Magicalms.com ~ Magical Moments

The last week of school deserves special planning and sensitivity so that children experience both closure and an understanding of where and what they will be doing after their last day of school.  Even if it requires phone calls to each child’s home, it is necessary for the teacher to be as informed as possible so that he/she can help each child to be ready and to feel confident about his/her next step in life’s journey. During this week, it is important for boys and girls to review the 2009/2010 school year, help pack away books and supplies, and say goodbye to each other, support staff, and other teachers. It may be a grand time to celebrate children’s birthdays that occur during the summer months, have the kids create Father’s Day cards/gifts, and write/dictate stories about their favorite or least special school experience.  It is also a wonderful time for the teacher to spend a few minutes with each of the children in order to praise his/her accomplishments, applaud his/her trials, express confidence in future endeavors, and relay at least one memorable incident that occurred during the year. If you are able, it would be awesome to send a class picture home with each student and would be super to include a little note expressing how fortunate you feel to have been their teacher.

Some favorite stories to read this week include:

• Margaret the Magnificent by Donna B. Mavrides
• Only One You, by Linda Kranz
• Thank you by David Milgrim
• I’m Thankful for Each Day by P.K. Hallinan
• That’s what a Friend is by P.K. Hallinan
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

I look forward to hearing from my readers this summer as I enjoy, relax, and plan for the upcoming school year.  If you would like to purchase The Magical Moments Curriculum Guide or any of my picture books, please let me know and your selections will be mailed directly to you.

Happy summer to all,

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, halloween, last day of school, last week of school, magicalms.com, Margaret the Magnificent, Margaret the Magnificent Visits the Everglades, summer reading for kids, www.magicalms.com

“Dr. Laura – I’m not one of those ‘Count to 3 and They Jump’ parents.  I was raised that way and it always seems to involve threats and harshness. But I do want my kids to listen to me, and to take No for an answer.  For instance, when I say ‘It’s time to clean up’ they ignore me unless I yell.  What’s the secret?” — Danielle
Most humans ignore things they don’t want to hear, if possible.  But we can get our kids to “listen,” and to follow our rules, without resorting to yelling, threats or harshness.  The secrets?

1. Kids only listen to us because of who we are to them. Our influence depends on their connection to us. If your kid won’t listen, start by listening to them.

2. Kids accept our direction when it’s part of the routine. That’s just the way life is. “We always clean up the toys before dinner.  That’s the rule.” Kids may not love these rules, but if we cheerfully insist on them, they’ll become habits, like washing hands or doing homework before playing.

3. Kids accept our requests when they realize, through experience, that the limit is firm. If they learn they can always adjust our limits, they will naturally challenge them every time. That doesn’t mean you can’t listen to their arguments and reconsider.  But once your mind is made up, be kind but clear.  Get in their physical space in a pleasant, humorous way, so that ignoring you isn’t an option. “Hey, didn’t you hear me?  Time to clean up now.  Let’s drive that dump truck to the toy box.”

4. Kids accept our limits when we accept their desires, and their anger, sadness or disappointment about our limits. They don’t have to like our limits, they just have to follow them.  Once they express their desire and their unhappiness, they can more easily accept the limit and move on.  “You wish you could play for ten more hours, right? You could play all night. It’s hard to stop playing and clean up.  Want to growl while we clean up to show me how snarly you feel? Let’s have a growling contest.”

5. Kids follow our requests when they don’t feel pushed around. Avoid initiating a power struggle. Find a way to give a choice, and some autonomy. “We do need to clean up.  Do you want to be in charge of putting the blocks away, or the crayons?”

6. Kids follow our requests when we transform them into something fun and inviting.  You can make a game out anything, and no kid can resist an invitation to play.  Let the trucks have a race to the toy box. Use funny voices. Have a contest about who can clean up fastest. Pretend you’re the wrecking crew.  Tell a story while you clean up about a kid who hated to clean up.

