Families Matter
New School Year Resolutions
Family counseling professor, Samuel T. Gladding,
shares tips for back-toschool success
For families with schoolaged children, New
Year’s really comes in
August, says Wake Forest University counseling professor Samuel T.
Gladding. “Why not
make new school year
resolutions that set the
family up for success?”
Gladding, who is the author of “Family Therapy”
and several other books
on counseling, offers 10
tips for how to decrease
stress and strengthen
family relationships.
1. Prevent overscheduling. The time to
avoid too many commitments is at the
start of the school
year. Don’t wait until
family members
have signed up for
more clubs, athletic
teams and other activities than they can
handle. Work out a
schedule that allows
for curiosity, exploration, spontaneity and
serendipity.
2. Commit to being involved in students’ artistic, academic or athletic events. Intentionally decide how to make
time to encourage children in their chosen pursuits. Encouragement is
far more important than
achievement in building
parent-child relationships.
3. Establish morning,
evening and homework routines. The
start of the year is the
time to put in place
“Television-free Tuesdays” or “7 – 9 p.m.
homework hours” or
“Friday family movie
night.” Set expectations
and start forming good
habits.
4. Focus on strengths.
Everyone knows their
weaknesses; parents
don’t need to point them
out. Parents and children: focus on staying
good at what you’re
good at and getting
stronger in areas where
you haven’t done as
well.
5. Don’t try to unscramble the eggs,
make an omelet instead. Don’t try to live
the past year over. This
is the chance to hit the
reset button. Create
something new with
what you have, learn
from past experiences,
and avoid letting bad
times with a teacher or
fellow student from the
past year overshadow
new adventures or pursuits.
6. Make time for minicelebrations. Passing a
test you didn’t think you
were going to pass. Doing something thoughtful
for someone else. Make
recognizing small
achievements a part of
the weekly routine and
stick to it. Write down
milestones large and
small. Like a height
chart for younger children, a written record
helps remind children
and adults of growth and
progress.
Continued on page #3
Oklahoma State
University
Volume 8, Issue 11
September 2012
Contact the
Extension Office at
273-7683 or
[email protected]
Inside this issue:
Smart Money Kids
2
Walking to School
2
First Page Continued
3
Packing Safe Lunches 3
Fruit Juices
3
September Activity
4
Quick Fix Recipes
4
Kids and Allowance—Teaching your Kids to be Money Smart
New findings about kids and
allowance might surprise you!
Research has shown that kids
who are paid for doing chores
around the house are actually
less money literate and don’t
associate money with work.
Paying children for chores
around the house can also lead
to problems, because it teaches
them that working for money
isn't fun, warns Alisa T. Weinstein, author of Earn It, Learn It:
Teach Your Child the Value of
Money, Work, and Time Well
Spent. Paying for good grades
creates a similar problem: Instead of being driven by selfmotivation, children learn to
work hard just to earn the extra
cash.
Children who have to ask their
parents for money every time
they need something may fare
better since they have to think
about the item they are wanting
and justify its purpose.
The best way to teach children
about money is to discuss family finances. Also, teaching
them how to spend their allowance or extra money is key.
30% should go into short-term
savings (for a big purchase
they want), 30% to long-term
savings (car, college, etc.),
10% should be given to others,
and 30% as pocket money for
everyday wants/needs.
Kids as young as 3 begin to understand the concept that
“things” cost money. This is
the time to start teaching about
money! Most experts recommend giving (or having them
earn) one dollar for each year
of their age either monthly or
weekly. Example: a 4 year old
would earn 4$ per week.
Source:
http://money.usnews.com/money/personal
-finance/articles/2011/01/12/the-smartway-to-pay-kids-an-allowance?page=2
Walking to School Safety Tips—For Drivers too!
Tips for Walkers
Developmentally, most kids
can't judge speeds and distances until at least age 10,
so younger kids need to
cross with an adult
Did you know most walking
injuries happen mid-block or
someplace other than intersections? Whenever possible, cross the street at corners, using traffic signals
and crosswalks
Look left, right and left again
before crossing the street,
and keep looking and listening while crossing
Walk, don't run, when crossing the street
Page 2
It's always best to walk on
sidewalks or paths, but if
there are no sidewalks, walk
facing traffic as far to the left
as possible
Remove headphones when
crossing the street
If you need to use your
phone, stop walking
Distraction among drivers is
at an all-time high today, so
try to make eye contact with
the driver before
you step into the
road
Tips For Drivers
Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods and school zones,
before and after school
hours
Most walkers are injured
mid-block, not at intersections, so watch out for kids
who may dart into traffic or
cross where they shouldn't
Give pedestrians the right of
way at a crosswalk
Using cell phones, even
hands-free, makes it harder
for drivers to be alert to
walkers who may also be
distracted on cell phones.
Families Matter
School Year Resolutions—continued
7. Be in the same place at the
same time. If you don’t plan to
spend time together as a family,
it’s not going to happen. Family
dinners are the simplest way to
strengthen family bonds by sharing food for nourishment and food
for thought.
8. Teach brothers and sisters
to treat each other like allies
instead of aliens. Family harmony depends on helping siblings
support each other. Doing activities together builds bonds, promotes socialization and fosters
good memories.
