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ORANGE Slime!-- Celebrating Unity Day 2016

10/18/2016

1 Comment

 
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As many of you know, October is National Bullying Prevention Month. This event was created by Pacer to help bring awareness to the issue of bullying and unite students and adults from all over the nation to work together to end bullying once and for all. One important part of National Bullying Prevention Month is Unity Day. Unity Day is a day on which Pacer encourages schools, communities, and individuals to show that they are united against bullying and united for acceptance and inclusion. A few ways they suggest doing this are by organizing assemblies, participating in walks or runs, and wearing ORANGE —the color of bullying prevention! 
To show our support of Unity Day, we decided to adapt our fun This is A. Blob Slime craft to be ORANGE!! This craft, designed to accompany the picture book, This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos, is a fun way to begin the discussion about bullying with your younger children while joining in the Unity Day activities. As you mix your slime ingredients, talk about the “ingredients” that go into making a bully, such as insecurity and pain. As the mixture turns gooey, discuss how small words and actions can lead to a big sticky mess of bullying when they combine!
​Once the slime is finished, there are countless fun and educational ways to play with it! You can talk about how, just like the slime, words are sticky—for good or for bad. Have the children recall something kind someone said to them and something unkind. How does it feel to remember those words?
Wouldn’t they like to stick kind words in someone’s memory?

You can also use the slime to recreate scenes from This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos or even to role play bullying or kindness moments your child has witnessed or experienced. 
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Picture via Pacer.org/bullying
Another fun idea is to give the slime away as a random act of kindness for your celebration of Unity Day! ​​

However you choose to play, the important thing is that you have fun and bring awareness to the importance of bullying prevention!!  

Here are the steps you'll need to create your own ORANGE A. Blob!

What You'll Need: ​

  • Copy of This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos
  • 1tsp Borax
  • 1 ½ cups warm water
  • 1 8oz bottle of glue 
  • 2 nonstick mixing bowls
  • 2 spoons
  • Food coloring (Red and Yellow!) 
  • Plastic baggies (Makes enough for 3)
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​Step 1:
Read This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos

​Step 2:
Discuss

Open discussion about the book: Were A. Blob’s actions acceptable? How do you think these actions made the other children feel? Why do you think A. Blob acted the way it did? What would/could you do if you were on the playground to stop bullying?

​Step 3:
Create!
​1. To make your own "A. Blob", begin by emptying 1 bottle of glue (or 1 cup) into your larger bowl
​
2. Fill the empty glue bottle with warm water and add it to the glue, stirring completely. From experience I can tell you that the better you mix the glue and water, the smoother your slime will turn out. 

I've also found that the hotter the water, the "slimier" the slime will be. Cooler water will produce a firmer slime that resembles silly putty in texture.
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​3. Mix in food coloring until the desired color is achieved. I used 15 drops of red and yellow to get this particular shade of orange.
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4. In your smaller bowl, mix 1tsp of Borax with 1/2 cup of warm to hot water. Again, the hotter the water, the easier this step will be and the slimier your slime will turn out. Make sure to stir until the Borax is completely dissolved.

​
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​5.
Slowly add the Borax mixture to the glue mixture, mixing as you pour. When the mixture becomes too sticky to stir, use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. 

Just a note: The glue will come out of clothes, but the food coloring does stain, so be sure to wear old clothes when mixing!

6. Play!
​
​

There are so many exciting ways to spread the message to stop bullying and start living with kindness. I hope you enjoy this little twist on our favorite craft. Let us know how YOU are celebrating Unity Day in the comments below!
​
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Fun with This is A. Blob Slime! Happy Unity Day 2016!!
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This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover
​Books are excellent tools for helping children build empathy and become upstanders! This is A. Blob is a masterfully illustrated picture book suitable for children ages 4-8. Written by Lori Kefalos, author of several award-nominated animated shorts, This is A. Blob is the first of a series following this bully. This first installment follows the antics of A. Blob, a slimy, purple, blob-like creature who wreaks havoc on the elementary school playground with its bullying ways. As the story progresses, however, readers learn that there might be more to A. Blob than meets the eye. Along with its powerful illustrations and rhymed verse for early readers, this story invites children to put themselves in the shoes of another. The book demonstrates that a bully can come in any shape, size, or color and encourages readers to consider why bullies behave the way they do – and start to consider what can be done to help.

A. Blob on a Bus, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover
​BOOK 2 NOW AVAILABLE!​
A. Blob is back, and this time it's on a bus! As the slimy bully pokes and pesters the children of Lincoln Elementary School, it seems like they will never be able to ride the bus in peace. That is, until one brave girl takes stand. 


Can one act of bravery change everything--including A. Blob? Find out in this second installment of The Blob Series!
1 Comment

Bullying: October’s Other Scary Theme

10/7/2015

0 Comments

 
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Photo credit: Craig Dingle
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​When most people think of October, Halloween and scary masks are some of the first things that come to mind. However, October is also a month to recognize a far more frightening reality: Bullying. October 1st marks the beginning of National Bully Prevention Month, a campaign started in 2006 by the PACER’s National Bully Prevention Center to bring awareness to the issue of bullying and bully prevention. Throughout the month of October, communities all over the country unite to educate those around them about what bullying looks like, the long term effects of bullying, and what can be done to prevent this epidemic from spreading.



