“Positive Parenting Tips” newsletter November

Inspiring Quotes:

"We would worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do."
- Ethel Barrett

"The time is always right to do what is right."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it."
- Jonathan Winters

Kids Activities:

Not only do kids of all ages love to play games, games are a creative and inexpensive way to entertain children. With a little imagination you will soon have them making up their own games!

Whether you're looking for birthday party games or just something to keep the little ones busy for a little while, I think you'll find these games easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Grandmother's footsteps

Rules

This game is also called Sly fox, Peep behind the curtain or Black pudding.

One player is IT and stands at base (a wall or line). IT must have their back to the other players who stand in a line facing IT about 10 metres

away.

The players try to sneak up on IT and touch their back without IT turning around and seeing them move.

Before IT can ever turn round, they must count to 10 or say a rhyme such as “L-O-N-D-O-N spells London” or “One, two, three, four, five jam tarts”.

They can say this quietly, under their breath, so the other players can’t hear and don’t know when IT is about to turn round.

When IT turns round, the other players must “freeze”. If IT spots any player moving, they have to go back to the start again.

Capture the flag

Rules

This game is also known as Flag raiding, Scotch and English or French and English.

First divide into two teams and split the playing space into two halves, with one area for each team. Then choose a base in each area.

Next, each player needs a “flag” such as a hat, glove or scarf. Everyone should go and put their flag in the other team’s base and then return to theirs.

Each team has to try and get their flags back from the other team’s area without being touched or caught by a player from that team.

If you get a flag without being touched you take it back to your base. If you are touched by a member of the other team then you are taken prisoner and must stand still by the other team’s base until you are rescued.

Prisoners can only be rescued by a member of their own team touching them but they can’t be caught themselves. Any prisoners must be rescued before any more flags can be retrieved.

Day outings

If you live in a large town or city, there are a number of places which can provide entertainment for free.

Apart from parks and valley gardens, which are the obvious ones, have you thought of visiting a pet store? The one in our town is on three levels and stocks every animal you could imagine.

Tropical and marine fish in the basement, (which can keep kids, and adults come to that, enthralled for hours) all sorts of household pets on the first floor and unusual animals on the ground.

There you can see anything from strange stick insects through to exotic birds, reptiles and rare species.

This pet shop takes at least an hour browse round completely. They even have a crocodile!

Visit for our Free Kids Games & Activities from A to Z

Easy Kids Recipe:

Crunchy Noodle Jumble

3 oz (1 cn) chow mein noodles;
1/2 ts Chili powder;
1/4 ts Garlic salt;
1/4 ts Dry mustard;
2 tb Reduced-calorie margarine, melted
1 tb Reduce sodium soy sauce;

Combine all ingredients in a 13" X 9" X 2" baking pan, tossing lightly to coat.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once during baking time.

Remove from oven, and serve hot.

Child Arts & Crafts Activities:

“Ghost Lolly Pops”

Materials

• Kleenex tissues (or other brands)
• Lollipops
• Black permanent marker
• White ribbon

General Instructions

• First take your lollipop and keep the wrapper on it and place a tissue over it.

• Bundle the end of tissue but leave some of the lollipop stick be out.

• Then take the white ribbon and tie a bow around the bottom of the tissue.

Decorate face like a ghost, with the marker

“Ghost Necklaces” Adult Supervision Recommended

Materials

• White Alcohol Glue
• Waxed Paper
• Black Permanent Marker
• Orange or Black Yarn
General Instructions

• On a small square of waxed paper make a puddle of glue. Let dry for two or three days.

• Peel off waxed paper and use a hole punch to make a hole near the top.

• Cut yarn long enough for a necklace and string through hole. Use marker to draw ghost face below hole. Any shape puddle of glue will do but older kids may like to design their "ghost" with arms and head.

These can not be real thin, because they may break. Use large globs of glue.

Chocolate advent calendar

Make a chocolate advent calendar for Christmas by using chocolate kisses, plastic wrap and ribbon.

Advent calendars have been used for generations to mark a special event.

Children and adults love advent calendars as a visual reminder of how many days are left before a specific event or holiday will occur.

Christmas time is the most popular time for advent calendars and can range from expensive and elaborate, to inexpensive and simple.

Sometimes the most fun advent calendars are simple and inexpensive because children can enjoy them without having to worry about breaking or harming them in any way.

Candy advent calendars are especially fun because they are edible.

