Making Goals for a More Mindful New Year

New Year’s Resolutions are a time-honored tradition, but they’re also notoriously difficult to achieve. Rather than making a checklist of things you think you’re supposed to do in a year, consider setting mindful goals that focus on improving your life and the lives of others. Here are some ways you can make more mindful goals for the year ahead: 

Focus on Personal Development

One reason New Year’s Resolutions often fall to the wayside is that they’re focused on image. Consider setting goals for yourself that start from within. Commit to taking an hour to yourself each day. Whether you spend that time in the gym or in the living room, spend it doing what you want to do and prioritize self care. If you need something more specific, set a goal for a number of books to read or a new skill to learn. 

Consider Setting Academic Goals

School is a big part of life, but it can be hard to make it a priority when you have a lot going on outside the classroom. This coming year, look at ways to improve your time management skills, like blocking out certain hours of the day to work undisturbed on homework and studying. Set realistic goals for leveling up your knowledge in subjects you struggle with. One of the best ways you can help yourself academically is remembering to ask for help when you need it. If you make no other academic goals for the new year, make this your goal. 

Seek Better Connections with Others

Getting through life is always easier when you have strong relationships with others. Look into ways you can strengthen your current friendships and family bonds. Send cards for birthdays and holidays. Check in on friends and family you don’t see often. If you feel like you want to expand your network, look for opportunities to make new connections and find new friends. We can always find more ways to form meaningful connections with those around us. 

Tips for Achieving Mindful Goals

Now, you have your goals in mind. Your next step is figuring out how to make them happen. With a little bit of planning and consistent work, you can accomplish your goals. Here are a few tips: 

• Break each goal down into smaller, manageable tasks.

• Keep a journal or planner to track your progress.

• Stay motivated, and focused on the bigger picture. Why do you want to reach these goals, and how will they improve your life? 

At North Tampa Christian Academy, we always encourage students to aim high and work hard to reach their goals. Students at our Tampa private school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

How Your Child Can Become a Faith Leader

When your child says they want to become a faith leader, you may be surprised. Faith leadership feels like something that’s usually reserved for studious adults who have been called to serve. However, there is a place for children to lead others in faith. Young faith leaders can make a difference in their communities by appealing to their peers. Here are some ways you can help your child become a faith leader: 

Recognizing a Child's Interest in Faith Leadership

Some children have a natural inclination toward leadership. They’re always the life of the party or the ones coming up with ideas for the next big adventure. If your child shows leadership potential and has a strong interest in faith, they may be interested in becoming a leader in their faith community. Do they ask a lot of questions to better understand religious texts? Are they always telling you their favorite Bible stories? These are signs that your child may want to be a faith leader. 

Steps to Help Your Child Become a Faith Leader

You can foster your child’s interest in faith leadership in many ways. Here are a few steps you can take to help your child decide if this is the path for them and start their leadership journey: 

• Encourage your child to get involved in church activities and programs. 

• Support your child in developing their own personal relationship with their faith.

• Help your child seek out mentorship and guidance from experienced faith leaders.

When you take these steps, they’ll have a clear idea of what they’re going into and if it’s what they want to do. 

Benefits of Being a Young Faith Leader

Leadership opportunities help children discover themselves and learn about their innate power. Faith leadership has even more benefits, like allowing children to grow in their own faith and empowering others to live fully in theirs. Being a faith leader early in life helps children understand their faith from multiple perspectives. One of the best ways to fully learn concepts is by teaching them to others. 

How NTCA’s Campus Ministries Program Can Help

At North Tampa Christian Academy, students can gain real life experience as faith leaders through the Campus Ministries Team. Led by Pr. David Craig, this team allows students to participate in activities like leading praise teams, organizing events and planning outreach programs. They collaborate with a small group of students with similar interests to enhance the spiritual offerings on campus. 

Faith leadership is something people are called to do, and it’s no different for children. At our school, we aim to foster faith leadership in any student who shows an interest. Students at our Tampa Christian school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

Winter Science Experiments to Try at Home

Winter break is coming up soon, and your Floridian child may be dreaming of a winter wonderland they’ve seen on TV. Florida winters are more of a relief from hurricane season than their own distinct season. While your child won’t be seeing snow unless they travel for winter vacation, they can always do one of these chilly winter science experiments in the comfort of their Florida home. 

Ice Exploration

Playing with ice is kind of like playing in snow, right? This experiment can be done with salt, sugar, water, and — if you’re feeling fancy — food coloring! Here’s how it works: 

• Fill a container with water and let it freeze overnight. 

• The next day, experiment with different ways to melt the ice. 

• Try using salt, sugar, or hot water to see which method works best. 

• You can also add food coloring to the water before freezing to create colorful ice sculptures.

Winter Solstice Sundial

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, so why not mark the occasion with a homemade sundial? All you need for this experiment is a stick and a piece of cardboard. 

• Use a stick as a gnomon (the piece of the sundial that sticks up) and a piece of cardboard as the base. 

• Place the sundial outside in a sunny spot, and track the movement of the shadow throughout the day.

Indoor Snowstorm 

Bring the snow to Florida without worrying about shoveling the driveway! Create a mini snowstorm in a jar using just a few simple ingredients: water, white paint or food coloring, and glitter. 

• Fill a clear jar with water, add a few drops of white paint or food coloring, and swirl in some glitter. 

• Seal the jar tightly, and shake it up to watch the snow swirl around like a winter storm.

