Page 1 - Kind News, Sept/Oct 2022, Parent Guide

Parent Guide

SEPT/OCT 2022

Teaching kindness while
helping to instill good
reading habits in children.

BOOK NOOK

KIND TIME Sir Fig Newton and
the Science of
Persistence
Welcome to a new school year with Kind News! In this month’s
career feature, we’ll meet a man who combined his love of Written by Sonja Thomas
family with his passion for pups to design a unique board game. Recommended for ages 8-12
Find out what one girl did for people who had pets but no
home, and learn about one special opossum’s new wheels! Twelve-year-old Mira sets out
for a summer filled with
SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITY shorting circuits in home
Try this with your child at home: science experiments, cheering up her job-hunting

CASEL* CORE COMPETENCIES: SELF-MANAGEMENT, dad, and hanging out with her best buddy: a cat
SOCIAL AWARENESS, SELF-AWARENESS named Sir Fig Newton. But when Sir Fig Newton
To go with “Incredible Careers with Animals: Social receives a diabetes diagnosis just as her parents are
Entrepreneur”: After reading the article, ask your child to at their cash-strapped peak, Mira springs into
re-read Alex Lu’s description of what went into designing his action. She’ll need to harness all her creativity,
Dogs BOND game. Why was this project so important to him? knowledge, and friends to have a chance at raising
Then ask them to read the paragraph, “Do You Have an Idea for the $2,000 needed to keep her beloved cat.
a Pet Business?” and jot down some causes that are important Themes of cat behavior and health, companionship,
to them. Ask your child to create their own game or interactive
activity to raise awareness about something important to them. and Black representation in STEM are explored.
(You may wish to discuss the idea of learning through play and
how this could play a role in what they create — see chart on SIR FIG NEWTON AND THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE © 2022 BY ALADDIN
the following page.) Afterwards, reflect: What was the most
challenging part of this activity? What was the most fun? Could
they see themselves designing games or other interactive To access an interactive version of this issue online,
activities as a career? Why or why not? How do they think play visit KindNews.org. Check out our recommended book
helps kids learn? list at RedRover.org/books.
*Learn more about CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Looking for more ways to help your
Emotional Learning) at casel.org.
children build connection? Check
out our empathy app, The
Restricted Adventures of Raja. It is a
bilingual, interactive e-book that
includes questions and play-based
Where’s Raja? learning that parents can use to
RAJA IS HIDING ON PAGE 7! help children understand animal
behavior and practice empathy.
Visit RedRover.org/empathyapp for more
A PUBLICATION OF information.