Tuesday, October 14, 2008
WW—Raising Kids With Conscience
While browsing around Twitter Moms, I noticed and later joined a group called Raising Kids With Conscience. The group's description states:
This is a group for moms who want to raise GIVING kids. We want to inspire our children to think outside themselves: give to their communities, the planet, and others.
How can we help our kids identify service/giving opportunities?
One idea I have is to keep a service journal/blog that records ideas for giving back, feelings about service opportunities and experiences, and the impact of that service.
What are your ideas?
Here are just a few from today's comments. In addition to giving great feedback, these gals have awesome blogs. Go check them out!
From Sassy Stephanie
One thing we do, while teaching the value of money at the same time, is the three jars for money. Everytime they get money for chores, etc. they split it into three jars: save, spend, give. The give jar is usually given to church, but we allow them to give where they see fit.
From Lindsay at Our Lives in a Nutshell
we've decided to make Christmas cookies for all our neighboors this year, as well as the elderly people in their great-grandparent's apartment building
From Elizabeth at Parenting Pink
We bring items to our local SPCA once a month to donate to the kitties & doggies (my daughter's words). The love picking out little treats at the Dollar Store and then giving them to the animals at the shelter.
From Leslee at Phillips 101
growing up my mom made us go at thanksgivng and christmas and work in homeless shelter and soup kitchens and church dining hall to help out people who were less fortunate that us. we served food, cleaned tables and helped people. also my parents took $ from our christmas budget every year and adopted a family. we always adopted a family with children our ages. so we got to go shopping and pick out toys, coats, socks, clotes etc. for needy families and children our own ages. it was very humbeling and you had better bet i will have my little man right there with me when he is old enough to help!
From Jamie at Jamie's Rose Cottage
Each year for my daughter's birthday, we pick a charity of some sort to collect for in lieu of more gifts she doesn't really need. (We get her a few things & inevitably a few other relatives do too, but it's not a crazy gift-fest.) This year was collecting for Operation Christmas Child; last year was collecting for the pet rescue where we had recently adopted our dog.
I've joined Angie and crowd for Wordful Wednesday. Come and join in on the fun!
Posts
October 14, 2008 at 11:50 PM
My kids always have great ideas and want to help others CONSTANTLY. I love their big hearts, and I really could learn a thing or two, but WOW! I have to tell them we can't fix all that's wrong in just one day! lol
October 15, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Well, since my kids are a little young to be serving at a soup kitchen or the like, we've decided to make Christmas cookies for all our neighboors this year, as well as the elderly people in their great-grandparent's apartment building (not the whole building, btw) :-) It's a start and it's cookies - who doesn't get excited about making them and giving them away?! Great post! sorry...I've been delinquent for quite a while. Ugh.
October 15, 2008 at 12:51 AM
we do that TOO! J loves looking for opportunities to serve in the community and help those in need. She truy inspires me to be a better person and also look for ways to help!
i think kids SEE WAY more than we do...rush rush rush. i love that i have her to help me stop and look.
and help.
October 15, 2008 at 12:56 AM
My kids decided that now that we are in the big state of OR. where that pesky 5cent thing on your cans Is REAL... they are going to collect all our cans (and the neighbors) and then donate their recycling funds to a charity. Got a suggested one for us??/
October 15, 2008 at 2:50 AM
thats nice... we should all try to work on that.. my entries are here and here
sweet..pretty..naughty
Memory Filled
Sweety tots
October 15, 2008 at 4:46 AM
all wonderful ideas. and not to sound like an old mom, or anything, but the number 1 idea is to be a good example for your kids... even if they don't show it in their actions all the time (the teen years get a little "ME ME ME"), they are watching you and hopefully will absorb some of what they see. my kids know that if there is an organization or fundraiser or event that needs help, i am there in some small (or large, lord help me!) way.
October 15, 2008 at 5:45 AM
i do that too. i make it a point to show my two year old how to share and care.
great entry.
happy wednesday. hope you can visit my WW!
milet
October 15, 2008 at 6:39 AM
Nice reminder. I want to work with my 3-yr-old this Christmas on some service projects - need to get them lined up. Great post!
October 15, 2008 at 6:57 AM
I think the journal idea is a great one.
I've also always thought that asking your children to donate something that they LIKE to those in need is a great way to foster this consciousness.
October 15, 2008 at 7:09 AM
That's wonderful! My son is too little at 6 months, but I'd love to get involved with him doing some community service projects. I do a lot of volunteering so I'm assuming he'll be interested too.
October 15, 2008 at 7:20 AM
I don't have any kids, but it's refreshing to see this outlook nowadays :)
October 15, 2008 at 7:21 AM
We have an alms basket at our church and my son (almost three) has been putting food in it for months. He also loves finding money to give to people. Thanks for sharing this. Happy WW.
October 15, 2008 at 7:22 AM
We bring items to our local SPCA once a month to donate to the kitties & doggies (my daughter's words). The love picking out little treats at the Dollar Store and then giving them to the animals at the shelter. I love seeing them do it. It's a small step, but one that I think puts them on the right track. Great topic!
