Soraya Diase Coffelt's Blog, page 17
September 14, 2020
Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
Many Christians understand that celebrating Halloween is against biblical teachings but they do not truly know the history of the holiday and how it has evolved over the years. To learn more, please read my prior blog post with the same title Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
My book It’s Not About You Mr. Pumpkin – A Love Letter About The True Meaning of Halloween is available for purchase and we are offering a free gift of coloring pages from the book! Please visit https://asthestarsofthesky.org/its-not-about-you-mr-pumpkin
September 4, 2020
International Literacy Day Emphasizes Literacy During the Pandemic & After
What is International Literacy Day and why set aside a day to celebrate literacy? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established this special day in 1966 to be celebrated on September 8 every year. It strongly believes that “literacy can’t wait” and dedicating this day serves “to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights.”
There are at least 5 reasons why literacy is important to everyone:
1. It promotes our understanding and advancement of health, including brain health.
2. It allows adults and children to participate actively for the betterment of their communities.
3. It enables effective communication.
4. It allows for employment advancement.
5. It is the key to empowerment as it builds knowledge and self-worth.
During the Covid19 pandemic, UNESCO has been growingly concerned about what it has found to be the “unpreparedness of infrastructure, education systems, programs, and people for ensuring the continuity of teaching and learning in such a situation.” Shedding a bright light on this will enable countries all over the world to address the importance of helping teachers to be better educators and to work diligently on improving technology so that education does not lag behind.
To learn more, visit:
https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/international-literacy-day/
https://nationaltoday.com/international-literacy-day/
August 31, 2020
Why Does As the Stars of the Sky Foundation Promote Literacy?
Why does As the Stars of the Sky Foundation promote literacy? I found this quote by Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, that expresses in a nutshell the answer to that question. Of all the Secretary Generals, I believe that his work to promote literacy throughout the world was the most impressive.
Literacy is key to the successful life of every human being. Without the ability to read, and read well, a child will not progress and reach his/her highest possibilities. To be effective, reading should start from an early age, when the child is very young. This gives the child the ability to learn language and cognitive skills that become of primary importance when starting school.
Literacy fights poverty because a literate person has the tools to improve his/her life and earn a good living. A person who cannot read or read well is often left to do the low paying jobs and then struggles to support a family. Poor healthcare unfortunately results as well.
Literacy is the key to development of our towns and cities. Without a literate population, government services cannot be performed properly and as needed.
From a Christian perspective, literacy enables a child to reach his/her divine destiny. I strongly believe that God has given each of us a divine destiny which He wants us to achieve. Literacy is the means by which we will be able to do the work that we are called to do.
Yes, it is ultimately a bridge from misery to hope, as Kofi Annan states!
August 24, 2020
There is no Such Thing as a Humanly Perfect Child
Do you find yourself saying such things as “I wish my son had a more outgoing personality” or “I want my daughter to be the smartest student in her class” or “My son should be the best soccer player on his team”? I believe our desires can be misplaced as we look for human perfection in our children. Let us strive to raise children who love God and whose core fundamental beliefs are centered on God’s view of them rather than our own.
In Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus instructs us on the “greatest” or most important commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
We are misplacing the emphasis if we stress exceptional outward behavior or physical attributes as God wants us to love Him. Moreover, God does not look at our outward appearance, but above all else, He always looks at our hearts. 1 Samuel 16:7. Our hearts are the core of who we are and what we believe. Proverbs 4:23 states: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (NIV).
The Bible is filled with verses that tell us how much God loves us and how we are special, precious and unique to Him. These verses apply equally to adults and children. Here are a few to discuss with your children and help them to memorize:
1. Our children are God’s workmanship who have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. Ephesians 2:10.
2. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139.
3. They are the salt of the world. Matthew 5:13.
4. They are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14.
God is looking for people who love Him and know how much He loves them. Help your children to understand this from young!
August 17, 2020
Are Too Many Rewards Hurting Rather Than Helping Your Children?
Illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo
As a parent raising two sons, I used rewards to help motivate them to do I what I believe needed to be done. I reasoned at the time that rewards were proper means to an end. The “rewards” system did not always work and in some instances, turned out to be more of problem than an effective solution or inducement. As I have matured as a parent and seen parents give, in my opinion, too many rewards, I wonder whether we have misused and abused the “rewards” system. I would like to share with you what John Rosemond, the “Parent Guru”, and author, psychologist and parent educator Robin Grille have to say on this subject, which I find to be very enlightening.
