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Julie & Kevin - More4kids Inc.
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by Jennifer Shakeel
Kids Helping Kids
KIDS CAN and DO Make a DIFFERENCE! Each and every day kids are learning ways to make a difference in the world that they live in. At my son's school, the sign outside of the schools says "Be the change you want to see in the world." One of the most popular clubs at the school is the Junior Optimist club. To me, that is just awesome. This gave us here at more4kids.info the idea of putting together the names of a few inspirational kids that have and are being the change they want to see in the world.
The first child is Tyler Page who started a charity through KidsHelpingKids. He was inspired to save the life of a child he would never meet in Ghana. After seeing an Oprah show where the topic was child trafficking, Tyler decided that he had to do something so that children like him were not bought and sold for physical labor. He had been learning in school about Positive Action, which is where children reach out and help others by picking up trash, paying it forward, and doing other activities in their community to make it better. Tyler figured out that he could save the life of 1 child for $240 a year (or $20 a month). He decided to have a car wash. This was so successful he decided to raise his goal from one child to 200 children. He is asking for us all to pitch in and donate to his charity. This can be done at the link above.
Kids Making a Difference
The next child I want to talk about is a young lady by the name of Stephanie. In June 2000 Stephanie ( a then 8 year old) started a charity called "Kids Making a Difference." Stephanie was inspired after reading an article about an injured baby manatee in her local paper. She knew that she had to do something to help manatee. She started by making manatee pins and selling them to her friends and family to help raise money to increase the public awareness about manatees. The wonderful thing was that not only did she raise money, and increase awareness, she also got other kids excited and they wanted to join in. That is how Kids Making a Difference was created. Today Stephanie is 17, and she still heads up the charity. It is an organization run by kids for kids: READ More on Inspirational Kids: Kids Who Have Achieved Great Things
Filed under Amazing Kids, News by More4kids
"To the World you might be just one person … but to one person you might be the world"
It does not always take a lot to make a difference in someones lives. To some people, to some children even a dollar or two can make a world of difference. One of the hardest things for me is seeing a child that is hurting, lonely or sick. One organization that is helping make a difference through almost all volunteer activity is Love without Boundaries. You can learn more about them through our recent interview we did with them: Hope for a Child.
Here are some current needs that will really make a difference in the life of a child:
Margaret
Margaret was found abandoned by the gate of an orphanage last month. She was a bit jaundiced the first few days at her orphanage but her color is pink now. Margaret has a very large teratoma on her lower back area that needs to be surgically removed as soon as possible before it becomes cancerous. The teratoma is so large that she is forced to sleep on her side to get comfortable. Aside from the teratoma, Margaret is developing really well and is a very alert baby. She follows people around the room with her eyes and she likes listening to people talk to her. She has learned to stretch her little body every morning when she wakes up and after a diaper change. Would you please consider helping this little girl receive a much needed surgery? To learn more and help this child visit Love Without Boundaries.
Haley
Haley is a sweet 10 month old who has been getting stronger every day after her cleft lip and palate repair. She is beginning to walk with assistance and is described as "trying to take each step with the precision of a dancer." She also likes to get the attention of her caregivers whenever they attend to another baby. Won't you consider sponsoring little Haley so she can grow up with the one to one attention of a foster family? To learn more and help this child visit Love Without Boundaries. READ More on Making a Difference this Holiday Season
Little Girl Pretending She is a Fairy Princess
by Jennifer Shakeel
When you were little didn't you have an imaginary friend, or maybe your bedroom was a huge fortress where your bed was the castle surrounded by a moat and you battled the evil king from another castle… or maybe saved a princess… or maybe you were the princess. The point is that you played and you would use your imagination. Today, not as many children play as much or use their imagination as much as when we were kids… and that may cripple them in the long run.
