by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Oct 11, 2021 | Homeschooling, Nutrition and Health
Leadership Resources Help Parents Raise Confident Children
As a parent, you want your children to be successful, and success often begins with positive and powerful leadership skills. So how can you encourage these skills in your children? Well, reading these essential resources from Homeschooling Dietitian Mom can be a good place to start!
A Love of Literacy Can Lead to Great Things
Reading can open so many doors for children, and literacy is essential for future leaders.
Leading By Example is Essential for Parents
Parents can promote reading and other leadership skills by practicing them on a daily basis.
- Shaping a child’s character centers on setting positive examples for them in everyday life, and children pay the most attention to the behaviors of their parents.
- Being a self-esteem role model is also crucial for helping children develop confidence.
- Goal setting is an effective way for parents to boost their own self-esteem.
- One example of a positive goal to model for kids is returning to school to achieve your master’s or doctoral degree. You can advance your career and be an inspiration for your children.
Providing Opportunities for Mistakes is Also Vital
It’s natural for parents to shield their kids from harm but learning from mistakes is so important.
- Helping children learn from mistakes, rather than preventing them altogether, is crucial for helping them grow into confident and effective leaders.
- Making mistakes will help children accept responsibility and avoid feelings of anxiety.
- So, it’s also essential for parents to help children own and admit to their mistakes.
- Finally, fostering an understanding of remorse can foster positive leadership skills.
Encouraging literacy, self-confidence and personal responsibility can help your children grow into successful and thriving leaders. More importantly, instilling these principles in your children will help them grow into healthy, happy and thriving adults.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Article written by Lacie Martin
“Lacie Martin created Raise Them Well to help inspire parents to raise
their children well by prioritizing love over everything else. She firmly
believes that all moms and dads raising kids who know they are loved and
cared for are successful parents.”
Products by Homeschooling Dietitian Mom
See everything in store here.
Product Reviews
Etsy Master Class for Teens
Traditional Cooking School
No Nonsense Algebra
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Oct 11, 2021 | Education Materials
I recently released my UPDATED “Meal Planning for Kids” curriculum, which teaches kids Healthy eating on a Budget. In this curriculum, children Pre-K through 12th grade learn foundational nutrition science while having fun.
I chose to create “Meal Planning for Kids” for many reasons. First, consider these statistics:
My “Meal Planning for Kids” was designed to indirectly address the above issue and more.
As I am sure you already realize, knowing how to eat healthy and stay on a budget can be a challenging skill to learn. But it is SO important! By instructing your children through this curriculum,
You will be educating your children on creating a real-life budget based on real prices at a real 
grocery store.
It doesn't get any more practical than that!
Your children aren't going to simply create a budget, however. They are going to create a budget that is nutritionally adequate, calorie-appropriate, and delicious for the entire family.
One of the assignments for the curriculum is to create a 2-day menu or meal plan for a family of four. However, it can be adjusted, depending on your family's size. This is just ONE of the many assignments you will be able to schedule for your kids to do.
I am master's degree-level Registered Dietitian and I studied Public Health for my master's degree. Thus, I think it's important to focus on prevention. For example, teaching kids behaviors and choices that will lead to a healthy weight and a healthy body. When a person grows up with a healthy weight and body, they are less likely to develop diseases such as Diabetes and Hypertension.
Note, however, that this curriculum is not weight-focused. This is simply one example of how it can be applied.
My overriding goal is to teach kids important health science and nutrition principles that meet scholastic requirements and build life-long skills. And “Meal Planning for Kids” will help them to achieve health and well-being as adults.
Kids also develop research and writing skills, critical thinking, and budgeting while completing this curriculum.
LOTS of hands-on, practical activities are included in this 147-page curriculum package.
Activities include real-life skills. For example, how to pick the best, most nutritious foods, at the best price, while at the real supermarket. Kids will also learn what goes on behind the scenes at the grocery store, what influences prices, and more.
Once kids complete this course, they will be proficient at planning a menu for an entire family.
Plus, this curriculum assists kids in gaining valuable experience working as a team.
“Meal Planning for Kids” is appropriate for preschoolers, elementary, middle, and high schoolers.
So, if you have multiples, “Meal Planning for Kids” is an economical way to meet health science requirements for all the kids in your family, pre-K through 12th grade.
High school kids (9th-12th grade) who spend at least 150 hours completing this course (which is absolutely possible considering the amount of work included), will earn 1 full unit of high school credit.
The time to take advantage of this package which will teach your kids “Healthy Eating on a Budget” is NOW.
Included with this thorough course is a Bonus Activity Book which enhances the health science activities in the main course, allowing for further collaboration and time spent on subject. A $5.00 value.
