Appropriate age group(s):
K-5 on up

Values taught:
Positive attitude
Respect for self
Sense of purpose, direction and focus
Resourcefulness

Description of technique for teaching kids values:
Life is full of poor choices and that's how you grow and learn. And as a parent, I just want tell my kids, "I did that and that was dumb, so don't you do it!". Unfortunately, that doesn't really work, and in fact, can really backfire on you. But what if you encouraged them to look back through history and learn from some role models that they can identify with such as heros, scientists, explorers, musicians and athletes.

Why not start the discussions with President Bill Clinton? Do you think he would make the same choices if he had to do it all over again? How did some of his poor choices impact the other aspects of his life? How about stars like Janis Joplin, John Belushi, and Michael Hutchence? In the sports arena, have Mike Tyson and John Rocker made responsible choices for their lives? What would you do differently?

Other comments or suggestions:
This can be a really fun project to work on and it really takes off once you get it going. Maybe you can encourage your child to be a "good citizen" and get their whole class to do it together for extra credit.