A call for help this Christmas

Each year for the past four years we at Balanced Life Skills have had the honor to assist the foster children in Anne Arundel County.  We have done that by providing a space for gift wrapping and our students have shown up in force to wrap the gifts, completing the job in about an hour.  That is really impressive when you think that we wrapped about 3-400 gifts in one hour.

This year though things have changed.  The group that sponsored this project will not be doing so this year.  On hearing about this Balanced Life Skills has linked up with Indian Creek School to provide a Christmas for the 160 or so foster children in the county.  Indian Creek is going to provide all the toys for the younger children and Balanced Life Skills is working on providing some gift cards for the 13 – 20 year olds.

Along with that both group of students will meet at BLS studio to wrap the gifts and deliver them to DHS offices on December 8th and on December 12 we have arranged for a party for the foster children and families at the Boys and Girls Club right here in Annapolis.

Here is what we need help on though.  We need help with providing the Gift Cards.  It has been suggested that gift cards to movies, restaurants, and department / clothing stores would be the best for the teens.  If you would like to help us please call as soon as possible.  We have 110 teens to take of this year, and without your help they may go without a real Christmas.  You may either choose a name to provide for or just provide some gift cards and we will match them up to a child.

We would like to see if anyone could help approach stores to see if they would provide any of these.  Otherwise Key School is selling gift cards this year and we could help them out and the foster children too.  Thank you for considering doing this act of kindness for these children.

Patience: teaching children

All of us appreciate it when other show us patience when we are struggling with our schedule or learning something new.  We know how frustrated we feel and all the reasons why we cannot accomplish what we wish and we are thankful when others put up with our circumstances even if it inconviences them for a small period of time.

Patience many times is another facet of empathy, putting ourselves in the shoes of another.  Teaching our children about patience can begin with taking turns playing a game, waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting to speak to an adult, or even if we must wait for an older person or disabled person to complete a task.

Helping our children to understand that “waiting without complaining” is what we do when we are showing patience, and that this is a great character trait.  Not showing patience can make the other person feel in the way, not important, or as if they are not being treated fairly.  While patience can be a challenge for us in our busy lives, it can also have great rewards, especially in having faith in ourselves and our ability to wait for something we really want or do.

The Roots of Happiness

In the summer of 2010 12 individuals went to Kenya to a very special place, Tumaini.  The record of their trip, the sum up of all the smiles of those beautiful children is coming soon in a documentary titled:  The Roots of Happiness.  As you watch this take a look at the joy of the children with the jump ropes that were made by our students here at Balanced Life Skills.  Everytime I watch this I am rushed with emotions and love for these beautiful children.

 

Roots of Happiness Trailer from Brian Williams on Vimeo.

Patience: Definition

Each month we define and discuss a word of character development with all of our students.  This month the word is Patience.  It will be defined this way.

Young students: Patience means: Waiting without complaining

Older students: Patience means:  Waiting without complaining for something that you hope will happen.

If you would like to see how we will deal with this subject with our students please follow our discussions here during the month of November.

Patience worksheets:

5/6 worksheet 7-12 worksheet Adult worksheet

Responsibility: definition

Each month we define and discuss a word of character development with all of our students.  This month the word is Responsibility.  It will be defined this way.

Young students:  Responsibility means: “I am the one that gets things done!”

Older students:  Responsibility means:  Doing what is required, needed or expected of us.

If you would like to see how we will deal with this subject with our students please follow our discussions here during the month of October.