*I have included in the BONUS section, the Entire set of FDA-created materials (complete with tables and a glossary) that will allow for your children to complete the questions I have included related to vitamins, minerals, label reading, the several types of carbohydrates (sugars, sugar alcohols, fiber), fats (saturated, unsaturated, trans-fat), proteins, sodium, cholesterol, and more. This will make it easier for your students to answer the lengthy and involved questions I have created to go with the FDA-created materials. (These questions could satisfy college requirements as well).
Meal Planning for Kids is a digital download/printable type course. 147 pages
Click here to purchase.
Or better yet, click here to grab the bundle and get an even better deal!
Other things on my site you might be interested in:
Nutrition and Food Science Mega Pack
What Attracts Kids to Fast Food?
Entrepreneurship and our Children
Etsy Masterclass for Teens
Seven Surprising Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
by Deborah Hanyon, MPH, RDN, ACE-CHC | Sep 8, 2021 | Nutrition and Health
Churches Can Make a Difference for Senior Immigrants: Here’s How
Moving to a new country is always challenging, but for senior immigrants, the transition is often more difficult. Older adults can have a harder time adapting to a new culture, finding a social support network, and figuring out ways to remain connected to their homeland in an unfamiliar environment. Not only does this make the transition lonelier, but it puts them at serious risk for physical and mental health issues along the way.
Fortunately, church communities have the power to make a significant difference in senior immigrants’ lives. Below, Homeschooling Dietitian Mom presents some ideas for how you can open your heart — and your community — to senior immigrants.
Offer Useful Resources
When getting to know your new neighbors, try to stay attuned to their needs and offer resources when you can. For example, if they mention they want to send money to relatives in the Philippines, you can point them toward trustworthy services that will send funds without huge fees.
A site like Remitly offers safe and speedy transfers that are either free or cost as low as $3.99 depending on how much you send. You can also offer to help them set up video chats, navigate instant messaging platforms, or create care packages to send to their loved ones. Your input can also help them find a network in their new home. For example, if they’re looking for an opportunity to take a class or connect with the community, suggest some local options.
The benefit here isn’t just the recommendation or resource itself. Although the help can be extremely valuable, this kind of active attention also shows your neighbors that they have a friend and ally. It might seem like a small gesture, but it can go a long way toward helping senior immigrants know they have someone they can turn to.
Provide a Spiritual Community
Religion and spirituality often have a key place in senior immigrants’ hearts. But it’s not always easy to find a welcoming space in a new country. Go out of your way to make your church community as immigrant friendly as you can so that people know they’re welcome to worship with you. For example, if you have a sizable immigrant population that shares a common language, consider offering services in that language to create a space where people can feel more at home.
Not every church is going to have the resources to make something like that possible. However, there are other ways you can ensure your space is welcoming. Many new churchgoers feel unnoticed or left out. Prevent this in your community by creating a welcoming committee made up of congregants dedicated to noticing and greeting church visitors. A simple, “Hello, nice to meet you!” can help visitors know they’re valued in your parish.
Invite, Introduce, and Include
Finally, try to involve senior immigrants in community activities. Make sure they know when social gatherings, fundraisers, and volunteer outings are happening and invite them to come along. Remember, however, that it’s not enough to get them there. To really make an impact and ensure you’re providing a supportive community, you need to make sure they’re truly included.
Do this by making an effort to invite them once they arrive. For example, if you see that they’re sitting by themselves or seem to be looking for a place to be, include them in your conversation or activity. This is especially helpful for immigrants since they may be hesitant to dive into social situations. They may fear inadvertently breaking a social norm. Taking the lead gives them a safe space to observe. It also takes some of the pressure off when trying to navigate a new culture all alone.
Churches Can Make a Difference
Everyone has something valuable to offer to your church community. And your congregation can do its part to make sure senior immigrants feel welcome, safe, and comfortable in their new country. These tips are a wonderful way to keep your space inviting to all. It's also a terrific way to ensure that older immigrants get the resources they need along the way.
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Alyssa Strickland created millennial-parents.com for all the new parents on the block. Alyssa believes the adage that it takes a village to raise a child, but she also thinks it takes a village to raise a parent! Millennial-Parents is that village. Today’s parents can be more connected than ever, and she hopes her site will enrich those connections. On Millennial-Parents, she shares tips and advice she learns through experience and from other young parents in three key areas — Education, Relationships, and Community.
Food and Cultural Geography Sorting Mats
Religious Freedom and the Church
Online PE for Homeschoolers
High school kids (9th-12th grade) who spend at least 150 hours completing this course (which is absolutely possible considering the amount of work included), will earn 1 full unit of high school credit.
