How Children Can Help Heal America

Having worked with children for many years, I can verify that young children do not notice or care about skin color, religion, cultural differences or disabilities. They are naturally humble, curious, and full of love. Young children forgive easily, usually find the good in all, and just want to have fun. Here are some characteristics that children naturally know:

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM CHILDREN:

* Humans are more alike than different.

* Friends listen and help each other.

* It's easy to forgive and "let it go."

* There is joy in the journey.

* If I am a friend to others, I'll have friends.
   

CHILDREN POSSES THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES:

C - CURIOSITY about the world around them - including different CULTURES. COURAGE brings rewards. CREATIVITY brings happiness.

H - HUMBLENESS. HUGS can HELP. 

I - INNOCENCE. INTEREST in everything. 

L - LOVE. LISTEN, LEARN. LAUGH.

D - DREAM. DO it. 

R - RESPECT others. READ. RIGHT will triumph. 

E - ESCAPE from technology - take a break and play outside. EXPLORE. EXPERIMENT. EXPERIENCE. EXPRESS yourself - kindly. 

N - NATURE - Enjoy the natural beauty in our world. NURTURE your relationships. NEVER give up.

Young children are nonjudgmental. We adults know that attitudes are learned - not inherited. My daughter, who has special needs, and I enjoy many of the same books. I was reading her book, 125 True Stories of Amazing Animals, when I noticed the photo below. If animals can rescue and even raise another species, then can't we have empathy and compassion for our own kind?

We are different but love the same.

I like this quote: "What I am suggesting and asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism. Let our faith replace our fears." Gordon B. Hinkley: Cultivate a Attitude of Happiness and a Spirit of Optimism.

Related Topics:

• ARK - Acts of Random Kindness: Free Printables for Kids & Adults
• Stop Bullying - It Starts at Home
• Back to the Basics - Play Outside
  

We can find balance and joy in life.

"If we love, forgive and pray, we can work together." 

Dr. Alveda King (niece of Martin Luther King)

Looking for more ideas on how to teach and raise children? See Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents and to prepare your child for kindergarten: The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both are bestsellers. The ebooks are only $3.99.

Mom Never Knew But She Taught Me How to Fly

Nancy Robinson Masters is my special guest today. She is a pilot, inspirational speaker and the author of 42 books. Her more than 3,000 feature articles have appeared in a variety of publications. Her writing has taken her around the world including traveling with the National Science Foundation in Antarctica. She has twice been named the Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the United States Air Force and became the first woman to receive the Stephen F. Austin Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Scottish Rite Masons. She has spoken to more than 300,000 students and teachers promoting the power of free people to freely read and write. 

KIds Do Crazy Things with Crayons

As a kindergarten teacher, I witnessed children using crayons in the following ways:

1. Tear paper off crayons
2. Stick pencil into crayons breaking pencil tip
3. Glue crayons together
4. Break crayons by pressing them down on desk
5. Chew on crayons
6. Stick crayons up nose and into ears
7. Cut crayons with scissors
8. Color desk with crayons and try to erase with pencil eraser before the teacher notices
9. Carefully place crayons in rows sometimes sorting by size or color
10. Run hands over and over crayons for sensory-motor integration
11. And finally the ultimate goal is reached: Print their name! 

Shaving cream erases crayon marks and germs from desks. It's a fun way for a child to clean.

PENCILS: 

A pencil maker told the pencil five important lessons just before putting it in the box:

1. The most important part of you will always be what's inside.
2. You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil.
3. You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
4. On every surface on which you are used, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.
5. You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourselve to be held in someone's hand. 

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with a purpose in its heart.

We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box. ~ Robert Fulghum

For a glimpse into Kindergarten see my book. Would you like inexpensive ideas, activities, and games to teach your child through play? Mommy with Selective Memory and I can help save your sanity, one project at a time, with The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both have been number 1 bestsellers on Amazon.

 

What funny or inspirational things have
happened in your classroom?

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