Hand-made gift-giving fills kids with a sense of pride and accomplishment and magnanimous generosity, feelings not usually included in pre-packaged items.

My own lack of finesse keeps me from giving handmade items all the time. I’m not much of an artist.

For example, when I’m inspired by something like this  Fairy House from Burgh Baby:

My own version, designed enthusiastically by Little Miss turns out a little rougher around the edges. I’d like to blame the kids: I would. In all honesty, though, I’m pretty sure my projects would look the same even without little hands in the mix.

Imagine my joy when I saw this simple hand-print craft floating around Pinterest courtesy of This Glorious Day.

It’s beautiful, and it looked just easy enough for me and the kids to pull off.

The scripture quoted in the original post, Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly, was a lovely sentiment all on its own, but we found that it lends itself to endless variations.

Our family had a wonderful, meaningful conversation about personalizing the words. We approached it as a family mission statement with three simple parts. Miss First Grader especially enjoy the word play.

We did have to modify the original craft slightly to accommodate all three kids.

1. Hand prints: do, act, make, or build
2. Upside down hand-prints in the shape of a heart: love
3. Foot prints: walk, dance, wander

We settled on phrases that fit us well, especially the last one as it refers to our daily dance parties.

ACT, with kindness

LOVE, generously

DANCE, often

Finding the 16 x 20 black matting board was the trickiest part for me. I wound up finding it on Amazon (because wandering around Michael’s with a toddler and a preschooler is never any fun). The hand and foot prints were done with gold paint. Miss First Grader wrote the big words in white paint pen. I finished off the script with silver. Add a frame and, ta da, a lovely Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day or Christmas) gift for someone special. Here is a gift-worthy project simple enough for me.

Reach Out and Give by Cheri J. Meiners (Free Spirit Publishing, 2006) is a learning tool more than a story book. Its simple, straightforward language and cheerful illustrations are certain to communicate the core message shared in its first four pages:

This world is beautiful.

There’s so much to notice and be grateful for.

I’m also grateful for people who help me.

There are lots of ways I can show my thanks and give something back.

Clearly, this isn’t a storybook meant to capture a child’s imagination in the traditional sense.

In fact, it didn’t particularly capture my imagination at first. The kids grabbed it from my pile of borrowed books.

The images of all the way kids can be generous and kind did spark an imaginative flare for Miss First-grader. She’s such a list maker. She used the ideas in this book to make a list of her favorite ways to give to others. She made another list of ideas she hasn’t done yet, but would like to try soon.

If you are looking for reflection tools, this book builds them right into the final pages. You’ll find page by page discussion questions, game suggestions, and simple project ideas (many of which you can find on our projects page as well).

This book is part of Free Spirit’s Learning to Get Along series, which covers topics including taking turns, being a good listener, and how to work out or talk out conflicts with friends. This series, especially it’s conflict resolution book, is something I plan to check out soon!

This book is a classic, and it’s easy to see why. It is crammed with dozens of detailed, creative outdoor activities. Each new project begins with an at-a-glance summary letting you know the details of each project, including

• effect (will it calm your child down or help them burn off steam?)
• activity type
• ideal location
• recommended number of participants
• age
• ingredients.

Once again it’s clear that to foster a love of nature, you simply have to spend time with your family in a natural setting and share your own enthusiasm. F

The same is true for the activities in Cornell’s book. Getting your child excited means that you have to be fully present and interested in the activity too.

Little Miss and I did a quick one just the other day, a miniature walk. One afternoon when we both found ourselves low on energy, I gathered the materials:

• a few inches of yarno
• a magnifying glass (or 2)
• a field journal & pen

Little Miss laid the string out along an interesting bit of our back yard.  We took a moment to imagine ourselves as ants or fairies or ladybugs; something tiny that could walk the yarn path she had just laid down. Then, with our magnifying glasses, we explored the bright red yarn path. Little Miss drew a few of her discoveries in the field journal, including a curious-looking spider, a dandelion, and a decomposing leaf.

Our little walk ended the same way our big walks usually end: Little Miss set to work building a “toad house” for the bug she found. I’m not sure where the idea came from, but our every box, stick, rock, and flower is transformed into a habitat whenever she’s worn out but not in the mood for a nap.

