http://www.abcfeelings.com 800.745.3170 fax:
208.772.0411
Welcome to the ABC Feelings newsE-letter. This
is our way of keeping in touch with the friends of ABC Feelings, sharing thoughts and feelings, quips & quotes,
featured books & movies, snack ideas, attitude of the month, special links
to keep you informed, poetry--whatever we think might interest you. We welcome your feedback, ideas--anything
you'd like to share with us.
In this issue you'll discover:
1.
The Feelings of March
2.
Kids really do say the greatest things!
We'd love to have your feedback this month on
this one!
3.
The Attitude Hour
4.
Be Kind to Animals Kid Scholarship Contest--American Humane Assn.
5.
Calendar for Dr. Delis-Abrams, "the attitude doc"
6.
Our kids want peace & are doing something about it!
7.
How to order ABC Feelings Products
8.
What to do if you no longer wish to subscribe
ABC Feelings now resides
in new offices! We spent several days
sorting, packing and getting rid of the things we've been holding on to that
are no longer useful. Moving and
spring can bring out the feeling of wanting everything to feel fresh and
new. We 'spring' clean, plant new seeds
in the spring, start spring school sports, and generally prepare for a new
season in life! March can be full of
surprises too! I was ready for spring,
watching the wet earth begin to show in the drive as the snow melted, and
listening to the sounds of birds with the background of dripping, thawing ice.
But wait, it's March--remember! Just as
we were all convinced we'd seen the last cold days of the season, four fresh
inches of snow fell and the snow shovel revisited the front porch. March seems to be about changes, surprises,
and even boredom for kids this time of year.
March is a perfect time to ask yourself what you want to begin anew, what you can get rid of that no longer serves purpose and/or what aspect(s) of your life you'd like to 'freshen' up or change. It's amazing how sorting through your closets, drawers and cupboards can make you feel organized and ready to move on to your next step. Kids can get involved in the process too. While many of our kids think sorting falls in the cleaning realm, engaging them in the process can eliminate some boredom! You might want to encourage a family 'sorting' weekend. Many people use the rule "If I haven't worn it or used it in a year, it's time to get rid of it". Passing on clothes and household items when we no longer use them encourages the flow of positive energy in our lives. Letting go of things and old ideas, opens up the space for us to fill with new ideas, better suited to our current lifestyles and goals! If you really don't like to organize, or can't seem to figure out how to get organized, check out the great book, Speed Cleaning, by Jeff Campbell. Available at Amazon.com the book provides a new way of organizing and cleaning that will save time and make the process itself more organized. He even gives hints on organizing around changing seasons!
©
ARE YOUR KIDS BORED? My grandmother used to give us each a sheet
of paper and a state and ask us to write down every word we could make with the
letters in that state.
and ©--
Kid's Say the Greatest things!
Teaching
our kids diplomacy in their speech and behavior can be a full-time job for parents. Just as it occurs in an adult's life, kids
are challenged to know when is the right time to say
something and how it should be said versus knowing when a response is neither
well-timed nor well-tuned. Throw in the maturity
it requires to understand what is meant by a rhetorical question, and we have a
built-in time bomb for kids of certain ages.
Here is an example of what one of our children recently experienced in
public school. We'd like to hear your
comments on what 'should' have been said, how it could have been handled, or
examples of your own you'd like to share.
Recently,
an 11 year old boy, Nik, was standing in gym class
while the instructor shared how disappointed he was that he'd not been able to
give each student the playing time he had hoped he would. In the course of the conversation, the
teacher suggested that if anyone had any ideas about how to make it work
better, he'd like to hear them. Nik raised his hand and said, "Actually, I and some of
the other students have talked about it and we feel if there was less time
spent talking about the activities, and more time doing them, we'd get more
playing time in." He went on to
tell the instructor that it didn't seem to be a problem when the substitute
teachers were there. None of his
comments were made to the instructor with malice. Rather, he really thought he was being given
an opportunity to problem solve. He left
gym class thinking all was well.
The
outcome--well, the teacher seemed to accept the solution for consideration, but
went to the principal and told him he had a student who had told him that his
class would be better if he didn't talk so much. The principal called Nik
in, waved his finger in Nik's face and shouted that
he had no right to tell a teacher how to conduct his class. Nik was stunned,
embarrassed and a little frightened by the behavior of his principal. He truly believed he,
and the whole class, had been given an opportunity to correct a situation that
had some apparent flaws. He now believes that students should not exercise the
right to express themselves honestly with adults/teachers, even when given an
open door to do so.
