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:
à
and ©--End
of the school year blues or bliss?
à
Focus,
what it is and what it does
à
Are
you O for organized or H for haphazard?
à
and ©--Where
to send your long locks & why. . .
à
Health,
for you & your kids
à
and ©--Calendar
for Dr. Delis-Abrams, "the attitude doc"
à
How
to order ABC Feelings Products
à
What
to do if you no longer wish to subscribe
No matter where we live on this continent, most of are ready to see the month of May. It's a season of moderate climate--switching from the cold, erratic winds of winter to the softer shades of summer months to come. We can each count on a bit of rain; and as the crocus push their faces skyward, they can count on a kiss of sun. This year has brought some surprises! Just as the season promised sun and maybe a splash of rain in our area, the crocus were awakened adorned with white hats of snow & the wind picked up to flip the trees and freshly cut grass everywhere but the piles they'd been placed in for clean up. Many have suggested this weather is uncommon for this time of year. Others suggest it's not out of the ordinary. How has May been in your area? Have your kids been playing their soccer games in sun, snow or sheets of rain? However the weather has been in your area, May brings the end of a school year and transitions of many types.
End of the school year blues or bliss? Are your kids ready for summer? Are they prepared for the inevitable shift from one grade to the next? Moving on to middle school after at least five years of grade school can be a challenge and frightening for some of our kids. Often it means a change in friends. It always means a change in class scheduling, school policies, etc. These transitions are important to our kids and can have an impact on the way their education proceeds. There are things you can do to make the transition more comfortable for your child. Here are a just a few ideas and we'd love to hear some of yours.
à Make sure your child has an opportunity to visit the school they will be attending. School administrators and teachers are frequently very pleased to have you and your child take the time to 'preview' the new school. Walk throughout the school, visit classrooms, talk with teachers--just get the 'feel' of the new environment. It will make your child feel much more confident on her first days back at school in the fall, as well as give her an opportunity to adjust to leaving the old and familiar.
à If your child will be moving on to middle school or high school, it's important that she have the opportunity for closure at the school shey'll be leaving. Does your child's school give out year books? Getting your friends together for a signing party is great fun and will provide memories forever. A year-end BBQ is another way to bring friends together. Consider taking some time to talk with your child about their experience in grade school or middle school. What did they love about it? What would they like to experience at the next level? Do they feel optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Nik tells us he views going into middle school, where he will meet lots of new kids, and have greater academic challenges, as a 'fresh start' in his life. He has taken some time to think about his experiences so far, and sees some areas of his life he'd like to redirect. What is your child thinking and feeling about this awesome change?
à Some schools have ceremonies to celebrate the change from elementary to middle school. If your does not, consider a ceremony of your own!
Whatever your child's circumstances at the end of this year, they've completed another academic year in life. Congratulate them from all of us!! They deserve it.
©
Focus. What it is and what it does.. . .
Webster tells us that one of the meanings of focus
is 'a center of interest or activity'.
What happens when you place your attention on one thing--when you
concentrate? A synonym for focus is
locus which means the point where things or ideas come together. This can be ideas, concepts, etc. What we focus on becomes a point of
convergence --a coming together--of our thoughts and ideas. Out of this point is released our creativity,
our balance, our experience of being 'in the flow'. When we teach our children the art of
concentration/focus, we assist them to become more capable of completing what
they start, becoming involved with what they're learning, staying in tune with
nature and who they really are, as well as becoming more balanced as
individuals. When you choose games for
your children, think about picking games that give them a chance to concentrate
on something. Monopoly is great fun for
a group, and is a good teaching tool for finances and decision making; but how
about chess skill for encouraging concentration and strategies born of that
concentration?
"Image creates
desire. You will what you imagine."
-J. G. Gallimore
and ©--
Are you O for organized or H
for haphazard?
What difference does it
make? you might ask. Did you know that you have more
time when you're organized? I know it
seems that becoming and staying organized requires time--and at first, that's
true. But, once you know what is where, and where you'll be when, you'll spend less time
looking for keys, trying to remember what you had to get at the store, what
time baseball practice starts and where you put last year's soccer sox. Organization can save you lots of money
too! If you know where you put those sox
from last year, you won't have to drop by the sporting goods store, minutes
before the next game, to pick up a place to replace them.
Teaching our children organizational skills is
good for them by helping them accomplish tasks well and in a timely manner for
the rest of their lives. Can you think
of other benefits of being organized? How about ways to teach our children how to become organized. Do you have a family calendar at home? A wall to post upcoming
events for all members of the family? A refrigerator
for the family chore list.
Any one of these simple methods can be adapted to teach your kids the benefits
of organization, and organization can be the starting point for self-discipline!
©
" "The true
test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we
don't know what to do."
-John Holt
©©©
"Bad habits are like a
comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of."
-Anon.
©
Where to send
your long locks & why
Did you know
there is an organization that collects long hair? It's true!
Locks of Love, a not-for-profit organization, that provides hairpieces
to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18, with medical hair
loss has helped over 600 children since 1997, their first year of
operation. Most donors (over 80 percent)
are children, so this is a way for children to help other children. If you know someone who has hair over 10 inches
long, who would like to make a gift of their hair to Locks of Love, please have
them contact Locks of Love at http://www.locksoflove.org/press.html
"Generosity
is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that
which you need more than I do."
-Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam
©
Health,
for you & your kids
Last month we
talked about the rise in obesity and hypertension among children. This month we're bringing some ideas for good
health to your home. Did you know?
à
That tomato products like fresh tomatoes,
or sauces can reduce certain types of cancer
à
Purple grape juices have compounds that can
help your cardiovascular system
à
Fruits and vegetables contain chemicals
that reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease &
à
Oats can lower cholesterol.
Many of us have
become used to a 'fast food' world where we sacrifice nutrition to speed. Our bodies are paying the price. We don't put sugar in our car's gas tank and expect
it to run smoothly. It's a good idea to
become familiar with what the body needs to run efficiently and make sure it becomes
part of our daily program.
©
©©©
"The
true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to
sit."
-Nelson Henderson
©
"Do all
the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the
places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as
ever you can."
-John Wesley
--and ©--
Vist ABC Feelings and find quality, interactive & character
building products for kids and organizations.
They are also available as fundraisers.
Consider a fundraiser this year with social responsibility as a them. 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
©©©
Alexandra is conducting workshops this weekend at the SV Wellness Festival,
If you're in the area, plan on a visit to this well attended 4th
year celebration of wellness!
©©©
June 24-26,
Fourth Character Education Leadership Leadership
Alexandra will be presenting a focus session
©
While in
©©©
Gene will be
exhibiting products at the following areas:
June 29-July 2, 2002
and ©--
"
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:)