Monthly Archives: January 2013

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I F.E.E.D my Kids

Have you ever noticed that it never ends? I mean once you bring that itty-bitty one into the world, the responsibility just rolls along from one day to the next without a thought of letting you rest? I feel that way, too! Give them some maturity and it starts getting easier…but it still never ends.

For instance, I’m always appalled when it’s time to eat again. The preparation for the meal takes longer than the eating of it, and no sooner are you cleaned-up that it’s time to start again. Most meals aren’t even memorable, but that has no bearing on their importance. Feeding kids at my house is really about finding some healthy recipes and then making them over and over…and over. Then WAH-LA! They become big and strong and try to carry you around the kitchen on their back and make you take your shoes off so they can measure you on the wall against their own height-mark. I suddenly wonder what I did to make this happen. All I did was feed my kids…everyday… and they passed me up!

 

Training children is a lot like feeding children. It is not about being memorable as  much as it is about using a healthy recipe (see mine below) and being consistent. They may not like it at first, but keep it up and they will develop a taste for the new way things are being done at home.

 One day, you will realize that they are strong, mature, gracious people with integrity and you will shy up to them and measure your own character and realize that they have surpassed you.   You will cry! But don’t worry. They still need a hot meal from mama now and again and you’ll be SO glad it never ends!

I  F.E.E.D. My Kids so They Can Grow

InsIFEEDquotePinterestwebpire with your example. Your children will follow your ways. (Proverbs 23:26, 20:7)

Fast and pray…for a heart change that only God can make (Proverbs 20:9, 27, 21:2)

Explain the right attitudes and actions (Proverbs 7:24, 40:20)

Encourage when you see improvement (Proverbs 23:15, 24-25)

Discipline when you see digression (Proverbs 13:24, 29:15)

Proverbs 31:28-29
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
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Ode’ to the Homeschool Blogger Nation

I care deeply about every one of the families, schools and churches who use our tools. I have learned so much from their stories…and been so inspired!

But today…I especially want to thank the nation of Homeschool Bloggers. Just 18 months ago I didn’t know you existed and now I’ve discovered that you are a people group with a powerful voice…and you let me stand on your platform and speak to those whose trust you have earned through your diligence, hard work, and passion for the truth. I once heard one of you say that you were taking back the internet for good, and I BELIEVE YOU!

I have met a only few of you in person, but I have found many friends, just as loyal, kind and true as ones I go to coffee with. I feel rich. (Hot-white-mocha rich!)

 

It is unprecedented what you have done for this company, and I thank you. I thank God for you!

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The Lady in Red

The moment I heard her voice on the phone today I was immediately grateful. It was Caroline.

I’ll take you back to April 8th, 2010. Elton Jr. Pete and Linda and I had just finished setting up our booth at We Choose Virtues’ first-ever trade show! If you know Pete’s work then you know it was the most amazing booth there! We had worked on it for weeks, crammed it carefully into our SUV and drove it 1400 miles to Southern California. I was so nervous and excited!

Across the aisle from our booth us was an executive marketing firm. They did web design and every possible form of advertising for large corporations and had many education accounts. The lady in the red pants-suit was Caroline. She was professional, critical, focused and amazing.

“What are you doing?” she asked bluntly. I started to explain We Choose Virtues. She nodded her head and went back to setting up her booth. She had a front-row seat to hear us preach about the Value of Virtue to the early-childhood educators that flocked passed our booth. Some were thrilled to see the idea of character back in schools; others were appalled that anyone should have the right to tell another human being how to behave at that level. One lady scowled at me and asked gruffly “Does it work?” and left before I could answer!

As the hours wore on and we hadn’t made a single sale, my head was spinning with disappointment.  Was there NO market for our products in the secular education world?

Caroline chose this moment to casually cross the aisle and stand in our booth, at first saying nothing. Then “This message of choosing virtues”, she said, “It is needed desperately in America! Do you realize that?” Then she started to cry. She talked about her concerns for our country. She told us that she had chosen not have children of her own because she has seen how violent and vile this world is. She said that she had listened to us for two days and couldn’t contain her excitement over our vision. “I know what I’m talking about!” she said, “This is a message whose time has come! Don’t change a thing!”

Mostly because of Caroline, we left California very encouraged.

So, here we are three years later. It has been an amazing journey and hearing from Caroline flooded my heart with gratitude for what God has done! On the phone today she expressed her joy that the message of choosing virtue is going strong in a world that is in so much need. She said “My generation did absolutely nothing. I hope yours will, and I hope its in time.”

Godly character really is a message that our world needs NOW. Everyone who teaches it, preaches it and passes it along is part of the healing the Caroline is longing to see.

Will you take the challenge?

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What is the Best Age to Teach Virtues?

Question: My child is 2 years old. Is he too young for me to start teaching Virtues to him?

  • Answer: Start with The Three Rules for the very little ones; that is, the poster and the Parenting Cards of Obedience, Kind and Helpful. Ask your kids all day long “Are you using the rules?” “What rule did you just use?” “What rule should we use to get this done?” Every instruction in your home will fit under one of these rules. If your child is a little young to memorize or do the demonstrations, that’s fine.  We usually recommend you begin teaching the catchphrases at age three. By setting the principles of Virtue as a standard in your home, and modeling them and teaching your little ones to be obedient, kind and helpful, you will be amazed at how easy it is to add the other Virtues as they start maturing. What ever your child’s age, as you are training them, discipline when you see willful disobedience and encourage every time you see them making an effort. You will make some amazing headway toward becoming a Virtue Family!

Question: My son is 12 and I want him to learn Virtues, but are they a little young for him?