7. Kids follow our requests when they’re age-appropriate.  Don’t expect a three year old to clean up his toys himself.  Do it with him.  Even if he seems to know how, he needs your company to stay on task.

8. Kids accept our limits when they see we care about their happiness. “I know you don’t want to destroy this tower you worked so hard on.  We usually clean everything up at night, but let’s leave your tower up to enjoy. And if we hurry with the rest of the clean-up, we’ll have time for an extra story.”

9. Kids accept our direction because they trust us to make rules that support their well-being. That trust is established by the way we interact with them every day. “We clean up so we don’t trip over the toys and break them. And so we have a clear space to play tomorrow.”

10. Kids accept our NO because they feel our deeper YES. Kids will do almost anything we request if we make the request with a loving heart.  Find a way to say YES instead of NO even while you set your limit. “YES, it’s time to clean up, and YES I will help you and YES we can leave your tower up and YES you can growl about it and YES if we hurry we can read an extra story and YES we can make this fun and YES I adore you and YES how did I get so lucky to be your parent? YES!”  Your child will respond with the generosity of spirit that only a child can offer.

May your day be filled with miracles, including children who listen.

Dr. Laura Markham
AhaParenting.com

Tags: Dr. Laura Markham

“Margaret the Magnificent” is a heartwarming story to read at any time, but, especially relevant when children are embarking on new experiences like summer camp, moving to a new house, changing classrooms, teachers, and/or schools.  Margaret is an enormous, shaggy, black and white sheepdog who possesses magical powers.  She not only barks like a typical dog, but, is also able to speak like you and me. The lovable dog is known as, Margaret the Miracle Maker, because of her ability to travel the globe assisting children and animals; the amazing sheepdog  feels when children and animals need extra doses of love, friendship, and guidance.

In this adventure, Margaret travels to visit with a little girl who is frightened about beginning classes at a new school. The lovable sheepdog’s friendship and encouragement enable the child to have the self confidence and sense of adventure necessary for success.

As we adults know, self confidence is a gift that we give ourselves which enables us to move forward even when circumstances are unclear, scary, and/or novel.  In order for our children to feel self confident, they must have positive experiences that bolster their self image.  Reading “Margaret the Magnificent” as well as other books that enhance self image, will communicate the message that we believe in our children. If we show our children that we have confidence in them, they will feel competent and ready to tackle age-appropriate challenges and new experiences.

Stories written by Donna Mavrides are available thru her web site, www.magicalms.com

• “Margaret the Magnificent”
• “Margaret the Magnificent visits the Everglades”
• “Forever Love”
• “Room for One More”

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, Forever Love, magicalms.com, Margaret the Magnificent, Margaret the Magnificent Visits the Everglades, Room for One More, www.magicalms.com

In anticipation of Mother’s Day, it is important for the teacher to be cognizant of those children who are not living with their mom, those whose mother has died, those who have two moms, as well as the child who has both a step and a biological mother  and of course, the child who lives within a typical nuclear family.  Please accept all scenarios as normal as you include these special women and honor them for being such an important part of each  child’s life.  It may be fun for the children to help plan a “Special Women in their life Tea” as a way of showcasing their songs, stories, gifts, and of course showing appreciation for all that their moms and mom figures do for and with them.

Fun songs to include in the tea might include:
(tune of Short’n GBread)
All the little children love mommy, mommy,
All the little children love Mother’s Day.
Give out a yell, Yea!
Give out a cheer, Yea!
We are glad our mommies are here.

(tune of BINGO)
I love her and she loves me and MOMMY is her name oh,
MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY and MOMMY is her name oh.
(repeat the song 5 times and as you do, keep eliminating one of the letters in the word MOMMY)
(You may choose to make a sound or blow a kiss instead of saying the letter.