Ice Cream in a Bag

Do you ever find yourself craving ice cream when it’s cold outside? This sweet project can give your child a chemistry lesson, and the reward is sweet! Here’s how to make it: 

Ingredients

• 1 cup half and half

• 1/2 tsp artificial or imitation vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp sugar

• Ice

• 1/4 cup salt

• Ziploc bags 1 Small, 1 Large

Directions

1. Pour 1 cup of half and half into a small ziploc bag.

2. Add 1/2 teaspoon of artificial vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of sugar. 

3. Seal the bag firmly and get any excess air out. 

4. In the larger ziploc bag, fill it about 1/2 way with ice. Add 1/4 cup of salt.

5. Then add your small bag and fill with extra ice on top. Seal the large bag.

6. Get gloves for shaking and shake for 6 minutes. *Gloves are needed since the salt makes the ice extra cold.

7. Take the small bag out of the large bag and rinse the outside of the small bag with cold water. Make sure to rinse out the top part of the bag also (above the seal).

8. Once done rinsing, carefully open the small bag to not get any remaining salt from the outside of the bag inside the bag.

9. The ice cream will be a little icy looking to start. Use a spoon to mix it around and soften it up a bit. Scoop out and enjoy!

At NTCA, we encourage our students to continue learning during breaks from school. Students at our Tampa private school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

How to Help Your Child During Hard Times

In a perfect world, children wouldn’t have to deal with stressful situations. However, there will be times when your child struggles to cope with what’s going on around them. Whether they find themselves in an unhealthy social environment or dealing with personal challenges, they will likely need help getting by. That’s where you can come in. While you can’t make the situation go away, you can help your child through it. Here are some tips. 

Recognizing Signs of Distress

It can be hard to tell if your child is experiencing everyday stress or if something deeper is going on. If you’re starting to feel like you don’t know your child anymore, that’s a sign that something is getting them down. Look for changes in behavior and mood. See if your child is having trouble sleeping or eating properly. When children become more withdrawn, it’s often because they’re dealing with hard feelings and don’t want to be a burden. 

Helping Your Child Process Emotions

Your child may be dealing with big emotions they’re not used to for the first time, and that can be scary. The best way to support them in this time is through open communication. Let them know that their feelings are valid, even if you don’t understand them. Make it clear that you’ll be there when they’re ready to process their feelings. 

Sometimes, children need professional help, especially if they’ve been through something traumatic, like a divorce or a natural disaster. There’s nothing wrong with seeking the help of a counselor, and it can greatly benefit a child’s mental health. 

Teaching Your Child Coping Mechanisms

Even if you wish you could be, you won’t always be there when your child goes through a tough time. Take time to teach your child about healthy coping mechanisms so they can eventually be independent. When you see your child taking healthy actions, like taking a deep breath before speaking with anger, let them know they did a good job. Along with in-the-moment actions, self care can go a long way toward feeling better. Exercising, taking showers and brushing their teeth can help your child feel in control and feel better overall. 

Setting a Positive Example

If you want your child to know how to manage during hard times, show them. Focus on managing your own stress and emotions in a healthy manner. Use the coping skills you’re teaching your child. And when you fall on hard times, take care of yourself, and seek support when you need it. Children learn best when they have positive role models to follow. 

At NTCA, we know that being a child or teen isn’t always easy. Students at our Tampa private school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.

5 Ideas for Serving the Community During the Holidays

There’s no better time to give back than during the holidays. Finding ways to serve the community during this joyous time of year can bring your family closer together while helping those in need. Despite your good intentions, you may not know how to help others during the holidays. Here are some ideas of easy ways to serve the community this upcoming season:

Volunteer at a local food pantry or soup kitchen.

When you think of feeding others for the holidays, the first thing that comes to mind is cooking for the family. However, some people need extra help to get their holiday dinner. Volunteering at a local food pantry or soup kitchen is a great way to give back as a family. In volunteering, “the more, the merrier” always rings true.

Adopt a family in need for the holidays.

Many charity organizations have an “Adopt-a-family” program, where you can help a family in need by buying the items on their wishlists. These programs ensure that parents who otherwise would not be able to afford gifts could spread holiday joy to their children. This can be a morale boost during a time that can be difficult for struggling families. It also allows your family to feel good about helping others. 

Make holiday cards for nursing home residents.

Nursing homes can be lonely places, especially during the holidays. Creating homemade holiday cards for nursing home residents can bring them joy, letting them know someone is thinking of them. Start by finding out where you can send the cards, then get to crafting. Make a day of putting together cards as a family, writing nice messages and, if you have an artist in the family, allowing them to give the cards a creative touch. 

Organize a neighborhood cleanup.

One way to give back to the community is to clean it up. Get some neighbors together to clean up the neighborhood. Make it fun by encouraging everyone to dress festively but comfortably. Figure out a weekend day that will work for most people, and post some flyers around the neighborhood. Then, when the time comes, buy some gloves and trash bags, and get to work making your neighborhood a more beautiful place. Getting everyone involved will help bring the community together and help everyone appreciate the place they live even more. 

Donate toys and clothes to a local shelter or charity.

Children of all ages have toys and clothes they love for a while that eventually lie forgotten. If they’re still in good condition when this happens, you may consider donating these items to charity. There will always be children in need who will enjoy new clothes and toys like your child once did. Help your child decide which items they’re willing to sacrifice. Put out a “to keep” box and a “to donate” box so they see that they’re not giving everything up, only the things that no longer mean as much to them. It will all be worth it to make another child smile this holiday season. 

As the holiday season quickly approaches, take some time to plan out activities you and the family can do for the community. At NTCA, spreading God’s love through acts of service is part of the curriculum. Students at our Tampa Christian school thrive creatively, academically and spiritually in a project-based learning environment. Faculty and families work together to inspire leadership through Christian innovation. Contact us today to learn more.