Real Life Real Talk Fall 09

Fwd: Great Fall Programming for Parents and Providers

This fall Prevention. Action. Change. is offering a host of programs geared towards parents and their teens and pre-teens. In collaboration with Real Life Real Talk,, we are now offering both workshops for Mothers and Daughters and a safety and self defense course for Parents and Sons! (see brochure above) Fall Parent/Child Safety and Self Defense Courses: These courses raise safety awareness and enhance prevention, verbal, and physical skills while building relationships and encouraging intergenerational understanding. All classes open to youth and a parent or other important adult.

Maine Health Learning Resource Centers: FREE! Tuesdays 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. for parents and youth ages 10 to 14 October 6 & 13 (girls) / October 20 & 27 (boys) Stroudwater Station (1577 Congress St, 2nd floor) – Portland To register call: 1-866-609-5183

Portland Adult Education: Mother Daughter Self Defense ages 14 & up Thursdays Oct. 22 & 29, 6:00 to 8:00pm @PATHS, Allen Avenue, Portland Cost: $29/residents, $34/non residents To register call: 775-0432 or visit: www.portlandadulted.org

YMCA of Greater Portland: Mother Daughter Self Defense Saturday November 14, 10am to 3pm For more information & to register call: 874-1112

Adult Women’s Self Defense Courses: (ages 16 and up) Raise your awareness, enhance your safety skills and discover strengths you never knew you had! YMCA of Greater Portland: Mondays Nov. 2 – Dec. 14, 6 to 7:30pm 70 Forest Avenue, Portland To register call: 874-1112

Freeport Community Education: Thursdays Nov. 5 – 19, 6 to 8pm Morse Street School, Freeport, Cost: $45. To register call: 865-6171

Interested in a safety or self care/stress reduction workshop for your group or office? Contact us. Thank you! Clara Porter, MSW Program Director Prevention. Action. Change. (207) 232-0484 "Building Skills to End Violence"

Teaching Kids to Respond to Hate Language (kim's getting a little philosophical here)

Peace and Equality are core Quaker values, and for many of us, present core challenges in our families.  We want our kids to be assertive, independent, authentic, and emotionally expressive, but  within the boundaries of what feels safe and appropriate to our unique temperments and family situations. We want our children to be accepting of all kinds of people and cultures and traditions and also to accept our own families standards of behaviors and cultures and traditions as their own.  

In my family, talking about peacemaking is often easier than practicing it. I am so grateful for the peace tables and emerging language of peacemaking that is coming home from school.  For us, peacemaking is often about the daily power struggles that make up living with other people.  But, in our larger world, kids are exposed to all kinds of adult behaviors that encourage or model violence, bullying, and hate.

Currently, the advertising asking Maine people to repeal the law granting marriage equality is an example of adults engaging in persuasive tactics that are based on bullying language.  Bill Nemitz's column today expresses these concerns beautifully. (see the Bangor Daily news editorial questioning the claim that children will be indoctrinated in school, or the memorandum from Maine's Attorney General, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate refuting aspects of the ads, to see some ads, click here.) 

 How do we help our children respond to bias and hate in the larger world? What is the right amount of information to give them and the right amount to ask of them? And, for those of us who occupy a privileged place in the world of marriage, how can we be the best possible allies to all the families in our community and teach our children not to be bystanders when they hear biased attacks or hate language? 

I posted some resources specific to this question on my Parenting for Peace Blog (search for marriage equality) but I think there are deeper questions and answers about how we respond to hate with love, and I'd be so curious to hear others thoughts and strategies. 

Wolfe's Neck Adventure on October 9th (a no-school day at FSP)

Hello Friends, 

We are again organizing a trip to Wolfe's Neck Farm for the in-service day (teachers in school, kids not) on October 9th.   The event starts at 10am, and involves a barnyard tour and pumpkin hayride. The hayride will include our pumpkin science lesson, and the kids will be able to bring home a pumpkin. Everyone will get a locally grown apple to snack on for the hayride back to the farm!  Families are encouraged to bring picnics and stay for lunch and even take advantage of the hiking trails or nearby Wolfe's Neck State Park . 

(I am wondering if older kids might be more interested in letterboxing or geocaching at Wolfe's Neck Farm instead -- if your family would prefer that, we could still all convene for a picnic... please let me know). 

The cost is $5.00 per person and we're encouraging carpooling, helping friends with childcare, etc.   

We do not need a firm commitment now, but the Wolfe's Neck folks would really appreciate an estimate of how many people are coming so they can be prepared for us... If you know that you ARE coming, please e-mail kim @ kcs@maine.rr.com 

Hope to see many of you there -- in the past it has been a great chance for parents to get to know one another while kids have space to romp. 

Fwd: HealthyStuff.org - new searchable database launched!

There is no need or place for toxic chemicals in our everyday, household items. We can't shop our way out of the problem - we need policy reform - but here is a data-base that can help us avoid some of the bad chemicals in the meantime...

