Books by Dave Whitaker

Check out Toolbox Training books and more at WritbyWhit.com or David L. Whitaker's author page at Amazon.com.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Workshop: Behavior Management

The three workshops in this series are designed to stand alone so your program doesn't have to take all three workshops - although it is encouraged! Each workshop is 2 hours.

Thanks to LINC site coordinators LaKeshia Lewis, Paul Lichtenauer, Melanie Scott, and Carl Wade for their work in helping to develop this series.


Behavior Management: The Adult

Objectives - Adults can lessen the likelihood of problems and deal more effectively with children’s behavior when they do arise through:

  • How we move
  • What we say
  • What we don’t say
  • Practice scenarios

Behavior Management: The Child

This workshop focuses on:


Check out this video of the Power Point presentation from this workshop for an idea of what you can expect:


Behavior Management: The Environment

This workshop will focus on how to:

  • Identify 4 environmental factors which affect behavior
  • Use 4 C’s to improve those factors
  • Develop plan to improve at least 1 factor

To have this delivered as an on-site workshop contact Toolbox Training.

Check out the workshops tab for a full list of titles.


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Childen's Behavior

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a concept which Abraham Maslow inotroduced in 1943 in Psychological Review in a paper called "A Theory of Human Motivation." The theory suggests that humans have needs which build on each other. His model is typically represented with a pyramid. Read more here.

Children choose their actions based on attempts to satisfy unmet needs. These needs align with the five areas of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Self-Actualization: a chance to establish identity, develop skills, be creative

Esteem: positive feedback, supported

Social: feel loved and accepted by family, teachers, and peers

Safety: emotional security, free from abuse and neglect, not bullied, routines

Basic Needs: food, shelter, clothing, sleep


Basic Needs

Children have basic physiological needs for food, water, rest, shelter, and clothing. When these needs are not met, children may act out. A child might be grumpy from lack of sleep or get caught stealing someone’s money to be able to buy lunch. Consider how the following circumstances could affect a child’s behavior choices:

  • Mom was late to work and didn’t have time to feed the child breakfast.
  • The child didn’t bring any money to buy lunch.
  • It’s cold outside, but the child doesn’t own a jacket.
  • The child is allowed to stay up until all hours playing video games.
  • The child couldn’t sleep because the parents were yelling at each other.
  • The family couldn’t pay their bills and got their electricity shut off.
  • The child has had a nagging cough for a week, but the parents have no insurance so they won’t take the child to the doctor.
  • The teacher assumes the child is going to play in the bathroom so won’t let him/her go when he/she needs to.
  • The family fell behind on rent and got kicked out of their apartment.
  • The child is left alone at home at night because Dad has to work late.
  • Grandma moved in and the child gave up his/her room and is now sleeping on the living room couch.

The youth program may be able to help the child and the family by putting them in touch with services to meet some needs. In circumstances where that isn’t possible, staff can still be sympathetic to the struggles youth are experiencing.


Safety Needs

Children also need to feel emotionally and physically safe. That means they aren’t being neglected, abused, or bullied. Consider how these scenarios would affect a child’s behavior:

  • Child is being bullied by an older child at school.
  • A family member is physically abusing the child.
  • A neighbor molested the child.
  • Dad tells the child he/she is good for nothing.
  • The child has been told to punch anyone who messes with him/her.
  • The child’s parents just split up.

Staff can provide safety needs by providing a secure and stable environment.


Social Needs

Children need to feel accepted and loved by peers and adults. When they feel alienated or are struggling to get noticed for positive behavior, they may act out. Consider how the following scenarios might affect a child’s behavior:

  • A girl and her best friend got in an argument and they say they’ll never speak to each other again
  • A new child at school is shy and hasn’t made any new friends.
  • A child is teased because of unfashionable clothes.
  • A child is taunted because someone claims to have seen that child pick his/her nose and eat it.
  • A child tags around after a specific adult wanting that adult’s undivided attention.
  • Because of his/her violent temper, none of the other children will play with a particular child.


