Be Kind. Be a Good Listener. Work Hard. How can we relay these characteristics to young children in an understandable way? Joni Downey created "Characters of Character" because she saw the need when she worked with Kindergarten students. I purchased Friendship Frog© resource book and 'I AM' Character Stories both written and illustrated by Joni Downey. Her daughter Jenni Downey also did some of the illustrations. Friendship Frog© covers important concepts such as friends, best friends, stranger danger, inclusion, and listening. There are art activities, writing exercises, and puzzles to help children grasp the meaning of being a good friend. The separate book on character stories includes the stories of all of the characters in the series including, Behavior Bear©, Do'er Duck ©, Healthy Hippo ©, Manners Monkey ©, Respectful Rabbit ©, Responsible Rabbit ©, Self-Esteem Elephant ©, Warm-Hearted Walrus ©, and Friendship Frog ©. The text includes the repetition in the prose that repeats in the separate stories that children enjoy. The darling illustrations capture my heart. A few years ago, my family was searching for books or activities to teach manners. I ordered some place mats that had scenes including a lot of mishaps and we tossed them before the children saw them. I did find a game that was a race to finish first with good manner choices. It was nice but I would have loved to have more to supplement. "Characters of Character" has the program I was looking for to help children internalize the behaviors outside a board game. Following is my interview of Joni:
This is Megan, When I
piloted the program at the Elementary School, she had a favorite character, it
was Do’er Duck, so, for Halloween her mother made her a costume and she was the
first Do’er Duck in costume for the Characters of Character! Megan is now going
to college to become an elementary teacher herself, however, in the meantime,
she found me on social media and her and her mom volunteered with us at the
Chicago Land Kids Expo and she then got to dress in my costume, Do’er Duck. Her
mom Jennie is in the costume!
Q Why did you feel there
was a need to develop the "Character of Character" series?
To be honest, the
characters first came in to play while working in a classroom of behavior and
learning struggling boys, and then by piloting them in an elementary school, however,
as time has gone on I have seen firsthand the need for such resources being
available to our children to help them become the best they can be. Our
children need positive role models and they also need to know what a character
trait means. How do you teach this to a child? Does your child learn better
with visual prompts, hands on or by listening? It’s up to you to know the best
way to teach your child what it is you want them to know. The best advice I can
offer is to remind you that believe it or not, our children are listening to
what we have to say, they are watching what we do ourselves and they are most
likely wanting to be like us. Therefore, be of good character and try to make
good choices yourself.
Q As you are experienced
in working with LD and BD children, do you have any advice for a parent who may
be coming to terms with a diagnosis?
As a parent, we often
struggle with a diagnosis that we are not prepared to hear. First, don’t look
at a diagnosis as a negative thing, instead, think how you will now learn how
to teach your child in the fashion that best fits their needs. This will
alleviate some stress knowing that you just have to do a little research, ask
questions and know that you are doing the best you can for your child. Plus, we
don’t all learn the same, look the same, talk the same, etc. versatility helps
any of us to undergo the norm, because, what is the norm?
Q Do you have any
examples of children who have internalized a positive character trait
from the series?
My son goes to school at Lake Barrington Academy of Stars, where
this program has been strongly implemented. It is a great program that teaches
values and morals to children, and it has definitely affected my son. He loves
the program and all of the characters. He even talks about it at home.
Character is very important for children to learn. I think it is an excellent
program and should be implemented in all child care centers and schools.
Andrea
Teacher, parent
“Miss Joni” was my son’s pre-school teacher at age 4. I remember
him coming home each day talking about the characters of character and what
they had talked about in school that day. Pre-school is the perfect age to
start these life long values that shape the way children view themselves and
others. I think these characters had a lasting impact on him. He is now 12
years old, a Boy scout, sports enthusiast, and friend to everyone he meets!
Thanks Joni!
