Ep. 176: Summer Camp & COVID with Dr. Heather Silverberg
Sunshine Parenting host Audrey “Sunshine” Monke & pediatrician (and camp doctor) Dr. Heather Silverberg talk about how COVID is impacting kids this summer at camp. Want encouragement & simple strategies for raising thriving future adults? Check out Audrey’s book, HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults. Happy Campers on…
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7 Simple Steps to Teach Kids to Introduce Themselves
Hi! I’m Audrey Monke. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet here at Sunshine Parenting! Watch this 1-minute video to learn why I wrote this post about the importance of teaching kids how to introduce themselves to others: Because of my research on the importance of good social skills and positive relationships for a…
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How Camp Helps Parents Raise Adults
“The movie Stepford Wives came to mind as I watched my students live their college life still somehow looking to the sidelines for mom or dad’s direction, protection, or intervention as if they were five, playing soccer, and needed a parent to point in which direction to kick the ball. I began to wonder, I…
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Ready for Adulthood Check-List for Kids
What skills do our kids need in order to be ready for adulthood? Readiness is an interesting concept. Many things we do, like going to summer camp for the first time, starting college or a new job or becoming a parent, we’re not technically “ready” for. We haven’t had any practice yet! We learn best…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 37: 8 Tips for First-Time Camp Parents
HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults is now available on Audible! Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 37, Sara Kuljis (of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp), and I share tips and…
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Countdown to Camp: 5 Things to do NOW
School is ending and camp is right around the corner. Do you know where your summer camp packing list is? I suspected as much. In addition to being a camp director, I’m also a camp parent, so I am well aware of that “where did I put that camp handbook?” feeling. With two of my…
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Ep. 175: The Happiness Workbook for Kids with Maureen Healy, Ph.D.
Check out Audrey’s book, HAPPY CAMPERS, for insights and ideas for raising thriving future adults. Now available in audio, digital, and print formats. Visit Maureen Healy’s website, Growing Happy Kids, for more about Maureen’s work and books. Visit Sunshine Parenting for more resources & episodes. In this episode, Maureen Healy, Ph.D., and I talk about…
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Ep. 127: The New Adolescence with Christine Carter, Ph.D.
ENCORE NOTES: This incredible book came out just prior to the start of the pandemic. I was privileged to read an early copy and hear Christine speak about it in February, 2020. If you have (or will eventually have) an adolescent, I highly recommend this book. Things have changed since we were their age, and…
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What are you going to do?
One thing I taught my kids last year was to ask “What else can I do?” to help them learn the important skill of finishing a job well. They still use it at the end of kitchen clean-up after dinner, and the question is music to my ears. And one of my favorite new questions…
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10 Friendship Skills Every Kid Needs
As parents and adults who work with youth, we can positively impact kids’ lives through helping them build good social skills, which are, I believe, more important than academic or athletic skills. At school, very little—if any—time is spent teaching these important skills, but for youth who struggle with social skills deficits, this attention is…
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Ep. 138: Unselfie with Dr. Michele Borba
Show notes & links available here. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In this episode, Audrey’s guest is Dr. Michele Borba, an educational psychologist, parenting expert, and author of 24 books. Her most recent book is Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. The aim of Dr. Borba’s work…
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