Esteem Needs

Children need to feel positively supported and encouraged. Children may act out when they feel inadequate. They may be taking measures to cover up things they aren’t able to do. Consider:

  • A child who is illiterate is asked to read in front of a group.
  • A child who isn’t athletic is picked last for a sports team.
  • A child with a speech impediment is uncomfortable talking in front of others.
  • A child is uncomfortable about being physically different (height, weight, race) from his/her peers.
  • A child is embarrassed in front of the group.


Self-Actualization Needs

Children may need to establish their identities. That may mean breaking rules as a way to defy authority and set oneself apart from adults. They may bully others as a means to gain power over other children.

  • A child is defiant and refuses to do what an adult asks.
  • A child breaks rules as a means to defy authority and establish autonomy.
  • A child is struggling with gender identity.
  • A child is overly boastful about accomplishments to be noticed for his/her achievements.
  • A child is sexually active at a young age.
  • A child bullies others as a way to seek power over them.
  • A child has a crush on a teacher.

This content is adapted from the handout for the Toolbox Training workshop Behavior Management: The Child. Read more about that workshop here.


Sunday, February 19, 2017

February 19: Phonograph patented (1878)

image from galleryhip.com


The Technology of Music

Possible Materials:

  • phonograph player and 78s
  • record player and records
  • reel-to-reel player and reel-to-reel
  • eight-track player and eight tracks
  • cassette player and cassettes
  • CD player and CDs
  • iPod
  • mobile phone with Spotify, YouTube

Directions:

  1. The above materials are merely suggestions. You aren’t likely to be able to access all of these!
  2. Put out requests to your families to see if you can borrow players which you don’t already have.
  3. If you can’t get the actual technology, find photos of each on the Internet and print them out.
  4. Let kids experiment with the various methods of playing music which have existed over the years.
  5. When they don’t have access to the actual players, discuss the photos and how the devices must have worked.
Check out 100 Music Activities for Kids for more music activities for kids.


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

February 16: World Championship Crab Races

image from pinterest.com


Crabs and Crawdads

Materials:

  • none

Directions:

  1. Playing field must be divided into two equal halves.
  2. Players group in two equal teams, one on each side of center line.
  3. One side is the crabs team and the other the crawdads.
  4. Caller yells out either “crabs” or “crawdads.”
  5. If caller yells “crabs” then the crabs must run from center line back to their base without being tagged by the crawdads. If caller yells “crawdads” then the crabs chase the crawdads.
  6. Any player tagged joins the other side.
  7. Game ends when all players are on one side.

Variations:

  • Caller should stretch out word as much as possible and occasionally bluff by yelling other words starting with ‘cr’ (crackers, crumb, etc.)
  • This game can be done along with ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’. Team decides on one of the three and then everyone regroups at center line. At count of three, everyone offers up the appropriate sign for their team and winning side chases other side.
  • Create 3 or 4 teams.

Source(s): 100 Game Activities for Kids (activity A5)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

February 15: Jewelry Day

image from jewellerykorner.blogspot.com

The Toolbox Training book 100 Art Activities for Kids has an entire section on jewelry, including yarn bracelets, paper clip jewelry, macaroni jewelry, lima bean jewelry, key chain, clay beads, and edible necklace. Consider setting up various jewelry-making stations for the kids. Here’s the instructions for one of the activities:


Lima Bean Jewelry

Materials:

  • lima beans in pods
  • large darning needle
  • heavy thread

Directions:

  1. Consider soaking beans in water and food coloring to create different colors.
  2. Thread the needle to desired length.
  3. Tie a knot in one end.
  4. Push the lima beans onto the thread one at a time.
  5. Add a pod to the thread every now and then.
  6. Tie the ends of the thread together to finish the necklace.

Source(s): 100 Drama Activities for Kids (activity J4)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Monday, February 13, 2017

February 13: Get a Different Name Day

image from housing.iastate.edu

This game is typically used to help children get to know each other’s names. To adapt this for “Get a Different Name Day,” let kids pick new names and play the rest of the game according to the directions. You could also let kids create name tags for their new names and go by their new names for the rest of the day.