There
are several problems here, and not all of them are the student's. However, we would like your feedback on what
the student should have or could have done differently or better--knowing what
he knew in the beginning, what the teacher could have done differently, and
what might be different approaches the principal could have taken. What
character traits are reflected here by each of the three mentioned? If there is
a 'lesson' here, what is it for the student? For the teacher? For the principal?
The new
radio call-in program about and for young people--'The Attitude Hour', hosted
by Alexandra Delis-Abrams, Ph.D., can be heard by connecting to the web at http://www.nabcinc.com or by tuning into KFNX, Phoenix, or WALE,
Providence, Rhode Island. We invite you to call in with questions, ideas,
concerns at 602.277.KFNX, if you're in the
Did you know that the American Humane Association
sponsors a 'Be Kind to Animals Contest' where kids can enter to win a $5,000
college scholarship? Nominees are
divided into two age groups, ages 6-9 and 10-13 and a panel of judges selects a
grand prize winner and two runners-up from each group. Winners of the BKA Contest are announced
during 'Be Kind to Animals Week' celebrated this year on May 5-11. Persons 18 or older can nominate their
favorite KIND kid (with written permission from the child's legal
guardian). All entries must be typed or
hand-printed in 200 words or less, telling AHA why this KIND kid deserves to be
the 2002 Be Kind to Animals Kid.
Complete contest rules and nomination forms can be obtained from the AHA
website at www.americanhumane.org
or by calling AHA's Cindy Strowbridge
at 800 227-4645, ext. 466. The deadline
for nominations has been extended to April 15 this year.
So, if you know a kid who has exhibited outstanding
kindness to animals this year, give AHA a call.
There is a very good chance for a scholarship!
©
"No
one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden
in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock
that treasure." -Emma Goldman
--
"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples;
no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness." -Dalai Lama
and ©--
Would you like to implement a program at your school or in your
home to begin building a foundation for character development? The most
effective method to developing character is by first encouraging
self-exploration. Why do we do what we
do? Why do we think what we think? What
am I feeling? We have recently
introduced the 34-page booklet "101
Ways to Introduce Feelings Communication and Character Development into the
Classroom and Home". Priced at
$5.95 and $2.00 shipping, you are sure to get amazing ideas and results from
'101 Ways' Please visit our web site at http://www.abcfeelings.com or, call us at 800.745.3170 for ideas on which
products will best fill your needs!
THE "Attitude Doc's" AGENDA
For those of you who may not have met
her, Alexandra, "the attitude doc" is a nationally recognized
speaker, conducting keynotes and workshops to help "prepare a child for
life" and to encourage the exploration of our attitudes, beliefs and
choices. Additionally, she has a
transpersonal practice (integrating the physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual aspects of our nature) in
208.762.3177 for information
Products will also be exhibited at the following areas:
March 25-27 ACA,
©
.
. .And, according
to a recent press release, they're doing something about it!. From February 25 through early May, a dozen
pilot groups around the country will test the Internet process for the hundreds
of peace teams who will participate in the National Youth Dialogue on Peace and
Violence this fall. "Young people
want to increase the peace and decrease the violence, says PeaceTech
founder Louise Diamond, and we need to listen.
This is an opportunity for young people to reflect on their role in the
world and take action with their own hands.
They can describe and build a new culture of peace. PeaceTech and The
Peace Consortium seek to empower this shift via the Youth Dialogue on Peace and
Violence. Peace Teams will receive
periodic questions for consideration.
They will discuss these issues, post the highlights of their
conversation on a special web site so that all the Teams can consider each
other's responses and engage in a larger conversation. Postings may be narrative, stories, poems,
songs, or artwork. At the end of the
dialogue period, Peace Teams will be encouraged to take their voices out into
their own communities and engage others in the larger conversation about peace
and violence in our society. . . . One outcome of this Dialogue will be the
publication of two books, The Peace Book by Kids and The Peace Book by Teens." For more information, please contact at dialogue@peace-tech.com, or Ina Thorner at 802.453.7191
or ina.thorner@peace-tech.com.
"One
cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not
from
force." David Borenstein,
and ©--
"There is no way to peace; peace is the
way."
-A. J. Muste
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