Luis
February’s Toolbox
Welcome to another edition of The Toolbox. This is a segment in FamJamz designed with you, Big Kids (Parents), in mind. The purpose of it is to give you tools for you to implement at home with your kids.
This month we are talking about honor - letting others know you see how valuable they really are. There are lots of ways we can honor people and honoring for what they’ve done is great, but we should also honor people because of who they are. That can be really challenging especially because we are naturally wired to put ourselves first, but honor is the opposite. Honor teaches us to see others first. In Romans 12:10 says, “Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.”
So here’s what we want you to do this month. Parents, as you’ve heard, our widget is a badge of honor which your kid is supposed to give away to someone they admire. Well, we want you to make sure that this happens. Don’t allow for this widget to become just another toy in your home. Follow up with your kids and see to it that they honor someone this month by giving their badge away.
Kids, in your family yearbooks, write the name of that person down and why you gave them your badge. If possible, take a picture of them and paste it on there.
As always, we love to hear stories from you so email them in to famjamz@ubcmiami.org.
Honoring others is the ultimate challenge this month. Everyone is valuable. We gotta look at this world and attach value to people.
So, that’s it for this edition of The Toolbox. Don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.
January’s Toolbox
Happy new year! Welcome to another edition of The Toolbox. This is the segment in FamJamz designed with parents in mind. The purpose of it is to provide tools and ideas to do at home with your kids.
This month we’re talking about self-control - choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. Self control is a tough virtue and not just for the kids, but also for us big kids.
Here’s our challenge this month. Count to ten. We’re asking adults and kids to count to ten when you feel yourself getting impatient or upset, or when you’re about to do something you shouldn’t. Think about what you want to say or do and ask yourself… is it wise? Ask God for the power to exercise self-control. Pause, think, and then act. See, here’s the thing about virtues, we never outgrow them do we? These are things we’ll need to practice for our whole lives. So Parents and Kids, this is an opportunity to help each other with gentle reminders that self-control can be just ten numbers and a prayer away.
And like every month, we want you to write down at least one story about self-control in your family yearbooks. It’s gonna be neat to look back and see all that God has done in your lives over this past year. You can do it as a family or individually. and if you want to share a story with us, email us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org
That’s it for The Toolbox. Don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.
November’s Toolbox
Parents, thanks for checking out November’s Toolbox! The Toolbox is a segment in FamJamz designed with you in mind. The purpose of it is to provide you with tools and ideas to implement at home with the kids.
Last month, Parents, we asked you to show us the different ways your kids were showing the virtue of creativity. This month we’re talking about gratitude — letting other know you see how they’ve helped you. And we want the kids telling us about the family.
Here’s what we want them to do. In your Family Yearbooks, we would like for kids to write thank-you notes to their family members. The idea is for them to let others know they see how they have helped them.
Parents, if it’s ok with them and with you, we’d like to know what kids are grateful for. Would you share with us the notes they’re writing via email? Send them to us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org. At the end of the month, we’re gonna celebrate the ways these guys are learning to be grateful. It’s important to be grateful. You know that. So let’s help our kids learn a little more about that this month.
Thanks for checking out The Toolbox. Remember… the tools only work when you take them out of the box.
October’s Toolbox
Welcome to the Toolbox! This is a new segment in FamJamz designed with parents in mind. The purpose is to provide you with tools, ideas for you to implement at home with your kids. Last month, we told you about the family yearbook. We want all of you to be keep up with this because every month we’re gonna be writing in them.
This month, we’re talking about creativity: using your imagination to do something unique. Everyone is creative. We’ve used our imaginations at some point, whether it’s problem solving, decorating cookies, or coming up with our own dance moves. God created us to be creative. And here’s the best part: our creativity looks different than everyone else’s. And that’s ok! In fact, it’s by design.
So here’s what we want you to try out at home, Parents. We want you to be “Creativity Hunters.” For example, if you see your kids have made a really cool drawing or maybe built something original out of legos, we want you to snap a picture of it and put it in your Family Yearbook. The whole point of this activity is for us to celebrate our kids, to celebrate the creativity God has given them. Use those moments to build them up and remind them that their creativity comes from God.