The Name Game

Materials:

  • none

Directions:

  1. This isn’t a strict pantomime activity; participants can speak, but only to say their names.
  2. The idea of the game is to help kids learn each other’s names. This game is ideal for a group of kids that are just meeting each other.
  3. A child says his/her name and simultaneously offers some kind of gesture or movement.
  4. Everyone in the group can then repeat the child’s name and gesture/movement.
  5. After everyone has a turn, then this can become a memory game that can be played several different ways. First, one child (or an adult) can be the caller. The caller would either say a name or do a gesture/movement and the rest of the group would repeat it and point to that person.
  6. The game could also be played as such: Players stand in a circle. The first player says someone’s name and/or does the gesture/movement. The next player must go stand where that person is. If the player was right, then the player now does a name/gesture for the person s/he is replacing. If not, then the first player gets another turn, this time for the next person in the circle.

Source(s): 100 Drama Activities for Kids (activity G5)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

February 11: Inventor's Day/Thomas Edison's Birthday (1847)

image from calif-tech.com


Invention Convention

Materials:

  • Unlimited supply of recycled items
  • Variety of materials for attaching items (string, staples, glue, tape, etc.)
  • Paper
  • Pencil

Directions:

  1. The materials listed above are only a starting point. The adults and kids can be creative in coming up with plenty more materials to inspire inventions.
  2. Allow kids to work alone or in groups.
  3. Encourage children to look over materials and develop an idea first of what they wish to create. They can even draw out a diagram of what they want their finished product to look like.
  4. Once designed, then kids can start building.
  5. When products are complete, display the kids’ work by putting on an Invention Convention. Think of this as similar to a science fair.

Source(s): 100 Nature Activities for Kids (activity K2)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Friday, February 10, 2017

February 10: Crime Prevention Week (2nd week of February)

image from police.ucdavis.edu


Detective Prop Box

Materials:

  • uniforms, suits or ties
  • note pads
  • badges
  • magnifying glass
  • hand-held tape recorder
  • ink pad for finger prints
  • briefcase
  • file folders
  • typewriter
  • cases to solve

Directions:

  1. Prop boxes are items grouped together by a theme to allow children to pretend. They can be used as specific activities or put out during free time.
  2. The materials listed above are merely suggestions. You may come up with additional ideas and leave some of these materials out.
  3. The boxes that hold 10 reams of computer paper/typing paper are a nice size for prop boxes. They can be covered with nice contact paper to make them more attractive.
  4. You might also consider a creative way of putting all the prop box materials into something that fits the theme. For example, a camping prop box might go in a backpack; a travel prop box could go in a suitcase.

Source(s): 100 Drama Activities for Kids (activity A5)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

February 9: Volleyball invented (1895)

image from ihmmumbaisports.blogspot.com


Circle Volleyball

Materials:

  • balloon

Directions:

  1. Kids sit in a circle and take turns batting a balloon to keep it up in the air.
  2. Let the group keep track of how many times they hit it in the air before it touches the ground.
  3. You might also see how many kids can hit the balloon before it touches the ground.

Variations:

  • Add more balloons.
  • Scoot chairs out farther.

Source(s): 100 Game Activities for Kids (activity C15)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

February 8: Boy Scout Day (founded 1910)

image from calendarholidays.xyz

Celebrate this big day with some camping activities!


Camping

Bring in various props to allow the kids to pretend they are camping. Consider:

  • Tents
  • Sleeping bags
  • A homemade campfire (with paper towel tubes as logs and tissue paper for flames)
  • A backpack packed with camping necessities
Possible activities include:
  • Mapping and orienteering with maps and compasses
  • Tape recording nature sounds
  • Fishing with magnets on sticks to pick up “fish” made out of paper and paper clips
  • Making first aid kits

Source(s): 100 Nature Activities for Kids


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

February 7: Run for Your Life Day

image from flickr.com

A section in the Toolbox Training book 100 Game Activities for Kids focuses on relays. Below are the directions for more traditional relays.


Tradtional Relays

Materials:

  • depends on relay

Directions:

  1. Divide kids into at least two teams with four to eight kids per team ideally.
  2. Determine if children go only once or more than once.
  3. You may wish to have a stopwatch on hand.
  4. Pick an action (hop, run, skip, run backwards, crab walk, jump, crawl, etc.).
  5. Each child must get to designated area and back doing that action.

