Raising Socially Conscious Children Through the Holidays and Beyond

Around this time of year, adults are often asking young children, "What do you want from Santa this year?" Letters are written and lists are created and in the whole exercise, both parents and children can get overwhelmed. And yet, there is an understanding among early childhood educators that we can steer the next generation in a more socially responsible direction. We can create experiences for children to be conscientious members of society and get a sense of global community. Below are ways you can "kick up" the spirit of giving with children:

Sponsor a child or family overseas

A number of worthy organizations offer the opportunity to sponsor a child or family in poverty overseas through regular monetary donations. Some provide the sponsor with pictures and updates on their child. This can be a wonderful way to give back, while teaching your kids to be socially conscious.

Share the holidays

The holidays are typically a fun and meaningful time for friends and family- however, they can also be a time of greater suffering for those less fortunate or away from home. Reach out to others in your community and beyond.

• Consider buying Christmas gifts for a child with less or an elderly person through the charitable programs or gift and food drives found at malls, local shops and restaurants over the holidays.
• Organize a group to go caroling at the local hospital or seniors' home.
• Bake cookies to deliver to women's shelters or homeless centres.
• Volunteer to serve turkey or holiday dinner at a soup kitchen.
• Or, if there is a military base in your area, thank those servicemen and women who are away from their own homes, by opening your doors and inviting them to share in your holiday meal.

Give animals, education or water

Gather the children around a charitable organization web site to choose the kind of gift the family could give this year to families in need around the world. You and the children can choose animals, education and water from Plan Canada, an organization that works to break the cycle of poverty for children in 66 countries around the world. Top 5 gifts include: a Berkeley-Darfur cooking stove ($55) a goat ($75), three hens and a rooster ($80), literacy training for two women ($100), clean water for a class ($300). www. plancanada.ca

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CODE’s Project Love has been inspiring children across Canada for more than 20 years to think globally, act locally and make a difference.

Through Project Love, students learn about global issues through curriculum-based activities, fundraising, and making kits of school supplies for students in developing countries. Each Project Love kit includes a pencil, eraser, notebook, ruler and a personal letter from a Canadian student to the kit’s recipient in Malawi or Haiti.
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Our Health is in Our Hands -- Teaching Children About the Importance of Handwashing

Children need to be taught how and when to wash their hands. This is the campaign message launched by the Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH) in partnership with the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA), Reckitt Benckiser, and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).

At the heart of the campaign is a resource kit that can be used by parents, caregivers, and educators to teach young children good handwashing practices. The kit, entitled William, Won't You Wash Your Hands? asserts that it is essential to teach children good handwashing practices early in life and that these good health habits will stay with children and contribute to reducing the spread of infection and illness. The kit was first created in 1990 and has been rolled out across Canada to early education centres and schools.

CICH has now updated the kit's wording, hygiene practices and resources through a multi-disciplinary, National Advisory Group, comprised of 9 health and early child education specialists from across the country. The updated kit includes timely, evidence-based advice in its materials such as:

• a children's storybook entitled “William, Won’t You Wash Your Hands?”
• two posters that cover the steps preschoolers should follow to wash hands and show actions children can take to help stop the spread of infection (e.g. coughing or sneezing into their elbow, and blowing noses on a tissue.)
• a resource booklet with a comprehensive collection of games, poems songs and activities that can reinforce the handwashing message.
• two resource sheets for staff that provide additional information on infection control within an early learning and care program and handwashing advice.

Kits, in either French or English, are available for order at $23 per kit including shipping and handling. For more information on the campaign or to purchase the kit, please contact Janice Sonnen, CICH Executive Director, or the CICH offices.

Written by Joni Campbell, Project Consultant