Revisit The Grinch

There’s no better time of year to sit with your kids and read or watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the beloved classic tale by Dr. Seuss.

The Christmas-hating Grinch tries very hard (but unsuccessfully) to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. As the story unfolds, both the citizens of Whoville and the Grinch realize that Christmas is in their hearts and not found wrapped up under the Christmas tree. The cleverly constructed rhymes teach the value of making amends for misdeeds — and gently question the commercialization of Christmas.

When to do

Find an hour or two over the holiday break (there is usually a live broadcast of the animated version, but it tends to air early in December).

What to do

Watch the TV or movie version and/or read the classic illustrated story with your kids. We’ve gathered basic information on the two screen versions and the book. Any one (or all three!) will give you and your family plenty of enjoyment and open the door to interesting conversation this holiday season.

DVDs

1966 Version:

Title: Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Released: 1966

Rated: NR

Starring: Boris Karloff (narrator), Thurl Ravenscroft (singer)

Duration: 29 minutes

Summary:

This half-hour television cartoon introduces kids to the green and mean face of the Grinch; his long-suffering dog, Max; and of course the adorable Cindy Lou Who. Your kids will be singing along to great songs like "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."  This movie version is great for a first-time introduction to the traditional tale.

Talk about it:

Do your kids think they act like the Whos? Why or why not? Would they enjoy Christmas as much without lots of presents? How might your family make Christmas special even without presents?

2000 Version:

Title: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Released: 2000

Rating: PG; includes scenes with mild peril and some crude humor

Starring: Jim Carey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Christine Baranski

Duration: 105 minutes

Talk about it:

Ask you kids what part of the film was their favorite? Why? Who was their favorite character? Why is the Grinch so different than the people in Whoville? His looks? His size? His color? The Grinch sometimes does things that he thinks will make him feel better. Do they work? Do they help him forget that he is lonely? Why not? Did your kids like the ending of the story? Why did they like it?

The Book

Title: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Author: Dr Seuss

Illustrator: Dr Seuss

Pages: 54

Released: 1957

Read aloud: ages 4 to 6; read alone: ages 6 to 8

Summary

This classic Christmas read-aloud features one of the funniest rascals in kids' literature. The bad-tempered Grinch just plain hates the holidays — apparently because of the Yuletide hullabaloo. Kids will love hating his villainous deeds and cheering his redemption. Whimsical illustrations and witty rhymes keep kids mesmerized. The true spirit of Christmas leaps off the double-page spread of the Whos holding hands, even after all their presents and decorations have been stolen. If you notice, Dr. Seuss uses the same illustration he used at the beginning of the story to show that their spirit has not changed.

Talk about it

Talk about your family traditions or customs. What traditions do your kids look forward to when the family celebrates the holidays? Would the holidays be as meaningful if they did not have some of the store-bought decorative elements?

What you will need

Movie DVD or book to share with your kids

Fun Winter Stories

By reading aloud with our kids, we can boost their interest in reading and their fundamental literacy skills, including reading ability and comprehension, vocabulary, listening comprehension, attention span, and ability to articulate thoughts. Being read to by an adult also helps build a kid’s self-esteem and confidence.

We have gathered some fun stories you can add to your reading list that can expand your kids’ awareness and ideas about spending money wisely.  Mmmm, spending — one of our favorite topics (and did we mention, one of our favorite pastimes?).

When To Do

Bedtime or a quiet hour before dinner

What To Do

Here are three storybooks to share with your kids — all focused on spending lessons.

1. Title: You Can’t Buy a Dinosaur with a Dime, by Harriet Ziefert

Ages: 4 and older

Not at your library? Amazon Link

What it’s all about: Your young reader will follow the story of Pete, a dinosaur-loving boy who saves up to buy himself a toy dinosaur. Pete uses all his savings for the new toy. Then he realizes that although he loves his new dinosaur, he is also sad to not have any money in his bank jar. With the help of interactive questions, you can help your kids relate to the story and learn simple basics about spending money.