Amanda
Dziubala
Professional, parent
Q I do feel that
children start out as innocent as ever. I believe children really relate to
cartoons and other characters. Some cartoons were made for adults and in my
opinion should not be seen by children. Even some that are designed for
children model too much sassy talk between siblings or children and adults,in
my opinion There are some cartoons that are geared towards children that
preserve the innocence of children and our void of acerbic dialogue. In my
review of two books that I ordered from your program, I only see good
behavior patterns. Do you have any thoughts on this matter?
I do. In my opinion,
there is a lot of negativity in the world, be it on the television, books,
radio, movies and also social media I
just can’t express it enough, that while a parent might think their child is
not listening to them, they are. Or, that they don’t over hear a conversation
you’re having with someone, they do. It’s important to always be of good
character, be a good role model and always be conscious that a child is near,
listening, watching and modeling your very behaviors. Therefore, to teach a
child early on is important because while their surroundings will change, their
surroundings will become a part of who they are, they will become a part of
that environment, so, when we make it positive, loving and kind, this is what a
child will internalize. When there is negativity, danger and chaos, that is
what a child will internalize. There are plenty of negative influences that
surround us, even at a young age, so, therefore, I can’t emphasize enough to be
that positive role model for your child. You can provide guidelines to follow
as they learn and grow. Teaching them at an early age helps them to internalize
so much of life, therefore, teach your children well.
Q. I have observed
how children learn the basics of language and word usage very naturally, but
need to be taught the basics of manners such as please and thank you. Do you
have any thoughts on this?
Gosh, that’s kind of a
loaded question! Honestly, I believe that when a child is in a nurturing
environment they become a part of the climate. When a child hears another
person using kind words and gestures they become a bigger part of this. Using
polite words early and often becomes a part of the daily conversation. Think
about it, when you say a curse word, you look around and hope your child didn’t
just hear that, and if they do you are right there to correct them.
Think about how the
family dynamics have changed. When I grew up we all sat around the dinner table
together and actually ate a home cooked meal together. We’d say, “Please pass
the salt”, or “Please may I have more potatoes”, today, very rarely do families
even sit down to have dinner together because it is such a busy life we live.
My ol’ cliché is “Tell me and I forget. Teach
me and I remember. Involve
me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin,
While the world changes around us, teaching our
children to do the right thing is of great value.
Q. What does
character mean to you?
Funny you should ask,
I actually wrote an article for the HomeSchool magazine where they asked a
similar question. It really made me think. Think about it, when we grew up we were taught
to respect others, to help out a person in need, to do chores, to help around
the house when your parents asked for some. This all build character, yet, the
word character wasn’t really in my vocabulary at an early age.
We were taught to be
respectful, to behave, and especially to be honest while growing up. This
builds integrity and you internalize these traits and truly grow with them. As
you go along life’s path, you learn what it feels like to do good things for
others and help others along the way. Character to me is who you are when
nobody is looking. When my kids were younger, I sat in Church, the Priest said
during a sermon, “You don’t need to brag that you helped someone today, God
knows what you did” So, again, just doing the right things in life are the
best, you know how it makes you feel, can you imagine how it makes others feel.
You don’t need to tell the world you did good today, you just need to do it.
You do make a difference. I can’t help but quote the old cliché’
“Tell me and I forget. Teach
me and I remember. Involve
me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin,
Q. Can you name
some examples of characters that inspire your whether they be fictional, or
nonfiction, famous, or not widely known?
I’ve always liked Dr.
Seuss, love his rhymes which help children remember, in my opinion. He always
made me smile.
Q. What are ways
that the "Character of Character" series encourages literacy?
This is truly a
favorite part of our books. When I piloted the program, I was on the Reading
Team and got to watch the children learn to read, write and communicate. One
way I helped with this was by putting a character mailbox in the school
library. Here, the students were able to draw, write and color pictures to the
characters. On Friday evening I collected them and played Dear Abby by
answering each and everyone. There were a few that I brought to the Principal,
Teacher, Social Work and School Psychologist to address as they were
concerning.