Variations:

  • Vary how many teams there are.
  • Vary how many players are on each team.
  • Change the distance children have to run or skip, etc.
  • Have each child in the relay perform a different action. Example: the first one has to hop, the second one has to run backwards, etc.
  • With small groups (4 or under), you could have each child go multiple times and they have to perform a different action each time.

Source(s): 100 Game Activities for Kids (activity D1)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Sunday, February 5, 2017

February 5: Weatherperson's Day

image from abclocal.go.com

The Toolbox Training book 100 Nature Activities for Kids has an entire section of weather activities which includes activities such as making a weather vane, rain gauge, barometer, and hygrometer. Consider making those various instruments along with starting a weather calendar today and keeping it for the next month.


Weather Calendar

Materials:

  • 2 large calendars or poster board to make calendars
  • construction paper
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • glue
  • scissors
  • markers

Directions:

  1. Discuss weather conditions with the children. What’s the weather going to be like today? How can we find out?
  2. The children will cut out symbols from construction paper that describe the weather (such as an umbrella for a rainy day, sun for a sunny day, or cloud for a cloudy day).
  3. The children can also write the days of the week and the dates on the calendar.
  4. The children may want to call the weather line to get a prediction for the day.
  5. The children can attach the symbol for the day and write in the temperature.

Source(s): 100 Nature Activities for Kids (activity A3)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

February 4: Thank a Mailman Day

image from domaingang.com


Post Office Prop Box

Materials:

  • paper
  • writing instruments (pencils, pens, markers, etc.)
  • envelopes
  • stamps
  • junk mail
  • old greeting cards
  • large mailing envelopes
  • postman clothes
  • mail bag
  • scale
  • mail box (kids could make)

Directions:

  1. Prop boxes are items grouped together by a theme to allow children to pretend. They can be used as specific activities or put out during free time.
  2. The materials listed above are merely suggestions. You may come up with additional ideas and leave some of these materials out.
  3. The boxes that hold 10 reams of computer paper/typing paper are a nice size for prop boxes. They can be covered with nice contact paper to make them more attractive.
  4. You might also consider a creative way of putting all the prop box materials into something that fits the theme. For example, a camping prop box might go in a backpack; a travel prop box could go in a suitcase.

Source(s): 100 Drama Activities for Kids (activity A18)


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Friday, February 3, 2017

February 3: Children’s Dental Health Month

image from bwilbys.blogspot.com


Keeping Eggs’ Teeth Healthy

Materials:

  • Fluoride rinse solution (available from a dentist and sold at some pharmacies)
  • Eggs
  • White vinegar
  • 3 containers

Directions:

  1. Pour four inches of fluoride into a container and place an egg in it.
  2. Let it sit five minutes and then remove the egg.
  3. Pour four inches of vinegar in each of two other containers.
  4. Place the fluoride-treated egg in one container and a non-treated egg in the other.
  5. What happens to the two different eggs?
  6. Why do you think dentists recommend brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste?
Source(s): kidshealth.org, adapted for the Toolbox Training book 100 Science Activities for Kids (activity E12).


Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

February 1: Hobby Month

image from merelymarie.com


Hobby Fair

Materials:

  • tri-fold boards
  • posterboard
  • scissors
  • glue
  • tape
  • markers
  • crayons
  • construction paper
  • materials needed by individual children

Directions:

  1. Consider having a “Hobby Fair” similar to Science Fairs where children have boards to showcase their hobbies instead of science projects.
  2. Let each child choose a hobby he/she wishes to showcase.
  3. If budget, time, and space allow, let children use the large tri-fold boards used in science fairs. If that isn’t feasible, let children make posters.
  4. Have a “Hobby Night” where families can be invited to see what the children chose to showcase.
  5. You could also make a small-scale version of this by putting up a bulletin board with photos of children involved in their hobbies.

Check out the full February calendar. It includes floating holidays, specialty weeks, and specialty months.

February Holidays and Activities

Listed below are interesting holidays, celebrations, important dates, and events for February. Icons indicate an activity from one of Toolbox Training’s 100 Activities series of books or activity card sets. Hover over the icon for specific references to exact activities.

You can also click on links for additional information on dates. Many of these connect directly to activities on the Toolbox Training blog, but some are off-site links.