2. Title: The Berenstain Bears’ Dollars and Sense by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Ages: 4 to 8

Not at your library? Amazon link

What it’s all about: Like most kids, Brother and Sister Bear sure know how to spend money. Whether it’s for ice cream or balloons, they can go through their allowance before they know it’s gone. But what they don’t know is how to manage their money. This story will teach your kids that there is nothing wrong with spending money, but it’s always smart to understand the value of money and how to save it. The book also includes tear-out checks that kids can use, just like in the book!

3. Title: Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells

Ages: 3 to 8

Not at your library? Amazon Link

What it’s all about: The beloved bunnies Max and Ruby have saved enough money to buy a present for their grandma’s birthday. Ruby already has an idea of what they want to buy, but Max has other ideas. One thing leads to another, until they’ve spent most of their money but still haven’t bought a gift! In the end it all works out, and Grandma is extremely pleased with the gifts she receives from her favorite grandchildren. See what your kids think about how Ruby planned and saved enough money to buy something she wanted, how to spend money wisely (unlike Max), and how you can spend too much money without realizing it.

What You Will Need

Visit your local library or bookstore if you do not have copies of the suggested books.

Talk About It

After reading any one of the books with your kids, can they think of ways they have seen money spent well? Spent poorly? Is there anything they have ever bought and later decided they did not like anymore? If so, do they know why?

This week we got a great question from a reader: “What should we do if one of our kids breaks something?” We all know that with kids, things will get broken. It’s just a matter of time! So what is a parent to do? How should broken items be replaced, and who should pay for them?

It is possible, and valuable, to teach and inspire your kids to take responsibility when accidents happen.  We’ve got some good ways for you to start the dialog before you are get into a meltdown over a broken item in a store — or at home.

When to Do

Some relaxed evening or a Saturday afternoon

What to Do

The key to this practice is advance preparation. Once you’re all prepared, you can use accidents as opportunities to (1) teach your kids that they can learn from and make amends for mistakes, (2) help them recognize the financial consequences of their actions, and (3) build their sense of personal responsibility.

Establishing the Family Rules

Each family should set up rules for broken items and who is responsible. Take time to think through the possibilities and get clear on your point of view — before something happens.

Here are some example rules:

·      In our home, if anyone accidentally breaks something that belongs to someone else, the right thing to do is to make amends by offering to fix or replace the item.

·      In our home, we will work to help whoever accidentally breaks something to be able to help pay for a replacement item.

Practice/Dialog

Set up time to talk to your kids about accidents before they happen. To make it fun, consider playing the “What if?” game by asking your kids what they should do if they accidentally break something and how they’d do it.

1.    Pull together a number of items in your home ranging in value from very inexpensive to very expensive. For example:

·      Milk glass

·      Kitchen chair

·      Front window (point it out, over there across the room)

·      Music player

·      Video game player

·      TV

2.    Set the items on a table (if at all possible) for the review.

3.    See if the kids can guess their approximate cost — it’s OK to tell them if they are too young to know.

4.    “What if XXXX gets broken?” Discuss with them what they might pay for each of the items on the table, and how. 

How Much to Pay?

1.    You can negotiate with your kids on how much money would be reasonable for them to contribute to buy a new item they have broken.

2.    For young kids, consider helping them to replace the item, so trying to replace costly items all by themselves does not overwhelm their fledgling efforts at money management.

3.    Depending on the item, that could mean having them pay a percentage of the cost of the item (for example, if the item cost $10, you could ask your kid to pay 20% or $2), or your kid could pay one flat rate regardless of the cost. 

4.    Even paying a small portion of replacement cost can be a very valuable lesson for younger kids.

What you will need

Items from around the home to practice “What if?”

