NEWSLETTER / February 2010
Awesome Dads.net
13515 W. Avenue Suite 217
San Antonio, Texas 78216
210.837.4601
gregoryberlanga@awesomedads.net
www.awesomedads.net
Elliot Eisner made a career as an art teacher. In 1962 he became a professor of art at University of Chicago. He then moved to Stanford - first as an associate professor of education and art then from 1970 on as a professor of education and art. His research about the value of art education has been outlined on the National Art Education Association website. http://www.naea-reston.org/
His position is that the arts are important within the wider more general curriculum because they teach students:
1. how to make good judgments about qualitative relationships
2. that problems can have more than one solution
3. (celebrate) multiple perspectives
4. that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity
5. (make vivid) the fact that neither words in their literal form nor number exhaust what we can know.
6. that small differences can have large effects
7. to think through and within a material
8. how to learn how to say what cannot be said
9. to have experience that can be had from no other source
10. the arts' position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.
[Eisner. 2002]
At Artworks, an art studio for children, we seek to develop and strengthen creative skills, build self-esteem, build social skills, develop a sense of self, encourage expression and stimulate imagination.
Art is the perfect avenue to teach all aspects of our world such as, science, math, history, geography, literature and communication skills.
Please visit our website to learn how your child can join us for art exploration and expression! www.artworksartstudio.com
Ten Lessons the Arts Teach - Make February
Love Art Month!
“Maybe it's time we got back to the basics of love” - Waylon Jennings
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner I thought the advice offered in Waylon Jennings’ hit song, Luckenbach, Texas seemed appropriate! Most of us have no idea how Valentine’s Day got stated, all we know is that it is a great day for the flower industry and Hallmark cards. Valentine cards are sent at a rate of one billion a year putting this holiday just behind Christmas for card sending.
There are a few legends as to how the Valentine Day celebration came into being. The first and most popular legend is that February 14th marks the date of the martyrdom of St Valentine. St Valentine was a Bishop in the Catholic Church during the Roman Empire. The Romans celebrated the pagan festival of Lupercian. Lupercian was held to honor the God of Fertility. During the festival, the young men would choose their mate and marry. When Claudius became Emperor of Rome, he outlawed marriage out of concern that the young, married men would not be willing to leave their families and join his army. St Valentine married young couples in secret. When the Emperor learned of St Valentine’s actions, he had him arrested and condemned to death. During his jail time, St Valentine wrote notes to the jailer’s daughter and fell in love with her. The day that St Valentine was to be martyred he is said to have passed a note to the jailer’s daughter signed “From your Valentine”
The introduction of the Valentine card came about in 1415 when the Duke of Orleans sent his wife a card after being imprisoned during the Battle of Agincourt, making this the first known Valentine card. Valentine cards became very popular in the 1700’s; handmade cards were adorned with satin ribbon and lace. As postage became more affordable, the handmade card was replaced by mass produced cards.
In our hurried lives with not enough hours in the day it is easy to take the kids to the local drugstore and buy a box of massed produced cards. Kids sign their name if they are old enough or a parent does this for them if they are too young to do so. There is very little thought put into the cards and those who receive the cards might look at them briefly but these cards are not to be treasured and enjoyed.
It is time to take Valentine’s Day back to its basic meaning of love and appreciation and reintroduce the handmade valentine! Children love crafts and they will enjoy hours of pleasure as they design that special card for Mom, Dad, grandparent, teacher and classmates. Each card will be unique as the child thinks about the individual for whom they are making the card.
Here are some quick tips for making valentine cards with children. Take your child to your local craft store and let them choose ribbons, stickers, glitter or, better yet, if you don’t want the mess of glitter, glitter paint! Heart shaped doilies are always just the right touch on any valentine. If your child has good cutting skills, fold the paper in half and trace a ½ heart shape on one side and allow the child to cut with supervision. If your child is too young to cut, an adult may cut out the heart shapes or give the young child a square paper and glue a heart shaped doily on to the square. Children love to use glue, and usually a lot of it! Glue sticks are one solution or pour a small amount of glue into a cup and give the child a paint brush to “paint” the glue on to the card.