Two other fun songs are My Mother Told Me by Tonya Weiner and Mama Gooney Bird by Dr. Jean

Activities that may be fun for the tea include:
If you were successful in taking or gathering pictures of each child and his/her special woman before the day of the party, it may e fun for the children and parents to try to match the two together. On a table that is covered with thick towels, have several toy teapots filled with drinking water and small tea cups.  Have the children take turns pouring and serving the “tea” to their special women.
It may be fun to have a jewelry making table where the children and moms can create noodle, bead, button, pretzel, cheerios, etc. treasures by making necklaces and bracelets from string or pipe cleaners.

Pink or red playdough, rollers, and plastic heart shaped cookie cutters is always fun for everyone to play with.

A wonderful addition to the tea would be to have either a cookie designing  and/or a fruit kabob and/or a sandwich building station for the kids and moms to work together on and then to eat.

A day with visitors is never complete without showcasing the children’s drawings of their special women that were completed before the day of the party.  In addition, it would be fun to read the “little stories or answers to predesigned questions that you have completed before the day of the party.

There are so many terrific Mother’s Day stories to choose from, but, here are a few of my favorites.  Reading a story to everyone is a terrific way to bring everyone together as the Mom’s Day Tea is getting ready to end.

• All Families Are Different, Parr
• A Chair For Mother, Williams
• Are You my Mother? Eastman
• Mama Do you Love me? Joose
• I love you as Much As, Melmed
• Big Mama, Crews

As with all parties and classroom celebrations, it is important to make certain that everyone has had a wonderful time, thank the visitors for coming, and be certain that the festivity ends on a calm note.  Remind visitors to say goodbye to their children as they leave in an orderly manner so that the children remain happy and continue to stay focused and well adjusted. Happy Mother’s Day to All!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, magicalms.com, mother's day, www.magicalms.com

Is your calendar marked with appointments, birthdays, holidays, and due dates?  Are your classroom themes based on seasons and on special events? If you are like me, the answer to both of these questions is YES.  Basing your teaching around the calendar is apropos; if you make certain that both you and your kids remain the most special and most important element to each and every day. Once again, I urge you to place a greater value on the process vs. the product and the child over the theme.

As we celebrate the beauty inherent in spring time, let’s remain focused about what our children need to sprout, to grow, to feel self confident and to be successful. I believe that boys and girls must be given TIME;  time to play, time to create, time to reflect, time to try, time to make mistakes, time to cry, time to laugh. Yes, the calendar keeps our lives organized and reminds us to fulfill obligations, but, let’s not allow it to infringe upon the time we give to our kids, to be, just kids!!

In this last week of April, enjoy your children as you help them to appreciate the simple joy of time. And, please remember that each and every moment shared is a treasured gift!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: calendar, Donna Mavrides, magicalms.com, www.magicalms.com

In honor of the 40th Earth Day Celebration, this Thursday, April 22nd, it would be timely to begin a unit on our earth’s precious water and land. Books to include within the unit are:

• “Margaret the Magnificent Visits the Everglades”, Mavrides
• “Be a Friend to a Tree”, Berger
• “The Giving Tree”, Silverstein
• “The Little Cloud”, Carle
• “Who Lives in a Tree?”, Berger
• “The Sun”, Asch
• “Trashy town”, “Zimmerman and Clemesha
• “The Earth and I”, Asch
• “Where Does All The Garbage G?” Berger
• “Kokopelli”, Sterns

In order to illustrate the difference between a lovely, clean world with one that is polluted and dirty, I would try the following exercise and follow up discussion with your children. Of course, the amount of detail and conversation will be determined by the developmental levels of your particular group of boys and girls.

Show the children two pictures of outdoor scenes. In one of the pictures, have the trees, water, flowers, etc. be colored with vibrant hues and in the other, paint over the picture with watered down black paint.  In order to exaggerate the difference in the two scenes, add trash and litter to both the land and the water in the polluted picture. Ask the boys and girls to tell you what they see and how the two scenes are alike and different. Ask the children where they would prefer to live and play. You may introduce the term “POLLUTION” as you listen to their ideas.

