Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz to speak at Naval Academy Primary School

You are cordially invited to spend the evening with children’s authors Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz.

Date- Saturday, 17 November 2007
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Naval Academy Primary School,
74 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402

Light refreshments will be served.

Jane Kurtz, renowned children’s book author and Board president of Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization that was established for the purpose of promoting children's book publishing, reading, literacy and the development of education in Ethiopia will present a slide show and speak about Ethiopia, literacy, and her life experiences. Her presentation will be complemented by her brother, Chris Kurtz, also an author, board member of Ethiopia Reads, and accomplished speaker telling his story and doing a reading. Jane and Chris grew up in Ethiopia, children of missionaries, and have fascinating stories to share.

For more information about Ethiopia Reads, please visit their website at www.ethiopiareads.org. The organization was featured in the October issue of Good Housekeeping magazine: you can download the very informative article, written by Melissa Fay Greene, about their projects from their website.

For more information about Jane Kurtz, please visit www.JaneKurtz.com.

Books will be available for purchase – all proceeds will benefit EthiopiaReads.org and its projects.

An RSVP is not required, but would be appreciated to EthiopiaReads@aol.com – or leave a voice mail for Catie Dupont at 571-243-1411.

Let's Read about Africa - The BeeKeeper of Lalibela

Let's Read about Africa
at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
Ages: 5--10
Introduces young audiences to current and classical children's literature about Africa. Each reading is followed by an art activity. Suitable for ages 5 to 10.

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela
Sat., Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m.
By Cristine Kessler, illus. by Leonard Jenkins, 2006

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela tells the story of a determined young girl who defies tradition and becomes the first girl beekeeper. Read by Yohannes Gebregeorgis, an Ethiopian children's author and Director of Ethiopian operations of the non-profit EthiopiaReads.org.

(You can purchase copies of The BeeKeeper of Lalibela by visiting www.silverchicks.com or contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org. For more information about titles published by Ethiopia Reads in Amharic and English, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.)

Do You Enjoy Your Kids?

By Jeffrey D. Murrah

Do you enjoy your kids? Do others enjoy your kids? Hopefully, as a parent you are able to answer each of these questions in the affirmative. Parenting, like so many areas of life requires us to get our hands dirty. In order to enjoy our children, it is necessary for parents to extend themselves beyond their "comfort zone." Leaving the comfort zone means trying something new, novel and creative with your children.

Some parents attempt raising children without leaving their comfort zone. This type of parenting emphasizes parental convenience at the expense of experiencing childhood. Like window shopping or watching squirrels, children can be admired from a distance. Admiring from a distance is a cheap substitute for enjoying who your children are.

Admiration is important to children, yet doing things with them means more. Children generally crave attention, with calls of "Mommy! Daddy! Look at me!" A way to enjoy them, and them to enjoy you is to join them. This means that instead of just giving them a movie to watch, view it with them. When your children are swimming, join them in the pool. I have seen my own children overjoyed when their grandparents join them in the swimming pool, rather than just observing. After jumping in the pool, try really enjoying your children by splashing and playing instead of floating like an iceberg.

Be creative in finding ways to enjoy your children. Making cookies for them is nice, yet making cookies with them means more. Instead of just watching them play ball, try joining them at times. Playing games with them and reading to them are also ways to enjoy your children. Since the holidays are quickly approaching, look for opportunities to join your children in doing things together.

The word 'enjoy' literally means to enter into a joyous state. To enjoy children involves reaching out and joining them in having fun. As parents join their children, a new reciprocity often develops. Children then start showing an interest in the parents' hobbies or activities. Another benefit is that parents and children know who each other helps to strengthen bonds. Knowing and enjoying who your child is as a person is preferred to what your child does. Enjoying your children also builds their self-confidence and sense of security.

Enjoying children requires effort. It is easier to voyeuristically watch them, snickering at their antics than it is to join them. Watching them can send the message to the child that they are objects for the parent's enjoyment or that they are being made fun of. Joining them sends the message to them, "you are important" and "you have value." Our children look to us for affirmation. It is up to the parents to choose if children are to be put on display or enjoyed.