Ask your kids to write about the picture in your Family Yearbook. They can write about what they created and add a “thank you” note to God for giving them their creativity. And if you want, send us a copy of the photo as well. We would love that!
And don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.
September’s Toolbox
Thanks for checking out The Toolbox! This is a new segment in FamJamz designed especially with parents in mind. The purpose is to provide you with tools to apply at home with your kids. This month we’re taking a look at the virtue of knowledge.
It is so important to let kids know that God loves them just as you know that for yourselves. And when we love God back, we give Him the #1 spot in our lives. We love with all our heart and soul and strength. And we want to impress that on our kids, right? Well, that’s where our widget, the Family Seal, comes in.
Make sure to put the Family Seal on your Family Yearbook, which can be one of the books we’re making available in FamJamz, or your own special book. Either way, put that seal on your yearbook and start talking! This month, Parents, we want you to tell your kids about how YOU came to know God. How did you learn about Him? How has your view of God grown over the years? How has your relationship with God changed?
Encourage your kids to ask questions. This is a chance for them to listen to your stories. We know you have some pretty cool things to share with your kids about your relationship with God.
Then comes the really fun part. Write down the highlights of your conversation in your Family Yearbook. Moms can write, Dads can write, kids can write. Anyone can even draw pictures and stuff. Whatever you want, it’s your Family Yearbook.
At the end of the FamJamz season, we’ll look back together and see what God has done in the lives of our families. Don’t forget… the tools only work when you take them out the box.
If you have any questions, email us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org
‘Til next time!
Dig, dig and dig! We’re going on a treasure hunt this month! We’re gonna be looking for gems… I’m gonna be rich! — And then someone said… “Not so fast, Luis.”
Yep, I got ahead of myself… again, but it’s ok. Actually, we’re gonna be looking for treasures of wisdom. I’m not sure what they look like but Grandpa Charlie told me they’re worth looking for. He said that the wisdom God gives is one of life’s greatest priorities and it will always help me make the right choices. He gave me this verse to memorize: “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies.” Proverbs 8:10-11a, NIV.
So that’s my mission this month. That’s the adventure I’m on. Looking for gems of wisdom. Wanna join me? It seems like the wise choice!
Laterz,
Luis
Dear Luis,
I think you are the funniest out of all of you!!!!!!
Our dream adventure would be to milk cows on a beautiful farm in South Carolina
I love the virtue of kindness! It’s a virtue I wish I would see a lot more of though, especially at school sometimes. What about you? I want to be kind, not only to my friends, family, and God; but also to people who are my “enemies.” There are kids at school who haven’t been kind to me, but I try to remember what my parents have taught me and how God would want me to treat them - that’s to do for them what they wouldn’t do for me. Even if I get hurt back, I really want to show kindness to others. It makes Jesus look really good! Man, I can’t wait to learn about this virtue with you!
Hey Louis i’m cuban 2!!!;^)
lol thanks, meaghan!
Amanda: I would like to go to Heaven and meet Jesus or go back to Managua, Nicaragua (I went during Spring Break)
Marlee: I would have to agree with Amanda on those too! I would also like to visit some countries in Europe!!
You are so funny in FamJamz! Keep up the good work!
Thanks, girls. Those dream adventures are awesome! Tell me about your trip to Managua. What was that like?
My dream adventure would b 2 be part of a secret spy organization that protects the world from bad guys only they know about…well except for the bad guys themsevles because i mean they know they exist and um…uh yeah i think i’ve over explaned this but you get the idea.
That’s a really cool idea, Meaghan. A secret spy organization that protects the world. Hey, you know what? You’re really creative!
Self-control is the virtue this month??? My mom taught me about this a while ago, actually over winter break. I got upset with her about not being able to go out with my friends one afternoon, so I got upset and then slammed the door to my bedroom. Well, that was not wise. It was unacceptable behavior. My mom quickly came in after me and talked to me. I have to admit she was right. I was WAY out of line. Because of my bad attitude, I had to deal with the consequences. I should have shown some self-control and not gotten so angry.
What about you? Are there some ways you know you need to be showing self-control?
By the way, my mom and I are good now. Be good to your parents. Honor them like God asks us to do. It’s a good thing.
Happy New Year!