ML Interest Tag: gratitude

6 Unexpectedly Simple Ways to Teach Your Child Gratitude

By Joy Turner

The season of giving is here, but it’s essential to teach your children gratitude every day. How do we teach such an abstract concept to a developing brain? By incorporating some unexpected and quick practices into our daily routine.

1. Show Your Kids How to Be Grateful
Children may not love to be told what to do, but they do love to mimic everything around them. Instead of instructing your child to be grateful, show them through your actions and words. Thank your children, say please and excuse me when necessary, and talk about your appreciation for when they or other family members do something of note. Incorporate it into a game like “Freeze Dance” to subtly drive the message home. Play some music and have the children dance. Stop the music at different times, and tell the children to “Freeze.” While they are frozen, have the children name what they are thankful for when you point at them, trying not to repeat any answers. Make sure that everyone gets a turn to share one or two things for which they are thankful.

2. Offer to Help
It’s not often we have time to spend the day volunteering, so simple helpful gestures for others are a great way to show children kindness and gratitude. Encourage your child to help you hold open the door for others, ask someone if they need help carrying their groceries and return a wallet left in the parking lot, especially when little eyes are on us. Make sure to narrate your helpfulness and gratitude when your child is with you. “Let’s hold the door open for this lady behind us,” or “wasn’t it nice that this man helped us carrying our dry cleaning to the car?”

3. Stop & Smell the Apple Pie
Have you stopped recently to enjoy the feel of the warm sun on your face or looked closely at the way a leaf flutters softly to the ground? Taking a moment to admire the little things around us, and pointing them out to our children, shows them that nothing is too small to be appreciated.

4. Practice Positivity
Sometimes all it takes is a positive attitude and a smile to make ourselves feel more grateful for our circumstances. It’s possible to teach our children that it’s okay to have a bad day or emotion, and to also help them look at the bright side by being thankful for the good. Playing the silver lining game at dinnertime can help us address the highs and lows of our day so we can appreciate the good stuff. Ask each member of the family to identify his or her best and not-so-best moment of the day to help each other see how the good usually outweighs the bad.

5. Give When You Receive
Being grateful can be difficult when children are over inundated with toys. Occasionally, it’s a good idea to help your child choose toys they no longer want and give those to other children in need. Something like a one-toy-in and one-toy-out policy can empower our children to give to others when a toy is no longer being used.

6. Display a Thankful Board
Children are visual and love seeing their creations and successes hung on the refrigerator or family bulletin board. Create a space for a family gratitude board on which to post notes of appreciation for each other or for things that make them feel grateful, as a regular reminder.

Sometimes all it takes is a couple of subtle routine changes to establish gratitude habits that will help your child’s character development. If you run out of ideas or want to practice other key character traits, head over to Kiddie Academy’s website to download the Character Essentials Activity Book.

Addition Reading Recommendations:  

I’m Feeling Thankful (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood), Natalie Shaw

Please, Mr. Panda, Steve Antony

Thanks From the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

Let’s Be Thankful by P. K. Hallinan,

Look and Be Grateful, Tomie dePaola

The Most Thankful Thing, Lisa McCourt

—Joy Turner, The Kiddie Academy

Joy has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education. As Vice President of Education at Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care, she oversees all things curriculum, assessment, training and more. Joy earned a B.S. in Education from Salisbury University.

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6 Books to Teach Kids about Gratitude

By Keira Pride

Winter is the perfect time for families to sit in a cozy spot at home with a great book. The holidays often prompt parents to try to find meaningful books about gratitude. At Stratford School, we have found a group of books that not only have gratitude as a theme, but implore the reader to reflect on their own appreciativeness and empathy.

Choose a book that best suits your child’s grade level and read it first. Then either read it with your child or let them read the book alone and be ready for a discussion about how the book makes them feel. Talk about how they’d like to show their own kindness and thankfulness daily. Below are some books to help you continue the conversation about gratitude in a unique way.

Preschool & Kindergarten: Thank You Mr. Panda 

Written and Illustrated by Steve Antony. Brightly illustrated Mr. Panda and his friend Lemur are just right for the holidays. As Mr. Panda travels to visit all of his not so thankful friends with gifts, Lemur keeps reminding the friends that, “It’s the thought that counts!” This silly but thought-provoking book is the most recent of a series by the author that covers manners for youngsters and can be read over and over again.