Websites or magazines to help kids determine the cost of items

Patience

Talk about it

Do you kids think it is fair to have to pay for something they break? Do they know kids who already do this? Do they know other kids who do not have to — and if so, what do they think of those family rules? Does knowing they’ll need to pay something for broken items help to make them more careful?

Look Who's Cooking

We know that these days it's hard for busy parents even to take time out to make three square meals a day for their kids, let alone find the time to teach them basic cooking skills and techniques. And we know that including the kids in cooking meals requires time, patience, and some extra cleanup, especially when they are younger. But many experts – ours included! – think you’ll find it well worth the effort.

Some key benefits of spending time together in this way:

·      It can encourage your kids to try healthy foods.

·      Your kids know they are accomplishing something and contributing to the family.

·      You get to spend quality time with your kids.

·      It’s time that your kids aren't spending in front of the TV or computer.

·      And our favorite: you can involve your kids in meal planning, budgeting, and shopping for the food, so they learn about costs, ingredients, sales, coupons, and so on.

Read on, and soon you’ll be ready to take on a fun meal planning and cooking night with your kids!

When To Do

Weekend day when you have time to enjoy the full experience

What To Do

Host a cooking show together.

1.     Decide with your kids on a menu or a dish to prepare. Some ideas:

·      Pizza and salad

·      Tacos and salsa

·      Mac and cheese

·      Grilled cheese sandwiches

2.     Work together to write the shopping list and locate any available coupons.

3.     Give your kids a budget to cover the costs of the needed foods. (Tip: Be sure to check the pantry to see whether you already have any of the needed items.)

4.     Take the kids shopping for the food, and if they prove to be prudent and savvy shoppers and have money left over, let them keep it!

5.     Assemble all the ingredients for the dish in advance in small bowls.

6.     Help your kids follow the recipe/your instructions to complete the chosen menu/dish. 

7.     Enjoy the finished product(s)!

If you can:

a.     Dress your chef assistants in aprons and chef hats! You can make chef hats out of paper plates, napkins and sheets of paper. Cut a circular hole in a paper plate to fit over each of your little ones heads. Then add the cylinder piece by attaching a sheet of paper (legal size or big drawing paper) to the paper plate.  Finally top the cylinder with a napkin to make the poufy top.

b.     Come up with a name for your family cooking show.

c.     Encourage your young sous chef to talk to the camera (imaginary or real) as you prepare the meal together. If you do choose to record the “show” do replay it for friends and family.

What You Will Need

Recipes or cookbooks

Ingredients

Paper and pencil to make shopping list

Coupons

Bowls, aprons, hats, cooking utensils

Napkins and paper plates for making chef hats, optional

Camera or video camera, optional

Talk About It

What was your kids’ favorite thing about the cooking show? Did they find it hard to make the food? What was the easiest part? Did they find it hard to stay on budget while shopping for the food items? Did they succeed in making a good meal or dish?

First, Clean Out Those Closets

Ah, the sounds and smells of summer! Little League, hot dogs, swimming pools, and lemonade stands ... and then, it’s back to school? Yep. Though summer’s in full swing, it's time to think about what you will need this year for your kids’ back-to-school clothing and school supplies.

Before you read through a single back-to-school sales flyer, be sure of two things: what you need, and what you already have on hand.

We encourage you to get your kids involved in the first phase of the back-to-school (BTS) frenzy by hosting your family’s first BTS closet and drawer archeology dig.

When To Do

Saturday or Sunday, soon

What To Do

1. Know What's on the List? The Needs!

a. Often local discount and office supply stores have handy checklist kiosks for the neighboring schools; your schools’ websites are another good source for supply lists. Download or grab each kid's checklists as your starting point for this year’s BTS shopping list.

b. Assemble a clothing list for each of your kids and share it with them so they understand what is needed this year.

2. Know What You Already Have.

Clothes

a. Help your kids do an inventory of their closets.  Figure out what still fits and what doesn't, what needs to be repaired or could be handed down. Maybe that fall skirt just needs a new button or the loose pocket repaired. There’s no need to spring for a brand-new backpack if last year's is still in good shape.

b. Help your kids check off the clothing items you decide are keepers.

c. Pack/bag up the still-usable but outgrown stuff that some other kids could put to good use.

