Search Results for: blog helping a child find volunteer work

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 →

Finding Friends In All Sorts of Places

When my daughter was diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening condition – cystic fibrosis, at just 6 days old, I knew my family would be supportive. I knew I had a few close friends who would also be there when I needed them. I even expected to lose a few friends, both because I was now a mom and because seeing a sick child is hard. What I didn’t expect was to find friends in corners I never expected. The first few months after her diagnosis were isolating. It was winter in Vermont – that alone can feel isolating. But Maggie … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: August 2008

Isn’t it crazy the way babies grow so quickly? It seems that you just get used to one stage and boom they are already into another. Tonight, were busy getting the household all set for my eldest child’s first day of second grade. My two younger ones are excited and want to start school, too. It will be a busy month. Don’t worry about the missing last week of blogs. I’ve gotten quite a few questions about where I have been. The Baby Blog tends to go on hiatus the last week of the month. That may change in the … Continue reading →

Ideas for Volunteering with a Toddler or Preschooler

Making the time to do good works is important for all families. Getting children started early with the concept of volunteerism is a wonderful way to make the acts so much a part of their lives that it comes natural for them. One of the added benefits of volunteering with your toddler or preschooler is that it may give you the means and motivation to volunteer yourself. Isn’t it difficult to carve out the time to volunteer when you are busy taking care of little ones. Making volunteering a family affair solves that problem! So how can you get started? … Continue reading →

Helping a Child Find Volunteer Work

Volunteer work can be a major right of passage for a child—it can give him or her valuable work experience, while also connecting the child to the community in an important way. Many younger children start out volunteering along side mom or dad or as a family but eventually the time comes when he or she is ready to volunteer as an individual. What can a parent do to help find a good volunteer gig and how involved should we actually be? In our school district, students are required to volunteer so many hours in order to graduate. While this … Continue reading →

When a Single Parent Volunteers

Maybe you have read the words “single parent” and “volunteer” and are wondering how in the world a busy single parent finds time to do volunteer work too! Or, perhaps, you have your own tales of how you wish you could volunteer more, or you have been snubbed by the alpha-parents at your child’s school because you are working and taking care of family business instead of baking cupcakes or doing playground duty. The fact is, single parents can and do volunteer, we just need to find the right opportunities that mesh with the rest of our lives. I doubt … Continue reading →

Month in Review: Adoption Blog, December 2007

I began the month with a book review that tied in to my November series on coping with discrimination and racism. The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate is based on an inspiring true story of how a town in Montana came together when Jewish and African-American families were terrorized. Then I ran Part One and Part Two Part Two of Is It Okay to Be Choosy? regarding the comments adopting parents often get that if they “really wanted to help”, they’d choose the most needy child or the one with the most special needs–and sometimes we lay this … Continue reading →

Helping From Behind the Scenes

As my children get older, the role I play is much more “support” than it is center stage. More and more, I find that my parenting is happening behind the scenes and sometimes, they are not even really aware that I am involved… This support role is not always easy for those parents who prefer to be stage front and center. If you have let your own self worth and self esteem get wrapped up in your child’s activities over the years, then when your role starts to change and/or diminish, it can be a bit traumatic. You might be … Continue reading →

Summer is a Great Time for Volunteer Work

Now that we are hitting the mid-way point of the summer vacation season, some families may find that boredom is setting in. As the temperature climbs, and kids have exhausted all sorts of other options, it might be hard to find things to keep people busy. Taking the focus off leisure and play, summer can be the perfect time for kids to do volunteer work and projects and get involved with the community in a meaningful way… Cleaning up trash, doing renovations, painting, cleaning, etc. are all typical volunteer projects that take place in the summer, but there are other … Continue reading →

Tips for Finding a Tutor

In our local newspaper this morning, there is an article about a new program at our local library to help kids access tutoring. It got me to thinking about our own adventures in finding a tutor for my son a few years back, other families and their tutor searches, and all the various types of tutors and educational help that is available. I thought I might share a few tips on how to find and choose a tutor… While the yellow pages are always a possible resource in a tutor search, and any town of moderate-size probably has a professional, … Continue reading →