First & Second Grades: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Written by Philip Christian Stead, Illustrated by Erin Stead. Amos McGee is a kind, selfless zookeeper who makes time for all of his diverse animal friends at the zoo. One day he is sick and does not go to work. Children will laugh as the animals hilariously ride the city bus to go visit him at his home. The mutual love and caring beams through the exceptional art and words in this Caldecott Medal winning picture book. It teaches the importance of relationships and that the most simple acts of kindness and understanding are often the most sustaining. Amos gives to each of his friends, but what he does give them is not shallow or meaningless, it is well thought out and exactly what they need. There are details in the elegant illustrations that will have your children asking you to read this to them over and over again.

Third & Fourth Grades: Last Stop on Market Street

Written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson. A remarkable story of a young boy named CJ and his wise grandmother spending an afternoon together in a city. CJ asks the questions our own children ask all the time and Nana's answers are ones that we would do well to remember. Nana teaches the at first reluctant boy to celebrate life, music, friendship and the joy of service. “He wondered how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.” Winner of the 2016 Newberry Medal and Caldecott Honor awards. This is an excellent picture book that highlights the importance of volunteering, appreciation and thankfulness.

Fourth & Fifth Grades - Crenshaw 

Written by Katherine Applegate. Newberry Medalist Katherine Applegate delivers a magical story about friendship, forgiveness, empathy and resilience. As a family deals with a stressful circumstance, young Jackson copes by spending time with his friend Crenshaw, an imaginary cat. This book has a serious tone and enlightens readers to the fact that some kids lead a not-so-perfect life. Jackson’s friendship with Crenshaw allows him to weather the storms of this difficult time for him. This book will build compassion in a thought-provoking way.

Sixth Grade: Counting by 7s 

Written by Holly Goldberg Sloan. A realistic, engaging story of six people brought together by an event that will change their lives. It will fill the reader with laughter, hope and light. Willow is an unforgettable character who is represented on the cover as a lone red fish, swimming against the sea of green fish as she has temporarily lost her sense of meaning and direction. Readers will not want to put the book down as we learn how she counts on her friends to redirect her to find her own place in the world. This is a story of how one person can change the lives of those around her and how family isn't always the one we're born into.

Seventh & Eighth Grades: A Long Walk to Water

Written by Linda Sue Park. Told from two viewpoints from Sudan, a young girl named Nya in 2008 and a young man Salva in 1985. Salva is a “Lost Boy” and continues through the story with hope and perseverance. Nya walks every day to get water, a commodity that we often take for granted. The two stories come together in an upbeat ending meant to inspire the reader to make a better world and to appreciate what they have. After reading the book, watch the Newberry Award-winning author’s inspirational TED Talk as a family.

Happy reading!

This post originally appeared on Stratford School Blog. Featured image: Stratford School
 

Keira Pride is the Head Librarian at Stratford School, the leading independent private school founded with a vision of creating a unique, multi-dimensional, educational foundation for children. As Stratford's Head Librarian, she manages the library services department across campuses throughout Northern and Southern California. 

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10 Ways to Incorporate Social Justice into Your Holiday Season

by Mimi Nartey

Are you raising a little social justice warrior? Well, there is no time like the holiday season to get kids into the mindset of thinking about others. As described in Race, Class, and Parenting: 7 Strategies for Raising Sensitive, Confident, and Loving Kids, gratitude and empathy form the foundation of social justice parenting. Keep reading for our top ideas to help you teach your children awareness, compassion and service.

1. Volunteer at a Food Bank or Organize a Food Drive

Joel Muniz via Unsplash

Family meals are typically such an important part of our holiday season, but so many individuals and families struggle to put a meal on the table year-round. In 2020, an estimated 10.5% of U.S. households were food insecure, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. Volunteering at a local food bank is an effective way to make our children more aware of their privilege and to teach our children the importance of service. If your child is too young to actually serve or stock food, you can help them organize a food drive among their family, classmates, teammates and friends.

