Helping Refugees with Your Kids
Big Brother gently pulled on my hand and whispered, “Mom, are they refugees?” Thanksgiving weekend was the first time that we crossed paths with a refugee from Syria. You know how it happened? A man and his son approached us in a
Object Lesson on Acts of Kindness
Earlier in the week, we read the book Each Kindness. The book discusses that a single act of being kind creates ripples of kindness that are carried out into our world. Building on that conversation about being kind, I wanted
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Each Kindness”
Today, we read the book Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Usually, Little Brother will bound around while reading, at least during part of the story. Not during this story; he was uncharacteristically calm, drawn in
Children’s Book on Empathy: “Stand in My Shoes”
Stand in My Shoes is written by Bob Sornson and illustrated by Shelley Johannes. It is about a little girl in her quest to learn to think from another’s perspective, recognize need, and see ways to help fill those needs.
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Before You Were Mine”
We’ve been talking about adopting an animal for many, many months. It came about gradually. It started with our acts of kindness for animals. We have visited an animal shelter more times than I can count to help with animals and
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Those Shoes”
Those Shoes is written by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. The story is a simple one where a boy sees the desire and need of another and fills that need, sacrificing his own want. The boys were RIVETED
Children’s Book on the Power of Our Actions: “If Everybody Did”
“If Everybody Did” is written and illustrated by Jo Ann Stover. It starts with an illustration of what if ONE person did something like . . . “spill tacks” . . . and the following page illustrates what would happen if
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen”
September is Hunger Action Month . . . The boys and I have several projects planned this month to learn about hunger, how it affects others, and how we can help. To start it off, I wanted to share a book with
Act of Kindness: A Conversation on Modern Day Slavery with an Act of Kindness for Free the Girls
It is just inevitable that completing acts of service with my boys will shape me as much as it does them. This particular act of service has helped compel me to further refine how I want to teach my boys
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Something Beautiful”
Something Beautiful is a book by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet. For us, this book was about recognizing need around you. It is a story of a girl that is on the search for “something beautiful,” as
Children’s Book on Compassion: “The Three Questions”
I’ve been working with the boys on how to recognize someone in need and encouraging them to have the confidence to act when they recognize a need. It has been so rewarding (and fun) to watch them work on this.
Children’s Book on Kindness: Heroes of the Vegetable Patch
Heroes of the Vegetable Patch is a book by Ulf Stark and Charlotte Ramel that I found at IKEA for $4 here in the US. Not only is it a great value for a hardback book, but it is a sweet
5 Easy Service Acts to Jump-Start Serving with Your Kids
Jump-Start Serving with Your Kids Thank-You Notes You will need: Crayons, markers Stamps Envelopes Paper Stickers This, I think, is one of the best things to teach your child and probably should be the first type of service act you
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?”
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? proved to be a great book! It takes the idea of how our words and actions affect one another and shows it in a visual way. When we are kind, it fills everyone’s bucket. When we are
Act of Kindness: With “Little Blue Truck” for a Friend
For Valentine’s Day, we planned several book giving adventures. Our first one was to give a book away to a new friend. A little boy new to the neighborhood. We settled on giving away a copy of Little Blue Truck by
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Being Frank”
Being Frank is written by Donna Earnhardt. >And, frankly, it was a delightful read for us. Frank always speaks the truth, very bluntly. In this story, he is guided by his grandfather on how to speak kindly. We had a
Children’s Book on Kindness: “Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You”
This is the perfect book to read about love. The title sounds like a love song. The pictures are beautiful and my youngest likes to lay on the floor and look at the illustrations. Wherever You Are, My Love Will
Children’s Book on Positive Words: “Martin’s Big Words”
Today, we read Martin’s Big Words and watched sections of his “I Have a Dream” speech. The boys were very thoughtful and quiet through the reading and discussion on the power of words and the words that MLK, Jr.
Children’s Book on Gratitude: “The Secret of Saying Thanks”
A children’s book on gratitude was especially needed as we were trying to be more deliberate with thanking others this week, I used the book The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood. Not only is this a great book
Children’s Book on Kindness: “One Smile”
This is a perfect book when you would like a quiet thoughtful conversation with your children on how being kind can make a big difference. One Smile by Cindy McKinley is a wonderful book to help show my boys the
