Links for educating about Domestic Violence

I wouldn't presume to know what *you* should be teaching *your* kids about domestic violence.

I don't know what your kids know. 

I don't know what your kids don't know.

I don't know what is safe for you to tell your kids

I don't know what is safe for your kids to know.

I don't know what isn't safe for you to tell your kids.

I don't know what isn't safe for your kids to know.

But this must be a topic of concern to you, as it should be to all parents, or you wouldn't be reading. You probably don't know exactly what you should teach your kids either. Perhaps you have no experience, so don't know what you're meant to be preparing your kids to avoid. Perhaps you have all too much experience and court orders that prevent you from saying and doing the exact things you *know* you want to tell those pieces of your heart that walk around in someone else's body- namely your children. Tough topic.

Most forms of abuse are legal.

Sometimes you can't get away from the perpetrators.

You can't cure other people's personality disorders.

Sometimes damage control is the best you can do.

Sometimes life sucks.

But here are some links to help you work out what you need to teach. There can be no "one size fits all" here.

From Woman's Aid in the UK:

The Education Toolkit- Expect Respect

For Kids in Shelters: The Children's Welcome Kit

From the Victorian Government in Australia:

Building Respectful Relationships: Stepping out against gender based violence for secondary school students.

From the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, in association with UN Women:

Voices Against Violence
(This seems to be available in English, French and Spanish.)

From the New South Wales Government in Australia:

Child Protection Education K-6

Out of America:

The Representation Project
(If you purchase anything here, we'd like to hear a review, thank you!)
((I've emailed asking for a suitably priced kit for home use))

Another from Australia:

Respectful Relationships

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Horrible Histories and Fairy Tales

For the younger, but not too squeamish amongst us:

Series 1, Episode 1, Gorgeous Georgians

- THREE LITTLE PIGS

Series 1, Episode 2, Awful Egyptians

- PRINCESS AND THE PEA

Series 1, Episode 3, Wicked Witches

- THE FROG PRINCE

Series 1, Episode 5, Smashing Saxons

- GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS

Series 1, Episode 6, Frightful First World War

- THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE

Series 1, Episode 7, Woeful Second World War

- CINDERELLA

Series 1, Episode 9, Terrible Tudors

- THUMBELINA

Series 1, Episode 10- Measly Middle Ages

- PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN

Series 1, Episode 11, Groovy Greeks

- SLEEPING BEAUTY

Series 1, Episode 12, Measly Middle Ages

- UGLY DUCKLING

You could read the stories, lovely versions with beautiful illustrations of course, not the horrible originals, then watch these. Ideal mini-unit studies for preschoolers!

*evil chuckle*

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Rose-Marie was one of those enthusiastic planners who began researching when she was pregnant with her first. She wanted to homeschool because it sounded like an affordable adventure, then she met her kids personally...
Her young daughter has Echolalia, dyscalculia and some processing issues so isn't speaking fluently yet; but she is making good progress as they work and play in Central Victoria, Australia.

Days of Significance- May 1

Rose-Marie was celebrating Samhain.
(Our usual contributors in the Northern Hemisphere refused to contribute to this article because the Spring weather was too nice and they wanted to be outside, lol.)

Samhain is basically the Pagan's Day of the Dead. The three candles on the left represent my important deceased people. I'd like to be able to say ancestors, but this is the first year I've had to make that blue candle. The candle on the right is stuck with animal shaped hat pins. They represent and honour (for what that is worth to the animals involved) the animals we eat and the animals lost due to environmental reasons, such as deforestation.

For Samhain dinner I also eat foods that I associate with the people represented by those candles. For my grandpa, I eat French toast. I cooked French toast for him once, when I was a kid, and he was so enthusiastic about it I can't even describe it. Dear Grandpa could have eaten French toast for breakfast every morning for all I'd know. He was the kind of grandpa who would behave as though it was gourmet fare even if you'd burnt the edges. :) For Grandma we eat apple pie and ice cream. She always had apple pie and ice cream in the freezer, waiting for us to show up. I don't even have a fridge, let alone a freezer, but when I have grandkids, I will buy one. Because I *know* proper grandmas have apple pie and ice cream in the freezer. :) I now also eat watermelon on Samhain because my boy was the watermelon eating-est kind of boy. I would like to post a picture, but I don't think his father would like it, so I'll leave you to imagine a skinny, blonde, 5 year old boy sitting in a perfectly natural pose behind half a watermelon. The posture is saying "this is my watermelon" and the facial expression is saying "this is not *your* watermelon!"




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Rose-Marie was one of those enthusiastic planners who began researching when she was pregnant with her first. She wanted to homeschool because it sounded like an affordable adventure, then she met her kids personally...
Her young daughter has Echolalia, dyscalculia and some processing issues so isn't speaking fluently yet; but she is making good progress as they work and play in Central Victoria, Australia.

Free Public Domain books- Augsburg Art

The good people at the Well Trained Mind forum have been chatting about the Augsburg art books and, well, drooling over how wonderful they are. Trouble is, they are not accessible for some people outside of the US, because Google can be a bummer like that. Links have been shared around to avoid this problem and we're reposting them here to spread the word!


https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7FV4B6vlfT3fmRRNGhIamRGLTV2T1pLNTJXS3RfWlpqLUhPNlQ4cXVRTGIxaUtlS2NHV1U&authuser=0