Is Your Daughter a Bully?

Nov 042009
 

That’s not a question too many parents ask.  But bullying may be on your daughter’s mind.  You might be able to steer to some good information (for bullies and for victims) by directing her this quiz    http://www.girlshealth.gov/bullying/quizzes/quiz.bullying.cfm    on the Girls’ Health site sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The site is dedicated to helping girls between the ages of 10 and 16 make healthy, positive choices.  In addition to bullying, topics include health, fitness, relationships, substance abuse prevention, nutrition and the future.

The site gives girls reliable information about the issues and pressures many of them encounter as they become young women. 

Many teens are unaware that giving someone the silent treatment, calling names, gossiping or texting to spread rumors are all forms of bullying.  Taking the quiz together may be a great way to open a conversation – to find out what your daughters think and how they feel about victims and perpetrators.  How do they relate to those who are different?  Those who may be less popular or less powerful?

The Girls Health tagline is “Be Happy. Be Healthy. Be You. Beautiful.” Imagine a site devoted to showing our daughters that being themselves is what makes women truly beautiful!

WONDERWALK

Oct 162009
 

by Esther Jantzen, guest poster

This activity is easy and energizing! It helps children learn to look closely at the ordinary and amazing things in the world around them. The thing to do is to keep asking “I wonder” questions. It’s fun to hear what children say while you do this. Their answers may be surprising and unusual, and it’s okay if they don’t make total sense.

Here is one way to do it:

1) With a paper bag in hand, take a walk outside your house with your child. Together collect as many different kinds of leaves as you can, picking up only one of each kind. Ask, “What do you notice?” or “What do you see?” 

2) When you get home, sort the leaves (or stones) into groups. For instance, you could put all the pointy leaves into one group and all the leaves with round edges in another group. Ask, “I wonder why some leaves have points and some are round?” and see what your child answers.

3) Then sort those leaves by some other category like by color, size, texture, or some other characteristic. Let the child choose another way to sort the leaves and say, “Tell me about how you sorted those.”

Ask “I wonder” questions often, such as, “I wonder how plants take water and brown earth and make colorful flowers?”  We may not know all the answers to these questions, but it encourages thinking and creativity in children. 

Esther Jantzen, Ed.D, is a mother, an educator and the author of Plus It! How to Easily Turn Everyday Activities into Learning Adventures for Kids available at www.plusitbook.com and the Way to Go! Family Learning Journal available through www.jantzenbooks.com

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