School Supplies

a. Help your kids do an inventory of the household drawers, filing cabinets, and garage storage areas for school supplies. Many items – like pencils, pens, notebooks, and scissors – may have been bought on long-ago shopping trips and can be found stashed under things or in an overlooked drawer.

b. Keep track of what your kids find by checking off items on your supply list.

c. Consider giving your kids a point for each item they find on the list. Total up the points at the end and hand out a small reward to each for a job well done.

Bonus: Have your kids calculate how much they helped save with the clothing and supply items they found.

3. Be Charitable.

a. If you have outgrown clothes to give away, donate them to a local nonprofit so your kids learn to give to others in need.

b. Bring your kids along to drop off the clothes and talk about the people who will receive what you give.

What You Will Need

List of school supplies

Paper and pencils or pens

Bags for clothing donations

Calculator

Talk About It

Did your kids find it hard to give up their clothes? Or were they reluctant to keep and reuse any of those old familiar items from last year? Did they have fun unearthing hidden treasures in drawers around the house? Were they surprised at how much they helped the family save? 

Fun With Coins

Learning about money — how to save it, share it, make it and spend it — is usually of big interest to kids! So they‘re pretty motivated to learn all about coins.

Understanding how to count, use, and identify coins is an important basic money skill to learn at an early age. Using simple games, you can help your kids learn to recognize and understand the value of our currency — and help take the mystique out of those shiny, funny-looking little coins.

When to do

Weekend day or weekday evening

What to do

To introduce the coins and teach your kids about them, here are three fun activities that you can try on a weekend or evening after school.

1.   Throw a bunch of coins onto the ground and challenge your kids to see who can:

§  Pick up the most coins in a time period. Start with 10 seconds, then try 30 seconds, then try one minute.

§  Pick up coins worth the most money.

§  Pick up coins worth an amount you specify.

§  Pick up the most of one type of coin.

§  Pick up the most of the type of coin worth 10 cents, the one worth 25 cents, or the one worth 5 cents.

         Invent your own combinations of values to have them pick up until          they are really good at recognizing the different coins.

2.   Place coins under a sheet of paper and make pencil rubbings to study the differences between different coins. You can find some fun facts about each of the coins at the U.S. Mint website “History in Your Pocket” (H.I.P.) Pocket Change (http://www.usmint.gov/kids/coinNews/circulating/).

3.   Play the “How Many Coins?” game with any coin denomination; for this example, we used pennies.

§  How many pennies, aligned side-by-side, does it take to reach a foot? A yard? The length of your shoe?

§  How many pennies fit into a stack one inch high? How many fit into a stack one foot high?

§  How many pennies fit into a 1/4-cup container? A 1/2 cup? Is it twice as many as the 1/4 cup?

§  How many pennies fit into an empty yogurt container (or other empty plastic container)?

§  Once you determine the number of coins, can you calculate the value of the coins in the containers?

What you will need

Lot of coins (if you do not have enough loose change to play the games, stop by your bank for a variety of coin rolls)

Paper; pencils or colored pencils

Measuring cups and plastic containers

Calculator

Talk about it

Can you kids better report the names and values of the coins after playing the coin games? Do they have a favorite type of coin? Can they remember whose images are on each of the U.S. coins? 

Little Ad Executives

Our kids are constantly inundated with messages and images for all kinds of things they could buy. Every day, TV, radio, magazines, billboards, and kiosk advertisements clamor for their attention.

Evaluating all of those messages and determining what is true and what may not be is pretty hard for young kids. One fun way to build kids’ advertising evaluation savvy is to have them make their own ads. See whether your kids can tell truth from fiction when they build advertisements to your specifications.

