Search Results for: blog volunteering with kids

7 Ways to Manage Kids’ Sport Fees and Costs

There are so many reasons to give your kids the opportunity to be involved in sports, and one big one not to do so–the costly fees. Before you decide to give up the sports altogether, consider trying the following strategies that will help you manage kids sports fees and reduce the amount you spend. 1. Get some perspective Parents can get a little crazy when it comes to sports. They all want their kids to succeed and will provide them with all of the extras that they think will make this happen, such as extra training or lessons, top of … Continue reading →

Family Friendly Volunteering

When you can’t always afford to pay for family fun, you can make your own by volunteering! How Can Volunteering Be Fun? First of all, helping others often puts things in perspective. Benefiting people or even animals that are not as fortunate as you are can make anyone appreciate all that they have. Often it forces even children to look around and start enjoying the blessings they already experience. Volunteering really makes us feel good. It is fun in itself. Studies have shown that people who volunteer tend to me more joyful and happier in life. Isn’ t that a … Continue reading →

Creating Community: Volunteering

Yesterday we talked a bit about how informal, community acts of helping and giving can create community connections and teach your children about how giving does not need to be onerous. Today, let’s talk about another way of giving (and receiving!): volunteering. I started volunteering as a young child. I recall spending many of my lunch hours in the school store, helping sell yogurt and drinks to other students as a fundraiser for our school council. I worked with one of our supervision aides, a gruff but kind woman who taught me how to make change and do very quick … Continue reading →

Real Life Science: WOOFING With Kids

Posted on by

Yes, I bark with my daughter. Sometimes I even run around on all fours in the living room. But I haven’t WOOFed with her, at least not yet. This past January we trekked to Costa Rica, where we spent several weeks on an organic dairy farm. We got to help feed the calves and participated to a small degree in farm life. What is WOOFing? It’s World Wide Workers on Organic Farms. It’s a farm-based volunteer opportunity for individuals and for families. For a small membership fee, you can get listings for farms around the world that offer food and … Continue reading →

Service Projects for Kids Who Love Animals

If your child loves animals and would like a volunteer project, where do you start? Of course, there is fundraising. Animal shelters and conservation organizations are always in need of money. Instead of simply collecting or donating money for the organization, your child could make something that is connected. Perhaps he can paint beautifully and could sell hand-painted dog bowls. Perhaps she loves to bead and would like to create beaded leashes or hand-beaded turtles for backpacks. This is an opportunity to create a small business and to raise money for a worth-while organization. Another way to fundraise is to … Continue reading →

Volunteering – Time For Yourself While Helping Others

For the past seven years I’ve been a work at home mom. I love the flexibility it offers since I can start and stop any time I please, take vacations, and not have a boss breathing down my neck. Well, to be honest, I’m the worst boss ever. I tend to push myself too hard and since I do work from home, all I think about when I’m at home is work. Whether I’m online writing articles, counseling a client, doing a movie review, or cooking and cleaning when I’m offline, I always tend to work. Since my kids are … Continue reading →

Programmed Kids

It’s such a temptation. Already, we’re looking towards the fall and to kindergarten. Despite the fact that we’re just going to attend half a day of kindergarten, I feel like life is fairly busy. After all, there are the occasional – all right, frequent – social events and birthday parties. There’s the volunteering we do once a month in a community garden. And then there’s church, which we attend less than we could. With all of this, we have a fairly busy life. Yet there are so many classes we could pursue. I value languages and my daughter seems to … Continue reading →

Make Volunteering Fun

Volunteering can be a rewarding family activity, but if you have reluctant children, then giving back to those less fortunate can be a challenge. The key to motivating your kids to give back is to make the experience as fun as possible. Fortunately, some of the most fulfilling volunteer projects can be found right in your neighborhood. For example, raking leaves in an elderly neighbor’s yard or painting murals at a local community center can be a fun and rewarding family affair. All children have different talents and interests; parents should encourage their kids to share these special gifts during … Continue reading →

Education Blog in Review: December 1st Through December 14th

Do you know exactly what goes on at your child’s school? You might be surprised. Look for future posts about this topic. Meanwhile check out the blog posts from the past two weeks. December 1st Education Blog in Review: November 17th Through November 30th Stay ahead of the latest in Education with the Education Blog. December 2nd Education Blog Month in Review: November By November, students have settled in to the routine of school. The month of November brought with it lots of education news, from sex education and ethics in the classroom to upcoming policy changes that may affect … Continue reading →

Volunteering When You Have Other Children

Schools usually need a lot of volunteers throughout the year. There are many activities, programs, lessons and fundraisers that require parental help. And being a parent who volunteers helps you get to know what the school environment is like. You will also meet other parents, teachers and staff through volunteering. Increasingly though, it is becoming the norm for schools to ban any children from school property if they are not students. Our school used to be open to having siblings visit the classroom, but these days they are not even allowed during official visiting days or even school pageants. Since … Continue reading →