2. Make Care Packages for the Unhoused

Image by Leroy Skalstad from Pixabay

The number of people who are without permanent homes has been on the rise this year, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has forced so many people out of work. In January 2019, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Annual Point-in-Time Count, seventeen out of every 10,000 people in the United States experienced homelessness on a single night. Of these 567,715 people, more than 35,000 were children.   

A fairly simple, but meaningful project is to make care packages with toiletry items, like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and deodorant for people who are displaced. These kinds of sanitation items help to restore a sense of dignity for people who are struggling to maintain their hygiene during this transitional period in their lives. You can set a budget for picking up these items from a local dollar store, or you could even creatively repurpose hotel shampoos and lotions. Because coronavirus is still a significant risk, consider adding a small bottle of hand sanitizer. These items can be distributed through formal organizations that service these populations, or you can just keep freezer bag parcels in the back of your car to distribute in safe situations when you are out and about.

3. Learn about the Holiday Traditions of Others

Erica Loop via Mini Monets and Mommies

In a year when we seem to be struggling more than ever to maintain respect for people who are different than us, there has never been a better time to establish a tone of inclusion and acceptance in our own family culture. This holiday season, be sure to make time to learn about the traditions and experiences of people who are different than you. Set an important example for your children by taking the time to understand what matters to your neighbors and why. Here are some of the holidays that are being celebrated around the world through fall and winter:

  • Diwali (Nov.)
  • Thanksgiving (Nov.)
  • Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12)
  • Hanukkah (Nov./Dec.)
  • Lucia Day (Dec. 13)
  • Mawlid an-Nabi (Fall)
  • Winter Solstice (Dec. 21)
  • Christmas (Dec. 25)
  • Kwanzaa (Dec. 26 – Jan. 1)
  • Three Kings Day (Jan. 6)
  • Lunar New Year (Jan./Feb.)

 

4. Share Your Holiday Traditions with Others

Image by Rajesh Balouria from Pixabay

Even as you make an effort to learn about others, don't forget the importance of sharing your traditions as well. Striving for a more equitable society means we are willing to participate in a reciprocal exchange of cultures and traditions. Consider sharing your traditions with friends of different backgrounds. Invite two to three neighbors to participate in a recipe swap for Thanksgiving; encourage them to share a food/recipe they grew up eating. Perhaps you can invite a friend to participate in a spiritual service at your temple, church or mosque. To move us forward as a society, we all have to be willing to be more vulnerable with one another, and there are many simple ways to do so over the holiday season.

5. Craft Holiday Cards for Seniors in Assisted Living Communities

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Loneliness is a significant burden on the elderly, including those who reside in assisted living communities. According to the CDC, lonely seniors are at greater risk for dementia, depression and premature death.  Teach your children to be sensitive to this vulnerable population by planning a crafting day to make holiday cards that you can drop off for seniors at a facility in your community. These cards will spread cheer to people who can really benefit from knowing that they are remembered and appreciated by their neighbors.

 

6. Organize a Toy/Blanket/Clothing Drive

Burtst via Shopify

We don’t just want to teach our children how to be caring, we want to empower them with the skills to actually make the changes we need for a better world. This holiday season, support your children as they take the lead on organizing a toy, clothing or blanket drive. Start with research about communities that could benefit from this kind of activism, including unhoused people, children in orphanages and families displaced by hurricanes and fires this year. Help them figure out how to communicate and raise awareness about the social issues that create these needs. Encourage them to enlist help and form partnerships to scale their impact. Teach them to set goals and to be persistent towards their goal. Ultimately, they will internalize a powerful lesson about their ability to influence change.

7. Raise Awareness and Spread Love with Holiday Cards

Holiday cards are such a fun way to spread cheer among our friends and family. Consider designing a card or sharing a more intentional message among your social network this holiday season. Give updates on the social justice activities you have executed over the past year or share your positive intentions for the world in the coming year. Create holiday cards that encourage, enlighten and inspire this year.

8. Gratitude Activities

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Children who are grateful are better able to feel confident, show compassion and leverage their privilege on behalf of others. Gratitude is the most valuable perspective in social justice parenting. Create new holiday traditions focused on gratitude; consider Thanksgiving crafts or activities that inspire your kids to think about what they are grateful for. Plan to go around the dinner table and reflect on what each person appreciates in his or her life. If you use an Advent calendar in your holiday traditions, consider connecting each daily ritual to an explicit statement of gratitude. Help your children communicate in the dialect of thankfulness this holiday season and all year long.