For more great projects, including role-playing games that put a new spin on tag, sensory games, and lots more, check out Sharing Nature with Children by Joseph Cornell. Let me know what you think!

“I love May Daying!” She told me as she raced her sister to our neighbors front doors.

We may not be changing the world or making an impact on the critical societal dilemmas of our time, but we are celebrating our little community.

One paper basket of flowers and birdseed cookies at a time.

I love sharing May Day baskets because…

• It’s a fun, family tradition of sharing!
• It’s an opportunity to connect with some of our busier, more elusive neighbors.
• We’re so often crafting and baking for people we don’t know, it’s nice to share goodies with those closest to us geographically

and last but not least

• Because we know just how fun it is to receive a little May Day treat. Check out the Hydrangea cupcakes that landed on our doorstep courtesy of the big-hearted neighbor kids and their crafty mom!

Does your family celebrate May Day? If so, share your reasons!

We’ve long been in the habit of cleaning up our parks whenever necessary. I tuck plastic bags (and wipes, just in case) in every stroller, the first aid kit, and even my purse. I’m always prepared for that moment when my eagle-eyed offspring find a muddy granola wrapper that slipped away or a crunched pop can tossed carelessly into the creek.

What began as a Rubbish Race back when the girls were 4 and 2 is now simply the way we walk.

This spring began early and has been full of natural wonders. We’ve spent more time in the designated wilderness areas of local parks than we have on their playgrounds, inspired by Little Miss’s enthusiasm for bugs and Big Sis’s quest for the perfect climbing tree.

You’d think there might be less garbage off the beaten trail.

As it turns out, the garbage is just weirder.

For some reason Little Miss Four is the one who keeps finding the underpants: hung on a tree in one park; lost underneath a tree in another; once smack in the middle of a trail.

This is unspeakably gross. I realize this. I cringe as I’m typing,  haunted by the thought of the horrible genesis of these homeless boxer-briefs:Why were these abandoned? There is no reasonable, sanitary answer.

Let me be clear. We are walking in beautifully maintained parks, lovingly patronized by Twin Cities nature enthusiasts. We know these parks well, and I don’t walk them in fear that the pant-less culprit may be just around the bend.

Strangely, all three incidents were in separate parks. These are our favorites, and we are in one or the other almost every day.

When my daughter rushes headlong, giggling at a pair of underpants in her favorite park, I just can’t bring myself to shriek, “Leave that alone.”

We pick up garbage when we find it, that’s just what we do.

So instead I shriek, “No, let me.” I ferry off the offending item with a plastic bag in the style of a dog owner picking up that unmentionable business.

On the upside, our family time is brimming with nature this spring. From the young great-horned owls that are nearly ready to leave their nest, to the albino squirrel racing up and down his favorite tree, to the flowers lining the creek banks, our spring walks are inspiring all of us to care deeply, learn more, and take real action steps to protect nature.

I guess my point today is that we love our local parks. Keeping them clean, though hazardous at times, is an act inspired by that love.

I’m just glad Joe got to take care of that last pair.

Then there is a book like The Three Questions [Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy], written and illustrated by Jon Muth. The airy, spare quality of the storytelling certainly helps kids wind down. The artwork, simultaneously simple and elaborate, provides a beautiful focal point. Though this is a great story and there are a few humorous moments to elicit giggles, this book goes one step further.

This book is a mediation, one that parents can accomplish with their children.

As a parent who aspires to find more time for meditation, I’ll take it where I can. With a four-year-old snuggled in my lap, this book offers a pretty nice opportunity.

In this adaptation of a short story by Leo Tolstoy, a young boy struggles to answer three essential questions with the belief that the answers would help him always do what is right.

When is the best time to do things?
Who is the most important one?
What is the right thing to do?

When the guidance of his animal friends (a heron, a monkey, and a dog) prove insufficient, Nikolai pays a visit to wise old Leo the turtle. Of course, Leo gives Nikolai room to discover his answers for himself after a stormy adventure makes them obvious.

This book provides its own reflection questions. More importantly, it leaves you and your child with the satisfying sensation of sitting still and quiet together.