Mr. Rosemond responded to a question posed to him about giving a child “prizes” or rewards just to have the child obey a parent’s request, in this case, to dress nicely to attend church and stop whining and moping about it. He stated:
It should go without saying (but it seems that when it comes to child rearing, nothing goes without saying these days) that children should be taught do the right thing — in this case, obedience to parental instructions — simply because it is the right thing to do. Another way of saying the same thing: Children need to learn that good behavior is its own reward.
He further talks about the short-term achievements that rewards give and get, and that researchers are finding that rewards are not good for the long-term. In the online article Rewards and Praise – The Poisoned Carrot, Ms. Grille reached a similar conclusion:
Rewards work well for getting children to do something that they don't naturally want to do, for the short-term only. This immediate behavior change rewards us, and keeps us addicted to rewarding. The negative consequences of rewards and praise don't materialize until later, so we fail to recognize rewards and praise as the culprit.
Another important point made by Ms. Grille is that many children learn how to manipulate and become “superficially compliant”, doing just what it takes to get the reward and often honesty suffers. With my sons, I learned that I could not just ask them “to clean their rooms” for their rewards but had to be specific about what needed to be done. Exactly what is meant by “clean”? Often, they would do minimal work and then expect a reward. If none was forthcoming, complaints and arguments ensued.
I agree with many of Mr. Rosemond’s and Ms. Grille’s conclusions and if I had to do it over again, would not give rewards as often as I did for certain things. But, as a parent, it is up to you to decide what is best.
To read the entire articles and more on the subject, please visit the following:
https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/robin_grille/rewards_praise.html
August 10, 2020
What Does the Bible Mean By “Train a Child”?
PICTURE FROM WWW.IAMPOWERLIVING.COM
As Christian parents, we seek to raise our children according to biblical principles. There are numerous Bible verses that give us direction. Many times, though, we need to study the scripture verse to get a better understanding of what it means and what God would like us to do. In this blog post, I would like to give some insight into Proverbs 22:6 - what does it mean to “train a child in the way he should go”?
King Solomon, who was known for his profound wisdom, gave us this proverb. We know that God loves children, as everywhere Jesus went when there were children around, He asked for them to be brought to Him: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (NIV). In fact, the Bible calls them a “reward”. Psalm 127:3.
As parents, we are given a special, yet tremendous responsibility to raise them as God wants them to be raised and with the priority of teaching them God’s Word. I love this statement from the website gotquestions.org which gives answers to Bible questions:
Teaching children the truths of Scripture will make them wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); thoroughly equip them to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everyone who asks them the reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of cultures bent on indoctrinating young people with secular values.
As a lay children’s minister for many years in a non-denominational Christian church and as a Christian mother raising two sons, I know how critical it is to teach children from a young age God’s Word. They must know how much He loves them and what He expects them to do – they will not know this unless they are taught. So when the Bible mentions “train a child”, it means to teach, direct, counsel, and nurture.
How do we “train a child”? Here are a few practical ways: by reading the Bible with them, helping them to memorize scripture, speaking to them God’s Word, disciplining them, and having them attend church services with you.
To learn more, please visit:
https://www.gotquestions.org/train-up...
August 3, 2020
Share with Your Children Inspiration from America’s First African American Female Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison
PICTURE FROM WWW.IAMPOWERLIVING.COM
Children need good role models. Who are better than those persons who are living today and have made exceptional strides and achieved great accomplishments. One of those persons is Dr. Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut, who is also a medical doctor and an engineer.
Dr. Jemison came from humble beginnings, with her mother working as a teacher and her father employed as a maintenance supervisor. As a child, she was inspired by the Apollo space missions and the Star Trek show on television that had an African American actress who played a role as a lieutenant. From an early age, she was interested in astronomy, anthropology and archeology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University and a medical degree from Cornell University. She is fluent in Russian, Japanese, and Swahili. She joined the Peace Corps, where she served as a doctor for two years in Africa.
She was inspired to become an astronaut after seeing Sally Ride become the first female astronaut. She applied and was accepted by NASA. After significant training, she was selected to join the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor as a mission specialist. Her team orbited the Earth 127 times in 1992.
She later retired from NASA and has been involved in many different pursuits, including serving as a professor at Cornell University.
She wrote a children’s book in 2001 titled Find Where the Wind Goes which is about her life. Parents, please consider buying it for your children.
In addition to her quote on the picture on my blog post, some of my favorite quotes from Dr. Jemison are the following:
“Greatness can be captured in one word: lifestyle. Life is God's gift to you, style is what you make of it.”
“Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.”
“What we find is that if you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster. Your mind opens up to the possibilities.”
To learn more about her, please visit :
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/jemison.html
Share with Your Children Inspiration from America’s First African American Female Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison
Children need good role models. Who are better than those persons who are living today and have made exceptional strides and achieved great accomplishments. One of those persons is Dr. Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut, who is also a medical doctor and an engineer.
Dr. Jemison came from humble beginnings, with her mother working as a teacher and her father employed as a maintenance supervisor. As a child, she was inspired by the Apollo space missions and the Star Trek show on television that had an African American actress who played a role as a lieutenant. From an early age, she was interested in astronomy, anthropology and archeology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University and a medical degree from Cornell University. She is fluent in Russian, Japanese, and Swahili. She joined the Peace Corps, where she served as a doctor for two years in Africa.
She was inspired to become an astronaut after seeing Sally Ride become the first female astronaut. She applied and was accepted by NASA. After significant training, she was selected to join the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor as a mission specialist. Her team orbited the Earth 127 times in 1992.
She later retired from NASA and has been involved in many different pursuits, including serving as a professor at Cornell University.
She wrote a children’s book in 2001 titled Find Where the Wind Goes which is about her life. Parents, please consider buying it for your children.
In addition to her quote on the picture on my blog post, some of my favorite quotes from Dr. Jemison are the following:
“Greatness can be captured in one word: lifestyle. Life is God's gift to you, style is what you make of it.”
“Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.”
“What we find is that if you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster. Your mind opens up to the possibilities.”
To learn more about her, please visit :
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/jemison.html
July 27, 2020
Reading Books in a Series is Good for Your Children
As the Stars of the Sky Foundation is dedicated to promoting literacy as we believe that reading is essential to a child’s development and ultimate success in life. Not only is reading individual books impactful, but also reading books in a series.
A study entitled Series Books and Their Effect on Reader Development that was conducted at St. John Fisher College established that there is indeed a positive correlation between reading a book series and child development. It also found that book series nurture the love of reading. “Research has shown that students who read book series, particularly reluctant readers, become more engaged and enthusiastic about reading, and are encouraged to continue reading once they begin a series.”
The study found many positive impacts including:
The child becomes invested in the lives and relationships of the characters;
Because the child is familiar with the story structure, he becomes better equipped to handle more complex readings; and
The child develops high cognitive skills of “reading, rule following, decoding, and pattern recognition” as well as inference and deduction skills.
In the online article 5 Great Advantages of Book Series for Kids, another advantage is highlighted: developing activities from the series. If the series centers on characters going camping, for example, get together with friends and family and do similar activity. This will bring to life what the characters experienced.
I can personally tell you what a joy it was to read many book series with my two sons as they were growing up and how they benefitted from the experiences. One series Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson truly brought us a lot of laughs! The main characters are Hank, a cow dog, his sidekick Drover, who was another dog, and Pete the barn cat. They have a lot of hilarious and quirky adventures. We would read these together, either by my husband and I reading a chapter or one of our sons reading a chapter a day. My sons enthusiastically looked forward to the next book in the series. We ultimately purchased the entire series for the library at our sons’ elementary school.
Please visit the homepage of our website to find out more about my books and what we promote.
To read the study and for more information, please visit:
Five Great Advantages of Book Series for Kids
July 20, 2020
Create Special Bonding Time While Reading About Sports
Photo from atlantaparent.com
As I was doing research for blog ideas, I came across this photo and editorial online Get Your Child Reading and Thinking About Sports at www.atlantaparent.com. I just love this photo of a child, laughing and holding a book he is reading, while he is sitting next to his father, who is also laughing and reading. It’s tender, happy, and shows the importance of reading, which is the key focus of As the Stars of the Sky Foundation. Spreading the love of reading in every way that is possible – that is our goal and mission.
One of the best ways to get your children to read is to select a subject that they are interested in. If your children are interested in sports, or if you would like to introduce your children to various sports, consider having them read books about sports. There are a plethora of children’s books on sports in general, on specific sports and about famous athletes – from picture books for young children to novels, biographies and autobiographies for older children. The online editorial gives some suggestions of books to read and I provide some website links as well at the end of this blog.
Be sure to set aside time to read the book with your children. If it is a long book, break it up into chapters. Talk with them about each book they read. What did they learn? What was the most interesting part to them? What sport do they like and why? By asking these and other questions, you will help them develop their memory, analytical and word processing brain functions.
Visit the following websites for more recommendations for books on sports:
