Rancho Santa Fe Review
August 18, 2011
B19
Kids Korps collecting school supplies, backpacks for children in need In August many kids and parents starts buying back-to-school supplies for the upcoming school year, but some families around San Diego have a harder time providing their children with the necessary supplies. To help support these families, Kids Korps, a non-profit community service organization, has partnered up with Starbucks. While the drive with Starbucks is ending Saturday, Kids Korps will continue accepting donations of backpacks and school supplies. To donate visit www.kidskorps.org for details or call the Kids Korps’ office at (760) 4522676. Polo Rossmore Cup – Aug. 28 Join Kids Korps in celebrating the spirit of giving at the San Diego Polo Club grounds on Sunday, Aug. 28. Bring your family, and enjoy an afternoon of polo, wine tasting, live music, a fashion show presented by our youth volunteers, and a silent and live auction! For auction item or individual donations, please contact Kids Korps at (760) 452-2676 or visit http://www.kidskorps.org/2011/05/31/fine-family-fest-atthe-san-diego-polo-club-grounds/ San Diego teen takes 10,000-mile “Do Good Adventure Road Trip” to promote teen volunteerism Russell Lyons will begin his Do Good Adventure Tour, a 10,000-mile cross continental U.S. road trip that promotes and supports teen volunteerism, on Sept. 5 in San
Christopher Burdick among the many collected backpacks. Diego County. Between September 2011 and March 2012, Lyons, a 17-year-old native San Diegan, will visit more than 20 nonprofit organizations that have a teen volunteerism component or welcome teen volunteers. Lyons will spend three to five days volunteering at each of approximately twenty 501 (c) (3) organizations in different communities. The organizations selected for the tour stops will address a variety of community needs including homelessness, literacy, teen empowerment and environmental care. The first week of his tour will be spent with
Kids Korps, a national youth volunteer organization based out of San Diego County, whose mission is “to instill in America’s youth the spirit of giving while providing valuable education in leadership and responsibility.” Lyons will be mentoring to inner city middle school children though the Kids Korps Summer Volunteer Camp, teaching these kids about the values of volunteering, through hands-on service projects with local agencies. According to Lyons, “despite the fact that 55 percent of teens volunteer to help their communities, we are often labeled as bullies, trouble makers or uncommunicative couch potatoes. I look forward to working side by side with teens who are helping their communities and show-casing these teens as a way to inspire others to do good.” Lyons will share his experiences on his web-site (www.dogoodadventure.com) and through other methods in order to encourage teens to find their community passion and pursue it. Asked about his goals for the adventure, Lyons says, “Simply showcasing the teens that do good isn’t enough. Let’s invite others to join in! Teens are four times more likely to volunteer if they are asked. So, let’s ask them! Let’s talk about – and to — the teens who are already building strong communities and, through that discussion, invite others to do good too. If teens pur-
Your Family Matters: Back to School: Developing study skills BY DR. KEITH KANNER One of the strongest predictors of successful school performance is the child’s capacity to study and complete assignments. In fact, children who have the finest study skills Dr. Keith Kanner tend to obtain the best grades and get into the better colleges and universities, which result in common occupational and personal success. Study skills involve tasks such as in-class note taking, organization, planning ahead, material integration, studying, and the completion of assignments. As well known, most schools place significant emphasis on these acquisitions and award a large percentage of the class grade on the child’s mastery of these talents. The development of study skills, however, is not automatically acquired by most children and are skills that must be initially taught and then monitored before they become internalized and practiced independently by the child. Many parents rely on their child’s school to teach these skills when deemed necessary and appropriate and then become angry and frustrated when they learn that their child does not know how to manage their academic needs, usually after a deficient report card. At this point, the parents become involved, become angry that the school did not teach their child how to study, and then battle with their child over the completion of assignments, hoping that their child will realize the importance of getting good grades. Both the age of the child and how long they have failed to develop adequate study skills will determine how motivated the child will be when the parents become in-
volved. Typically, the longer the child has failed to develop adequate study habits, the more resistant they will be to change their behavior due to habit. This is most commonly observed in both middle and high school. In such cases, most parents end up getting their child some academic assistance, such as a tutor to help them learn how to study, along with setting limits involving desired activities until homework and studying is completed. Over time, if the parents remain consistent and serious, most children and adolescents will learn how to study and become organized. Parents who begin early to teach the importance of studying and homework, along with direct instruction of how to perform these tasks, tend to avoid these later dilemmas. Usually when the child’s school introduces homework, typically in either first or second grade, is the time the parent works to help their child learn to organize, plan, and complete their assignments in settings that are free from distraction and optimal for studying. Because the child is just beginning to understand school, and still wants to please the parent, most small children will be less resistant to work together with their parents on study skills and will then feel proud when they witness their success as they receive a good grade from their teacher. Furthermore, because these skills were introduced early, “good” rather than “bad” study habits have been developed and become everyday routines which tend to continue from the grade school through the high school years. Key Points (Developing Study Skills): 1. Teach study skills early at home 2. Have a homework time established by second grade 3. Develop an optimal homework area early 4. Have a break after school before
homework 5. Check over homework 6. Reward the completion of homework 7. If bad habits manifest, help immediately to prevent failure Dr. Keith Kanner is host/ anchor - Your Family Matters WSRADIO; contributor to LifeChanger, Extra TV; a syndicated columnist; author of “Your Family Matters — Solutions to Common Parental Dilemmas” (in press); board certified & licensed clinical child, adolescent, & adult psychologist & psychoanalyst; Assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine; National Board Member - KidsKorps USA; and a father of three great kids.
chasing decisions can be influenced by media, social and otherwise, why not our volunteering decisions? Hey, we might even inspire some adults to do good too.” Russell Lyons has done community service since he was 4 years old, when he recited books to low-income pre-school students as literacy volunteer. Since then, he has volunteered with more than a dozen organizations and logs more than 200 hours of community service each year. He is an actor, a left-handed foil fencer and a PADI certified SCUBA diver. Russell graduated in June 2011 from Laurel Springs School where he was a member of the National Honor Society. He will enter college in fall 2012 UPCOMING PROJECTS: What: Xcite Steps Summer Camps for Kids with Developmental Challenges When: Fri. Aug. 19 (12 – 4 p.m.) Where: Solana Beach What: Salvation Army – Senior Outreach When: Mon. Aug. 23 (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Where: San Diego What: Fill a Backpack…Feed A Mind When: Sat. Aug. 27 (9 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Where: Solana Beach
Children’s nature program offered this fall “My Big Backyard” children’s nature program, a fall series of fun outdoor learning experiences for children ages 9-11, will be held on Sundays, from 1-4 p.m., Sept. 11-Nov. 6, at San Dieguito River Park. The series features eight outings filled with hands-on activities and close encounters with the natural world. Free. For more information, visit www.sdrvc.org/current/bigbackyard/. Registration required: contact bigbackyard@ sdrvc.org or (858) 674-2275 x12 to reserve a space.
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