After resting on our shelf for a couple of months, it found its way into Miss First Graders backpack. She and her friends read some of the stories during their bus ride. Now the waiting list for kids eager to borrow it has grown impossibly long. Perhaps we’ll have to buy a copy to donate to the school library. In spite of its Buddha reference the stories and their lessons are universally appealing.

Let me know if you’ve had a chance to check out this book. What does your family think of it?  If not, I highly recommend it!

Relax, be still, and listen.

These words set the tone for each and every story in this remarkable collection. Buddha at Bedtime: Tales of Love and Wisdom for you to Read with  Your Child to Enchant, Enlighten and Inspire, by Dharmachari Nagaraja, is a treasure.

After slogging through poorly written renditions of well-known fairy tales and questionable compilations of odd bedtime stories, I have finally found a book full of engaging stories that send my kids off to dreamland without nightmares and leave them with a positive message the next day.

This book contains 20 modernized versions of ancient Buddhist stories. Most are full of whimsy and wonder, spurring on creative play, even as they teach about kindness, courage, and peace. Each story ends with a short restatement of the moral for reinforcement. in the unlikely even that you missed it (see the excerpts below).

There is a Buddhist primer in the beginning of the book and some instruction for meditating with children in the back. I haven’t tried that yet, but in a world where school bullying is a subject of for the legislature and war stretches uncertainly into the future, I think meditation might be the next thing we try.

Though the stories are rooted in Buddhism, the lessons of this book are universal including:

• Sometimes it is easy to let fear and jealousy cloud our judgment. A wise person knows that there is enough love in their heart to give to every living creature in the world.
• By keeping promises and being kind and forgiving, we make the world a better place for everyone. a wise person shows compassion for others, even when they have been hurt by them.
• Sometimes it feels like there’s no option but to fight our way out of a difficult situation. A wise person knows that it’s their intelligence, no their physical strength, that will help them to win in the end.

This last moral summation follows my girls’ favorite story: “The Prince and Sticky Hair.” Sticky Hair is the mean old monster who haunts the Forrest with hair so sticky, all efforts to vanquish him just get stuck. His shaggy locks are jeweled with the swords of misguided fighters, including that of the young, brash prince. The prince, once he lost his own sword to the sticky mess, cleverly talked the monster into setting him free. Soon the monster and the prince became friends and the forest was safe for the kingdom.

Even with its sappy good ending, this is a story that really gets Miss Kindergarten’s imagination gong. We have created drawings of Sticky Hair and masks. We have acted out this and other stories in the book.

As it turns out, books with imaginative stories, beautiful illustrations, and important teachings are not as difficult to find as I thought. This is one of the best!

We hope they cultivate what’s best in themselves. We hope they contribute to the world in a meaningful way. We hope they develop a sense of empathy and generosity towards others. But we are not sure how to help make these things happen, particularly in a culture focused so much on entitlement and materialism. Considering the critical importance of empathy, kindness and community responsibility to the development of character and lifelong values, parents have surprisingly few resources to help them instill these qualities in their children.

Doing Good Together, in collaboration with The Volunteer Family in Boston and Little Helping Hands in Austin, Texas, is creating a new, nationwide initiative called Big-Hearted Families (BHF). Launching this summer, BHF will be the essential resource for parents, providing concrete, hands-on ideas for raising children who grow into helpful, balanced, grateful, kind adults.

Parents will be able to engage with the BHF interactive website and social media; access our free toolbox of resources to get them started and keep them motivated; purchase publications and products that deepen and enhance their practice of family service; become a member of our new family book club; and take an online parenting class – all focused on helping them make giving back an automatic habit for their families.

Research tells us that caring and compassion can actually develop with practice, so at the core of BHF are dozens of fun, engaging activities designed to help children learn about empathy, tolerance, gratitude, and civic responsibility – just as systematically as they learn to brush their teeth and say please or thank you. Some are long and some short, some take planning and some require spontaneity – there are ideas to suit every family’s style. Participants are encouraged to share refinements and new ideas in the online forum. In so doing, they will become part of an exciting, evolving parenting phenomenon.

Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to learn more about Big-Hearted Families as it develops!

Before children, I rarely went, unwilling to gape at bored animals far from their natural habitat. Then life with young kids transformed me, and the thought of introducing my daughter to real, live tigers, bears, and orangutans was irresistible. The utter delight on that little face made it easy to go back.

