Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2022 i MASK The Magazine

MASK’s online social emotional curriculum (MASK E3 Institute) is available for students, parents, teachers and can be done at school or in the comfort of the home. MASK’s E3 Institute uses a multimodal approach to teach kindergarten through high school students effective life skills to help them cope with peer pressure, bullying and technology-related challenges. Students will be equipped to self regulate and adapt to stress and will feel empowered to make decisions from a place of knowledge and confidence. This digital curriculum is: ✔ Tier 1 Prevention Programming ✔ Aligned with curriculum standards/Every Student Succeeds Act ✔ Turn-key digital format ✔ Easy to integrate into weekly schedule ✔ Quick Writes activities MASK’s E3 Institute is here to help teachers, parents and caregivers create safe, intentional environments where children can…

BULLYING: If your child is being bullied and feels like there is no way out, help them focus on the future. Help them process the moment and then focus on better times. Not only will this help them with their current situation, but it is a tool they can use when they face any difficult situation in the future. DRUG: For children who struggle with substance abuse, resilience is necessary for recovery. Learning from the past, accepting that change will happen, creating a solid support system, emphasizing self-care, and being grateful are all essential tools to building resilience while in recovery. TECH: Rather than allowing a negative online experience to ruin a child’s perception of the internet, use it as a learning experience and help them build digital resiliency. Show…

Camping as a family is a great way to disconnect from the daily dash and connect with nature and each other, spend quality time together and create lasting memories. It’s also an excellent way for parents and grandparents to pass down knowledge to the younger generation. Pitching a tent together, starting a campfire and making s’mores are great teaching moments and lots of fun. They’re classics for a reason. But camping with kids can be daunting and downright intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Here’s the secret, though; there’s no one right way to do it. It’ll be a little chaotic and a little messy, but a lot of fun. Start small, especially with young children. Camp out in your backyard, with all the amenities of home a few…

We want our kids to be good people. We tell them they should be kind and thoughtful and polite to others. We take them to superhero movies that are all about standing up for those who can’t. It’s not a new message. But are we actually teaching them how? According to a study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project, which aims to help children “learn to care about others and the common good, treat people well day to day, come to understand and seek fairness and justice, and do what is right even at times at a cost to themselves,” about 80% of youth say their parents and teachers are more concerned with their personal achievement and happiness than whether they care for others. Clearly,…

Preschool-aged children are learning about sharing, taking turns, making friends, coping with negative emotions, expressing remorse, communicating using words to meet their needs, and recognizing how others are feeling. These traits are the building blocks for any future leadership skills. It is critical children learn these skills when they are young. Always model these skills when your young child is with you. Take time to vocalize what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how your skill makes you a good leader and friend. Focus on creating environments where they can practice implementing these skills – during playtime with you is a great way to practice these critical skills. CHILD READING LIST ★ “Leaders: My First Leaders” by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara ★ “The Circles All Around Us”…

To help parents and their college-bound students transition from high school to college with confidence, we asked Dr. Jennifer O’Brien, Director, Educational Outreach and Student Services at Arizona State University, to provide some insight on how leadership skills can help ease the college transition. QCan you speak to the importance of developing or honing leadership skills during one’s college years? College is a great time to try new things and continue to grow in areas of interest. Colleges are spaces created to support growth. I would encourage incoming students to try something outside of their comfort zone because it could lead to a new passion area. Ultimately, college helps to build the foundation for the development of future skills because college is about developing lifelong learning habits and leadership skills…

FANCY HAM AND CHEESE PASTRY POCKETS 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed⅛ cup Dijon mustard⅛ cup honey1 egg, beaten8 deli slices of smoked ham4 slices of Muenster or Swiss cheese, sliced diagonally1 pear, thinly sliced½ red onion, thinly sliced ▸ Preheat oven to 400°F. ▸ Unfold each sheet of puff pastry and cut them into four squares. Mix the Dijon mustard and honey together in a small bowl to create a honey mustard. Spread 1-½ teaspoons mustard over each square to within ½ inch of the edges. Brush egg over edges of pastry. ▸ Layer ham, cheese, pear, and onion on one corner half of each square. Fold opposite corner over filling, forming a triangle. Press the edges with a fork to seal. Transfer to baking sheets. Brush tops with…