When to do it

Rainy day

What to do

Getting ready

1.    Set up your “advertising office” work area with papers, magazines, and art supplies.

2.    Pull a favorite packaged food item from your kitchen cupboards. Look for things with some advertising messages on the packaging, like cereal or cookies.

Building the first ad: Truthful

1.    Ask your kids to make an ad for the selected item that would make you want to buy it.

2.    Instruct them to use real facts about the item that would make you really like it. These must be true qualities and benefits of the product.

3.    Show them a sample ad, either real or one you’ve made to demonstrate the ad structure. Young kids need clear examples to model.

4.    Suggest that each ad include the following elements:

·      Headline

·      At least one picture

·      A reason to buy

·      Price

If they like, your kids can add a slogan or other “pitches” (like the familiar “Great new look, same great taste!”).

Building the second ad: Not so truthful

1.    Now have them create a second ad that would make you want to buy the same item.

2.    This time they must try to trick you into wanting to buy it with “false advertising” in words and pictures.

3.    Show them a sample ad that is not completely truthful.

4.    Suggest they use the same structure as in ad #1.

Consider looking at one ad (or more!) each week with your kids to keep up their practice in evaluating the truthfulness of advertising claims.

Things you will need

·      Favorite packaged food items to promote with the ads

·      Sample print or online ads or ones you make up to help teach the key points of truthful and not-so-truthful ads

·      Magazines with lots of food images

·      Paper, colored pens and pencils

·      Glue

·      Tape

·      Scissors

Talk about it

Was it hard for your kids to make up a good truthful ad? Was it hard to make up an ad that was not so truthful? Why do you think people make ads that are not truthful? How can we get better at evaluating ads? 

Creative Gift Certificates

You don’t have to be rich, famous, or even a grown-up to give memorable and much-appreciated gifts to those you care about. This holiday season you and your kids can talk about how gift giving is about more than how much a person spends. You can help your kids understand that there are many ways to give, but that it is important for each of us to find the way that suits us — and the recipient — best. Some will offer their time, some will offer their talent, and some will share new treasures.

As we come into the home stretch this holiday season, some of the best items on your kid’s gift-giving list just might be gifts of themselves.

There are fun and simple ways to help your kids decide what and how to offer of their precious time and talents as part of their gift giving this year. With a little help from you, these personal offerings can be presented and delivered as creative certificates and may just be the most memorable part of the season.

When to Do

Quiet evening or weekend time

What to do:

Sit down with your kids and their gift-giving lists. Who do they need to think up a present for? Who would especially enjoy a gift of their time or talent? Start by picking a single person, and repeat these three easy steps for as many recipients as your kids want to gift in this way.

1.    Talk about the person. Share what you both know about the person, including chores she or he needs to do regularly as well as hobbies and interests.

2.    Ask your kid, “Is there something you could do to help [name], or something [name] would love to do with you?” Help your kids think of good ideas.

3.    Assemble paper, markers, stickers, and such. Create fun personalized “gift certificates” that name what the gift will be. Make sure they’re lovingly signed and placed in decorated envelopes or wrapped in colorful paper.

How about these ideas?

1.    Giving Mom an hour of peace and quiet

2.    Going to bed without being asked

3.    Singing six songs, on request

4.    Giving Dad a ten-minute backrub

5.    Water Aunt [name] plants while she is on vacation next summer

6.    Company on a walk around the neighborhood

7.    Helping Grandma make cookies for holiday dinner

8.    Telling a bedtime story to a younger sibling

9.    Making breakfast and cleaning up for Mom

10.Telling three new jokes or riddles for Grandpa

What you will need

Paper, craft paper

Pens

Markers

Stickers

Glue

Scissors

Tape

Old magazines and newspapers

Talk about it

What did your kids think of giving their time or talent to someone instead of buying them a gift? Did they feel as good about it as they do about giving a purchased gift? Was it even more satisfying, or less satisfying? How did it make them feel to make the coupons? What did they think was the most fun?