Soraya Diase Coffelt's Blog, page 4
February 27, 2023
Celebrate National Day of Unplugging This Friday March 3 by Unplugging all Devices and Spending Time with Your Family
Did you know that the first Friday of March every year is known as the National Day of Uplugging? I didn’t and I think it is an excellent idea!
The day was established in 2003 by Reboot, a Jewish nonprofit organization, to encourage people to turn off their electronic devices for 24 hours and spend time truly connecting with others. What are some of the benefits of unplugging? There are many, including reducing stress, resting your eyes, boosting productivity, sleeping better, building better relationships, and improving physical and mental health.
There are so many things that you and your family can do. Try, first of all, spending Saturday, instead of Friday unplugging, as Friday is a typical work and school day and it will be more difficult to “unplug” on that day. And, even consider making it a weekend commitment for two days instead of one. Before you start, be sure to prepare for the day. Let your relatives and friends know that this is what you and your children will be doing. Preparing yourself and your children is very important so that there is less conflict, and everyone knows what is expected.
Plan a variety of activities for the family. Remember that the goal is to connect and spend time together. Make this a truly successful “unplugging” event so that at the end of the day, you and your children will have wonderful, loving memories.
To learn more, please visit:
February 20, 2023
A Group of 5th Graders Step In With Kindness To Stop Bullying
Here is another wonderful story that I would like to share with you from The Foundation For a Better Life and PassItOn.com. I have often written about the deleterious effects bullying has on children. This story is about 5 boys who are in the 5th grade and who stepped in to stop a fellow classmate from being bullied.
The boys are Gus, Tyler, Landon, Jake, and Jack. They observed that their classmate James was being bullied because of his special needs. He often sat by himself at lunch and stopped going to recess because he wanted to avoid any interaction with the schoolyard bullies. These 5 boys became determined to help James because they knew bullying was wrong and that James needed friends.
The boys started playing with James and eating lunch with him. Soon, they became his best friends. They even raised money to buy a PlayStation and some games for James.
This is a touching story that parents should share with their children. It shows that intervening when someone is being bullied is one strategy to deal with bullies.
To read the entire article about them and watch a video with the boys, please visit:
February 13, 2023
Black History Month – Learn and Share
Every year, I write about all the information that is available for children to help them learn more about African American history and culture and this year, I continue to provide more updated resources. It is important to include a variety of learning material for children, such as books, articles, videos, and fun activities. Endeavor to instill in them a desire to keep on learning about Black history, not only during the month of February which is Black History Month, but also throughout the year.
Some good resources for children are:
https://blog.tcea.org/resources-black-history-month-2023/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/black-history-month
https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-black-history-month-books-for-kids-5097643
February 6, 2023
U. S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD Said What Many Parents Already Know – There are Dangers for Children 13 Years-Old and Younger on Social Media
For years, many parents have complained about the dangers of social media on children. The U. S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD confirmed this in a recent interview on CNN in which he said the following:
“I, personally, based on the data I’ve seen, believe that 13 is too early. … It’s a time where it’s really important for us to be thoughtful about what’s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children ….”
Studies have confirmed the increasing use of social media by children over the past 8 years. One such study was completed in 2022 by Pew Research and found that 72% of teens now have access to a smartphone, computer or gaming console and approximately half of teens reported that they use the internet “almost constantly”. In fact, the increased use almost doubled since 2014/2015. Additionally, 35% of teens reported that they use “almost constantly” social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
Dr. Murthy went on to say in his interview:
If parents can band together and say you know, as a group, we’re not going to allow our kids to use social media until 16 or 17 or 18 or whatever age they choose, that’s a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don’t get exposed to harm early ….
The question now is – what will be done about this? The future of our children is at stake.
To learn more, please visit:
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2023/1/30/23577927/surgeon-general-13-too-young-for-social-media
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
January 30, 2023
Learn More About the Foundation for a Better Life and All It Offers to Promote Important Values
I came across The Foundation for a Better Life one day and signed up for its weekday emails filled with quotes and inspirational messages. For over a year now, I have grown to love its creativity and the peace and hope it inspires and wanted to pass on its information to you.
The Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2000. On its website at www.passiton.com, it states as its goal:
The goal of The Foundation for a Better Life is to offer inspirational messages to people everywhere as a contribution toward promoting universal values, good role models, and a better life. … We choose values we hope most individuals would find encouraging and relevant. Then we provide an uplifting message based on each value, in an effort to encourage people to bring out the best in themselves.
It offers public service announcements on many forms of media and billboards and pays for it via donations. Perhaps you have seen its commercials or billboards.
I encourage you to visit its website and learn more about what it offers. You can even sign up for its emails with inspirational quotes at no cost.
January 23, 2023
Let 11 year-old Jonathan Werner Inspire Your Children with His Story of Raising Money and Buying Christmas Gifts for 120 Foster Children
I wanted to share another story about a youngster who has a huge heart to give! He is Jonathan Werner and his story is so inspiring! Please share it with your children to inspire them too.