Parents are more informed than ever about the impact of ingredients on their children’s health, which is why food companies have gone to great lengths to disguise less-than-stellar ingredients as natural or healthy. They do this by providing alternative, more appealing names for things that would typically seem repulsive to ingest on their ingredient labels. Carmine, otherwise known as natural red 4, a food coloring agent, is often touted as a natural ingredient, which it is, but not necessarily one you’d want to ingest. Carmine is made from the dried, crushed bodies of beetles. Another red dye that parents should be on the lookout for is red dye 40, otherwise labeled at Red 40 Lake, Allura Red AC, CI Food Red 17 and E129. While generally considered safe by the…

The opioid epidemic, despite the increased awareness and massive lawsuits, has only gotten worse in recent years. Mental health issues in children and teens have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with them drug abuse and overdose rates. Carfentanil isn’t the most common opioid, but it may be the most dangerous. It’s 100 times more potent than its cousin fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful than morphine. For comparison, heroin is five times stronger than morphine. ✪ WHAT IS IT Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid used in veterinary medicine, mostly known as an elephant tranquilizer. It’s colorless and odorless, which is why it’s usually found mixed in with other street drugs like cocaine, heroin or bootleg prescription medication. People who consume it are often unaware. It’s typically sold online…

● “Mind Diet Cookbook: 365 Days of Quick & Easy Recipes to Boost Your Brain Health” by Debby Hayes ($11.99) ● “Organized Enough: The Anti-Perfectionist’s Guide to Getting — and Staying — Organized” by Amanda Sullivan (Da Capo Lifelong Books, $16.99) ● “Parenting for Success: Happy, High Achieving Kids” by Charles Fay, Ph.D. (Love and Logic) ● “Mindsets for Parents: Strategies to Encourage Growth Mindsets in Kids” by Mary Cay Ricci and Margaret Lee (Routledge, $10) ● “What Do You Stand For? For Kids: A Guide to Building Character” by Barbara A. Lewis (Free Spirit Publishing, $14.89)…

There’s a lot of pressure these days for kids to get good grades, perform community service, rank as a competitive athlete and, often, to prove themselves as a leader. But just like every kid isn’t cut out to be a star soccer player or 4.0 student, neither is every child cut out to lead the pack. “Not everyone wants to be a leader,” says Dr. Sue Varma, a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. “It’s a lot of work. It requires executive functioning, organization, public speaking, self-reflection, motivation and people skills. That’s a lot.” Any one of those things — let alone all — can be difficult for many people, especially young people. Public speaking can be particularly intimidating. Many people, not just children, don’t…

Q: I tried out for my school’s softball team and I didn’t make it. I have been playing softball for almost 11 years and I wasn’t expecting not to make the team. I feel like the last 11 years were a waste! My mom keeps reminding me that I am only a freshman and can always try again next year, but I already feel embarrassed and not good enough. Will I ever be able to get over this? – Alex, Grade 9, Tucson, Arizona A: I know it’s hard to hear, but your mom is right. You’re only a freshman, so don’t be so hard on yourself. There are a lot of things that coaches take into consideration when putting a team in place. One setback does not define you…

1|TEACH MONEY MANAGEMENT Teaching children how to save, budget, and thoughtfully spend money is a skill that will serve them their whole life. Whether they earn their income through allowance, doing yard work for neighbors or a part-time job, giving kids the opportunity to strategize and save for the things they want is an important life lesson they need to learn on their own. 2|ASSIGN HOUSEHOLD CHORES Give kids chores to do around the house that are age-appropriate. Start with simple tasks like sorting socks or putting away toys and as they get older, give them jobs that require more skill, like vacuuming or mopping the floors. Resist the urge to tie chores to an allowance. The key is to make these chores part of their expected family contribution and…

“Knowing what I wanted and how I wanted to help people and animals was the first step.” Ihave always taken pride in my religion and cultural identity. As I prepared for my bat mitzvah—a Jewish coming of age ceremony which would mark my becoming an adult in the eyes of my faith — I spent over a year studying Hebrew and the Torah so that I could lead my Temple’s congregation in prayer. To be a true leader, I knew that I had to exhibit confidence, be able to educate my congregation and help others around me feel welcomed. One of the meanings of “mitzvah” is to carry out a good deed. In honor of my bat mitzvah, I decided that I wanted to raise money for the Israel Guide…

You can always recognize great leaders. The integrity, passion and focus in which they approach their goals shine through the humdrum of daily life. They inspire those around them and make a lasting difference in their communities, fields of study and industries. But how did they become that way, or were they just born that way? As we raise the next generation of leaders, it’s hard not to want to shield them from their generation’s unique challenges. We all desire for our children to lead productive and successful lives and we want them to achieve that with minimal pain or discomfort. But in reality, it is through pain, challenges and hardship that children learn to problem solve. Their life experiences make them stronger, wiser, more mature, and more resilient. As…

