Do you need ideas for teaching lessons on good character to elementary school-age children? The successful Film Clips for Character Education now has an elementary classroom version of DVDs that offer scenes from popular movies that powerfully illustrate character issues and moral dilemmas.

Excerpts from films such as Seabiscuit, Finding Nemo, Chariots of Fire, Apollo 13, and Babe focus on character traits that include kindness, perseverance, respect, good sportsmanship, self-control, and empathy. The five DVDs have a comprehensive study guide of plot summaries, lesson plans, activities, and discussion questions.

Use these DVDs to engage students in reflection and stimulating conversations about character and moral action.

In Julia Cook's latest book, Sorry, I Forgot to Ask!, RJ makes a lot of trips to his "time-out" chair when he and his friend Sam walk home instead of taking the bus and then get caught using Dad's computer to get on the Internet. After RJ and little sister Blanche snack on Grandma's suprise birthday cake, Dad teaches RJ how to ask first so he doesn't need to say he's sorry later!

Parents and teachers can use RJ's story to help kids learn the skills of asking for permission and making an apology. Also available as an audiobook, read by the author.

Children get angry for many different reasons -- they get tired or frustrated, they want something you don't think they should have, or they want to get out of a task or chore you ask them to do. Parent's can't and shouldn't try to shield kids from situations that make them angry. But you can teach them to control and express that anger without hurting themselves or others.

Dr. Connie J. Schnoes has plenty of experience addressing angry behavior with her own family of six children and in her professional practice counseling parents and kids. Her new book, Show Me Your Mad Face, has great tips and techniques parents can use when dealing with an angry child.

Strong emotions, like anger, worry, and grief, can cause kids to act in ways that harm themselves and others. Author Julia Cook helps explain to children what to do when these feelings threaten to overwhelm them: Lester learns to control his fizz, Wilma Jean copes with her worries, and Little Tree gets help in dealing with his father's loss.