9. Buy Presents with Greater Intention

Image by Tomasz Mikołajczyk from Pixabay

This holiday season, use your purchasing power to promote social justice. As we are buying gifts for family, friends and all of the people in our lives who have helped us get through the year, think about where and how you spend your money. Make a point to buy from small businesses who have been disproportionately impacted by pandemic closures. Purchase goods and services from minority-owned businesses. When planning gift purchases, try to buy dolls, toys and books that represent all people of different races, ethnicities and abilities. Every dollar you spend is truly a vote for the type of world that you want to live in.

10. Make New Year’s Resolutions around Social Justice Issues

Cody Pulliam via Unsplash

It is never too early to form a resolution or set a vision for the coming year. Even young children can and should be taught to dream and set goals for themselves and their communities. For the coming year, you and your family can set specific resolutions around social justice issues. Perhaps you will commit to reading books and learning more about systemic bias or environmental justice. Maybe you will commit to volunteering on a regular basis in your community in the coming year. You may decide to become more politically active engaging your local politicians or pursuing an elected or appointed position yourself.  You might decide as a family to rescue a new pet. Setting intentions are a powerful first step to evolving as an individual, as a family, and as a society.

– Mimi Nartey

Featured image: Pexels 

 

RELATED STORIES:

How I Explain Racism to My White Friends (So They Can Explain It to Their Kids)

How to Teach Children Compassion 

How to Educate Your Children on Riots & Protests 

This Author Compiled a List of 500 Diverse Books for Teens & Tweens 

 

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Keeping the Holidays Simple & Festive

By Nina Meehan

The holiday season is coming up fast and furious, but this year won’t be like others. Out-of-town family won’t be able to join us as easily. The busiest travel day of the year will be much quieter at the airports. Even picking up our ingredients from the grocery store won’t be nearly as simple. For many families, this time of year is steeped in tradition, and traditions are very hard to change.

Kids anchor on rituals and traditions. For kids, time is an endless loop that compresses and stretches based on events, emotions, and experiences. My 5-year-old recently celebrated her birthday, and, two weeks after, she was busy picking out what color candle would be on her cake for her next birthday.

When I explained that a year is a long time, she responded, “Is a year longer than Coronavirus times?” What an important reminder for us adults: COVID-19 will eventually abate, but the events that happen during this pandemic will form the core of who our young kids are and will become.

As I begin to visualize the upcoming months, I’m finding myself looking for ways to keep things simple, but also festive. In that light, here are a few ideas that I am bouncing around in my head as we approach Thanksgiving:

Stories looking back are just as important as stories looking forward.

  • Read children’s books by Native American authors (We love Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story, and there are so many other great books.)

  • Let’s learn about the practice of land acknowledgments as a family and do the research to learn more about the Indigenous People on whose land we live

  • Share the story of your own family’s identity and history. You can discuss it, draw it in pictures, write it in poetry form or use music...whatever works for your story.

Gratitude makes life happier.

  • Find ways to incorporate gratitude into your everyday life with your family. Maybe there is a gratitude jar in the kitchen that kids can put a note in at breakfast time or a nightly gratitude journal that you draw or write in with your child at bedtime.

  • Create a gratitude ritual that allows kids to share and discuss gratitude with others.

  • Make a gratitude mural with your family on butcher paper, drawing events, people, and ideas from the past year

Silly fun is a great way to let go of what is not possible and embrace the new.

  • Can your family create a "Great Debate" where each person is in charge of championing their favorite food from your holiday meal?

  • A holiday table decorating competition where each person decorates their place setting to help express a common them.

Our holidays may be different this year, but I wish you amazing experiences that make them bright and joyous.

This post originally appeared on Piedmont Post.
 

Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).  

   

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10 Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude This Thanksgiving

By Richard Peterson

Like so many other events this year, this holiday season will be filled with tough choices and changes for families.

The good news is that the holidays are also a time when gratitude is at the forefront and it has been proven that focusing on positive emotions and spending quality family time together can help kids and adults be resilient through tough times. Simply put, if we focus on the good things we have in our life, we will discover so much to be grateful for this year.