Making crafts and keepsakes with fall foliage starts with the fun of collecting leaves. Think about colors and shapes to use in projects but be open to leaf treasures. Enjoy autumn’s beauty while creating memories together! ✪ Two Easy Ways to Preserve Leaves. The simplest way to preserve the beautiful leaves you’ve found is to press them in a book. Leaves can be pressed directly between book pages and left until dry and flat. If the leaves are damp, consider using wax paper on either side. If you’re not keen on pressing leaves between the pages of your favorite reads, you can place leaves between two layers of wax paper and pile books on top until they’re flat, dry and primed for your Pinterest-worthy projects. ✪ Box It Up. Paint…

“Long [gone] are the days that we just hand over the keys once our teen gets their license,” says Rosalind Thompson, Senior Public Affairs Specialist with AAA Northeast, who frequently works with new drivers and their families. Today’s potential distractions are more numerous and more alluring, but graduated license requirements give you the opportunity to safely ease your teen into their new responsibilities as a driver. In Arizona, a teen can get a permit at age 15 and a half, allowing them to drive with a licensed driver age 21 or older sitting in the front passenger seat. After 30 hours of driving practice, 10 of them at night, they can apply for a graduated license six months later. This graduated license places restrictions on their driving for another six…

I often joke that my children will one day run the world, which is precisely why they’re so hard to raise. The confidence, focus and determination with which children often approach the world is one of the most inspiring—and sometimes frustrating—parts of parenting. As parents, we are tasked with raising the next generation of leaders, with igniting their passion for service, instilling them with self-assurance and teaching them the importance of compassion and humility. Whether they grow up to lead governments, businesses, classrooms or families of their own, the leadership skills our children learn when they are young are ones that will serve them in every aspect of their lives. “Leadership can play a fundamental role in a child’s social-emotional development,” says Leigh Rust, Psy.D., a psychologist at the New…

According to experts, we spend a considerable amount of personal and professional time online these days – probably too much. Nevertheless, our online activity has become an essential part of everyday living. And how we conduct ourselves online has consequences — for good and bad. ✪ MIND YOUR ONLINE MANNERS Because online technology is now so interwoven into our lives, our online behavior and activity are as consequential and impactful as what we do “in real life.” Online has become “real life.” These days, classes, business meetings, and social activities are just as likely to happen virtually as in person. We don’t have to be in close physical proximity to others for our behavior to have a meaningful impact on them. ✪ IRL CONSEQUENCES The idea that online activity —…

Fostering leadership in our young children can put them on a pathway to life-long resilience in social-emotional relationships and education and occupational settings. Research identifies key leadership characteristics as self-confidence, empathy, problem-solving, prosocial skills, and making choices and decisions on their own. Coaching our children to learn and practice these skills can be a great way to help develop leadership as they grow up. “Children with strong leadership skills tend to experience a sense of control over their lives and may have the ability to make things happen for themselves and others,” says Dr. Shefali Gandhi, a licensed psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Leadership is a skill that can be taught, coached and fostered through direct teaching, modeling, and creating an environment where children can practice these skills.” Some children may…

For many students, college is a blank slate. Whether they’ve been leading the charge since their days in the sandbox or have always preferred to shy away from the limelight, on campus they have the opportunity to transform from the kid they were in high school into the leader they always imagined. Just adjusting to college life can feel like a daunting task for new students. Still, as students acclimate to campus, they will find that opportunities to learn essential leadership skills like communication, teamwork, confidence, organization and problem-solving are abundant, inside and outside the classroom. If your student is looking for guidance on how to make their mark on campus or simply hone their leadership skills before entering the real world, here are a few on-campus options for lessons…

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the memories we make there with our children count among the most special—messy but memorable memories. The lessons we teach our kids when we include them in the important ritual of making meals for the family stretch far beyond cracking eggs and kneading dough. They include important life lessons and developmental skills that will serve them as they grow into well-rounded adults. ✪ ORGANIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT Young children learn by engaging their senses. The kitchen is the perfect place to allow them to explore the world through their senses of touch, taste and smell. To help them to develop better language competency, ask them to describe what they taste, feel and smell around them. Introduce new vocabulary as you cook by…