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? 

Pots of Gold

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to think about how you are going to celebrate the holiday with your kids. Will you serve a St. Patrick’s Day meal? Or decorate your dining room table in green with pots of gold? Will you be making fun St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes to bring to a school celebration? Or will you and your kids take some time to learn more about the history of St. Patrick’s Day?  Would your kids enjoy a thrift-store expedition to find an outrageously bright green clothing item to wear?

 No matter what your plans, you can use this spring holiday to expand your kids’ money savvy by building and managing a simple activity budget they can use to help you!

We have some suggestions for fun activities with your kids this St. Patrick’s Day. Why not kick things off with these riddles?

Q. What do you call a fake stone in Ireland?

A. A sham rock.

Q. What is a nuahcerpel?

A. Leprechaun spelled backwards.

Q. What is out on the lawn all summer and is Irish?

A. Paddy O' Furniture.

Q. Why do frogs like St. Patrick's Day?

A. Because they're always wearing green.

When to Do

On the weekend or after school

What to Do

Let your kids help plan and manage the activity budget you choose this year — and take part in the activities, too, of course! 

1.     Invite your kids to select this year’s St. Patrick’s Day activity. Here are some suggestions; feel free to spin off variations will be most engaging for your kids.

·      Special meal or traditional Irish food, like corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread.

·      Festive table decorations, like Pots of Gold (yellow Jell-O in lime-green “pots”), rainbow placemats, green napkins.

·      School treats, like rainbow or shamrock cupcakes.

·      Learning about St. Patrick and the holiday by reading. Some suggested titles: That’s What Leprechauns Do, Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk, and St. Patrick's Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

2.     Work with your kids to compile a shopping list for the items you’ll need for the activity. Help your kids research costs by going online and finding ads in newspapers or catalogs.

·      You may already have some of the items, so just estimate the cost for them on the budget worksheet.

·      You may also have coupons for some of the items!

3.     Make a simple worksheet for the activity budget so your kids can help determine how much the activity will cost all together; for example:

                        What we need                        How much it costs

Item 1

Item 2

Item 3

                                                Total Cost:

4.     Once you have confirmed the budget, give your kids the activity budget money to be responsible for while shopping. If you have more than one kid, consider doing two activities or having them manage the activity budget together.

5.     If there is any money left after shopping, consider letting your kids keep it as a reward for a job well done, or see whether they would like to donate the extra money to a local charity.

What You Will Need

Paper and pencils

Catalog, Sunday inserts

Printout of recipe and ingredients if you decide to make a dish

Talk About It

Ask you kids if they thought it was easy or hard to plan for this activity. How did they like figuring out the budget? Did they get the budget right? If they had extra money left over, how did that feel? Did they like the riddles?

Map The Coins

Kids are naturally interested in money – because we are, of course! And money is a great vehicle for all kinds of exploration, both concrete and conceptual: Does a quarter stick to a refrigerator magnet? (No.) Is it worth the very high price to build hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place in our favorite Monopoly board game? (Yes.) Should I pass up the chocolate-flavored lip balm to save for a pet rock? (Maybe.) The choices, as we know, can go on forever. 

Coin collecting is a fun way to cultivate interest in history and geography as well as math and thrift. Since the states began issuing their own commemorative quarters, getting change at the supermarket or fast-food joint can be turned into a fascinating and suspenseful metallic scavenger hunt.

When To Do It

Over a one-month period, each time you go shopping

What To Do

To prepare, if you’re used to paying for purchases with a debit or credit card or check, plan to either stock up on cash at the ATM or get cash back at the supermarket so you can make more cash purchases when you’re out with the kids – and get change back.

1.     Go to usmint.gov for information about collector's maps and basic information about the state coin program.

2.     Get a map of the United States you can post on the refrigerator or other gathering place in your home for all to see.

3.     As you make cash purchases, let your kids go through all the change for state quarters.

4.     Have the kids keep track of their progress by coloring in the states as they find the quarters; they can keep their growing collection in a special container.