In order to reinforce the concept of clean vs. polluted, I would suggest doing the following experiment with your class. Begin by having two jars filled with clear water. Have the children toss flowers, shells, pebbles, foamie fish, etc. into each of the jars. After the objects are in the jars, add blue food coloring into one of the jars and black paint and small pieces of trash into the other. Have the children shake the jars and observe.  Continue your discussion on where the flowers, fish, etc, will be happier as you reinforce the concept of keeping our world clean and beautiful so that it remains pretty and healthy for all living creatures.

To end the discussion/circle time, it would be apropos to play the song “Take the Piece of Paper”.  After following the directives in the song, the children will take their crumbled paper to the art table where they can use it in lieu of a paint brush to create an earth friendly creation.  Have the boys and girls paint on newspaper with their unique paint (crushed paper) utensils.

Additional Earth Day activities:

• Have the children gather bottles, paper, etc. that have been scattered in the classroom into recycle containers.
• Have the children create “earths” by painting balloons in blues and greens or by using paper Mache on balloons.
• Have the children collage water bottles to make vases or fish.
• Have the children create earth friendly collages by utilizing recyclables.
• Plant a collective garden within an old tire.
• Have the children play with soil and water.
• Have the children decorate round cookies or crackers with blue and green icing.
• If the weather permits, it would be lovely to enjoy an outdoor snack or lunch.

Happy Earth Day to All!!
Let’s Preserve our Planet!!!!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, earth day, magicalms.com, www.magicalms.com

Do you have days, weeks, and months where your actions are focused, determination energized and then without logic or reason, you experience periods where distractions interfere with your goals, where frustrations and disappointments supersede your ambitions? Well friends, if you get into a similar funk, take time to smell the roses, enjoy the sounds of children’s laughter, look ahead to future joys, reminisce about the past, and think about the beauty that surrounds you. I dedicate the following poem to all of us who need an occasional reminder to make each and every day a special one. 

Morning Coffee

As the scent of morning coffee fills the air,
One feels moments of tenderness, of precious memories that have been shared.

As you take a little sip, questions are asked, answers sought, and apprehensions weighed.

Will moms and dads treat their children with care?
Will couples speak respectfully, will they love and share?

Will teachers follow protocol or teach from their hearts?
Will protagonists take a break, work together, and ensure a better start?

As the coffee exerts its lightning power, do you wonder if time will be valued or simply squandered?

Will we make time for caring?
Will we make time for sharing?

Will we make time for sighing?
Will we notice if someone is crying?

Will we make time to be a trustworthy friend?
Will we help tender egos and bruises to mend?

Will we make time to gaze at the sunset and feel the morning’s dew?
Will we try to be more gracious, expect less from ourselves, others, from me and you?

Morning coffee gives us time to contemplate, to compromise, and to commit.
To make our own and others’ lives a bit lovelier and joyous, even if it is just inch by inch, bit by bit.

Enjoy your morning coffee!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, magicalms.com, morning coffee, www.magicalms.com

“Margaret the Magnificent” is an extraordinary sheep dog who travels the globe creating magical moments for boys and girls.  In her first book, Margaret visits with a child who is feeling frightened about changing schools.  In the story, the lovable, shaggy dog empowers the child with the self confidence necessary for success. Margaret’s friendship, guidance and of course  extra love and doggy kisses help the child to  have a joyous first day at her new school.

In “Margaret the Magnificent Visits the Everglades”, the huge dog invites the reader to join her as she explores the Everglades National Park where she becomes friendly with its inhabitants.  Throughout this adventure, the super dog becomes aware of the dangers facing the Everglades’ ecosystem. In the story, Margaret is determined to help her friends, Ali the alligator and Crock the crocodile save their home while encouraging all of us to make “greener” choices.

The book, “Margaret the Magnificent visits the Everglades” is brought to life with Ann Pilicer’s illustrations and with Rodney Cammauf’s photographs.  The book is complete with a child friendly index that includes words used in the book that are associated with The Everglades National Park. The next book in the “Margaret the Magnificent “ series will take place in the rainforests of Africa and will  be released this summer.

