Give Thanks

Give Thanks
visit the Butterfly School home page at www.shininghours.com

Welcome to Butterfly School

December 2005

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Creativity basket tips for the week:

Colorful paper to make simple cards.
A leaf to trace or decorate.

Wrapping paper to make folded fans.
Tape and ribbon or string for fans.

Special Thanks with Butterfly School Get Sheets

Pick up this week's sheets! After reading this letter, you can read more of our thanking ideas at shininghours.com!

This week's Butterfly School story features simple ways to say thank you. Last week, two young caterpillars created gifts for their Grandma and Uncle. This week, the Grandma and Uncle express their thanks by making simple fans from wrapping paper and delivering them with care.

Our children receive wonderful gifts during the holiday season and at birthdays. We need to help them learn to express their thanks politely. To do this, it helps if we can draw attention to each gift and the thought that was put into making, selecting, wrapping and delivering it!

When many gifts arrive at once, sending thank you notes can be overwhelming. Even if it takes weeks, I try to take one thank you at a time and to incorporate our children in writing the thank you notes. I think it helps them appreciate their gifts, gives them practice in good manners and lets the gift giver know that our family appreciates their thoughtfulness.

Here are some tips from my kitchen table to yours . . .

	Post a list of gifts & the people who sent them in a place where your child can see it. Try to keep the cards so you can read them to your child when you are ready to write a thank you note. When you send a thank you note check the item off the list with a bright color crayon or marker (or add a sticker).
	Take one thank you at a time. One a day -- or one at a sitting -- is enough. Add one at the end of each Butterfly School session. You might include a drawing in each card.
	Pre-address the envelopes for younger children so they can help fold their letter, put it in the envelope and seal it right away. (But, read the address out loud!)
	Before you make a thank you card, take out the gift and the gift card. Help your child focus on the fun things about the gift.
	Explain why you are writing the note. "Grandma Evie must have taken lots of time to pick this out for you. I think she really wanted to make you feel good (think of her, feel loved, warm and cozy, etc.). You sure love this -- she did a great job! Let's send her a note so she knows how you feel about it. I know it will make her feel good."
	Even if you do the handwriting try to include your child's thoughts and a scribble or drawing: "Dear Grandma Evie, Thank you for the ____! I like it because . . . I like to use it when . . .. I tried it . . . and it was . . .."
	Vary the style of your cards to keep your child interested. Try a leaf one day, then a heart, oval or diamond! Let your child decorate with crayons one day, markers or ribbons the next. Invite participation -- "What shape do you think Grandma would like? What color paper would be fun for her?" (Make it easy by cutting shapes that fit envelopes you already have in the house!)
	Make classic cards special by folding any cheerful wrapping paper in half & drawing inside. more card tips.

Click here, send us an e-mail & we will subscribe you for our free weekly links!

For more great ideas, check out the activities at our parent site www.shininghours.com.

Lots of great materials coming up -- in January, help the caterpillars rest to get over a cold and join them on a visit to the family doctor.

You are ready for the Activity Sheets now; you can print them from here (go to Activity Sheets), or go back to the Butterfly School home page.

From Butterfly Central,

-- Jessie Steigerwald

E-mail ideas and comments to: butterflycentral@shininghours.com

Teach Simple Joys!
Teacher Tips
from Corinne Steigerwald

It's hard to keep things simple during bustling holidays. In classrooms, playgroups and our homes, children are excited and stimulated by special lights, wrappings, sweets and treats. Tap into their interests and incorporate counting and letter exercises into holiday activities. (Count candles, reindeer, days until Chanukah, Kwanzaa or Christmas, etc.)

More importantly, share the underlying meaning of the holidays you celebrate with your children -- joy, reverence, awe and the beauty of miracles. No teacher can impart your personal holiday views. Gifts celebrate our appreciation for special people. But, to teach deeper meanings, you need to talk to your children. Tell them why you give gifts, why you cook special foods and what each tradition means to you.

Let your child hear your thoughts when you select or wrap a gift. Use simple words and be direct!
"I like this soft scarf for Uncle Ned. He works outside in the winter and I would like him to stay warm. A scarf helps us stay warm."

Limit the time young children are in stores that commercialize every event. (Shopping overwhelms us all.) While your children are young, share books about the holidays, or just tell stories about what you liked as a child. Make simple decorations together and share traditional foods. Sing songs and play games.

Try to enjoy making things with your children, even if it means making fewer than you could if you worked alone! They will remember time spent learning how you decorate cookies -- and will enjoy it if you tie ribbons into bows slowly so they can watch.

As many of us realize (as busy working parents, grandparents, caregivers and teachers) time is a most precious gift.

Very simple gifts to share:

Make a batch of cookies together. Start from scratch, use a mix or ready made dough. Either way, make it a gift to your child to let them help, even if things get a little messy.

Wrap a special present together. Use blank tissue paper and decorate the paper. Use stickers, markers or special ribbons. Discuss the decorations!

Learn about another holiday -- together. Select a book from the library about a holiday you do not celebrate in your family. Enjoy learning about Kwanzaa, Chanukah or Christmas from someone else's point of view! Show your child that you are truly interested in learning about other people!