Moderation, Simplicity and Fulfillment

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Welcome: “Moderation, simplicity and fulfillment”
- Feature: “Make a promise to your children”
- Teacher/Parent Book Pick: “Simplify Your Life With Kids”
- K-3 Book Pick: “Because Brian Hugged His Mother”
- 4-6 Book Pick: “Ramona the Brave”
- Web Discoveries: “The Center for a New American Dream”
- Words of Wisdom: “Less is More”

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WELCOME: “Moderation, simplicity and fulfillment”

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I recently received a greeting card from a friend who is an author. His simple message was a wonderful gift:

“Hoping your life is full of all that it needs.”

Upon reading that phrase, I realized how much I had to be grateful for
and how full my life really is.

Like you, I work and strive for more each day. But the real things that matter are not things one can buy. Fulfillment and happiness are things that grow inside us over time. Life skills help our children shape their values and build their own personal fulfillment.

This month, our resources teach how moderation and simplifying our lives make fulfillment a little more accessible. Less can truly be more, for you and your children. Moreover, the best things you can give your children really are free.

Kent Davis – Editor
info@lifeskills4kids.com

PS – Jeanne is now scheduling our award-winning K-6 Life Skills assembly program for Spring 2009 on the East Coast.

To bring this assembly to your school, go to http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/assembly.html
or call Jeanne at 800-262-2162.

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FEATURE: “Make a promise to your children”
By Kent Davis - Inspired by General Colin Powell
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What do our children really need to find true happiness?

More expensive toys? Video games? Blockbuster movies? The latest electronic device? Designer clothes? A scooter, perhaps?

We all know that material things never deliver true happiness. Often, they just catch us in their cycle of craving the next bigger, newer, better, more expensive version. Yet, most of us keep going back for more. (-:

True happiness in life comes from being comfortable with who we are and what we accomplish in our lives. The things we own do not determine our happiness; our inner character does. One Christmas Eve, I read an article by General Colin Powell. After the advertising excesses of the season, I had been looking for items to turn our attention back to non-material joys. Two of General Powell’s paragraphs stood out: xmastree presents md wht Moderation, Simplicity and Fulfillment

” This is the season when children tear through holiday catalogs and devour TV ads for the toy of the year, make wishes for those goodies and wait eagerly to see if their wishes will come true.

” Yet delivering a sackful of glittery packages will be for naught if we don’t give our children the gifts they truly need to build character and competence – gifts that will enable them to find happiness, satisfaction and success.”

General Powell and his wife Alma are leading a national crusade called America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth. The organization is founded on the concept of giving our children the gift of five simple promises. Every adult can make these gifts to help children grow up to be their best.

The America’s Promise home page (http://www.americaspromise.org/) has links to detailed descriptions of each of the gifts above. Their site also links to the national volunteer web site, ServeNet. You’ll find more details about ServeNet in our website: http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/

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TEACHER/PARENT BOOK PICKS
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“Because Brian Hugged His Mother”
David Rice Illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson

A small act of kindness may go much further than you think. Brian wasn’t looking for anything in return when he gave his mother a big hug. Brian’s hug set in motion a series of unselfish acts that reached more people-and even animals-than he could know. This is a story that happens every day among good-hearted people everywhere.

GRADE 4-6 BOOK PICKS

“Ramona the Brave”
by Beverly Cleary

Don’t let our six-year-old hero Ramona, fool you. This book is for children in the upper elementary grades and has admirers far older than that! The Newbery Medal-winning author has a clever style of humor that children enjoy. “Ramona the Brave” is about a child confronting the fears, trials and tribulations of entering elementary school. Your children will identify with the fears that they faced “back in the first grade” and learn something about how to cope with fears they still have. This is a great book and fans will be delighted to learn that it is one of a series.

The Center for a New American Dream
http://www.newdream.org

Do you want to simplify and enhance your quality of life, reduce consumption, and protect the environment? Those are the goals of this non-profit membership-based organization. The link above takes you to a puzzle with helpful ideas about commercialism, home & family, transportation, youth and many more topics. Here are two examples:

“More Fun – Less Stuff!”
http://www.newdream.org/kids/index.php

Most teachers and parents are concerned about the effects of excessive commercialism on our children. Advertisers and marketers are getting more adept at selling to our children and influencing their decisions. It seems that we’re in danger of raising a whole generation of hyper-consumers.

Is it possible to raise independent-minded kids in this highly commercialized culture? The Center for a New American Dream thinks so. Check out “Kids and Commercialism” to learn more about the effect of advertising and marketing on kids and to get practical tips about dealing with this growing problem.

FREE PDF Brochure Download “Kids & Commercialism”
http://www.newdream.org/kids/request.php

This PDF brochure has information and statistics about the effects of excessive commercialism on kids and families, and positive tips and actions to help parents raise healthy children in this highly commercial culture. NOTE: PDF is the same format LifeSkills4Kids uses for our downloadable lesson collections.

Youth & Schools – Overview & Connection to a New Dream
http://www.newdream.org

This is the last “puzzle piece” in the New American Dream web site map and it’s not an accident. This section offers links and resources to help our children find a simpler future that nourishes our planet and ourselves.

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WORDS OF WISDOM: “Less is more”
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“The heart is great which shows moderation in the midst of prosperity.”
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC – 65AD)
Roman statesman

“A surfeit of the sweetest things,
the deepest loathing to the stomach brings.”
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream

“Things to remember: 1) The worth of character;
2) The improvement of talent; 3) The influence of example;
4) The joy of origination; 5) The dignity of simplicity;
6) The success of perseverance.”
Marshall Field (1834 – 1906)
US merchant

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867 – 1957)
US author

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things,
the supreme excellence is simplicity.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882)
Educator

“Real happiness is cheap enough,
yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.”
Hosea Ballou (1771 – 1852)
US clergyman

“Success is getting what you want;
happiness is wanting what you get.”
Ingrid Bergman (1915 – 1982)
Swedish actress

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
Aristotle (384BC – 322BC)
Greek philosopher

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WEB DISCOVERIES: for teachers, parents & kids
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“Simplify Your Life With Kids”
by Elaine St. James

Judging from her series of books, Elaine is the guru of life simplification. This quick read is a practical guide to finding a little peace in the hectic life that children seem to create. It discusses how open, honest, reliable relationships with children are essential to your family’s mental health. And it offers simple ways that you can get your life back under control.

Here are some samples:

“One of the reasons we end up doing too many things at one time is that we’re trying to do it all.”

“Children’s clothing requirements are very basic. They need everyday school clothes, play clothes, and a dress-up outfit. That’s it.”

“Studies show that the most common factor in happy families is that they have their meals together. Do what you can to arrange your evening meal so you can all sit down to dinner as a family.”

GRADE K-3 BOOK PICKS

Posted in Adults Helping Children, Drug Use Prevention, Goal Setting, Health, Parenting. Tagged with Active Parenting, Parenting skills, Teaching Responsibility.

By admin

November 25, 2008

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Moderation, Simplicity and Fulfillment

IN THIS ISSUE:

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WELCOME: “Moderation, simplicity and fulfillment”

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