How to Talk To Children About Stereotypes
by Dr. Susan Linn

Getting Past Generalizations
For Ages: Ten and under
The Scene
“It’s so annoying,” ten-year-old Joshua says between bites. “Linda Chan got another hundred on our math test. I’m not surprised. All those Asian American kids are good at math.”

It’s amazing how children absorb societal stereotypes, even if we avoid them at home. Children are aware of racial differences by the time they’re preschoolers. And by the age of 12, children have developed an image of most racial or ethnic groups in America.

Only by actively challenging stereotyping can we help our children overcome the lessons they may inadvertently learn from friends, television, and even textbooks.

The Words You Need
Here are some ideas to help you talk with your kids about stereotypes.
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Are you having trouble finding a Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone. Well, how about adopting a real manatee. Not only is it a unique gift but it’s something good for our animal friends.

MORE INFO

You’ll Need: cardboard tubes (foil, paper towel or toilet paper), tissue paper, ribbon, stickers, markers, small trickets or candy treats.

Directions:
1. Cut the tube to size ( a toilet paper tube is the perfect size).
2. Fill the tube with trickets or candy.
3. Wrap tissue paper around the tube and tape or glue. Be sure to leave the tissue paper longer on the ends.
4. Gather the tissue paper together on each end and tie with a ribbon.
5. Decorate and use as a place card at your Valentine’s Day dinner.

I had this great idea for a Valentine’s Day breakfast – everything in the shape of a heart including the napkin. Well, it worked out to be easy for the toast and the fruit in a heart bowl, but the egg was another story. I put a cookie cutter in the frying pan and poured in the egg. I pressed the cookie cutter down hard with my hand so the egg wouldn’t seep out. That was fine until the metal cookie cutter got hot. When it was time to turn the egg, there was a problem. Of course it was sticking to the sides of the cookie cutter. I got a knife and loosened the edges and when I took the cookie cutter off it kept it shape, YEAH! I flipped it over and finished cooking. Was it worth it? Maybe if my grandkids were here to eat it.

Hey all you Super Bowl fans (of which I am not), I thought this was a great way to serve guacamole dip for the big party.

Get this recipe and others at SUPER BOWL MUNCHIES

Download Conversation Hearts Activity Graph

This is a fun activity to do with any colored candy but especially fun at Valentine’s to do with Conversation Hearts.
What you will need for each person:
A graphing sheet
Conversation Hearts
Before you begin estimate how many Conversation Hearts you have then check to see how close you were to the exact number.
1. Classify the hearts by color
2. Cut out the squares on the graphing sheet.
3. Color a square for each heart. If you have 8 pink hearts you color 8 squares pink.
4. Create a bar graph by placing all the squares with the same color together as shown in the photo.
5. Talk about the graph. Ask questions like; which color has the greatest or least squares? Are there any the same? How many more or less does one color have compared to another color? What is another way to classify the hearts.

During the winter months many birds benefit from fat in their diet so why not make a suet bell or suet pine cone bird feeder with your grandchildren.
You will need:
Fat (lard or drippings from a roast or bacon ). If you don’t have enough fat you can add unsalted peanut butter.
Filler (bird seed, dried fruit, cookie or cake crumbs).
For each ½ pound of fat you will need 1 pound of filler.
Paper cup
String
Make a small hole in the bottom of the paper cup and insert the string. Be sure it is long enough so you can hang the bell on a tree branch. Tie a not on the inside of the cup so the string won’t pull through. Leave some string hanging inside the paper cup.
Melt the fat in a heavy saucepan and add filler. Mix well. Let the mixture cool slightly then pour into paper cut. When the mixture has hardened tear off the paper cup. Hang on a branch and see what birds come.

There are lots of activities to do once the suet bell is hung.
1. Predict and count how many birds will come in 10 minutes.
2. Predict and count how many different birds will come.
3. Take a picture of a bird eating the suet bell and write a poem or a story.
4. When your grandchildren leave, keep an eye on the suet bell and call or write them about what you’ve noticed. How long until it was all eaten.
5. Make 2 bells, one to keep at your home and one for your grandchild to take home. They can call or write you about what they have noticed.
For a pine cone bird feeder, I used the same mixture and spread it all around the pine cone. Hang with string or wire.

More Bird Feeder Ideas

This book is hilarious.

Mrs. Piggott is tired of playing domestic drudge to her unappreciative husband and sons, so she disappears, leaving them to fend for themselves. That’s when the Piggott househod undergoes the most extraordiinary transformation. Great for ages 4-10 years. The illustrations are unique because there are hidden pictures in each illustration. Children can have fun finding them.

Wouldn’t this be a darling apron for your granddaughter. You could have matching aprons because they come in adult sizes also and they’re reversable too.
See More Aprons From Bodumzup

Here’s a great way to use your ripe bananas and have an easy nutritious snack for your kids and grandkids. They can even help you make them.

You’ll Need:
Ripe bananas
Finely chopped nuts
Cinnamon
1. Mash up the bananas in a bowl using a fork.
2. Stir in nuts & cinnamon.
3. Form into a small ball & place on cookie sheet.
4. Refrigerate until firm.