10. Make community service a
priority. Families who give back
have a common sense of purpose.
9. Minimize multi-tasking when
you are together as a family. To
have more fun and get more
done, resolve to focus on one
thing at a time. Research shows
that individuals do best when they
concentrate on doing one task
and not several tasks at the same
time.
The new school year with busier
schedules and higher expectations holds challenges for everyone, but keeping these resolutions can help families focus on
what’s important.
Packing a Safe School Lunch
Insulated, soft-sided lunch totes are best for keeping perishable foods chilled. A cold
source, such as a small frozen gel pack or frozen juice box, should be packed with
perishable foods.
Frozen gel packs will keep foods chilled until lunchtime, but are not recommended for
all-day storage. Food leftover in the lunch box should be disposed and not eaten after
school.
Juice Tips for Kids
Juice is an easy way to enjoy
fruit. Keeping juice on hand is
good for your whole family.
Here’s what it provides:
Vitamin C to help heal cuts and
bruises, fight infection, and use
iron from food.
Vitamin A in some juices for
healthy eyes and skin.
Carbohydrates for energy.
Even though fruit juice has a lot
to offer…Go easy! Because
juice is convenient, it’s easy to
drink too much of it. Here’s why
drinking too much juice can be
a problem:
Volume 8, Issue 11
Juice has calories. Too
much, may give your child
more calories than he or
she needs and that may
contribute to being overweight.
 If juice replaces milk, your
child may not get enough
bone building calcium.
 Sipping juice often promotes
cavities. Sometimes, diarrhea is a problem too.

How much juice is right for
children?
Offer your child enough, but not
too much. Children 1 to 6 years
of age should not exceed ½ to
¾ cup of juice a day.
Always choose
100% fruit juice
Make sure your juice label says
100% juice. Labels which state
juice drink or cocktail may only
contain 10% real fruit juice and
do not count as a serving of
fruit for the day.
DO NOT substitute fruit juice
for all of you or your child’s fruit
servings in a day. Always
choosing juice as your fruit
serving isn’t a good idea since
whole fruits contain fiber and
Enjoy your fruit juice, but
drink less!! Some juices
have as much sugar and
calories as a soda!
Page 3
The Families Matter E-newsletter is one
way the Pottawatomie County Cooperative
Extension Service, Family & Consumer Science programs provides educational resources in our community.
Families Matter E-news
Is published by the following:
Sonya McDaniel
Family & Consumer Science
Extension Educator
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension service
does not discriminate because of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age,
disability, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran and is an equal opportunity employer.
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Pottawatom
Quick Fix Recipes
Impossibly Easy
Cheese Burger Pie
Non-stick cooking spray
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup reduced-fat cheddar
cheese, shredded
1/2 cup reduced-fat Baking Mix
1 cup fat-free milk
2 eggs
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Coat 9” pie plate with non-stick
cooking spray. Cook ground
beef and onion until beef is
brown; drain. Stir in salt.
Spread in pie plate and sprinkle
with cheese.
September Activities
Sorting Shapes: Fill a laundry basket with familiar
items that have definite shapes such as a rubber ball, a
softball, a wooden block, a book, a plastic egg, a cookie
cutter, a box, a postcard, a scarf, and a baking pan. Let
your child look through the items and sort them by
their shape.
Silvery Pictures: Tear off squares of aluminum foil
for each child. Have the children use water-based felttipped markers to make designs on the foil squares.
Set the pictures out to dry for several hours—the foil
will resist the ink slightly, so you may want to blot these with a tissue before hanging them up.
Kick-Off Game: Outside or in a large open room, place
a foam ball on a spray can lid; such as hairspray can,
etc. Let your children take turns kicking the ball off
the lid. Vary the game by using different shaped balls
or by using heavier and heavier balls.
In bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended; pour into pie
plate over beef mixture.
Bake 25 minutes or until a knife
inserted in center comes out
clean.
Nutrition Information Per Serving: 240
calories, total fat 9g, saturated fat 3.5g,
protein 26g, total carbohydrate 13g, dietary
fiber <1g, sodium 540mg. Excellent
source of calcium, good source of iron
Strawberry Banana S’mores
12 graham cracker boards
6 ounces milk chocolate
12 large marshmallows, cut in
half crosswise
6 large strawberries, hulled and
thinly sliced
1 large banana, thinly sliced on
the diagonal
12 teaspoons strawberry preserves
Break each graham cracker in
half along perforation to form 2
squares.
Place 12 of the squares on a flat
work surface. Layer a 1/2-ounce
piece of chocolate and 2 marshmallow halves on each cracker.
In batches of 4, place them on a
microwave-safe plate and microwave for 15 seconds, until
marshmallows puff up.
Place a few strawberry slices and
a banana slice on top of each
square. Spread 1 teaspoon of
preserves on one side of each
remaining graham cracker and
place, preserve-side down, over
fruit. Press down gently; serve
immediately.
12 Servings: 198 calories, 6g fat, 3g saturated fat, 34 carbohydrates, 3g cholesterol, 2g fiber, 70mg sodium