---

	Environmental Health Strategy Center Preventing harm where we live, work and play www.preventharm.org  Find out What's in Your Stuff...
	New searchable web-site launched!        16 September 2009 Statement of Mike Belliveau, Executive Director, Environmental Health  Strategy Center  on the New Database on Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Products: www.healthystuff.org Parents, women, pet lovers, and all who love our health and well-being  will appreciate this terrific new consumer guide from our friends at  the Ecology Center in Michigan. "HealthyStuff.org" reports the results of more than 15,000 tests for  toxic chemicals found in 900+ common consumer products, ranging from  women's handbags to dog chew toys, and from car seats to back-to- school supplies. The findings are shocking.  Toxic metals like lead and toxic plastic  additives like brominated flame retardants are frequently detected in  brand name products. HealthyStuff.org shines a light on the badly broken chemical safety  system in the United States.  The fact that you can buy a product off  the shelf does not mean that any government agency has ever approved  its chemical ingredients for safety. In fact, despite the known use of more than 60,000 chemicals, the U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only restricted 5 dangerous  chemicals under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976  (TSCA).  EPA has ordered health and safety testing for 200 chemicals  in the 33 years since TSCA became law.  Most remain untested. HealthyStuff.org proves the wisdom of the Maine Legislature and  Governor John Baldacci when they passed Maine's kid-safe products act  in 2008, sponsored by Rep. Hannah Pingree.  In July 2009, the Maine  Department of Environmental Protection took the first step to  implement Maine's new chemical policy by formally identifying more  than 1,700 "Chemicals of High Concern" based on known health hazards. Now Maine should move rapidly to replace the use of dangerous  chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) with safer alternatives.  BPA is  widely used in baby food jars and infant formula cans even though more  then 200 studies points to hormone disrupting effects that predispose  baby animals to prostate cancer and breast cancer later in life. And Congress, with leadership from Maine's delegation, needs to take  up and pass chemical safety reform by overhauling TSCA.  We all  deserve healthy stuff for a change.		Links Environmental Health Strategy Center  www.preventharm.org Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine www.cleanandhealthyme.org
	©2009 Environmental Health Strategy Center 565 Congress St., Ste. 204, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 699-5795 (main), www.preventharm.org Unsubscribe from email list. Did you receive this email from a friend? Subscribe here.

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HenryFest this Sunday

Several FSP parents have asked me to share news of HenryFest.  It is being held at Skyline Farms, this Sunday (Sept 20), 2 - 7pm and sounds like a blast! 

Fwd: Halloween Harvest Workshop 2009! (from KaleidoArts)

> Whether you are interested in creating some whimsical seasonal decor
> or are gearing up for a night of trick-or-treating, we have fun
> projects in store for you!
>
> All ages are invited, from 6 through adult!
>
> Make a batty t-shirt, a mummy family, embellished acorns, decorative
> autumn leaves, edible witch hats, and lots more!
>
> Saturday October 17 10 am to noon
>
> 790 Stevens Avenue, Portland
>
> email us to ask any questions or to register!
> (or call 773-2255)
>
>
> cost is $18 per person, including all supplies

Outing Club Maine Harvest Dinner & Bradbury Mountain Hike

You may have heard that the Outing Club is hosting a Maine Harvest Dinner October 16th at school.  It will feature great local food, fabulous local music, friends, and fun, including press-your-own cider.  Tickets are very limited, and are $15 for adults, $5 for children.   You should contact the office soon if you'd like to attend. The first Outing Club activity is a Bradbury Mountain hike on September 28th -- if your child (or you) would like to join, come to the Outing Club meeting on Monday.  

 

Pinwheels for Peace

Although I was besotted with FSP the moment I walked in the door, I truly fell in love at pinwheels for peace. The event is amazing for many reasons and on many levels, from the utter joy expressed by such a collection of pinwheels, to the serious quest for peace that is core to Quaker values. (The first year, the pinwheels lined the causeway, after that they moved to the beach).

Check this link for more information about the international celebration of Pinwheels for Peace; if you want to get a little mad, check out this Mother Jones article about aggressive military recruitment in high school (and how to opt-out); and if you're interested in peace education and children, check out my now-dormant but full of links blog (hope to get it going again soon).

Other Links :

International Day of Peace resources

The official UN site

A 2005 Yes Magazine curriculum guide for teaching peace to children

FSPPA meeting update

If you were not able to make it to the FSPPA meeting tonight, I'm sure real minutes will be forthcoming. In the meantime...

-- Please check the bulletin board toward the end of the hallway (going down to Carter Hall) and sign up for any committees that interest you (especially blogging :-) ) -- AND, if you are at all willing to help hang posters for our October 20th Parenting for Peace event, please talk to Kim or James ASAP! -- AND there are some copies of the book The Toxic Sandbox available to borrow if you want to get energized for the event... they will be on the front table.