I know that I am not the only parent that has said to their kids that "When I was little we didn't have cable… or the internet or Play Stations. We were thrown outside when we woke up and weren't allowed back in until dinner." I have said that very thing… more than once… and it is 100% true. We were expected to play, and play meant outside. When you played you were suppose to use your imagination because toys 30 and 40 years ago were nowhere near as animated as they are today. You had to make Barbie talk, and if Barbie had a baby chances are pretty good that you used a tiny little doll or a Play School toy to be the baby. GI Joe's didn't talk, they were tiny little figures, which again is different than when my dad was little and the GI Joe doll was as big (size wise) as Barbie. But to play you had to make it up. READ More on The Essentialness of Play and Make Believe
Filed under Activities, Parenting, Playtime by More4kids
Cute Young Koala
Happy Sunday. Many of us have gone to Church, and many of us are relaxing with our family. Today is a great day to sit back with our family and think about everything God has given us. It is a great day to think and be greatful about life, the wonders of nature, and the beauty all around us.
One way is to help our children understand life is to simply step back and look at nature all around us. Look at the trees, the grass and flowers outside. As it gets colder in parts of our Country, talk about the cycle of nature and the rebirth to come in the spring. Sundays are also a great day for family field trips to a park, to an Aquarium or a Zoo if you are close to one. If not, see what is on your local PBS or the Discovery channel.
I recently found a video on Youtube of the cutest baby animals you will ever see. Watching it with your family and young kids can start a conversation about life and how dependent the creatures of the world are upon us. When we do things such as recycling it not only helps the environment but all that live on it. Try brainstorming ideas to help the creatures of the world. You never know what brilliant idea your child might come up with!
After all, all the creatures that share the Earth are Gods gift, and we need to protect and champion them. Together, one person, one family at a time, we can make a difference.
Now, enjoy this video from Youtube of some Cute Baby Animals
Halloween Fun
If you have a child that is anything like my son then I am sure you have heard your fair share of corny jokes. If your child is anything like my son, then when you laugh and say you've heard that one before… chances are greater than not that your child is going to try to create their own joke just so you will laugh and they will know that it isn't a joke you have heard before.
I decided that for Halloween, maybe a better treat then candy… would be a few new jokes. I have scoured the internet looking for only the best kid friendly jokes for Halloween. Share them with your kids… or even other parents to make the spookiest of all holidays a little funny for all the pranksters out there.
Joke 1: Why didn't the skeleton dance at the party?
Because he didn't have any body to dance with.
Joke 2: Why did the baker stop making donuts?
He got bored with the whole business.
Joke 3: What room does a ghost not need?
A living room. READ More on Halloween Jokes and Songs for Everyone
Here is a collection of our top 5 laughing baby videos.
1) This one is a classic and aways makes me and my kids laugh. It is our anti-depression video when one of more of our family has had a rough day for sure.
2) I showed this one to our kids and we had to keep on watching it over and over again.
READ More on Top 5 Funny Baby Videos
Interview by Jennifer Shakeel
One of the most heartbreaking things for me is seeing a child that is hurting, lonely and sick. If I could I would adopt every child that did not have a parent, because I believe that every child deserves to have a mom and a dad, a family to call their own. I realize that I am not alone in this feeling, there are many people out there that when they see a helpless child want to reach out and do something, they just don't know how to go about it.
Recently I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Karen Maunu. Karen is the Associate Executive Director of Love Without Boundaries and before I go into what we talked about, I really want you to understand why this organization and this woman are incredible.
Love Without Boundaries is a organization that is comprised of people from all over the world working towards one common goal, to improve the lives of orphaned and impoverished children in China. You may wonder why China, consider this fact. Each and every year there are 17 million registered births in China and each and every year there are innumerable babies that are left unregistered and abandoned by their parents… because they are either disabled and/or female.
In the year of 1979 the Chinese government instituted a new policy in attempts to manage population. That policy stated that married couples were only allowed to have one child. This coupled with the fact that generally speaking Chinese culture sees females and disabled people as inferior compared to healthy males. In the US, the birth defect rate is 1 in 47, in China it is 1 in 8…this is from our demand for consumer goods…the amount of pollution spewing toxins into their environment is causing this. Reference: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKPEK155250._CH_.242020071029
Love Without Boundaries is dedicated to making sure that as many children as they can help receive humanitarian aid in Foster Care, Healing Homes, Education, Medical and Orphanage Assistance. The overall goal is to help these children finally have a family to call their own. Believe it or not Love Without Boundaries (LWB) was started in 2003. It was a group of adoptive parents that started LWB in an effort to save a little boy in China. He needed to have heart surgery, without it he would perish. They helped save his life, and it was then that they realized that a true and "pure love for helping children can truly make a difference."
