Falling
leaves…hot apple cider…football…trick or treating laughter…sweaters…homemade
soups…carving pumpkins…candy…just some of the sights, activities, smells and
sounds of October. October is full of interesting holidays and observances as
well. As we parents plan our daily activities and schedule the family
happenings for the month, let’s recognize some important dates we can share
with our children. As
you know, there is a very lengthy list of observances for October (as in every
month of the year), but here are several which might be of some benefit and may
supplement educational and life lesson teachings provided by WMPCS and our
homes.
October 2 through 8 is Great Books Week and National Newspaper Week. This is an opportune time to encourage our children to visit the library and check out books, have family discussions about favorite books we have read, and read the paper and discuss current events with our children. Our children learn by example. If they see us reading the paper or picking up a book, our children will feel comfortable doing the same. Good habits are being formed at this age and reading is a very good habit to form…it can last a lifetime!
Along
the same lines as reading, October 7 through 9 is National Storytelling Week. Children
love to hear stories and we can encourage them to use their imaginations to
tell their own. A year or so ago, one of our children received Rory’s Story
Cubes as a birthday gift…what a great gift. This box of nine cubes with 54
images is an endless array of stories to develop. At least once a month after
supper, our family sits around and rolls the story cubes, taking turns creating
a story from the pictures displayed. This is just an example of how we can
encourage our children to express themselves, build confidence in speaking, and
share creativity and expression. A game is not required, though, to achieve
these things…our time and ability to just be there to listen is all that is
needed.
Helping
our children express themselves builds character and helps them focus on the
positive attitudes and skills needed now and later in life. These attitudes and
skills can be celebrated the week of October 16 through 22, as it is National
Character Counts Week and Freedom From Bullies Week. We can encourage our
children to develop positive qualities such as kindness, patience and humility
by practicing them ourselves. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our hectic
lives and daily stress. How do our children see us as it relates to character?
Are
we kind to the cashier at the grocery store? Do we yell at the motorist in
front of us? Do we demand our own way? Do we yell at our children for not going
fast enough for us? Do we barge ahead of others without acknowledging others? Do we stay calm in stressful situations and think before we react? Before we can assess our children’s character development, we certainly can
take a refresher course on our own character development from time to time; can
we not?
Finally,
October 9 through 15 is Fire Prevention Week. This is a great time to check our
smoke detectors, review fire hazards, and develop an evacuation plan for our
families. Let’s encourage our kids to help us with the evacuation plan; after all,
October 10-14 is Kids’ Goal Setting Week. Along with the evacuation plan maybe
we can help them make some personal goals for them to achieve. Can anyone relate and say –
Goal: CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM!?!
Have
a safe and happy October and Happy Halloween to all the Trick or Treaters. Please
make sure and note the list of important school dates on the blog. Those dates
include the October 11 Field Trip, Parents’ Night on October 20 and the 6th
Grade Dinner Theatre on October 27.
Blessings
to all,
Margaret
Note: I highly recommend Rory’s Story Cubes. If interested check out this link: http://www.storycubes.com/ Price = $7.50 to $12.50 depending on the supplier.