As adults, we can recognize that there is always something to be grateful for, but children often forget all the things they already have that make them happy. Luckily, Thanksgiving offers a perfect opportunity to reflect as a family, and this period of staying at home provides plenty of time to help develop your child’s attitude of gratitude.

I asked Sandra Graham, our Director of Training at Kiddie Academy, for her best gratitude tips. Here are some ways she suggested to get your children started on practicing gratitude:

1. Start a gratitude notebook. Have your child write a note or draw a picture of something they’re thankful for each day. Ask your child to be specific and the more they pay attention to details, the more they’ll start to notice the positive things in their life.

2. Make a gratitude chain. This fun activity gets the whole family involved. Set up an area with precut construction paper strips, markers, and tape in your home. Ask family members to pause every time they walk by to jot down something they’re grateful for and then fasten it as a link on the chain.

3. Write or draw Thanksgiving cards. If your child is sad about not getting to see a family member or friend this holiday season, channeling it into writing or art can be soothing for them and a sweet surprise for the recipient.

4. Practice mindfulness. Live in the moment and be present in your surroundings. Stop, breathe and be grateful for everything in your world.

5. Make “thanks” calls. Sit down with your child and make a list of people who’ve done something nice for them lately. Then set aside time on Thanksgiving for your child to call and say thank you.

6. Send virtual care packages. Social distancing and self-quarantining means you can’t get together to hug but your child can send the next best thing: a bunch of photos and a funny video that will make someone smile.

7. Decorate the front yard with thank-you signs. From essential workers and healthcare heroes to teachers and neighbors, a lot of people deserve a special thank you. Get your child involved in drawing or painting signs to decorate your yard this Thanksgiving season.

8. Take gratitude walks. While you walk, look for the simple pleasures in the day, such as the clouds in the sky or the birds singing and express appreciation for them. Use this time to ask your kids what they are grateful for.

9. Try a twist on kindness rocks. Have your child paint rocks with images and messages that inspire gratitude. On Thanksgiving Day, take a walk to work off that turkey and set the rocks in special places to surprise others on their walk.

10. Find a way to give back. Talk to your child about the causes that matter to them, and the people or things in the community that they’d like to help. Reach out to organizations to see how you can give back, whether that’s donating or volunteering in a way that’s safe during COVID-19.

Yes, this pandemic holiday season may have its challenges but with some resilience and a grateful attitude, your family can still put the “thanks” in Thanksgiving. You maybe even create a new gratitude habit that will help your child grow up seeing the sunny side of life.

This post originally appeared on Kiddie Academy Family Essentials. Featured image: Kiddie Academy

Richard Peterson has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education where he has been involved with the direct and indirect instruction of students. As the Chief Academic Officer, Peterson provides daily support to the Kiddie Academy education department in the areas of curriculum, assessment, training and more.

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Gobble ’til You Wobble with Krispy Kreme’s New Thanksgiving Donuts

by Sarah Shebek

Time to gobble up some new donuts! Krispy Kreme’s latest round of seasonal donuts celebrates Thanksgiving flavors with a fun twist. Pie lovers in particular are in for a treat!

Now until Nov. 25, you can try out four new donuts from your local Krispy Kreme. The Pecan Pie Donut is dipped in butter tart filling and sprinkled with candied pecans and pie crust crumbles. The Cranberry Orange Donut is filled with cranberry, dipped in cranberry orange icing and finished with a sweet drizzle. And the Dutch Apple Pie Donut is packed with apple pie filling, dipped in caramel icing and topped with cinnamon.

But our favorite might be the Gobbler Donut, which is almost too cute to eat. It’s a heart-shaped pastry dipped in chocolate icing and decorated to look like a turkey! Don’t forget the pretzel legs for the perfect finishing touch.

As always, you can order delivery, pickup or grab your donuts in person. Krispy Kreme is also offering a special Thanksgiving Dozen box that features three of each new donut. You can even add a customized message of gratitude and make someone’s day extra sweet.