For me, when it comes to charitable organizations, I always wonder why a person chooses one charity over another. It is this question that started my conversation with Karen. Rather than trying to summarize what she said, I think it is important that you read exactly what inspired her. Now, here is the Interview:
READ More on Hope for a Child: Love without Boundaries
by Maureen LoBue - President of the Mean Moms Club
When your first baby was born, did you look at that perfect little face and say, "I'm going to be the perfect mom for you"? Most of us did. But you know what? There is no such thing. Most of us realize that when we have the second baby. By the third baby, experienced moms look at that perfect little face and say, "I hope I can survive this".
Most of us truly believe we can be perfect moms and want to be with our whole hearts. Unfortunately, it is impossible. There is no such thing, unless you watched Leave it to Beaver. And we know June was really an android that Ward built in his garage.
Three points need to be made about this idea of being the perfect mom.
- First, realize it's impossible and be ok with the fact that you are not, and never will be, the perfect mom. Take a deep breath & say it, " It's ok!"
- Second, once you accept that, life and parenting will get much easier because you get to buy out of the guilt that we are typically so good at. That guilt just wears us down and we don't need anything else to wear us down!
- Third, recognize the fact that this is beyond tough, beyond exhausting, beyond anything else you'll ever do. You must have a support network, whether that is family or friends or playgroups. If you are exhausted or overwhelmed you cannot be there at all for your kids, let alone part of the time.
READ More on I'm going to be the perfect mom…yeah, right!
Will You Survive the Terrible Twos?
by Michele Borba, Ed.D.
Temper Tantrums are sure to be in the top of parents' list of "obnoxious, embarrassing kid behaviors." These are really Oscar-winning performances at their best: ear-piercing screaming, thrashing, and out-of-control behavior. And when your kid uses his routine at school, ballpark or supermarket, it's just plain humiliating. You should expect your one to three-year-old to try this behavior on you. And it's equally as common in girls as in boys. Older kids can also resort back to the "tantrum stage" especially if there's been a recent stress or change in their lives. (We can all name an adult or two who's yelled, slammed doors and broken something. Right?) But whether your kid continues using outbursts to get his way depends on how you react the first times she tries it. After all, a tantrum is a really a device kids use to get what they want because they've learned it works. Once they learn that it succeeds–translation: they get their way-they're likely to try it again (and again and again). There goes any semblance of "Home Sweet Home." The truth is there are no redeeming features to this behavior. Tantrums only cause stares and headaches, and teaches kids a bad lesson: "Throw yourself on the floor. Scream and yell. Thrash about and you'll get your way." are the steps taming those outbursts my latest book from The Big Book of Parenting Solutions: 101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries,
Parenting Solutions to help Tame Temper Tantrums
BEFORE the Tantrum
Your best defense is to anticipate a tantrum's onset before your child is in full meltdown mode.
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Recognize your child's natural temperament. Some kids are just more intense and have a tougher time calming down and handling frustrations. If so, give advance warning for an upcoming event; allow transition time from one activity to another; follow an active activity with a calmer one; don't skip the naps. Avoid situations that might cause temper flare-ups.
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Recognize your kid's tantrum signs. Each child has unique stress or "I'm about to loose-it" signs (clenched fists, a certain whimper or whine, waving hands). Once you can identify your child's "tantrum is approaching signs" you're in the best place to defuse it or ward it off.
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Check your expectations. Asking your child to sit too long in a fancy restaurant, shopping cart, or car seat is just asking for trouble. Make sure your expectations for your child are in line with their capabilities.
READ More on Temper Tantrums - Will You Survive the Terrible Twos?
