Make Your Kid A Genius!
How to Awaken Your Child's Innate Intelligence
| March 2003 |
Issue
#15
|
Irene Helen Zundel, Editor, artwhiz@greenepa.net
IN THIS ISSUE
Feature article: Teaching Peace: Now More Than Ever!
Supplementary article: Color Her Peaceful
Coming up next month
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Teaching Peace: Now More Than Ever!
by Irene Helen Zundel
With rampant terrorism and war all over the planet, the world can be a terrifying place — especially to our children! Besides the six o' clock news and network specials, there are new reality TV shows that glorify the military. The music industry has gone patriotic with a rash of pro-war songs. And there are scores of violent shows, cartoons and toys that parents indiscriminately let their children have access to.
Crime, terrorism, war, destruction and death are difficult enough for an adult to process and cope with. Have you ever wondered how such things impact young minds and spirits?
More than ever, we need to create an atmosphere of shelter and refuge for our children, and teach peace and non-violence as a way of life. Here are just a few ideas I found on an excellent website called The Alliance for Childhood at http://www.allianceforchildhood.net.
1. Create a peaceful home environment. Peace with the world begins with peace inside yourself. Model composure and non-violence. Have a safe place where you and your family can go to pray, meditate, close the door and cry, or scream in frustration if needed. Having a "neutral corner" where stress and emotion can be vented prevents people from lashing out at each other.
2. Get close to nature. Beauty can be very calming! Walking outside, even if it is just in a city park, is good for both body and soul.
3. Encourage peaceful play, and imaginative play. Studies have found that children who engage in make-believe social play have higher levels of empathy and lower levels of aggression. They use creative play to express emotions and act out pain, sadness, and fear. This allows for a healthy release of stress. Remember, unexpressed emotions are somatized by children (expressed bodily in the form of headaches and tummy aches etc).
Choose non-violent and non-competitive games and activities. For ideas and sources, try: Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment (http://www.truceteachers.org), The Lion and Lamb Project (http://www.lionlamb.org) and the Cooperative Games website at http://www.cooperativegames.ca.
4. Encourage compassionate action. Can you make sandwiches for a homeless shelter? Donate clothes to a facility for battered women? Make or donate toys for the poor? Visit a nursing home? Teaching children about the needs of others helps to develop empathy. Acting on that empathy builds a sense of connectedness and provides a boost in self-esteem. It also lessens despair and frustration at the state of the world, because your children will know that in some small way they are making a difference.
5. Support peace and conflict resolution programs in your child's school. For great ideas about this, visit:
Educators for Social Responsibility (http://www.esrnational.org)
The National Peace Foundation (http://www.nationalpeace.org)
The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding (http://www.karunacenter.org)
Facing History and Ourselves (http://www.facinghistory.org) and
The Public Conversations Project (http://www.publicconversations.org).
On these webpages you will learn about:
the creation of "peace places" where children can negotiate conflict with others
the bad effects of prejudice, stereotyping and hatred
how to analyze and solve problems in areas of great political conflict and
how to create a meaningful dialogue in dealing with divisive issues
6. Teach your children about important peacemakers, social reformers and humanitarians. Discuss the contributions of those who win the Nobel Peace Prize, work with outcasts, like Mother Teresa, lobby against landmines, like the late Princess Diana. Point out the contributions of organizations that build housing for the homeless, give free medical care to the poor, and feed the starving masses. Great people and great works inspire your children to excercise their finer impulses and make their own contributions to the world we all share.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The road to peace lies in the commitment of each single heart to live a life of compassion and non-violence.
Won't you travel that road with me?
Color Her Peaceful
by Irene Helen Zundel
Here is a brief article I wrote a while ago. It is a good example of a family engaged in compassionate action. I hope it lights a spark in your own heart, and inspires your family to work for peace.
Nine year old Shanti Rahim has a talent for drawing and a loving heart. Recently she used those gifts to create a coloring book with a message of peace.
The fourth grader's grandmother was visiting her native Pakistan, at the time the September 11 attacks occurred. When she came home, she told Shanti of the flood or refugees pouring into that country from Afghanistan--and how children were homeless, starving and begging for food.
Filled with compassion, and a determination to help, Shanti created an original coloring book, donating money from its sale to benefit Afghan refugees. There are pictures of dragons breathing fire at tanks, children dressed as angels, and numerous drawings of mythical beasts with peace signs sprinkled throughout.
Inspired by Shanti's actions, and zeal for her cause, the Rahim family decided to help. Shanti's younger sister, Ariana, contributed a drawing as well. Her mother, Shelley, hand-bound the books. Her father, Omair, convinced his employer, Nokia, to match in donations 50% of the amount they make in sales. Together the family sold the coloring books at their church, and during a harvest festival at Shanti's school.
To date, the Rahim family has raised $1500, which will be sent to the United Nations High Commissioner's Refugee Fund for the people of Afghanistan. They have vowed to continue to produce and sell the coloring books as long as there is interest.
To order one of Shanti's coloring books for $5.00, e mail pooch@san.rr.com.
COMING UP NEXT MONTH: Character Education
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Learning Online, a series of parent guides to maximizing your kids' education. Online articles offer news you can use and links to dozens of resources for K-12 education today. Read practical tips on how you can make good educational choices for your children, and how to make those choices work. Order the print publication or read it online at www.PartnershipForLearning.org. Or call 800-832-2464.
Laura Dyer, creator of Little Language products, has completed a new book to be released by Simon and Shuster and Meadowbrook Press next fall. The working title is "Look Who's Talking: Nourishing your child's language skills from birth to seven." It will include the latest research on speech and language development with additional chapters on bilingualism, trilingualism, signing with your normal hearing infant and language issues in international adoption. For more information on Little Language products, visit her website: http://littlelanguage.com.
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Irene Helen Zundel
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©2003 Irene Helen Zündel