Donna B. Mavrides is the author of the Margaret the Magnificent stories and owner of this website.

In order to purchase one of these two books, please visit her web site, www.magicalms.com or contact her at donnamavrides@yahoo.com

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Author Donna Mavrides, Donna Mavrides, magicalms.com, Margaret the Magnificent, Margaret the Magnificent Visits the Everglades, www.magicalms.com

It may seem odd, but … what makes a happy child who grows into a happy adult?  For many parents, raising happy children is the holy grail of parenting success. Since happiness is a by-product of emotional health, this whole website is about helping you raise a happy child, from meeting your infant’s need to be held to helping your kids develop optimism. But let’s talk specifically about what makes humans happy.

 What do you need to be happy?  A winning lottery ticket?

The latest research on happiness give us surprising news.  Happiness turns out to be less a result of luck and external circumstance than a product of our own mental, emotional, and physical habits, which create the body chemistry that determines our happiness level.

We all know that some of us tend to be more upbeat than others. Part of this is inborn, just the fate of our genes that give us a happier mood. But much of our mood is habit.

It may seem odd to have happiness referred to as a habit. But it’s likely that by the time we’re adults, we have settled into the habit of being happy, or the habit of being unhappy.

Happiness is closely linked to three kinds of habits:

1. How we think and feel about the world, and therefore perceive our experiences.
2. Certain actions or habits, such as regular exercise, eating healthfully, meditating, even — proven in study after study — regularly smiling and laughing!
3. Character traits such as self-control, industry, fairness, citizenship, wisdom, courage, leadership, and honesty.

In practice, these character traits are just habits; tendencies to act in certain ways when confronted with certain kinds of situations. And certainly it makes sense that the more we exhibit these traits, the better our lives work and the better we feel about ourselves, so the happier we are.

Some of the habits that create happiness are visible, the ways Grandma told us we ought to live: work hard, value relationships with other people, keep our bodies healthy, manage our money responsibly, contribute to our community.

Others are more personal habits of self management that insulate us from unhappiness and create joy in our lives, such as managing our moods and cultivating optimism. But once we make such habits part of our lives, they are automatic and serve a protective function.

How can you help your child begin to develop the habits that lead to happiness?

