Monthly Archives: June 2018

A Practical Project for Children

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Train up a child…

 

A Practical Project for Children

During mid-summer, children begin to get bored with summer vacation.  Parents have started running out of ideas to keep children busy.  Here is a project that is practical and when completed, will give the children a feeling of accomplishment.  It is safe since there is no heat involved, and it teaches fundamentals of food preservation as well as measuring skills, fractions, and following directions.

Peaches are plentiful in July and August and an easy way to preserve them is by freezing.  Here are the directions:

Freezing Peaches

Wash hands thoroughly.

Wash peaches to be frozen in water in the sink with a drop or two of dish detergent.  Rinse well.

Mix a thin syrup in a large bowl or pan by using 4 cups of water and two cups of sugar.  Add ½ tsp. of fresh fruit preserver. (Can be purchased in the canning section at the supermarket.)  Stir well and place near the sink.  Do not cook.

Peel the peaches using a vegetable peeler and place the peaches in the syrup as they are peeled. (Older children can use a knife and slice the peaches.) Stir each time to make sure they are covered by the syrup to prevent them from darkening.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon the peaches into a pint or quart plastic freezer bag.  Then, using a small measuring cup, add syrup until it is about ½ inch or so from the top.  Zip the bag shut and immediately place in the freezer.

Leftover syrup can be used in gelatin desserts or ice tea for flavoring.

An additional project might be to use a bag of the frozen sliced peaches and place them in a food processor.  (Young children need parental supervision to use this appliance.)  If necessary, place the frozen bag in the microwave for a few seconds to soften the ice before processing but do not thaw completely. Just soften enough to break the large lump apart. Add cream and process.  It makes a delicious sorbet.  (The Italian sweet cream in the coffee creamer section at the grocery store works great for this.  Just add a little at a time to prevent spattering and process until the peaches are chopped up.)  For less calories, use skim milk. Remember there is already sugar in the syrup surrounding the peaches.  Frozen fruit from the supermarket can also be used.  If it is used, sugar will need to be added.

To extend the learning:

Have the children look up information about different kinds of peaches and where they are grown. They should know the difference between cling peaches that ripen later in the summer and those that are not clings.

Have the children investigate why peaches and apples turn dark when peeled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Possible vs. Impossible

parenting, Raising kids

Possible vs. Impossible

Every person has ideas of what should or shouldn’t be.  Those ideas are usually predicated on personal preferences with the assumption that others feel the same way.  In many situations, others may not feel the same way at all.

We hear a lot about how terrible it is for children to be separated from parents.  (It is interesting that often the talk is about separation from mothers with no mention of the fathers!)  The news of what is happening at the border of our country has reminded me of the work my husband, Keith, and I did on some of our American Indian reservations when we worked in dormitories where children were staying while being educated.

It was common practice on our Indian reservations to have boarding schools.  At Lukachukai, AZ, on the Navajo reservation, children were allowed to be checked out one time each month.  Parents could visit them at any time and it was common to see horse-drawn wagons come to campus bringing parents to visit.  They would bring melons, apples, candy, etc. and the children had big smiles when they came.  It was also common for parents to bring us their children and hand them to us.  On one occasion I was kicked until I had bruises on me as my glasses flew to the ground.  I hurt inside as I saw the pain in the faces of her non-English speaking parents and sensed the little girl’s fear. 

What was the alternative to this program?  There was no electricity on the reservation.  Hogans were scattered miles apart. If the boarding schools were not there, the children would have no education and they would be left at home sleeping on lice-infested sheepskins.  By staying in the dorms, the children had clean clothes, good food, and an education.  A public health doctor came one time each week with a public health nurse to care for our sick children. Each Saturday morning was spent on the lice problem.  Instructional Aides and the children, themselves, would work on picking nits from the heads of the children.  Those who came in with impetigo were soon healed.  By the time the lice and major problems were near conquered, the parents would come for the monthly checkout.  The kids would go home and come back with lice and the procedure would start all over.  

