March 12th, 2010
PRIDE’s most popular parent workshop is back. Don’t Flip Your Lid will meet four Tuesdays near Greenville, SC. Brookwood
church graciously donates space for the PRIDE parneting workshops so that’s where we’ll meet on March 16, 23, 30 and April 6. Because one of the classes is scheduled during Greenville County School’s spring break week, our class may decide to take a break that week and carry the class one week forward.
Don’t Flip Your Lid
Conflict Resolution for Families
Holding on to your thinking cap isn’t always easy when parenting.
In this interactive class, learn about the brain’s emotional hard wiring
so you can decrease personal stress overloads.
Equip the whole family with de-escalation tools that
push the reset button and teach
healthy communication habits and self-calming skills.
Sign up through the Brookwood University page of the Brookwood Church website. PRIDE (Promoting Resources in Developmental Education) is part of Greenville Hospital System’s Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Division. See the classes page of THINK it THROUGH Parenting for more information.
PRIDE’s parenting classes are open to anyone with children of any age.
Tags: greenville, parent workshop
Posted in Conflict Resolution for Families, Parenting Classes | No Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
The PRIDE Parent Enrichment Series is going strong this spring of 2010. Our next four week class (starting February 16) will focus on how to get kids of all ages to be more independent, clean up after themselves, help around the house and learn important life skills. But these topics will also be linked to
healthy self esteem
confidence and
self reliance
for children.
- Did you know that children are less likely to misbehave when they feel needed at home?
- Did you realize that making children more independent and involving them in cleaning the house can lead to better behavior?
- Did you know that children who feel more capable are at lower risk for behaviors such as drug use, unplanned pregnancy and depression?
The name of the class is
Chores Without Family Wars
but will offer so much more to families. During class, parents will learn some of the concepts that link contributing at home to improved behavior, better social interactions with others and a lower risk of social/emotional issues.
Chores Without Family Wars
Essential Life Skills for Teaching Independence
Preparing children for real life means teaching them how to do
laundry, cook, clean, maintain a car and more.
Children who feel capable and genuinely needed
misbehave less than children who are pampered.
This active learning workshop explores the
Significant Seven Perceptions and Skills that promote
self-reliance in children and teens,
teaches family tools for assigning age appropriate chores and
helps parents practice follow-through techniques.
February 16, 23 March 2, 9
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Brookwood Church donates our meeting space and registers parents online for the PRIDE parent enrichment classes. PRIDE is part of the Greenville Hospital System.
If you can’t make this class, you may be interested in “Don’t Flip Your Lid”, the next four week class which starts on March16, 2010. See the classes page of THINK it THROUGH parenting for more information.
Tags: chores, greenville, parent workshop, Parenting Class, sc, south carolina
Posted in Parenting Classes, Teaching Life Skills | No Comments »
February 1st, 2010
I just joined Hubpages.com and created my first hub there called
. . . a “hub” about the purpose of preschool science centers and how to set up preschool science centers. on the hub, I’ve included links to articles on specific science centers as well as a link section to photos of preschool science centers.
It was really fun (for me anyway) and I’m going to create some hubs about parenting too.
Anyone can publish a hubpage so if you have something to share, create a hubpage about it.

Tags: preschool science center
Posted in Preschool Development | No Comments »
January 14th, 2010

This is my blog on “Wordle”.
Wordle is a tool/toy for creating “word clouds”. It’s fun to put a blog address in and see what word cloud “Wordle” will create. There are different cloud patterns and you can change the color patterns too. See another word cloud of my blog on the public gallery at Wordle.net.
Note: Any use or display of Wordle creations must be attributed to Wordle.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 11th, 2010

As some of you know, I also work as an Artist in Residence in public schools in the area. I am a freelancer so I do freelance work in the areas of teaching parenting classes, training child care providers, as an Artist in Residence and as a writing coach. I feel fortunate to be able to work part time and schedule my own hours.
I taught an Artist in Residence unit to two different 2nd grade classes this fall. The unit was entitled “What is Natural?” and during some of the unit, I taught the 2nd graders about nature journaling as a form of “writing” – noticing and recording details in nature. (I’ll post some of those great photos another day.)
Last week I taught nature journaling to high school students at the Greenville Tech Charter High School. I had a great time and the students were extra polite and respectful. I’m posting some of their pages here. The students explored nature journaling using different media: ink & watercolors, watercolor printing & mixed media collage.
We explored nature around the campus of Greenville Tech and we also created a journal page from a memory about nature. The weather was pretty cold so we didn’t stay outside for extended periods of time. The students also explored writing through different forms. Students used their senses to gather information about nature, wrote simple poems about nature items and nature memories.