—Sarah Shebek

Featured image courtesy of Krispy Kreme

 

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Audiobooks & Literary Podcasts for Kids That Encourage Gratitude

By Keira Pride

When we are asked if audiobooks are a good choice for our young readers, our reply is a resounding, “Yes!” Listening to good books read aloud has established benefits—both cognitive and in terms of convenience. The variety, overall quality, and availability of children’s audiobooks have skyrocketed over the past several years. There are wonderful audiobooks for children of all ages, narrated by high-quality storytellers, including, occasionally, a book’s author.

Children’s first experiences with written text is in the form of narration—parents and teachers reading aloud to infants and toddlers. At some point in their progression, and even before formal introduction to phonics and decoding, children quite naturally begin to recognize certain words on the page. At all points in their “learning to read” journey, children benefit from listening to books that stretch their capacity to read, books that are at a higher level than what they can read on their own.

Regular exposure to new vocabulary and more complex sentence structure is beneficial whether a child is reading from a page or listening to a narration. Audiobook narrators, who are often actors or other speaking professionals, model fluent reading, with pacing and emphases that enhance the story and impact readers’ own oral reading fluency, listening comprehension skills, and ability to visualize. Audiobooks can be a unique motivational tool for reluctant or struggling readers, especially if they can simultaneously read and listen to a book.

Finally, listening to an excellent book (or podcast) read by an expressive narrator is great fun! It is a wonderful family activity, and with earbuds and mobile devices readily available, it is a pleasurable personal activity. Listening to an audiobook can enliven the most mundane of activities—household chores or car commutes, for example. In fact, we decided to finally publish our list of favorite audiobooks in time for the winter holidays. With a second nod to the holiday season, our selections lean toward stories that honor kindness, generosity, and gratitude. We hope there’s something here for each of you.

Preschool

Little Stories for Tiny People  Written and performed by Rhea Petcher
Bear’s Big Sleep: A Thanksgivingish Story for Kids is one of the many short tales on this ten season long podcast site for small children. Stories can be sorted by topic, such as: Friendship, Big Feelings, Growing Up, and Life Changes. Each story features characters like Sophie the Sloth and Strumbly Bear who learn life lessons as applicable to kids as they are to imaginary animals. Children love the recurring characters as well as Rhea’s soothing voice.

The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley and Friends by Sesame Workshop, narrated by a full cast
Foley, the soundmaker monster, is the host of this high-energy podcast that will captivate young children. Foley, along with all of the regulars from Sesame Street talk about subjects such as the importance of family, making friends, feelings, and understanding what it means to share. Elmo and Foley chat in episode two about being sad, feeling scared, and how having friends that make you feel happy makes a difference. Songs about emotions, attitudes and friendship are sprinkled throughout this incredibly meaningful children’s podcast.

Kindergarten

Winnie The Pooh: The House at Pooh Corner written by A.A. Milne, narrated by Judi Dench, Stephen Fry and others
This amazing collection of short stories which take place in the 100 acre wood are just about to become the same age as the forest in which they occur. The incredibly diverse group of characters take children through so many whimsical situations, all the while teaching them important lessons about childhood. Perhaps the finest in all is the lesson that little Piglet, Pooh’s constant friend, has in one of his many heartfelt thoughts, “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” You and your children will never want this treasure to end.

Grades One & Two

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids Hosted by Jane Lindholm
This Vermont Public Radio podcast takes actual questions that kids have asked parents over and over and again, and takes the time to really answer them. Some of the questions may seem silly, such as, “Why are Cactuses Spiky?” or, “Why Can’t Kids Vote?” But to a child, these are very important. There are also entire episodes dedicated to emotional or ethical issues, such as, “Is It OK to Break a Rule?” and, “Why do Things Seem Scary in the Dark?” Each episode comes with resources and a learning guide to deepen a child’s understanding of the lesson.

Third-to-Fifth Grade

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate, narrated by Kirby Heyborn
Newberry Medalist Katherine Applegate conveys a magical story about friendship, forgiveness, empathy, and resilience. As a family deals with a stressful circumstance, young Jackson copes by spending time with his friend Crenshaw, an imaginary cat. This audiobook has a serious tone and enlightens readers to the fact that some kids lead a not-so-perfect life. The narrator brings the imaginary Crenshaw to life in a way that is relatable to children and provokes thoughts of gratefulness.