Jeffrey D. Murrah is a licensed marriage and family therapist with offices in Pasadena and La Porte. He can be reached at (713) 944-4335 or his website, restorethefamily.com.

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

You DO NOT want to miss this event!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

From 5:00 PM to Midnight

at the Holiday Inn Eisenhower Metro
2460 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

for more information call - Zethiopia
202 518 0245

or e-mail dereje@zethiopia.com

Why Exercise Is Cool

Kids exercise all the time without even thinking of it. Just being active, like when you run around outside or play kickball at school, is a kind of exercise. What else counts as exercise? Playing sports, dancing, doing push-ups, and even reaching down to touch your toes.

When you exercise, you're helping build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do. Try to be active every day and your body will thank you later!

Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy
You may know that your heart is a muscle. It works hard, pumping blood every day of your life. You can help this important muscle get stronger by doing aerobic (say: air-o-bik) exercise.

Aerobic means "with air," so aerobic exercise is a kind of activity that requires oxygen. When you breathe, you take in oxygen, and, if you're doing aerobic exercise, you may notice you're breathing faster than normal. Aerobic activity can get your heart pumping, make you sweaty, and quicken your breathing.

When your give your heart this kind of workout on a regular basis, your heart will get even better at its main job - delivering oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.

So you want to do some aerobic exercise right now? Try swimming, basketball, ice or roller hockey, jogging (or walking quickly), in-line skating, soccer, cross-country skiing, biking, or rowing. And don't forget that skipping, jumping rope, and playing hopscotch are aerobic activities, too!

Exercise Strengthens Muscles
Another kind of exercise can help make your muscles stronger. Did you ever do a push-up or swing across the monkey bars at the playground? Those are exercises that can build strength. By using your muscles to do powerful things, you can make them stronger. For older teens and adults, this kind of workout can make muscles bigger, too.

Here are some exercises and activities to build strong muscles:

push-ups
pull-ups
tug-of-war
rowing
running
in-line skating
bike riding
Exercise Makes You Flexible
Can you touch your toes easily without yelling ouch? Most kids are pretty flexible, which means that they can bend and stretch their bodies without much trouble. This kind of exercise often feels really good, like when you take a big stretch in the morning after waking up. Being flexible is having "full range of motion," which means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling tightness or pain. It's easy to find things to do for good flexibility:

tumbling and gymnastics
yoga
dancing, especially ballet
martial arts
simple stretches, such as touching your toes or side stretches
Exercise Keeps the Balance
Food gives your body fuel in the form of calories, which are a kind of energy. Your body needs a certain amount of calories every day just to function, breathe, walk around, and do all the basic stuff. But if you're active, your body needs an extra measure of calories or energy. If you're not very active, your body won't need as many calories. Whatever your calorie need is, if you eat enough to meet that need, your body weight will stay about the same. If you eat more calories than your body needs, it may be stored as excess fat.

Exercise Makes You Feel Good
It feels good to have a strong, flexible body that can do all the activities you enjoy - like running, jumping, and playing with your friends. It's also fun to be good at something, like scoring a basket, hitting a home run, or perfecting a dive. But you may not know that exercising can actually put you in a better mood.

When you exercise, your brain releases a chemical called endorphins (say: en-dor-funz), which may make you feel happier. It's just another reason why exercise is cool!

Updated and reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: March 2007

For more information visit www.kidshealth.org

Spooky Spider Craft for Halloween - Super Easy Project!

You will need:

Black paper
Wiggle eyes
Black wool
Glue

Instructions:

Draw around both hands with fingers spread out and thumbs tight against index fingers.

Cut out the hands and glue them together so that the palms form the spider’s body and the fingers it’s legs.

Glue on the wiggle eyes. Make a small hole through the centre of the body. Thread the wool through the hole and tie into a knot.

Hang these spooky spiders from doorways to scare people as they come through!

Parenting Expert Advice by Dr. Sally Goldberg

Help Your Child Succeed in School

by
Sally Goldberg, Ph.D.


Question: If you had to pick one strategy for helping your child to succeed in school, what would that be?


Answer: Self-esteem building. That holds the key.