Jonathan’s father was a foster child for over 14 years and shared many of his childhood challenges with his son. Jonathan wanted to give back to his community and became a Boy Scout. He decided to raise money so that foster children would be blessed with Christmas gifts. As a Boy Scout, Jonathan raised $11,300 by selling popcorn, with the assistance of his mother Serena. He was, to say the least, an amazing salesperson!
When asked why he worked so long and hard to raise the money, Jonathan said: “I just want to make kids happy for Christmas and let them know they are loved and appreciated.” 120 foster children were blessed by Jonathan’s generosity.
To learn more about Jonathan, please visit:
https://www.passiton.com/passiton-blog/164-11-year-old-boy-raises-money-to-buy-christmas
January 16, 2023
Celebrate with Your Children Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – the Family Man - This January 16
Each year, I write a blog post about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. centering around his accomplishments, with lots of links to websites with information to share with your children. This year, I am writing about him as a family man.
MLK (for short) was married to Coretta Scott King and they had four children - Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice Albertine King. Not surprisingly, all four dedicated their lives to be activists, following in their father’s footsteps.
Mrs. King was devoted to raising their children. She, nevertheless, took an active part in the civil rights movement, often participating in strategy meetings and marching at her husband’s side. After her husband’s death, she continued with his legacy. One of her most important accomplishments was establishing the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center For Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) in honor of her husband.
Yolanda was the eldest child. It was reported that, when her father was arrested and jailed in 1963, she wanted to go to an amusement park named Funtown with her friends. Due to her race, though, she could not. MLK later wrote about it in a letter that became famous as Letter from Birmingham Jail. She was 12 years-old when her father was assassinated. Later, she became a well-known racial justice and human rights advocate.
MLK’s son, King III, became the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which had been established by his father. His daughter Yolanda, named after his sister, is 13 years-old and speaks out about voting rights.
Dexter led the Center for Nonviolent Social Change director, a charitable Atlanta-based association established by his family. Bernice became a lawyer, peace advocate, and a minister. She is also the CEO of The King Center, which her mother had established.
Below are some links with more information and videos that you can share with your children about MLK’s family. This is a special way to teach your children more about this great man.
For more information, please visit:
https://thekingcenter.org/about-tkc/about-mrs-king/
https://parade.com/1330595/jessicasager/martin-luther-king-jr-kids/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/martin-luther-king-jr
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail
https://kidadl.com/facts/facts-about-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-children-you-should-know
January 9, 2023
Celebrate International “Thank You” Day on January 11 with Your Children
Did you know that there is a day especially set aside internationally to celebrate “Thank you”? I have written before about the importance of gratitude and wanted to encourage you to celebrate “thankfulness” as well.
The origin of “thank you” is not known. People have used written forms of communication since the early days of the Egyptians and Chinese dynasties. The word “thank” appears to have developed in the Middle Ages. The Europeans exchanged greeting cards since the 1400s and it is believed that in the 1500s and 1600s, saying “thank you” became well-used.
In regard to the specific origin of International “Thank You” Day, it is believed that it began around the early 1900s. In 1902, an editorial in The New York Times first mentioned that day.
Why is it important to say “thank you”? This quote from globalmagazine.com expresses some reasons:
Every year January 11th is observed as International Thank-You Day. We often forget to say thank you because we take it for granted. It is important to express your thanks to people who have made your life better and happier. A person’s excellent manners will be shown by the words he or she uses.
The link below has a list of 28 Bible verses that all refer to being thankful. Consider setting aside 28 days and going over one of these verses with your children each day. Talk about it with them and even help them to memorize some. Catch them when they are being “thankful” and emphasize how important that is. At the end of the 28 days, have a game to find out who remembers the most verses and give out prizes. If you make learning fun and rewarding, your children will truly enjoy learning and most importantly, incorporate what they have learned into their daily actions which will eventually develop into habits.
To learn more, please visit:
https://nationaltoday.com/international-thank-you-day/
https://www.globalbrandsmagazine.com/international-thank-you-day-the-importance-of-celebrating-it/
January 2, 2023
New Year – New Beginnings! Share Scriptures with Your Family About New Beginnings to Start off the New Year of 2023
It’s so wonderful to enjoy the start of a brand new year! Did you know that God’s Word is filled with scriptures about new beginnings. Click the link below and you will find 40 of these verses. Consider setting aside special times and sharing them with your family, including your children. Everyone will get big doses of hope to start off the new year. And, of course, continue to read and meditate on them throughout the month of January for continued inspiration.
Please visit:
December 26, 2022
Happy New Year 2023!
From all of us at As the Stars of the Sky Foundation, happy new year 2023! Thank you so much for your continued support as we strive to promote the importance of literacy in a child’s life.