1. Teach your child constructive habits to control his mind and create happiness: managing our moods, positive self-talk, cultivating optimism, celebrating life, practicing gratitude, and appreciating our connected-ness to each other and the entire universe.
2. Teach your child the self-management habits that create happiness: regular exercise, healthy eating, and meditation are all highly correlated with happiness levels. But you and your child may have your own, more personal strategies; for many people music is an immediate mood lifter, for others a walk in nature always works.
3. Cultivate fun. The old saying that laughter is the best medicine turns out to be true. The more we laugh, the happier we are! So the next time you and your child want to shake off the doldrums, how about a Marx brothers movie marathon?  And here’s a wonderful tool: smiling makes us happier, even when we force it. The feedback from our facial muscles informs us that we’re happy, and immediately improves our mood. Not to mention the moods of those around us, and that feedback loop uplifts everyone.
4. Help him learn how to manage his moods. Most people don’t know that they can choose to let bad moods go and consciously change their moods. But it’s usually pretty easy to figure out why you’re in a bad mood; the hard part is choosing to change it.  The first step is always to acknowledge the bad feelings, and what brought them on. Often, simply empathizing with those feelings will allow them to dissipate.  When your child’s in a good mood is a perfect time to comment on how wonderful it is to be in a good mood, and what a waste of precious time a bad mood can be. Talk with her about strategies for getting into a better mood: what works for her? Share what works for you.  Then, when she’s in a bad mood, help her notice what triggered it and how she might change it. Even if she’s able to choose a better mood only one out of ten times initially, she’ll soon start to notice how much better her life works when she does it.
5. Model positive self- talk. We all need a cheerleader to help us over life’s many hurdles. Who says we can’t be our own? In fact, who better? Research shows that happy people give themselves ongoing reassurance, acknowledgment, praise and pep talks.
6. Cultivate optimism, it inoculates against unhappiness. It’s true that some of us are born more optimistic than others, but we can all cultivate it. Click here for “How you can help your child become more Optimistic”.
7. Help your child find joy in everyday things. Studies show that people who notice the small miracles of daily life, and allow themselves to be touched by them, are happier.  Daily life overflows with joyful occurrences: The show of the setting sun, no less astonishing for its daily repetition. The warmth of connection with the man at the newsstand who recognizes you and your child. The joy of finding a new book by a favorite author at the library. A letter from Grandma. The first crocuses of spring.  As Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Children learn by our example what’s important in life.
8. Help your child develop gratitude.  “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have” — Frederick Keonig.  Many people think they can’t be grateful until they’re happy. But look closely and you’ll find that it’s the opposite: people are happy because they are grateful. People who describe themselves as consciously cultivating gratefulness are rated as happier by those who know them, as well as by themselves.  Children don’t have a context for life, they don’t know whether they are lucky or unlucky, only that their friend Bobby has more expensive sneakers. But there are many ways to help children learn to cultivate gratitude, which is the opposite of taking everything for granted. The most obvious is modeling it.
9. Counteract the message that happiness can be bought. As parents, we need to remember that we are not the only ones teaching our children about life. They get the constant media message that the goal of life is more money and more things. Ultimately, what we model and what we tell them will matter more, but we need to confront those destructive messages directly.
10. Leave room for Grief. Life, as the Buddha said, is full of suffering, and we have daily reasons to grieve. Acknowledging our sad feelings actually gives us more range in feeling our happy ones, and doesn’t cause lingering unhappiness. Choosing to be happy doesn’t mean repressing our feelings. It means acknowledging and honoring our feelings, and then letting them go.
11. Help your child learn the joy of contribution. Research shows that the pride of contributing to the betterment of society makes us happier, and it will make our children happier too. Our job as parents is to find ways for them to make a positive difference in the world so they can enjoy and learn from this experience.

“Happiness is a by-product of character.
In people who are developing
a strong character, there is a dramatically higher
level of happiness than in those who live to chase
after the next good time.”
– Pat Holt and Grace Ketterman, MD.

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: art of happiness, Donna Mavrides, magicalms.com, teaching child, WholeHeartedParenting.com, www.magicalms.com, www.wholeheartedparenting.com

Did you ever wonder what distinguishes an unbelievable chocolate dessert from an average one? Or, the difference between a typical pasta dish with its mouthwatering counterpart? I believe that quality is determined by ingredients, timing, and care.  Like the memorable soufflé, meaningful familial relationships are difficult to attain; each needs patience, passion, and practice. Unlike seasonal favorites, family dynamics are not determined by availability, but rather, by everyday occurrences, interactions, understanding, tolerance, acceptance, communication, and love.

As a parent of two grown children, I acknowledge that even with the best intentions, one cannot always respond absolutely appropriately and/or with patience with each and every interaction, but, we must promise ourselves to avoid speaking disrespectfully, with sarcasm, or in a way that induces fear.  The core ingredients inherent to building successful relationships and self confident, well adjusted children include: sensitivity, empathy, honesty, respect, devotion, attention, and laughter.

My Family’s Secret Recipe:
Laugh often at yourself and with, not at your child. 
Lend a helping hand while expressing confidence in your child’s talents and capabilities.
Act as your child’s cheerleader without making excuses for his/her infractions.
Let go of anger as you focus on your child’s behavior instead of on your child.
Listen with your ears, but remember to fine tune your heart and soul also
Enjoy the present as you build a future by sharing goals and planning.
Lead with kindness and consistency.
Mix a dash of good luck, sprinkle with humility, and work until well cared for.
Love unconditionally!!
Enjoy a lifetime of wonder and joy from your well adjusted and happy children.

Happy Passover, Easter, and Spring to all!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Tags: Donna Mavrides, family recipe, laughter, love, recipe, www.magicalms.com