Dozens of military families and their young children listened to a story, discussed it and then made crafts April 27 at the Fort Sill Youth Center.
The activity was part of the Military Child Education Coalition's Tell Me a Story: Making connections and finding support through literature.
The MCEC Fort Sill Parent to Parent team offered the story "Odd Velvet," by Mary Whitcomb. The event was in conjunction with Month of the Military Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
"Odd Velvet" is about a girl who seems to be different and her classmates begin to tease her.
By the end of the story, her classmates become her friends as they realize her differences make her all the more interesting.
Velvet is a character that anyone at any age can relate to; we have all felt "odd" at one time or another.
Velvet is confident and has the courage to be herself. This story can help parents and children understand that everyone is different and it is those differences that make us special.
"The themes for this book include individuality, uniqueness, confidence, acceptance of self and others, tolerance and understanding," said Kim Parrish, a Fort Sill Parent to Parent team member. "The MCEC Tell Me a Story is an initiative that was created to empower our military children by using literature and their own stories in a way that fosters; skills for resilience, strong peer and parent connections, a sense of pride and accomplishment, and a caring community."
Tell Me a Story is geared toward children ages 4-12. Each family received a copy of the book.
After the story, the families broke into small groups, each with an MCEC facilitator, and discussed the story and related themes.
They discussed what they liked or enjoyed about the book and ways they were similar or different from Velvet.
After the discussion, children and parents moved to the craft area and decorated crowns for the children to wear in celebration of their uniqueness and individuality.
"We would like to thank Jennifer Dunn for sharing her time and talent with the families by reading the book, and Child, Youth and School Services for providing copies of the book and the materials to make crafts," said Parrish.
The MCEC Parent to Parent team does two events a year at the installation. Another Tell Me a Story event will be offered in the fall, said Parrish.
MCEC is a private, non-profit organization that is focused on raising the awareness of the issues faced by military children.
For more information about MCEC events and initiatives, visit www.MilitaryChild.org.
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