A few years after we had transferred to other places, electricity came to parts of the reservation.  The government built a beautiful high school in the central part of the reservation.  Many felt this would be a wonderful thing to keep the teenagers from having to go to off-reservation schools away from families.  After the first year of the school operation, parents began complaining that the teens ate too much and would not obey the parents.  Many were wanting their children to go back to the off-reservation schools!

When my husband and I adopted our two older boys, the social worker told us, “You know, in some cases it takes more love to give up a child than to keep it.”  She was saying that parents who were thinking of the best for their children would be willing to give them up for their own good.  That is what we had observed many times as parents had brought their children to us and placed them in our care.  They wanted an education for their children and things for them that they could not provide.

Things are not always as they seem.  Sometimes we have to accept less than what we would consider the ideal for a better outcome.  Just as Keith and I took our jobs very seriously to provide the best for the children, I feel confident that there are many doing the same at our border.  In one picture I saw cartons of milk.  No doubt the children are getting better nutrition than what they have previously gotten.  As a mother of four, I would have to say that if I had traveled the great distance the people traveled, I might welcome someone taking my children and caring for them a short period of time to give them what they needed. This may be part of the consideration when children are sent to summer camp or to their grandparents for a time. 

Our people are probably doing the best they possibly can in a situation where the ideal is impossible! 

What is a Real Home?

parenting, Raising kids,

Train up a child…

 

What is a Real Home?

 

When I was a child still at home, my dad often quoted the following poem to my four sisters and me. The meaning has stuck with me through the years and I believe it will stick with today’s children as well if we take the time to repeat it for them.

 

 

It Takes a Heap O’ Livin

By Edgar A. Guest

 

It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’make it home,

A heap o’ sun an’ shadder, an’ ye somtimes have t’roam

Afore ye really ‘preciate the things ye lef’ behind,

An’ hunger for ’em somehow, with ’em allus on yer mind.

It don’t make any difference how rich ye get t’be,

How much yer chairs an’ tables cost, how great yer luxury;

It ain’ a hom t’ye, though it be the palace of a king,

Until somehow yer soul is sort o’ wrapped round everything.

 

Home ain’t a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute

Afore it’s home there’s got t’be a heap o’ livin’ in it;

Within the walls there’s got t’be some babies born, and then

Right there ye’ve got t’bring ’em up t’women good, and’ men;

And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn’t part

With anything they ever used–they’ve grown into yer heart:

The old high-chairs, the play things, too, the little shoes they wore

Ye hoard; an’ if ye could ye’d keep the thumb-marks on the door.

 

Ye’eve got t’weep t’make it home, ye’eve got t’sit an’ sigh

An’ watch beside a loved one’s bed, an’ know that Death is nigh;

An’ in the stillness o’ the night t’see Death’s angel come

An’ close the eyes o’ her that smiled, an’ leave her sweet voice dumb.

For these are scenes that grip the heart, an’ when yer tears are dried,

Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an’ sanctified;

An’ tuggin’ at ye always are the pleasant memories

O’ her that was an’ is no more–ye can’t escape from these.

 

Ye’ve got to sing an’ dance fer years, ye’ve got t’romp an’ play,

An’ learn t’love the things ye have by usin’ ’em each day;

Even the roses round the porch must blossom year by year

Afore they ‘come a part o’ ye, suggestin’ someone dear

Who used t’love ’em long ago, an’ trained ’em just t’run

The way they do, so’s they would get the early mornin’ sun;

Ye’ve got to love each brick an’ stone from cellar up t’dome;

It takes a heap o’ livin’ in a house t’make it home.

 

How very true!

 

Chores for Toddlers

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Train up a child…

 

Chores for Toddlers

 

Can toddlers really do chores?  Yes. Even at this early age, children should begin helping to keep the home as it should be. Will they do a perfect job? No. They will, however, begin the learning process of doing certain chores and gain the realization that they are important in contributing to the work that needs to be done.

All chores done by toddlers need to be supervised by adults.  Time spent teaching children at this level will pay big dividends in the years to come when the children are able to do many things without total supervision. Toddler chores are done alongside adults.  Keeping children busy helping out at this age prevents their doing things that cause more messes to be cleaned up.  Toddlers are usually eager to help and have that look of satisfaction on their faces when they are praised for their efforts.

