Parent Newsletters - Issue 33

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 23, April 21st 2007

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
2. CONVERSATION AND MAKING FRIENDS
3. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS
4. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
5. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
6. SPONSORS

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the next issue of kidsgoals.com Newsletter. For all intents and purposes it looks like Autism Awareness Month has been quite successful in making the public more aware of the seriousness of this condition. The kidsgoals blog has been receiving comments from other parents with kids on the spectrum, which we always appreciate. This newsletter is a very special one for me because Cassie is here in Canada and it is that much more fun to create it when we are together. We have really been enjoying spending time together as our friendship is such a close one.

The theme of this newsletter is friendship and we hope you enjoy the article about conversation and its importance in making friends. If you have a child with Autism or an Autism Spectrum disorder you will appreciate the tips for helping your child to develop their conversational skills, which is a big part of being social.

Happy Parenting,

Monicka

2. CONVERSATION AND MAKING FRIENDS

Social skills, like how to start conversations and make friends, are something that kids hopefully pick up by socializing with their peers at school. But some children are naturally better at conversation and making friends than others, and because social skills are so very important in every walk of life and every profession, helping your child develop great conversational skills is a wonderful thing to do.

For children with autism spectrum conditions in particular, conversation and making friends can be extremely difficult. The tips in this article will be useful for most kids, as well for mildly autistic children. Moderately or severely autistic children, however, will clearly need specialist professional help in developing their social skills.

First things first - smile! To have enjoyable conversations, the two most important things you need to show the other person are:

1. You like them

2. You are interested in what they have to say

People often worry about how they can seem interesting to the other person. Do you need to brag about great achievements or show off your knowledge in order to impress the person you’re having a conversation with? Not at all. Just the reverse, in fact. The most powerful way to make others think that YOU are interesting is to be very very interested in THEM.

This means that to be a great conversationalist is in fact very easy. You don’t need to come up with fascinating topics or have millions of wonderful hobbies to tell others about. You just need to be interested in what the other person has to say.

How do you show someone that you are interested?

* Smile! (We said that already, but it cannot be emphasized enough!)

* Look the person in the eye while giving them a warm smile!

* Ask simple open questions like, “How are you today?” “Did you do anything fun at the weekend?” “What did you think about the game/exam/etc”

* Make encouraging sounds or say little phrases to show your friend that you are listening, and to encourage him to keep talking, like:

“Mmmmm…”
“Ah!”
“Yes, I see what you mean,”
“Uh huh,”

As your friend continues to talk, look for opportunities to agree with him or for things that you both have in common. Why? Because people tend to LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE THEM.

Especially in the early stages of making a friend, focus in your conversation on finding and emphasizing anything that you both have in common. It has to be genuine stuff, there is no point saying you love sky-diving if the thought fills you with dread.

Examples of ways you can emphasize commonality:

* Listen out for things you can agree with, whether it is liking a particular sport, or an opinion of a teacher or another friend

* Listen for things that your friend has done or is interested in doing that you also have done or would like to do. If he says he likes playing a particular computer game that you like too, say so. Just be careful not to brag or out-do your friend.

* Talk about movies you have both seen, or music you both like, or other friends you both know.

What if you are struggling to find topics in the conversation that you have in common? Well if you still want to give the friendship a good chance to continue, you can help the other person like you by being like them in the WAY they talk. If your friend talks really fast and animated, he will feel comfortable and close with you if you too speed up your conversation and talk in an animated way. Do not mimic him! Just try to talk in a similar speed and fashion. If the friend is much quieter, do not overwhelm him by talking a mile a minute.

And as your new friendship develops, conversation will become more and more comfortable and natural. As you do things with your friend you will start to have shared memories and shared jokes that you can talk about from time to time, even if it is just a movie you watched together or a party or sleepover you enjoyed together. The beauty of the art of conversation, though, is that any time you feel the need, or any day you are feeling a bit shy or unsure, you can always go back to the basics of good conversation: listening, being interested, finding things in common, and smiling of course!

by Cassie

3. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS

Easy Cheesy Biscuits (Delicious and fun to make with your kids)

Preheat oven to 425 F or 220 C

Ingredients

1-cup flour
2 tsps baking powder
Pinch of salt
Ľ cup vegetable shortening
˝ cup of milk
˝ cup grated aged cheddar cheese

1. Sift together dry ingredients

2. Cut in shortening, add grated cheese and stir

3. Add enough milk, stirring with a fork until the dough forms a ball

4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 times

5. Roll with rolling pin until desired thickness

6. Place on ungreased cookie sheet

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown

Simple Friendship Bracelets

What you need:

* 3 lengths of thin leather or leather-look-alike thong, about 10 inches long

* A few colored beads

* Sticky tape

You can make simple and trendy bracelets by plaiting three strands of thin leather thong, and adding colored beads at intervals.

To make it really special, use specific colors to represent traits that you really value in your friend.

For instance:

Generous - Orange

Loyal - Blue

Kind - Pink

Responsible - Green

Honest - Red

Cheerful - Yellow

Here’s what you do:

Tie the three strands of thong together in a knot

Stick the knot to a table top firmly using your sticky tape

Lay the thongs out in front of you flat, then start to plait:

Start with one of the outer thongs (doesn’t matter which side) – cross it over the thong next to it so that you put it in the middle

Do the same with the outer thong on the other side

Just keep repeating the first two steps, always crossing the outer thong into the middle and remembering to switch sides each time

After every few times, or when you’ve plaited about an inch, thread a colored bead into the plait.

Remember also to keep your plait tight and smooth – push the plaited section up gently each time you cross over, and especially after adding a bead.

When your plait is long enough to go round your friends wrist (or ankle, these make nice anklets as well), tie another knot to secure the three strands of thong together.

Trim the ends if you like, and tie in a knot round your friend’s wrist or ankle.

4. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)

Q: What do cops use to arrest pigs?
A: Ham cuffs

Q: What do you get if you cross an artist with a policeman ?
A: A brush with the law !

Q: What do you get if you cross a bear with a freezer?
A: A teddy brrrrrrrrrrr

BRAIN TEASER--Read this sentence:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Now count aloud the F's in the sentence. Count them ONLY ONCE. Do not go back and count them again. What is your answer?

Answer- There is six in total. The word of appears three times in the sentence; the human brain tends not to count the F’s in of and sees them as V’s. If you spotted all the F’s way to go!!! You beat the average.

5. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

“Friendship makes prosperity brighter, while it lightens adversity by sharing its griefs and anxieties.” —Cicero

“There are men who would quickly love each other if once they were speak to each other; for when they spoke they would discover that their souls had only separated by phantoms and delusions.” ---Ernest Hello

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” ---Anthony Robbins

“Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.” ---Walter Winchell.

6. YOUR FEEDBACK

If you would like to request any topics for the newsletter for 2007, please email Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com.

Thank you, from Cassie and Monicka

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