If your child is able to write their name let them do so, if a child is not yet writing their name put a thumbprint next to the adult written letters. These homemade cards are sure to warm the hearts of those who receive them. A lot of time, effort and most of all love will have gone into every card!
Katie Gaebel
Head Teacher
The Acorn, a School for Young Children
For seventeen year old Robert Aragon becoming a father is not something he planned to happen anytime soon. After finding out that his girlfriend was pregnant he quickly realized that he would need to find out what it took to be a good dad. Through a program called Compadre Y Compadre Robert was able to connect with other fathers, learn how to become a more nurturing parent and commit to fathering without violence.
Compadre Y Compadre was established by The Children’s Shelter as a response to the United Way’s Children’s Issues Council request for a program that improves parent and caregiver skills. The Nurturing Program is nationally recognized and is credited with greatly increasing the knowledge and skills of parents and pre-parents. Ultimately, the Compadre Y Compadre program aims to guide men through the experience of connecting their head and heart to become a more open and nurturing father.
The Children’s Shelter’s Compadre Y Compadre program, celebrated the completion of Daddy Boot Camp and the Nurturing Father’s Program by holding a graduation at their Cedar Street location on February 19, 2010 . This 15-week program covers a variety of topics including feeding and changing your child, stress and anger management, honoring your child as a separate being, and keeping your child safe. As a reminder of their outstanding accomplishments each participant father in the program received a blanket symbolizing a nurturing father, a bracelet to serve as a constant reminder to father without violence, and a certificate of completion. Participants who complete the program will have the opportunity to become mentors, “Compadres,” to incoming participants.
The target population of the program is fathers who reside in the 78207, 78228 and 78237 area. Compadre Y Compadre also offers case management to connect participants to appropriate social and community services.
Written by: Michael Vela & Kris Westerson
Michael Vela
Senior Community Relations Coordinator
The Children's Shelter
210.212.2515 Office
210.382.4837 Cell
History of Valentines Day
Making Valentines Cards with the Kiddos....
Happy Valentines Day To Our Readers...
I would first like to thank to everyone for their support and responses to our newsletters and new pages and for the numerous suggestions on how we could provide informative and helpful articles to our readers/subscribers. Thank you alll.
Ok, I know the articles are a little long this month but I feel the content in these are what are readers have been suggesting we write about and will have more on the site in the future.
NOW, I would like to invite everyone to apply to our first VALENTINES GIVE AWAY! We will be drawing for a Valentines Night Dinner at the Plaza Club and a over night Stay at the Beautiful Downtown Hotel Contessa. If you would like to register please click below on the following link to register;
At this time I'm in the planning stages for our Business Networking Page. I would like to note that our Business/Networking Page will be dedicated to only San Antonio (Local) Businesses. We only allow only one company per industry and ensure their crediability and stellar Customer Service.
Compadre Y Compadre
WINE STUDIES
Last month we started by introducing the “Big Six” and the body styles that range from light to full bodied flavor.
So this month, we will discuss which wines taste like what: Each wine grape has its own distinct flavor profile, in the same way that all apples taste “appley”, but Granny Smith apples taste slightly different from Golden Delicious apple.
The types of wine you have drunk in the past may have been wonderful to your pallet or may have seemed less than desirable in your opinion, regardless of personal choice all wines reveal a signature fruit flavor and they all range across a fruit spectrum from lean to lush, as follows:
Feta- Topped Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/4 lb)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 large roma (plum) tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (1 oz)
1. Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
2. Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F). Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Broil chicken about 15 minutes. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 200 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 80mg; Sodium 210mg; Total Carbohydrate 2g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 1g); Protein 28g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 6%; Iron 6% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 Very Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 0
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
I the same way you might classify your first taste of pheasant or duck in comparison to chicken, as you add new grape varieties to your tasting experience, it’s easy to mentally catalog their body and fruit flavor styles in comparison to the Big Six grapes.