 

Here are some things toddlers can do:

 

  • Pick up/put away toys. (It is helpful to make a game of this.Counting to ten slowly as toys are put away and trying to get them all put away by the end of the count makes a fun game of the task.)
  • Help unload the dishwasher. Toddlers can put away silver or plastic items that can be reached.They may need a step stool to reach the silverware drawer
  • Dust larger items with a feather duster as someone else dusts the smaller items
  • Use a small broom or Swiffer to help dust the floor
  • Pick up dirty clothes and put them in the hamper
  • Put clean clothes away in drawers that can be reached with a step stool, and carry clean clothes to rooms where they belong
  • Help scrub spots off the floor
  • Pick up things that are dropped as cooking is done
  • Stir some things that are being mixed in the kitchen
  • Dust baseboards
  • Take clothes out of the dryer and put them in the laundry basket
  • Carry dirty silverware from the table to the kitchen after eating
  • Throw paper plates and cups in the trash after eating
  • Go get items for mommy and daddy
  • Take items to others as directed

 

We tend to underestimate what children can do.  In days gone by, it was necessary for children to help in families in order to survive.  Children knew they were of value to the family as they performed necessary tasks. We have so many helpful tools now that we tend to allow children to have too much time on their hands.  Self esteem is achieved by actually being worth something.  Children find self worth through achievement of worthwhile activities.  We rob our children of this wonderful feeling when they are not allowed to participate in doing things that have value.

 

A Teen’s First Job

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Train up a child…

 

A Teen’s First Job

 

When age fourteen is reached, teens start thinking about working outside the home.  Some children start working out of the home at age ten or twelve doing lawn care or short-term similar jobs.  In my opinion, children should be kept in productive activities as early as possible depending on capabilities and safety.  At least by age fourteen children should start earning and budgeting money. Many places cannot hire someone until they are sixteen, so working at age fourteen and fifteen may require some creative thinking in figuring out ways to earn money.

A first job outside the home sets a pattern that may last a lifetime in the work habits a teen learns and that teen’s ability to take orders from supervisors. Teens also learn responsibility and the fact that many times they must work whether they feel like it or not.

Parents need to have a talk with their teens before that first job and make sure they understand the following:

  • A worker should arrive within a 15 minute time frame of the time they start work and should leave after time to get off work.
  • Workers must obey supervisors without question.
  • The worker is not the boss. The boss is the boss!
  • When instructions are not understood, ask for clarification instead of guessing and possibly doing something wrong.
  • Be loyal to the company or person for whom the work is being done.
  • Be pleasant. Do not complain.
  • Many people could have been chosen for the job and others can replace you.
  • Do not make promises you can’t or won’t keep.
  • When you make a mistake, apologize and move on. Don’t dwell on it.  Everyone makes mistakes.  If you are making a lot of mistakes, perhaps you should look for a job more suited to your abilities.
  • Make out a budget. Since there is no rent expense, a larger amount can be saved.  Ten percent should be given to charity.  Car expense should be included in a budget. Food expense should be figured closely as most teens tend to waste a lot of money on drinks and fast food.  Soft drinks have no nutritional value. Drinking water instead of soft drinks can save a lot of money.
  • If driving to work, proper care of the car is necessary.This includes oil changes as well as gas.
  • Sometimes workers lose jobs for reasons other than performance.Many businesses hire employees temporarily to avoid paying benefits.

 

Teens have a great amount of energy and vitality to offer to a job.  They can do much that older people can’t do and are a valuable resource if in the right position.  My husband and I have always told our children, “If you make money for your company, you will have a job.  If you lose money for your company, you will lose your job.”  Businesses exist for the purpose of making money.  They don’t exist for individuals.  That is the reality of life.  Unfortunately, often politics enter into whether a person has a job as well.  Sometimes friends get chosen for positions even if another deserves it.  Teens must learn that life is not fair, but they, themselves, need to be fair whether or not others are fair to them.  Much of this can be learned on a teen’s first job.