of yarn around the jar make them tight but not too tight. Use different colours of yarn to make stripes on the vase

3) When the glued area is completely covered, push the rows of yarn closer together. Tuck in the beginning of the yarn with a toothpick, add a little more glue and press down for one minute.

Keep repeating the three steps until the whole jar is covered with yarn. Don’t worry if the glue looks bad because it will all dry clear. Put in some beautiful silk or real flowers and put it on your desk or bureau to brighten up your room.

5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNY BONE

What do you get from a pampered cow?
Answer- Spoiled Milk

Where do snowmen keep their money?
Answer- In Snow banks

6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

“Instead of thinking of what you are missing, try thinking of what you have that everyone else is missing.” author unknown

7. SPONSORS

If you can suggest any organizations or websites that might want to either sponsor this newsletter, or exchange links with KidsGoals.com, please email Cassie or myself at Monicka@kidsgoals.com or cassie@kidsgoals.com

Thank you, from Cassie and Monicka

If you haven't already, please forward this newsletter to a friend. Thank You - we do appreciate your help!

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