5.     Talk with your kids about the special features each state chose to appear on its quarter.

6.     Set aside all of the remaining change (duplicate state quarters, as well as dimes, nickels, and pennies) in a jar as a stash of cash for celebrating at the end of the month. Your kids may want to also spend the collected set of state quarters, or they may want to hang onto that hard-won collection.

7.     See what your kids do to try to get all of the state quarters within the month:

a.     Will they go to a bank to ask for help?

b.     Will they ask their friends to trade coins?

c.     Will they trade with their siblings, grandparents, and other relatives?

8.     When you get to the end of the month, use the jar of coins to treat your kids to something special. Have them count the coins to see how many of each kind they collected in the month. If they still need more quarters to complete the set, keep gathering change to hunt through.

Bonus Play: If your kids take a close look at their nickels, they will find some special designs among them, too. See if they can collect them all.

What You Will Need

Time to shop

Map of the United States that can be colored in

Pencils and crayons

Jars or containers for coins

Patience

Talk About It

When you reach the end of the month, ask your kids what they liked about collecting the quarters. Was it hard to find them all? What was their favorite technique for locating hard-to-find quarters? Did they learn anything new about the 50 states? Would they like to collect other coins?

Resolutions

It's that time of year again, when we take a look at our lives over the past year and realize we may need to hide the chocolate a bit more cleverly, cut up the credit cards, and call friends more often. Oh, and maybe get another hour of sleep each night.

But parents aren't the only ones who can find ways to do things differently or better in the new year. Why not get the kids involved, too? Goal setting is a great way for your young ones to learn about responsibility and establishing positive new habits.

Kids generally enjoy making New Year's resolutions. Making a promise to themselves and striving to keep it can be challenging and rewarding. And there may be some benefits for you, too, if your kids learn how to keep their promises.

When to do

New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day

What to do

The key is to make resolutions that are realistic, positive, and achievable. You can help your kids by explaining what it takes to make a successful resolution.

Consider these tips:

1. Be realistic. Kids will, as you might expect, earnestly tell you they can give up TV or eat everything on their plate at every meal for the entire year. (Yeah, right!)
1. With younger kids, help them choose a simple resolution that is part of daily life and within their reach in the near future (how about, say, brushing their teeth at least once a day?).
2. For kids to feel successful, they need to experience success, so it's best to pick resolutions with results that can be seen fairly soon. For example, you could suggest that instead of giving up TV altogether, they cut out one favorite TV program a week. Try replacing it with reading, playing outside, crafts, or another pleasurable activity.

2. Don't force resolutions. You can suggest some goals for your kids, but ultimately it’s important that you allow them to choose for themselves. This will encourage them to form their own ideas about how to handle many aspects of their lives. 

3. Write it down. Encourage your kids to write down their resolutions, embellish them if they’d like, and post them as declarations on the refrigerator or in other prominent places as a constant reminder of their goals. In fact, you can make a family 2010 resolution chart:
1. Remind your kids every evening before bed to mark off the areas in which they followed their New Year’s resolutions. 
2. Make sure your resolutions on are the chart too! Good role modeling can go a long way.

4. Take small steps. Your kids might propose giving up candy or packaged snacks, but stopping cold turkey will probably fail. Suggest instead that twice a week they go for a crunchy apple instead of after-school chips.

5. Encourage and support.  If your kids slip up and sneak in the TV show they were supposed to skip, tell them setbacks happen; don’t be discouraged, but try, try again.

Some ideas that work well for elementary age kids:

1. Picking stuff up. Kids have short attention spans and often have a difficult time picking up after themselves without being told. This is a good goal for your kids to work toward.

2. Helping others. If your kid’s not an only child, pitch the idea of helping siblings helping each other with everyday things.

3. Sharing. This is an area that is often tough for young kids. Remember to praise your kids when they do share and play nicely.

Talk about it

Because this is a year-long project, you can check in with your kids once a month — or oftener — to see what they think about this keeping resolutions business. Are they feeling good about what they are doing? What have they learned so far? Would they like to change anything?