It’s very important
for a child to be able to communicate their feelings, their concerns and their
questions. Not all children are fans of writing, bring the arts into the
equation or some other form of communication so that they are comfortable
opening up and sharing their thoughts. It’s how we can address and solve so
many issues.
In each of the
Character Resources Books are pages of themed stationary. Here are some ideas
on how to use it:
1. Yellow road a letter
2. Yellow road the childn’s name
3. Yellow road a sight word or spelling word
4. Let them trace these, say them, use them in a
sentence
In each of the
resource books we share many ideas and activities to engage the children in
literacy, also in the Bulletin Boards Books as they are reproducible and each
student is responsible for their help in building the boards. Great Visuals.
The Resource Book offers suggestions and activities to do with
the children referencing the following:
·
Introducing Behavior
Bear
·
‘I Am’ Book
·
Stationary For The
Teacher
·
Behavior On The Bus
·
Behavior At Home
·
Behavior In The
Classroom
·
Managing Anger
·
Behavior At A Friends
House
·
Behavior On The
Playground
·
Behavior At The Lunch
Table
·
Posters, Worksheets,
Incentives, Evaluations, Journal Ideas and Writing Prompts
·
There is stationary
with Behavior Bear for each of the mentioned themes, stationary for the teacher
and ideas to use each of them
These tools can be used as is, as a sticker chart, as a notice
home which builds the home to school link, as book covers to create a character
journal or build a character center, create a traveling book or just color!
They are yours to be creative with and to empower the children around you. How
fun!
Q. Can you share
some of the reactions of the children who have seen the characters/mascots at
parades or other settings?
Of course! I’d say 99%
of the kids that see the characters want to come up and high five and hug them,
there are a few who are afraid of costumed characters. One of my favorite ones
is when we were at the Chicago Land Kids Expo and this little girl came up for
a hug of Manners Monkey and Healthy Hippo, not even knowing who these
characters were. They are such a good way to introduce these traits to
children, plus we share so many activities and such for everyone to discuss the
trait, parents, grandparents, teachers, community members, etc. It takes a
village and however we as adults can model, make an impression and teach
children these values is nothing but good~
Everyone loves the
characters, all ages! Great reminder to adults and youth when they meet these
Characters of Character. Here we volunteered our characters at Lisle Eyes To
The Skies, shared information, as you can see this little girl loved the
colorful postcard of the characters. Easily opening a discussion with family
what these characters do and who they are. Mom took the postcard and the
costumed character was right there, still she wanted to see the pictures.
Visual.
|
Q. As
"Characters of Character is 5013(C)(3) not for profit organization, what
are some of the ways that donations are utilized?
My first grant was for
a computer! That was 10 years ago. Today, we use donations for postage when we
answer mail, for printing when we attend events and share our information, for
paper and ink, and our most current donation was used to send our Activity Books
to Lurie’s Children Hospital in Chicago. We actually get asked often for
donations, however, because we are small often have to turn away such
inquiries. I volunteer my time to do the blog, newsletters, communications,
conferences, networking, facebook page, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter,etc. It’s
worth it when you know that you’ve made a difference in the life of a child.
Q. Is there
anything else you would like to share?
The Characters of
Character is always looking to partner with other organizations who have the
same or similar mission. Our mission is to provide a firm foundation for
children to establish strong civic values. The ultimate goal is to have a ‘hub
home’ where parents, children, schools and the community are welcomed to come
and learn about the Characters of Character. This is with Arts, like painting
of the character on canvas, or writing about a character and how you use this
trait in your life, workshops to share our resources to empower others. The
books are packed with information, ideas and activities to do with children and
they are so affordable. Parents have thanked us for what we do, teachers
appreciate us for what we do and kids, kids just get us!
Joni is so passionate about "Characters of Character" because she cares so much about helping children be good citizens. She has modeled attributes of kindness, compassion, and patience in my correspondence with her that started in 2016. We all want the children in our lives to fit in, be well adjusted, and have friends. This program that can be used in both school and home settings has the tolls to help all children achieve their potential.
by Barb Bohan
by Barb Bohan
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