Fondue disaster inspires fire safety!

Last night, we decided to have some fondue chocolate to dip all sorts of desserts in.  The way this pot works is a cast iron pot is on top of a little cast iron stand and under it is an open flame.  While dipping the chocolate, I thought about what we would do if this flipped over and started a fire in our apartment - which is on the 2nd floor.  Since this week is Fire Safety week for our Personal Achievement Academy, I thought I would give out a quick lesson about what to do in case of a fire!

• If there is a fire, get out quick and don’t stop to get anything. 
• Make noise (blow whistle) to get neighbors attention and contact 911 as soon as possible. 
• Have a family meeting place and do not leave the family meeting place. 
• If smoke is present, stay low to the ground to avoid fumes. 
• Never open a door if it is hot. 
• If you catch on fire, stop, drop on the floor and roll to put out the fire. 
• Never play with electric sockets, matches, candles, lighters, fireplaces, barbecues, stoves, or anything that has a flame.

With this knowledge, we can keep our community safe!  Check out our websites and sign up for our newsletters so that you can get on our list for information about our next kid power event!

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Be Courageous

When talking about self-defense, more specifically for kids, there are 3 dangers.  Throughout the year, our Personal Achievement Academy instructors will conduct seminars that cover "Stranger Danger," Bully Defense, and Peer Pressure.  Between all three, you gotta have courage!  But let’s face it, demonstrating courage and standing up for your beliefs can take guts. You need to develop self-confidence that will allow you to remain comfortable with your ideals even in the face of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it! There are 3 ways you can increase your self confidence: You need to know yourself (what you stand for), accept yourself, and be yourself. And remember, peers can pressure each other into doing what’s right. With self confidence, you can become one of the leaders of the group that makes the right choice!

Fitness for kids - Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Lesson of the week!

     Here is our special video for our lesson of the week: "Aerobic vs. Anaerobic."  This was a "mat chat" that we did in our White, Orange, and Yellow belt class this week.  The kids were so engaged and interactive, I couldn't have even scripted a better mat chat.  It was really cool.

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Personal Achievement Academy Lesson of the Week!

     This month our Personal Achievement Academy theme is “Martial Arts Athlete.”  We focus on being healthy, getting exercise, and eating right.  For this week, we’re going to focus on a highly effective method to fast-track an athlete’s ability level – Private Training.  Tiger Woods is considered one of the greatest golfers in the world and he has a private trainer teach him every day.  If you enjoy something and want to become really good at it, try taking a private lesson to help you perfect your techniques. 

Here are the missions!

• Schedule a private lesson to learn something you have always wanted to learn. 
• Train and practice for at least 10 minutes with someone who is better than you.   
• Ask a friend to teach you something you want to learn.    
• Ask a family member to teach you something you want to learn.
• Take a seminar or special class (semi-private lesson) on a subject you want to learn. 

Turn in your missions and receive a green stripe!  It's a new month, new missions, new lessons, and we're working on this muscle to be community leaders!  Our PAA party (for anyone that turns in their worksheet) will be November 5, 2011!!  

Readers are Leaders!

Reading paves the way to success in school and in life!  It can build your self-confidence and motivate you to set high expectations and goals for yourself.  Reading initiates creativity and opens your mind to expand.  Even reading for 10 minutes can ignite your imagination.  Pick topics you enjoy and hobbies you want to learn more about.  Picking topics that you want to learn more about or things you don't know about are great ways to expand your knowledge and become much smarter.  Develop a steady habit of reading for 10 to 30 minutes each day and your mind will grow with knowledge, creativity, and imagination.  Did you know that if you read 15 minutes a day with your parents, friends, or on your won can expose you to more than one million words in a year!?

For adults:  Find something that you enjoy reading and spend 10-15 minutes reading every night before you go to bed.  A lot of people watch TV before bed and it leads to your brain not wanting to relax into a deep sleep.  Every night, I read my favorite book:  How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie and it helps improve my mood if I have a bad day and helps me focus on something I can do tomorrow to make me better.  Try it!

Master Focus!

April's theme is "Knowledge is Power."  Our first week's goal is to improve our focus and have MASTER FOCUS!  Focus is really just another word for concentration.  When you're able to concentrate better and focus on what a teacher is saying to you, your brain gets stronger and you learn faster!  How do you improve your focus and concentration?  By looking, listening to your teacher, and keeping your body completely still.  When you can do all 3 parts, you are a Focus Master.  Next time you are trying to learn something new, use the three levels of focus to learn faster and better:

Levels of the Focus Master-
Level 1- Look directly into his/her eyes
Level 2- Clear your mind and listen
Level 3- Stay perfectly still

Week 1 missions:
1- When speaking to a parent, adult, or teacher, use the three Focus Master techniques
2- Tell your school teacher the 3 rules of a Focus Master
3- Have a parent set a timer and see how long you can stay perfectly still (1 minute is great!)
4- Close your eyes and clear your mind.  Try to think of only one object in detail for 1 minute
5- Take a book and count the words in any paragraph.  Try to perform the county mentally and only with your eyes

Journal to Success

Writing gives you time to find out who you are, plan activities, unleash creativity, understand your thoughts, plan for the future, and open up your dreams.  An easy way to jump start your success is to have a success journal in which you can write down important events, plan for the future and write down important things that you learn. Use your success journal to track your Personal Achievement Accomplishments and write down your goals.  Remember you can write however you want and whatever you want, so be creative and have fun.  The secret of a great journal is to rite in it as often as you can, have fun, and come up with some great ideas.

Try this:
Make a journal by stapling paper together or buy one from the store
Write down ONE goal in your journal
Draw a picture of something you like or something crazy
Write down a short story about anything you want
Write one thing that you learned, anything
Write a short paragraph about a friend, a family member, or teacher

GOOD LUCK!  Maybe your journal will be famous some day!