A new school year is synonymous with a new beginning. "Get off to a good start" is what every parent says to every
child. "Set up good study habits; make good friends; get good grades." These are all dreams of both parent and child.
They sound good, and they are good; but they are only as good as your child feels about him/herself. Feelings of self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence are the foundation for making these kinds of successes happen. Here's how you can help.


1. Show your child respect and appreciation. Respect your
child as you say "Please" and appreciate your child as you say "Thank you." It turns out that the way to teach your child to say "please" and "thank you" is to say "please" and "thank you" to your child.


2. Help your child uncover his own uniqueness. Take as much time as you can to delight in your child's individuality. Your child is the one and only person like he/she is. No one else has been born into the world like your child. Have fun helping your child discover his/her own personal passion, potential, and place in the world.
3. Change the word "misbehavior" to "mistaken behavior." What do we know about mistakes? We learn from them. Teach your child as much as possible how not to make the same mistakes again.
4. Help your child to learn, to do, and to be all he/she can. Reserve praise for major accomplishments, but encourage your child by noticing and reflecting back to him/her small occurrences. You can show your awareness by using reinforcements like: "You finished your homework.", "You ate all your spinach." and "You put all your toys away."
Every good try is worthy of recognition as a major step
toward further success.


Being the best at something is a respectable goal. However, doing the best you can comes first. Focus on your
child's capability and strength. Notice his/her individuality. Help your child learn better behavior. Encourage him/her to succeed. What you think of your child is what your child will think of him/herself. Believe in your child; think positive; think strong. Self-esteem on the inside manifests itself in school success on the outside. Enjoy your partnership.

Sally Goldberg, Ph.D., is a professor of education at the
University of Phoenix and parenting specialist. Through her
books, articles, presentations, and one-on-one coaching she
empowers parents to solve problems. She gives weekly
parenting classes in different locations in Scottsdale, AZ.
If you would like to contact Dr. Sally, you can reach her at
480-766-6323 or drsally@drsallyparenting.com. Find out more
at www.drsallyparenting.com.

For more information from Dr. Sally, please visit HERE.

Future Oceanographer in your Family?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a wonderful, kid friendly interactive website full of educational activities for your future underwater explorer. Great fun and kid safe web experience. The coloring pages are particularly well done, there is a small sample below.


To visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium website, click HERE.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art - PLAYTIME pages

Click HERE to visit the National Museum of African Art's page of activities for children, including great coloring pages.

Home made Play Dough Recipe

Home made Play Dough Recipe

3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ Cups of Table Salt
3 Cups of Water
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
Food Coloring – a few drops, use the color of your choice.
Mix all of the ingredients in a large saucepan.
Cook over medium low heat, until the dough comes away
from the edges of the pan and it becomes difficult to move the spoon.
Remove from heat. Let the play dough cool until it can be handled.
Place on counter or wax paper knead 3-4 times.
Store in an air tight container when done playing so that you can re-use.

Thoughts on Parenting - Part Three

Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.


As I mentioned last month, if raising happy confident kids were like following a recipe, there would be several key ingredients. In my recipe, the three crucial ingredients would be structure, nurture, and safety. Today I’ll talk about the second of those: nurture. On a very basic level children need to feel loved by their parents to grow into loving, healthy adults. It will be important for them to understand that you love them for who they are, not what they do, achieve, or give to you. It helps them to know you love them because they are your children, and because they bring their own special joy and energy into your family. If you love them based on what they achieve, when they stumble or fail, they will feel unlovable. If you love them based on what they do for you, when they can’t meet your grown-up needs, they will feel unlovable. Tell your children you love them because they are beautiful inside and out. Show your children you love them. Different cultures have different ways of demonstrating love. Some cultures express love through cooking and care-taking. Others show love through teaching. Others show love through quiet time in shared activities. Find what is comfortable for you and works for your family and keep doing it. Make time in your busy routines to spend individual time with your children. Snuggle on a Sunday morning. Read books together and talk about them. Go for walks together. Cook together. Turn off the television and telephone during family meals. Hug, hug, hug them. Notice that none of things I mentioned involved spending money. In our modern busy culture, parents often buy children gifts to share love. It is important to balance buying things with spending time with your children. Kids need to hear and feel that they are loved as often as possible. It is also very important for children to understand that you still love them, even when you don’t like their behavior. We all know that children can behave in ways that make parents sad, frustrated and extremely angry. Ideally, children will need to understand that they are loved by their parents, even when their parents disapprove of their actions. I teach parents to actually say, “ I love you, but I do not like your behavior right now. What you just did is unacceptable in this house.” It is important for children to understand that they are lovable just for being who they are. The messages you give to your children about how loveable they are will stick with them for a lifetime. If you love your children well, they can grow into adults who love others well and who choose partners that will also love them well. What a great gift for many generations of your family.