1

Freedom Day

Be an Encourager Day

2

Groundhog Day

Job Shadow Day

Bottle cap patented (1892)

California Kiwi Fruit Day

3

Carrot Cake Day

Sesame Street's Elmo's Birthday

4

Thank a Mailman Day

Baseball player Hank Aaron's Birthday (1934)

“Mother of the Civil Rights movement” Rosa Parks’ Birthday (1913)

Homemade Soup Day

Obscurity Day

5

Weatherperson’s Day

Mexico Constitution Day

Girls and Women in Sports Day

Sale of the first wiffle ball

6

Pay a Compliment Day

Reggae Day

Carrot Festival

Baseball player Babe Ruth's Birthday (1895)

Monopoly board game goes on sale (1935)

7

Send a Card to a Friend Day

Author Charles Dickens' Birthday (1812)

Ballet Day

Run for Your Life Day

Daniel Boone Escape Day

8

Boy Scout Day (founded 1910)

9

Hershey's chocolate founded (1894)

Volleyball invented (1895)

Toothache Day

10

Umbrella Day

Smoke detector patented (1976)

11

Make a New Friend Day

Inventor’s Day/Thomas Edison's Birthday (1847)

White Shirt Day

Ghost Day

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day

12

President Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (1809)

Pancake Day

13

Get a Different Name Day

First public school established (1635)

14

Valentine's Day

Race Relations Day

Read to Your Child Day

Ferris Wheel Day

15

Jewelry Day

Gumdrop Day

Senior Day

Activist Susan B. Anthony's Birthday (1820)

16

World Championship Crab Races

Bumper Car Day

Mule Day

Almond Day

17

Random Acts of Kindness Day

PTA Founder's Day

Washing machine patented (1827)

18

Planet Pluto discovered (1925)

19

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood debuted (1968)

Phonograph patented (1878)

20

John Glenn becomes first person to orbit Earth (1962)

Paper bag manufacturing machine patented (1872)

Toothpick patented (1872)

Student Volunteer Day

Cherry Pie Day

21

Sticky Bun Day

22

President George Washington's Birthday (1732)

Be Humble Day

Thinking Day

Walking the Dog Day

23

Tennis Day

Banana Bread Day

Vaudeville Day

Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day (International)

24

Tortilla Chip Day

25

Don't Utter a Word Day (Quiet Day)

Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day

Submarine patented (1902)

26

Carnival Day

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Bun Day

Pistachio Day

27

Polar Bear Day (International)

No Brainer Day

Aspirin patented (1900)

28

Public Sleeping Day

Floral Design Day

29

Leap Day – once every four years (2016, 2020, 2024, etc.)


Floating Holidays:

  • Ash Wednesday – 3/1/06, 2/21/07, 2/6/08 (46 days before Easter) Click here to find actual dates for specific years.
  • President's Day (3rd Monday)

Specialty Weeks:

1st week:
  • Agricultural Week
  • Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
  • Pay Your Bills Week
  • Pride in Food Services Week
  • Shape Up with Pickles Time
2nd week:
  • Big Brothers/Sisters Week
  • Boy Scouts Week
  • Celebration of Love Week
  • Crime Prevention Week
  • Great American Pizza Bake
  • Hero Week
  • Kraut & Frankfurter Week (begins 2nd Thursday)
  • New Idea Week
  • Pancake Week
  • School Counseling Week

    3rd week:

  • Brotherhood Week
  • Engineering Week
  • Health Education Week
  • Home for Birds Week
  • Pay Your Bills Week
  • Wildlife Week

    4th week:

  • Friendship Week (International)
  • Truth Week
    Specialty Months:

    • American Heart Month
    • American Music Month
    • Black History Month
    • Boost Your Ego Month (International)
    • Canned Food Month
    • Cat Health Month
    • Celebration of Chocolate Month
    • Cherry Month
    • Children's Dental Health Month
    • Embroidery Month
    • Friendship Month (International)
    • Grapefruit Month
    • Great American Pie Month
    • Hobby Month
    • Library Lover’s Month
    • Potato Lover’s Month
    • Responsible Pet Owner Month
    • Scottish Culture Month
    • Snack Food Month
    • Vegetation Month
    • Wedding Month
    • Wild Bird Feeding Month
    • World Understanding Month

  • Check out other months or return to activity calendar page.