The chocolate kisses candy advent calendar is especially fun at Christmas. It is festive, inexpensive, quick, easy, and edible.

One can be made easily for each child in the family. Older children can even make their own at a family activity time.

All you need is 25 chocolate kisses, three feet of plastic wrap, ribbon or string, and a hand written or typed poem at the top, which is optional.

One-quarter inch curling ribbon is a favorite but any string or yarn will work. It is fun to have different colors of ribbon. Red, green and gold and/or silver are great colors for Christmas.

Lay the three feet of plastic wrap out on a flat surface such as a table or kitchen counter. The plastic wrap can be clear or a color such as red or green.

You may not need three feet depending on how closely you tie the calendar. Vertically, line the chocolate kisses in a row down the middle of the plastic wrap.

The chocolate kisses can be silver, red, or green, or a combination the three. The kisses need to be at least one half inch apart.

Face them the same direction if you can although the calendar will work no matter what direction the chocolate kisses face.

Next, carefully fold one of the vertical sides of the plastic wrap over to the other side of the plastic wrap. It will come to approximately one inch from the opposite side of the wrap.

The chocolate kisses now border just inside on one side of the doubled plastic wrap. Now take the opposite vertical side of the doubled plastic wrap and fold it back over the kisses.

Continue to roll the wrap around the kisses until they are snuggly encased in the plastic wrap. It will look like a long, plastic, chocolate kiss snake.

Try not to have the kisses slip out of place. If they do you can fix them somewhat as you complete the advent calendar.

Next, take curling ribbon, and cut into 26 pieces at last 6 or 7 inches long.

Tie into a knot before the first chocolate kiss in the line and in between each thereafter. End by tying a knot underneath the last chocolate kiss. Now you have a plastic wrap, chocolate kiss snake where each chocolate piece is secure.

Curling ribbon can then be curled with the scissors. Cut away any plastic wrap at the top and the bottom, leaving at least one inch of plastic wrap. The amount you cut away depends on your preference for how it looks.

Personal preference also determines what type of ribbon or string that you use and how long to make each strip.

At the top of each piece attach with a hot glue gun, stapler, or tape a simple explanation or poem explaining what to do.

Here’s an example:

“Here’s a little calendar to fill you with much cheer.
Snip a kiss from it each day and you’ll know when Christmas is here.”

Just hang anywhere and snip off a kiss each day starting from the bottom.

Start the calendar on December 1st. It’s fun, easy, and festive

Positive Parenting Resources:

7 Part Plan To Beating Childhood Obesity

Everyone from politicians to parents is talking about fighting the war against childhood flab. It is odd that in a relatively wealthy countries such as the US and Australia improving children’s health, weight and fitness should be a problem but it appears to be a sticking point with many.

Childhood obesity in a developed country like Australia and the United States is essentially a lifestyle issue. Children are overweight because they eat inappropriate amounts and types of food and they don’t exercise enough. To put it simply many children are stacking on the weight because calorie intake is higher than calories burned.

Children’s lifestyles are generally a reflection of those who raise them so parents need to figure heavily in any strategies put forward to improve the health and wellbeing of the next generation.

The trouble is many parents have grown accustomed to outsourcing those hard to deal with issues such as sexuality and drug education to schools and other agencies. Children’ health and well-being is an issue that parents should take prime responsibility for. Parents can beat childhood obesity rather than leave it up to schools to fix or politicians to meddle with.

Here is a simple, fool-proof lifestyle plan that parents can adopt to ensure their children grow up healthy and fit rather than overweight and unhealthy:

1. Limit the amount of children’s television, computer and electronic games usage to a maximum of two hours a day. Very little physical exertion is needed to watch TV or use other electronic equipment so for the sake of fitness their use of these needs to be limited. Send children outside, suggest they walk or ride to a friend’s house or even suggest they have a friend or four over to play. One third of Australian children would prefer to play computer games than play outside so parents may have to be assertive and, at times, over-zealous but so be it.

2. Children walk or ride a bike to school each day. Recent Roy Morgan research revealed that 60 per cent of Australian 6 – 13 year olds would like to walk to school but only 30 per cent actually do. Most children would get their required minimum two hours of exercise a week by walking or riding their bikes to school. This may mean that parents may have to walk to school with younger children or ensure they are adequately supervised. Bike riding is not safe for every child but more bike tracks in the vicinity of schools would be a great start.