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Photo found on Pacer.org/bullying
​

​National Bully Prevention Month is only a piece of PACER’s National Bully Prevention Center, which is a branch of the PACER Center, an advocacy and resource center for parents of children with disabilities. In 2000, the PACER Center began receiving more and more calls from parents whose children were being bullied as a result of their disabilities. These parents felt at a loss and were desperate for resources to guide them through this difficult situation.  In response, the PACER center began creating curriculum and guides to help parents and children with disabilities respond to bullying situations. By 2005, the center could see the positive impact their work was having and decided that these resources needed to be available to all children, not just those with disabilities. In 2006, PACER’s National Bully Prevention Center was born. Today, the center is a hub of resources and a leader in bully prevention, partnering with individuals and organizations such as Bethany Mota, Disney, Green Giant, and Frito-Lay to bring an end to bullying.

​ 
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Photo found on pacerteensagainstbullying.org
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Photo found on pacer.org/bullying
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Photo found on pacer.org/bullying
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Photo found on girlsontherunlv.com


​One question you may be asking: “is it really necessary to have an entire center dedicated to bully prevention? Is bullying really that big of a problem?” Sadly, yes. Recent studies report that 1 in 4 children experience bullying in the U.S. and 30% of young people admit to having acted as a bully. Perhaps more frightening is the fact that this behavior has been reported among children as young as 3. From poor grades, depression, dysfunctional future relationships, anxiety, heart issues, weight difficulties, and even a higher tendency toward criminal activity, the effects of bullying, on both victims and bullies, can be far reaching and can last a lifetime.


The numbers aren’t all bad, though. It has also been shown that in 57% of cases, bullying stops when a peer intervenes and school based prevention programs have decreased bullying incidents by 25%.

Change is happening.

The best part of all: you can be a part of that change! PACER’s National Bully Prevention Center provides a wide variety of ways you can get involved in National Bully Prevention Month and join with thousands of other throughout the country to end bullying and bring help to those who have been bullies or who are bullies themselves. Here are a few ways you can get involved:
​

  • Go Orange! This is one of the easiest ways to show your support and raise awareness. While the entire month of October is set aside to bring awareness to the issue of bullying, October 21st is a special day within National Bully Prevention Month called Unity Day. On this day, people everywhere are encouraged to wear orange, decorate their cars, trees, and classrooms in orange, cook orange food, and anything else they can think of to do that involves orange. Orange is the color of bully prevention, so bedecking yourself and your belongings in the bright color will provide an easy opening to begin talking about this vital topic.
  • Participate in, sponsor, or organize a Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying in your community. These are family friendly events that bring the entire community together to stand against bullying. They can be as simple as a short course walked or run in unity, or they can involve concerts, games, and other activities that support the cause of bully prevention! These events are a wonderful way to visually show those who have been bullied in the community that they are not alone.
Unity Day Celebrations; Images found on pacer.org/bullying
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Photo found on pacer.org/bullying
  • Create posters informing others about the reality of bullying and its affects and post them throughout your community. Often, people are simply unaware that a problem exists. Help spread the word and practice your creativity all at the same time!
​
  • Practice kindness in your own life. This may seem like a trivial task, but studies reveal that kindness is catching. Additionally, children learn by example. If we are name calling and not practicing empathy, how can we expect the children around us to do so? It is one thing to tell someone to stop bullying, but we must also provide an alternative form of behavior. Start making kindness a priority in your life and I can guarantee you will see a change for the better. 
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Photo found on pacer.org/bullying

​These are just a few of nearly limitless options for raising awareness about bullying. Find a way to use your gifts and talents like these kids did! The important thing is to spread the word. What ideas do you have for ways to celebrate National Bully Prevention Month this year? Let us know in the comments!
***
In celebration of National Bully Prevention Month, we will be highlighting a different bully prevention organization, author, or individual working towards bringing bullying to an end each week this month on Laughing Leopard Blog! Our first feature will be an interview with L.A. Kefalos, author of This is A. Blob, a picture book featuring a sticky, purple bully named A. Blob, who may have more to him than first meets the eye. Check back here next week for exclusive insights into what inspired L.A. to write This is A. Blob and what message she would like to convey to her readers!


Orange Slime: Celebrating Unity Day; blog cover
Beating the Summer Slide; blog cover
Integrating Bullying Prevention Throughout the Classroom, Part 3: History; blog cover
A. Blob on a Bus, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover
​A. Blob is back, and this time it's on a bus! As the slimy bully pokes and pesters the children of Lincoln Elementary School, it seems like they will never be able to ride the bus in peace. That is, until one brave girl takes stand. 

Can one act of bravery change everything--including A. Blob? Find out in this second installment of The Blob Series
This is A. Blob, by L.A. Kefalos picture book cover
​Before it was on a bus, A. Blob was on the playground. This first installment of The Blob Series follows the antics of A. Blob, as it wreaks havoc on the elementary school playground with its bullying ways. As the story progresses, however, readers learn that A. Blob may have more than meets the eye.

Along with its powerful illustrations and rhymed verse for early readers, this story invites children to put themselves in the shoes of another and encourages readers to consider why bullies behave the way they do – and start to consider what can be done to help.
0 Comments

    About Laughing Leopard Press

    Hello! We are Laughing Leopard Press, an independent book publisher from Akron, Ohio. At Laughing Leopard Press, we’re interested in publishing works that contribute to our understanding of this wonderful world. Through this blog, we hope to add to that understanding with commentary on life, literature, and a few things in between. We hope you enjoy the blog and take some time to talk with us in the comments or on our social media sites. Happy reading! 

    For some more great reading, check out our latest release, This is A. Blob by L. A Kefalos. This is A. Blob  is a picture book that deals with the sticky issue of bullying through an unlikely character that is a bit sticky itself! As readers follow the antics of A. Blob, they learn to put themselves in the shoes of another and discover there may be more to this bully than meets the eye…

    Picture
    This is A. Blob by L. A Kefalos. $14.95


    $1.00 is donated to charity for each book sold on this site--half to St. Jude's and the other half to PetFix Northeast Ohio.

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