Before I knew it our family became regulars at both local zoos. We even sponsored a giraffe (as I’ve blogged about before) in our attempt to turn this regular activity into an act for good.

But how much good does our support for the zoo really do?

I ask only because Miss First Grader has begun to ask.  A recent trip to Busch Gardens while on vacation started the conversation.

We all marveled at the chimpanzees on display there. When I say marveled, I mean we were struck silent, right down to the smallest (9-month-old) among us. They were so like us. They were as far from the viewing area as possible, sitting side by side on a log staring at the manufactured creek just as we do whenever we’re near water with nothing to do.

“Why do they have to be caged up, mom? This is terrible.” Miss First Grader summed it up rather well, her voice heavy with the tears she was holding back.

Even as her younger siblings continue to delight in their introductions to exotic animals they could never see elsewhere, Miss First Grader is grappling with the humanity of zoo life. No matter how beautifully rendered their habitat, it is still artificial, bounded, and somewhat saddening.

But our zoos are wonderful, really. They are constantly improving habitats within the parks. They participate in important research related to the health and genetic diversity of the species in their charge. They raise significant funds for the preservation of these species in the wild, in no small part because of the inspiring introduction they provide for children and adults alike. Where else would my Minnesota girls encounter two playful grizzly bears or an Amur tiger.

The latter is one of only 500 survivors in the world. Extensive information posted at the zoo about the sad state of the Amur tiger population prompted a long discussion and some at-home research with my heart-broken six-year-old. These are exactly the activities that the zoo is best able to inspire. Now it is my job to turn that inspiration into action.

If you find yourself with a similar task before you, the job of transforming a visit to the zoo into environmental activism, here are three things we may be able to work on together. Let me know how it goes for you!

1. Start the Collection: We’ve been tackling family service long enough that even Miss First Grader knows the most frequently requested form of help is money. In addition to tagging our family coin jar for an environmental organization, we’re budgeting to make a more substantial contribution to protect habitat and endangered species at the end of the year.
2. Study the Issue: We’ll be spending time together on these websites:  National Wildlife Federation; websites Defenders of Wildlife: Kids Planet (the fact sheets organized by animal and continent are very helpful)
3. Spread the Word: My daughter isn’t all that interested in designing her first awareness-raising brochure on the subject, but maybe if you have an older child you could work together on that. In the meantime, sharing her latest animal facts with friends has become a new hobby, even without the word processing skills.

Of course, no matter how many leaves adorn our eager trees, I’ve learned this lesson before: never plant before Mother’s Day in Minnesota. Even then, exercise caution and hold most things off until Memorial Day. Ours is a short growing season.

To satisfy my gardening spirit, I’ve been enjoying a book where planting is a revolutionary act.  Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa has both my daughters demanding to plant trees this year.

Wangari’s Trees of Peace imparts the true story of one little girl who leaves the forests and farms of her youth to study in America, returning to find the trees gone, the fields barren, and the birds lost.

What is a girl to do when her land’s trees have been eliminated to make room for buildings? She must start at the beginning, and that is exactly what Wangari did. Beginning with 9 seedlings in her own back yard, Wangari grew a movement. She started a nursery for trees, educated her neighbors about the value of trees, and paid them for successful transplants.

My daughters are infatuated with the way Wangari’s idea spread from woman to woman in a movement that restored the forests of Kenya. They are horrified by a couple of pages depicting Wangari as she defends old trees from government officials who would cut them down, but the lesson is worth teaching:

And still she stands tall.
Right is right, even if you’re alone.

This book gave us an opportunity to talk about the Nobel Peace Prize as well. Wangari Maathai was awarded the prize in 2004 because of her work with The Green Belt Movement.

Wangari herself is pictured on the Nobel Peace Price front page. Miss First Grader enjoyed looking at pictures of this year’s Nobel Laureates. Older children might enjoy playing some of the many games in the educational portion of the site.

We also used this opportunity to talk about Arbor Day and plan a few additions to our own backyard.  Visit the National Arbor Day Foundation for more information, or become a member and receive 10 Free Trees!

If nothing else, celebrate wild spaces near you by spending time in the woods. Trees can be surprisingly entertaining playmates.