Thoughts on Parenting - Part Two

Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.


If raising happy confident kids were like following a recipe, there would be several key ingredients. In my recipe, the three crucial ingredients would be structure, nurture, and safety. Today I’ll talk about the first of those: structure. Kids need routines. They need to know what to expect and when to expect it. They need to know that grownups are in charge and will make sure they get through these routines. Consistent, adult-run routines give children the predictability they need to feel comforted, and they provide a safety net from which children can explore. With structure, children learn to trust that you will do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going do it. On a daily basis, this means kids need a predictable morning routine, where the same things are expected of them at the same time before school (or daycare) every day. Young children benefit from predictable nap times. Meal times are also best if scheduled and reliable. After school routines should include a predictable time (and place) for homework. Evening routines often include bathing, as well as organizing clothes and backpacks for the morning. Finally, research shows that young school-aged children need between 10-11 hours of sleep a night to allow their bodies and brains important time for growth. A set bedtime with a predictable bedtime routine (backpack ready for morning, pajamas on, teeth brushed, bedtime story read or told, lights out), is a crucial part of getting children the sleep that they need. It is only fair to prepare you that your children may challenge your routines at first, and sticking to the schedule may cause some short-term disagreements. Don’t give up. With a little bit of time and practice, they’ll learn what is expected and they will benefit from your taking the lead and providing them with the consistency and structure that they need. The idea behind the recommendation for these routines is not to turn your house into a military boot camp. Flexibility, spontaneity and humor also play very important roles in childrearing. They complement underlying structure very well. In closing, know that no parent is perfectly consistent all the time. Life gets chaotic. Today’s families are often overworked and overscheduled and special events will naturally change the flow of any schedule you have established. All you can do is try your best to keep steady routines, with the understanding that your kids need that consistency whenever possible. I think you’ll find that both you and your children will appreciate the comfortable rhythms of the routines.

Thoughts on Parenting - Dr. Laura S. Anderson

Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.


The task of talking about parenting in a concise and helpful way is a daunting one. Raising children is a mammoth 24-hour-a-day, life-long, job that cannot be neatly described, any more than the “cures” for parenting challenges can be easily prescribed. Furthermore, raising children in a “new” cultural setting, or when they are surrounded by values and lifestyles that are different from the ones you knew in your youth adds other dimensions of richness and difficulty. However, within the realm of child psychology, there are consistent themes in the factors that lead to raising happy, healthy, kind children who successfully navigate life’s demands. I often tell parents in my practice that they are the experts on their own children’s daily functioning (who could possibly know them better than you do?) but that I am an expert in theories on raising secure children and shaping their behavior as they grow. By “raising secure children” I mean guiding your children to be confident (but not arrogant), respectful, trustworthy, caring children who believe in their abilities to make their dreams come true. By “shaping their behavior” I mean that I provide parents with the strategies for giving children
what kids need so that they will do what parents want them to do. I will offer some information about recognized child development themes so that you can apply them with your specific knowledge of your family’s personalities and strengths.

This column will follow two themes: 1) how to meet the loftier long-term goal of raising “good kids” with whom you have good relationships by developing their self-esteem, instilling confidence, establishing moral values, and creating healthy communication with your child, and 2) how to develop effective coping strategies for daily challenges such as toileting, sibling rivalry, handling teasing, coping with family stressors, getting through morning routines before school and homework routines after school with no “meltdowns”, disciplinary strategies that work, and many more.

In summary, effective parenting is hard work and there is no magic wand to make the tough spots disappear. I hope that information shared here will help make parenting easier. The good news is that when you start with love for your children and the desire to learn more about how you can influence their development, you are well on your way to being the best parent you can be.