October 15, 2008 at 7:33 AM
Beat them into submission...JK!! Teaching them the skill and devotion it takes for service is one of the best ways for a child even adult to "find" themselves...If more kids did that..they would truly look into themselves they see who they really are!! Making it fun always works as well.
October 15, 2008 at 7:38 AM
THis sounds fabulous! I will have to look into this group. My kids are into recycling right now which I believe is a huge service to all but I would love to hear more ideas!
BTW- I did join you guys for about 3 minutes last night! :-) My hubby bust his head open playing b-ball and I had to get off pretty much as soon as I joined Twitter to take him to the ER. O well, I tried! :-)
October 15, 2008 at 7:45 AM
Happy WW!
October 15, 2008 at 7:48 AM
Jill, great idea! It sharpens their reading/writing skills at the same time. I am going to steal this idea.
One thing we do, while teaching the value of money at the same time, is the three jars for money. Everytime they get money for chores, etc. they split it into three jars: save, spend, give. The give jar is usually given to church, but we allow them to give where they see fit. They love carrying their bag of coins to church or Sunday school to give as an offering.
October 15, 2008 at 8:00 AM
That is a great idea! :)
October 15, 2008 at 8:04 AM
alright missie... i definately cannot figure out twitter. maybe I am slow to the twitter thing, but I will try again next week...
growing up my mom made us go at thanksgivng and christmas and work in homeless shelter and soup kitchens and church dining hall to help out people who were less fortunate that us. we served food, cleaned tables and helped people. also my parents took $ from our christmas budget every year and adopted a family. we always adopted a family with children our ages. so we got to go shopping and pick out toys, coats, socks, clotes etc. for needy families and children our own ages. it was very humbeling and you had better bet i will have my little man right there with me when he is old enough to help!
October 15, 2008 at 8:28 AM
Each year for my daughter's birthday, we pick a charity of some sort to collect for in lieu of more gifts she doesn't really need. (We get her a few things & inevitably a few other relatives do too, but it's not a crazy gift-fest.) This year was collecting for Operation Christmas Child; last year was collecting for the pet rescue where we had recently adopted our dog.
October 15, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Mmmhh... my idea would be instead of teaching "to give", teach children "to work" to improve/help/raise, etc.
I think action would make them feel the real value of a cause.
October 15, 2008 at 9:37 AM
Wow, this is a wonderful idea. You can view my WW HERE
~Bobbie
October 15, 2008 at 11:31 AM
beautiful!
October 15, 2008 at 12:21 PM
I am looking forward to doing these types of things with my son when he gets older. This is a great message for Wordless Wednesday!
October 15, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Great post. My son is young but when he is old enough to understand I will help him to donate his clothing to less fortunate people and fundraise for various causes of interest to him.
October 15, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Thanks for the shout out! Luckily, I can do some things right!! All great tips!
October 15, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Oh, thank you for the "linky love!" Glad you liked me idea - I guess there are occasions when I have good ones :-)
October 15, 2008 at 4:55 PM
That really great. I love all the different ideas! I think it's very important our children understand and want to give back to the community.
October 15, 2008 at 5:13 PM
As an old mom, Girl Scout leader, and Cub Scout helper, who once wanted to be a human rights advocate, inspiring youth activists is something that I care about deeply.
I like the Girl Scout Leadership Model for inspiring youth activists: discover, connect, take action.
1) They discover about themselves and the world around them. Ideally, this leads them to identify a need that they want to address.
2) They connect with others who share their concern.
3. Taking action according to what they can do themselves, sometimes with assistance.
October 15, 2008 at 5:20 PM
We support four sisters in Ethiopia, so they can go to school. We also send them letters and pictures and care packages. The kids love to help pick out items to send to the girls.
October 15, 2008 at 5:56 PM
I think it is really important to teach children to give back. Here are some of the things we have done/do with my girls (and my GS troop).
We cook dinner for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald house. Sort Food at the food bank. Make fleece blankets for Project Linus. We have also made favors around the holidays for the local senior center.
October 15, 2008 at 6:25 PM
OKAY....... this might sound really bad......but we take our boys downtown, sit in the car, and watch the homeless people dig in the dumpsters.
Gene usually buys them a McDonald's dinner, but our purpose is to show our boys the lives of others in REAL LIFE, and not just a magazine ad from Africa.
October 15, 2008 at 7:03 PM
This is something I think about a lot, but as my daughter is only one, we haven't really broached yet. I am loving reading the comments to get ideas for our family to use.
October 16, 2008 at 8:36 AM
Well, my son is 14 months old. So obviously he doesn't know or understand... however, we've donated unopened diaper packs, clothes he doesn't fit into anymore or has never worn, bottles we've never used, pacis that were never used, toys, and my old maternity clothes to churches that hand these kinds of things out to needy soon-to-be moms. So he's helped, just without knowing it yet.
October 16, 2008 at 11:39 AM
great post!!!
I am always telling and sharing idea's with the monkey's on what it means to give and share with others!! Never to young to start!!
P.S. If you are up for it, you have been tagged