To learn more about nature journaling, visit the links below:
The Nature Journal as a Tool for Learning
Nature Journaling
Nature Journaling from NC Environmental Education

Tags: nature journal, nature journaling
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January 4th, 2010
Some of you have heard me mention the new “Positive Discipline Tool Cards”. Just as a deck of playing cards has 52 cards, so does the deck of Positive Discipline Tool Cards”.
“Single Dad Brad” has decided on a New Year’s resolution to improve his parenting skills one week at a time. Each week, he’ll introduce a new card and work on improving on the skill or concept for raising children using Positive Discipline tools.
For his first week, he’s chosen one of my favorite Positive Discipline tools – JOBS!!!!
Visit Single Dad Brad’s blog and enjoy reading about his journey to improve his parenting skills in 2010 using the 52 Positive Discipline Tool Cards. We all need to work on improvement through baby steps. So Brad isn’t expecting perfection from himself or from anyone who launches the “52 Cards” improvement campaign with him. I know Brad personally and he has a great sense of humor, which he uses often while single parenting.
If you’d like a set of Positive Discipline Tool Cards for yourself, Brad provides a link on his website where you can order a set for $12.95 plus shipping. (Regular Price is $15)
I’m working on an idea to offer a 4 1/2 hour workshop using the Positive Discipline Toolcards so if you’d be interested in a Saturday afternoon parenting workshop in the Greenville, SC area, e-mail me at KellyPfeiffer@THINKitTHROUGHparenting.com and let me know.
The cost would be around $45 per person for the 4 1/2 hour workshop. I travel too so if anyone gets together a group of parents, contact me for details about how I can teach a “Positive Discipline Toolcards Workshop” in your area.
Tags: positive discipline tool cards, single dad brad
Posted in Family Meetings, Teaching Life Skills | No Comments »
November 30th, 2009
I’ve always been an advocate of kids getting dirty – playing in the sandbox, hiking through shallow creeks, building mudpies! Dirt is not the enemy while raising children, it’s our friend! Our germaphobic society is convincing some parents to discourage kids from playing outside and well as discourage kids from exploring nature.
Here’s an article about scientific support that dirt is actually healthy for children.
Tags: Dirt children
Posted in Family Fun, Preschool Development | No Comments »
November 17th, 2009

Back in September, I changed from being the “Inter-Child Relationships” feature writer to the “Parenting Teens” feature writer. I’ve been very busy teaching parenting classes, conducting child care trainings and being an artist in residence in two different second grade classrooms. I haven’t posted on the blog much this fall, but I have still been writing articles for the “Parenting Teens” section of Suite101.com.
So check out the “Parenting Teens” section of Suite101 to read articles about parenting teens with Positive Discipline.
?
Tags: Parenting Teens
Posted in Parenting Teens, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Article in Esquire Magazine Discusses Positive Discipline & Politics
January 18th, 2010Esquire magazine article
posted on-line on January 14 is really is editorial piece about Barack Obama, but it’s amazing how often the author mentions the Positive Discipline, the Positive Discipline class the author attended and how he likes the results he has seen with his own child.
I’m sure it will depend on one’s political and social views as to whether Positive Discipline is seen in a positive or negative light when one reads this Esquire Magazine article. But I thought it was extremely interesting that Positive Discipline is mentioned in a political article and that the magazine was Esquire Magazine and wasn’t in the parenting genre.
If you know me, you know that I do consider Positive Discipline the best approach to teaching children about democracy, joint decision making and respect for others.
If you sign up for the Positive Discipline newsletter (<—click here), you receive a free download of the Positive Discipline Guidelines, pictured here. As you read the guidelines, you’ll notice correlations between the teachings of democracy and the Positive Discipline Guidelines.
Tags: Esquire Magazine, positive discipline
Posted in Conflict Resolution for Families, Kelly's Personal Commentary, Parent-Child Relationship | No Comments »