Shaping Families

Teaching Kids Through Books

Mike Berenstain says his earliest memory is of his parents’ studio in suburban Philadelphia. He remembers sitting on the floor scribbling on yellow typewriter paper with a big black pencil. His mother looked at the tangled hairball he had created, pointed out some random shape and said, "Look! You've drawn a fish!" It did, indeed, look like a fish.

Listen - Transcript - Study Guide

Media Matters

Steve Carpenter

My two girls also grew up reading the Berenstain Bears books. Sitting with your kids on your lap and reading to them is such an important activity. Another family favorite in the Carpenter household was Winnie the Pooh.

The official Berenstain Bears website for children.
Living Lights books – children’s series focusing on faith from the children’s division of Zondervan Publishing.
Article on Michael Berenstain and the Living Lights series.
PBS Kids Berenstain Bears TV show with online games, clips and music.
Berenstain Bear books. Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive, sortable listing of Berenstain Bear books, the year they appeared, etc.
Story summaries. Wikipedia also has helpful story summaries if you are looking to find help on a particular topic or theme

BOOKS
Winnie the Pooh books.
Books for you and your children to enjoy:
Quills – Porcupine learns about unconditional love.
Sensing Peace. How to feel peace with all five senses and more.
Children’s Illustrated Bible. Retells many stories from the Bible with clear simple language and colorful artwork.

WEBSITES
Media reviews by Steve Carpenter and other reviewers.
Free weekly email with a new media review from Third Way Café website.
Other media reviews by Steve Carpenter for Shaping FamilieS. (Scroll down list to “Media Matters”)

Why read to your kids? Three website/organizations list dozens of ideas:
Reading Foundation 
American Association of School Librarians
Totsites

VIDEO
Berenstain Bear story videos on YouTube.
Winnie the Pooh – the 2011 movie.
Rhythms of Peace DVD – stories of peacemaking to share or watch with your child. 

A Magical Journey

Burton Buller

There are few moments more given to bonding than a parent and child snuggled down together for a read of a good story. Here, long before the child has learned to read, the imagination is allowed to take a magical journey into the sublime.

Up next: Shaping Families talks with a father who found himself caught in a web of alcohol addiction, until his children reached out to him in a final ultimatum. What would it be, addiction or his family? Earl and several members of his family talk about their experiences.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

"This recipe has become a family favorite," says Sheri Hartzler. There are variations of it in several cookbooks I use regularly." I like to double the recipe as it freezes well.

• Shaping Families Update - May 12
• Shaping Families Update - May 5
• Shaping Families Update - April 28
• Shaping Families Update - April 21

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