3. Keep unhealthy food out of the trolley and include more fruit. This may be stating the bleeding obvious but as keepers of the family purse parents have the main stake in what food goes in and what stays out of the shopping trolley. It seems that parents are on the right track as more Australian children eat fruit after school than sweet biscuits but even so the number of fruit eaters can do with a boost. Only 43 per cent of Australian children eat fruit after school so more fruit could be a good place to start.

4. Serve healthy meals at the table on a regular basis. The humble ritual that sees adults and children who are related to each other breaking bread together on a daily or at least regular basis has a lot going for it. Far from being a refuelling stop mealtime is an opportunity for everyone to catch up and to share good healthy, well-prepared food. True, busyness of life get in the way of this healthy ritual but it is about getting our priorities right.

5. Parents play with their children or join them in a physical activity. The family that plays together stays thin together could well be the motto of our times. It should be easy for adults to sell their children on the virtues of playing physical games outside as play comes before work in most children’s dictionaries. Fathers tend to be the kings of play but work and other lifestyle factors can get in the way.

6. Encourage children to be involved in at least one organised physical activity each week. Some parents may need to be insistent but 88 per cent of Australian children say they enjoy sport so getting children motivated for physical activity shouldn’t be hard. There is no shortage of options for children these days as there are activities and sports that cater of a diverse range of interests, abilities and body types.

7. Parents model a healthy lifestyle. Do as I do not as I say is the idea here. It is little use parents telling their kids to go out and play as they tuck into their second wine or they slump into the couch. Modelling is the most important tool in the armoury if we want children to develop sustained healthy eating and exercise habits. For the record, a healthy lifestyle is one where people talk to each other (ideal for emotional well-being), one where food and alcohol intake occurs in moderation and physical activity is a natural part of the day.

This plan has a great deal going for it. It is cost-free, easy to use and places the responsibility where it lay – with parents. It also has the added bonus of promoting healthy relationships as if they follow this plan parents and kids should spend more time together which can’t be a bad thing.

For further ideas to help you raise happy children and resilient teenagers visit www.parentingideas.com.au . While you are there subscribe to Happy Kids newsletter and receive a free report - Seven ways to beat sibling rivalry.

Michael Grose is Australia's leading parenting educator. He is the author of six books and gives over 100 presentations a year and appears regularly on television, radio and in print. For further ideas to help you raise happy children and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au. While you are there subscribe to Happy Kids newsletter and receive a free report - Seven ways to beat sibling rivalry.

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Editor’s notes & humour:

Filler Talk

If you are married, especially with children, break out of the habit of talking about nothing.

Many times, families will be sitting around the dinner table and the conversation consists of, “Do you like your carrots?”, or “I wonder what is on TV tonight?” Instead, change your strategy to include real questions, showing real interest.

Replace the normal, “Did you have a good day at work?” with “Tell me what you did at work today.” Even if you do not understand everything being said, listen with interest. It is not that you are so much interested in the work, but your mate’s life.

Re-establish Old Traditions

If you and your mate had a tradition of some kind when you first got together, dust it off and breathe life back into it.

Perhaps you met after work on Friday at the local pub for a drink, washed your cars together every Saturday morning, or attended church together on Sunday.

Whatever it was, re-establish the tradition.

LESSONS ON LIVING FROM CHILDREN

Don't flush the john when your dad's in the shower.
Lamar, age 10

Never ask for anything that costs more than $5 when your parents are doing taxes.
Carol, age 9

When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don't answer him.
Heather, age 16

Never tell your mom her diet's not working.
Michael, age 14

Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.
Joel, age 12

When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone.
Alyesha, age 13

Never spit when on a roller coaster.
Scott, age 11

Listen to your brain. It has lots of information.
Chelsey, age 7

Stay away from prunes.
Randy, age 9

Forget the cake, go for the icing.
Cynthia, age 8

Never try to baptize a cat.
Laura, age 13

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Thank you for joining us this month, I hope that you have found some extra motivation and inspiration for your positive parenting.

Visit today for latest Toddlers Activity & Child Discipline Guide articles.
Free parenting resources added each week to help you use positive parenting in your child’s development, toddlers activities & games, toddler arts & crafts, kids easy recipes, free kids books for bedtime reading and even child discipline help!
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Your Editor,
Theresea Hughes.
http://free-toddlers-activity-and-discipline-guide.com

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