Middle School

The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
This Peabody award winning podcast that is performed by a cast of middle schoolers begins with an eleven-year-old Mars and his friends awaiting the end of 7th grade. They hope to gain their entrance to the exclusive Pruitt Prep High School, founded by tech guru genius Oliver Pruitt. Then one of them suddenly goes missing.  Mars listens to Pruitt’s podcast daily, and finds clues and discovers that kids are disappearing all over the world. Mars and his friends are seemingly normal, but they all have certain abilities or talents that get amplified as the story goes on. Listeners gain a sense that anyone could be a sort of superhero, and that friends who help each other are priceless.

—via Stratford Schools

Keira Pride is the Head Librarian at Stratford School, the leading independent private school founded with a vision of creating a unique, multi-dimensional, educational foundation for children. As Stratford's Head Librarian, she manages the library services department across campuses throughout Northern and Southern California. 

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Pay It Forward: Where to Donate Your Surplus Halloween Candy in Atlanta

by Tinybeans Team

Have a surplus of candy because there were fewer—or no—trick or treaters this year? Or perhaps your kids scored big and can’t possibly eat all of it. Donating your haul of Halloween candy to soldiers stationed abroad, neighborhood firefighters, and others will surely sweeten someone’s day. Keep reading to find out where to drop off the dulce, below.

Operation Troop Treats

iStock

Operation Troop Treats is the nation’s largest dentist-sponsored Halloween candy exchange benefiting U.S. Service Members and their families, teaching children about good dental health and the importance of giving back to those who serve our country.

Donate Halloween candy at any participating dental office nationwide from Nov. 1-6 and receive a toy in exchange for each child's candy donation. Local dental offices will send Operation Gratitude the donated candy, dental kits, and funds to cover the assembly and shipment of care packages for U.S. troops.

Click here to find out your nearest donation location. 

Online: operationtrooptreats.com

Murphy-Harpst Children's Center

Photo: Kristina Paukshtite via Pexels

Murphy-Harpst is a nonprofit residential treatment center in Atlanta that serves severely abused and neglected children and teenagers. It is an emotional, spiritual and physical safe haven, offering residential treatment, placements in specialized foster care, and community programs that serve at-risk young people and their families. And they'd love your excess candy to share with the children in their care!

Drop off or mail to Murphy-Harpst, Attention: Pam Kramer, 740 Fletcher St., Cedartown GA 30125

Online: murphyharpst.org

Operation Gratitude

iStock

The Halloween Candy Give-Back Program gives families a way to donate surplus candy to deployed troops, veterans, and first responders with the goal of forging strong bonds between the civilian and service communities nationwide. This year, donation locations will not be set-up due to COVID-19; however, Operation Gratitude encourages donors to ship candy directly to them (OG Candy Processing Center, ATTN: Halloween Candy, 8967 Oso Ave., Building D, Chatsworth, CA 91311), or better yet, contact a local military base, veteran organization, or first responder department to see if they are interested and able to take the candy.

If you would like to register to donate excess Halloween Candy, click here.

Online: operationgratitude.com

Ronald McDonald House

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Ronald McDonald House supports families with children battling illness by providing a "home away from home" while seeking treatment. Some local chapters of the Ronald McDonald House accept unopened, surplus candy donations. 

Find a local chapter here. Contact the one closest to you to verify that they're taking donations before loading up you haul of sweet stuff!

Online: rmhc.org

Local Fire Stations

David Mark via Pixabay

Local fire stations are not only where the big hook and ladder trucks are stored, but they're also where firefighters live when they're on duty, waiting for an emergency call. And, while they usually keep it pretty healthy around the house, we're pretty sure everyone likes a little late night chocolate, now and then. 

Find your local fire station here. 

Online: atlfrf.org

Paw Kids

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PAW Kids is a community organization that provides safety and sustenance. PAW House is a safe and loving after school enrichment program where students can find reading mentors, homework help, and more. Claudia's House is a neighborhood food pantry that offers daily meals for the community, meals for seniors, and more. 

Donations can be dropped off at Claudia's House on Mon., Tues., & Thurs. from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Claudia's House is located at 1633 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy.

Online: pawkids.org

Featured photo via iStock.

—Shelley Massey

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