Our Gratitude Jar: Celebrate Thanksgiving with 25 Days of Gratitude

Last year, we started a new tradition that our kids are already asking about:  Our Gratitude Jar.  We cut pretty paper into strips and each day starting November 1, every one of us writes one thing we are thankful for.  We found a jar lying around our house and tied twine around the handle for a simple decoration, and you can do the same.  By the time Thanksgiving comes, our gratitude jar is full and so are our hearts as we celebrate Thanksgiving and begin the season of celebrating the birth of our Savior!  From our family to yours, we challenge you to do this every day in November and feel the fullness of your heart by Thanksgiving.  Don’t worry if you miss a day- you can catch up!  You will be amazed at all you can come up with to be thankful for!  We ALL have been given much, and when we celebrate what God has graciously given us, the discontent and insatiable appetite for more fades, and we focus more on what we can do for others.  This prepares our children, and ourselves, for the coming season of Christmas.  As we have opportunities to give, we do so more freely, out of our gratitude and thankfulness.

Technology and Kids: BYOT in Schools

Technology and the way kids learn is changing at a rapid pace, and we want to give our children the best opportunities for success; at the same time, we want to protect our children from harmful sites and people that can be reachable via technology.  If you allow your child to use electronic devices at home or if your school system is a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) system, you should read this and make sure you are giving your children the best opportunities, while minimizing risk.

One note for parents who allow their children to use the schools’ devices or utilize BYOT is that the school’s wireless network is filtered by standards set forth in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).   This addresses concerns about harmful or obscene content available on those networks, and requires education to students about internet safety.  Because the habit of using the internet, online games, learning tools, and apps is not going away any time soon, we need to educate our children and ourselves as moms on the dangers of the internet, and establish good habits with regards to internet security.

Technology and Kids: Parent Education

A great resource for parents related to technology (and movies, but that is another post) is Common Sense Media.  This non-profit organization includes articles, educational videos, and comments from users regarding protecting yourself and your children from things like cyberbullying, stranger danger, privacy, internet security, image, and marketing to kids.  Three basic points kids with technology need to understand are:

1. Don’t go to webpages that are not set up as bookmarks beforehand or typed in by the parent or teacher
2. Don’t share your student # or login name with anyone else
3. Never type in your real name or address on a website without your parents’ help

Kids learn from their parents how to make smart decisions regarding their online safety, and it’s our job as their parents to educate them.  They will need these street-smarts to navigate the increasingly complex world we live in, and we want to set them up for the best success.

Technology and Kids: Internet Software Controls

Even with the education parents give to their children about the dangers of the internet, it is still necessary to have an online filter to protect your children from harmful content.  According to NetNanny.com, “more than half of all children are accidentally exposed to pornography each year. ” Net Nanny is a parental controls software that protects families and helps keep families safe online.

All of the technology available to our kids is an amazing thing:  It’s astounding to think of the opportunities our children have before them!  But, we have a job to protect our children and provide safe avenues for learning.  As parents, we need to be actively seeking solutions to protect our children and provide the richest environment in which to learn and grow.  Do you have any resources that have helped you?  We are just scratching the surface with all of the technology kids access these days, and would love to hear how you protect your children!  Please comment on our facebook page and share.