  • Answer: Yes, but we do offer a Youth Virtue Journal for Jr. High and High School age students. The journal acts as a discussion guide that we recommend they do with a caring adult. It was created for Family Court as part of a mentoring program for troubled youth in Idaho. Its purpose is to give a young person time to reflect on what virtues they naturally have and don’t have and how having or not having virtue will affect their relationships and their futures. It gives their mentor a chance to help them set goals to grow in their personal virtue. There are 9 virtues covered in this journal. Check out our Youth collection!

Question: Do you have plans to expand your program for older children and youth?

  • Answer: Yes! New products are in the works right now. We plan to release something new every couple of months and some of these new products will be for older kids, teens, and adults!

Question: I have a mixed age group that I work with. Would We Choose Virtues work for me?

  • Answer: Absolutely! Whether it is a family or a classroom full of mixed ages, Virtues is ideal. Get the older kids involved in memorization drills, setting up demonstrations, reading the story of the Kid from VirtueVille or giving an example from their own life about how a virtue made an impact. This kind of interaction will cause the teacher to learn as much as her little listeners ever will. The Parenting Cards (for teaching at home) or the Teacher Cards (for teaching in a classroom) are a perfect tool for this situation.

Question: My mother has my kids at her house quite a bit and she wants to do something constructive with them. Would this be simple for her to do?

  • Answer: I love this question because We Choose Virtues is so simple and it opens up doors for conversation, story-telling, and memory making. Grandparents get to use a tool that is visually attractive to kids from this generation, while teaching values from times gone bye. One of my favorite stories comes from a grandpa and his little garage-sale buddy who learned her Virtues at his house.

 

We make longer wagon rides possible.

I met a spunky little three year-old girl in a red wagon at a garage sale with her grandpa.

He knew that I was the creator of We Choose Virtues, so he encouraged his granddaughter to recite her Virtues for me.

She proudly told me the ones she could remember and then said “I know ALL of them, but I don’t DO them yet!”

“Well” I said, “Why don’t you just use ‘I am Content’? All you have to do is be happy in your wagon!”

She said “Oh, I AM using THAT one. I have my ‘Wanter’ under control with this one book and that is all.”

Her grandpa said “It’s true!” And off they strolled to another sale.
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WCV and the 7 Learning Styles

If you have kids, then you are a teacher. Perhaps not in a formal sense, but looking at your children through the eyes of a teacher can inspire you to get to know them by more than just their age or  personality mix, but also by their learning style. It can be a lot of fun, and bring some much-needed understanding!

Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Here is a list of the seven learning styles and how We Choose Virtues is tailored to address them (we actually add one more!)

·       Visual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. We Choose Virtues’ illustrations are intentionally fun and attractive to kids. The colors create a mapping system to a certain Virtue so they can find it easily. Objects are employed to reinforce the use of the virtue, and the Virtue Kids are multi-cultural so no one feels alienated from the community of VirtueVille. All these visuals help even non-readers to feel like they are able to participate.

·       Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music. We have a music CD in the works to meet the very important needs of aural learners, which most of us are! Another way we address this is through the repetition of our catchphrases until they become auditory cues that the kids hear in their own head as they come across the need for them.

·       Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing. We Choose Virtues is a language. Just like in any culture, the language is what ties everyone together. Language is the vehicle that transfers the value system from one person to another. Our Catchphrases are clear, accurate and positive so that they become a staple in every-day conversation. Each Virtue begins with the phrase “I am”: “I am honest”, for example. This important language cue helps the learner personalize the Virtue and claim ownership and responsibility for it, especially when they say it over and over again.

·       Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch. We call this part of our system “demonstrations”, and without them I don’t think we would have a prayer. (We ALWAYS have a prayer, but you know what I mean!) Get the kids up off the floor, out of their chair, and practice being helpful, diligent, and perseverant! It is the practice that gives them an emotional relationship to that virtue. They try, they fail, they try again, they grow and love how it feels. It becomes something they have experienced personally. They know HOW! We all have a bit of the kinesthetic learner in us. “Just let me try!” Our kids need this!

·       Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. The We Choose Virtues system makes sense. The catchphrases and antonyms are clear and precise with no wasted words. The definitions are accurate. The logical thinker finds little to argue with. The Virtues address more than just an action, which logical thinkers tend to elevate, but also the right attitude. Logical learners are often very black and white. They need to see a standard that is constant, but doesn’t just point out the negative. It is healthy for them to see what they are doing RIGHT!

·       Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. We Choose Virtues is written for use in a group. It could be a group of two, a parent and a child, or a group of 100 like we see in our large Cambodian classrooms. Our tools are not meant to be handed to a child to learn on their own, but rather with a mentor, a teacher, a grandparent or a parent. We hesitated to create any seat-work at all because we feel that face to face instruction is so vital for the understanding of especially young children.

·       Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study. Recently we did create a Virtue Kids Kit so that children can have their own set of Virtues and set their own goals and work on them in the privacy of their own special place. Ultimately, each person’s virtue is really a choice they must decide to make in their own heart. If a child doesn’t come to a decision to be honest, kind and obedient on their own, then they will not be honest, kind or obedient. Many children learn by making friends with the subject. I was very much this way. For example, the ducklings I was counting on my math page would all have a name before the page was ever finished. Our Kids of VirtueVille provide this “friendship” the solitary learner. Again, our Kids Kit has a “fan” poster so the child can have their own poster (11×17) of their favorite Kid from VirtueVille.

·       Teaching: If I had to add an eighth learning style, I’d say it is a teacher. This is how I personally learn. I have asked dozens of children to get up and teach the Virtue and I am always amazed what they come up with and how it affects their own conviction to use that virtue. I absolutely believe in this method of learning and the Virtue tools were created so you can hand a teaching card to a three year old that has had some previous exposure to it and say “Why don’t you teach us this Virtue today?” Be ready for a smile!