For Example:
WHITE Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay
Riesling Sauvignon Blanc ChardonnayFlavors FloralGrassy/HerbalButtery/Creamy
FloralGrassy/HerbalButtery/CreamyREDPinot Noir MerlotCabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir MerlotCabernet SauvignonFlavors Smoky/EarthyEarthy/Spicy Chocolaty/Coffee Bean
Smoky/EarthyEarthy/Spicy Chocolaty/Coffee BeanNEXT MONTH: THE FUN PART…TASTING!!!
James Saftich is CEO of Our Private Chef LLC, a San Antonio based Private Chef Service Company.
| ||||||
WHITE WINE FRUIT FLAVORS
LEAN LUSH
LUSH applepearkiwicitruspeachmelonmangopineappleRED WINE FRUIT FLAVORS
LEAN LUSH
LUSH cranberrycherryraspberryplumblueberryblackberryfigBonding with New Baby
When a new baby makes its appearance in a family, it can be a challenge for both mom and dad to connect with the new baby. Lack of sleep and the other demands of being a new parent can wear thin on both fathers and mothers.
But mom tends to have a better opportunity to get close to the new baby simply because she usually spends more time at it. And yet dads often feel a significant need to get close to the new baby, but have a challenge getting there.
So we asked some new dads and some of the experts about how best to help dads bond with their babies.
Don't try to compete with mom. Your baby's mom has some natural, built in advantages in the bonding process. If she is breastfeeding, she gets lots of quality touch and eye-contact time with the baby. She also has the benefit of post-partum hormones that give her natural bonding feelings. So don't try to compete with nature. You will not bond as quickly as she will. But you need to take steps to make quality bonding time with baby.
Keep in touch. Babies have pretty limited communication skills as an infant. But one meaningful way babies can communicate is through touch. Babies love being skin to skin, so take off your shirt and put the baby on your chest. Massage her gently; caress her arms, legs, hands and feet. Repeated loving touch will help baby connect with you better and faster.
See eye to eye. One of the things a breastfeeding mom learns is that holding a baby at her breast puts the baby at the perfect location for baby's vision. Cradle baby in your arms at about chest level, and you'll be at the right spot for connecting visually. Eye contact helps you build a bond with your little one.
Connect with music. Babies love music, and they find a soothing spirit when dad sings and dances with them. Put some fun music on the sound system and hold baby while you dance. Lullabies can be a real bonding experience also as you sing baby to sleep.
Just jump in. Lots of new dads are a little nervous to get involved in this bonding process. They feel uncertain about what to do and when to do it. New dads who have been there recommend that you just start. Pick up the baby and start following some of these ideas.
Check in with the doc. Dads may be tempted to skip those "well baby" visits to the pediatrician. Take the time off work to go with mom and baby to the doctor. This is a good time to learn more about your baby and how he is doing. More information will help you feel closer to the baby.
Become part of the routine. Often, mom tends to be the primary caregiver for your baby. But many things that are part of mom's and baby's routine can be taken care of by an interested dad. Consider giving your baby a bath, taking him on a walk, or feeding him from time to time. You'll give that tired mother a break, and create some new bonding time with the baby.
Be patient through the process. The very nature of the bonding process between baby and father is different and tends to take longer than the process of bonding between baby and mom. Don't get discouraged as the process develops; the feelings of bonding are worth the wait, and will pay big dividends later.
Being a committed dad involves an investment of time, and that applies at all stages of your child's life. When she is an infant, the time investment is in holding, cuddling, singing, and bonding. If you invest the time in this bonding during her infancy, you will maintain and enhance that feeling of closeness as she grows and matures. It is an important investment to make, now and in the future.
