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children cartoons

Four thousand cartoons and a drone

Cartoon of parents and a boy. The dad says, "Yes, it would make your summer break interesting, but you're still not getting a drone!"

 

This is my official four-thousandth cartoon. At least it is as far as my record keeping is concerned. There are thousands of others in my sketchbook that have never been numbered.

I began numbering the ones I wanted to finish about twenty-five years ago. So that’s about one cartoon every two days. When I began this journey, it didn’t occur to me what number I would reach. Who knows where it will all end.

What I do know is that if you have a large project, It’s best to break it down into little pieces instead of tackling it all at once. Whether it’s drawing cartoons or saving up to purchase a drone, it all takes a series of little steps to reach your goal.

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children cartoons

What will kids be like in 100 years?

My youngest child with be eighteen years-old in a few weeks. That has me thinking about the future. Today’s kids have electronic gadgets I would have never dreamed about when my brother and I were playing Star Trek in our dad’s old pickup truck. It never ended well for our dad. When we pushed the old Chevy into warp speed, we frequently flooded the engine.

My brother and I where sure we’d have flying cars when we were adults. Yes, we’re still waiting on that one. Now that I have driven for thirty years, I realize, flying vehicles in the hands of some people would be quite the disaster. But driverless cars? Who but Google would’ve though about that?

Will my great grandkids see Star Trek type technology in their life time? Will they grab a snack from a 3D printer? Will Google still be around or will they think of Internet search engines the same way we look at Model T Fords?

Here are my predictions for what kids will be like in the year 2114:

  • Kids will still need a loving home
  • Kids will still need boundaries and they will test them
  • Kids will take the newest, most well-designed gadget and find a way to break it.

We may not be able to predict all the circumstances our descendants will face in one hundred years, but we can be sure kids will still be kids, and good parents and teachers will be sorely needed.

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School Cartoons

Complementing a child goes a long way

Cartoon of a teacher saying to a student, "This is a great story. You should copyright it!"
(c) kevin@kevinspear.com

Cartoon of a happy teacher and student. The teacher says, “This is a great story. You should copyright it.”

It breaks my heart when I hear about an author who almost didn’t take up his craft because an English teacher once told her that she was a terrible writer. But it is inspiring to hear of those who heard that discouragement, yet overcame it and are authors today.

It is a shame when discouragement comes out of our mouths. I am as guilty as anyone else of spewing criticism to others. Unfortunately, it is too easy to do that in this world.

But a complement goes a long way. My fourth grade teacher encouraged me to consider drawing when complemented my part in a poster. I didn’t think of myself as an artist until that moment.

Be sure to give a sincere complement to a child when you have a chance. You never know how it will change his life.

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K! Magazine Magazine

Do your kids struggle with memorizing something?

Cartoon of a boy with a mechanical thinking cap on his head

 

Cartoon of a boy with an industrial-looking cap on his head. He says to a a woman, “Thanks to my thinking cap, I’m going to win this year’s memory verse challenge!”

We are always looking for an easy way to do something. It’s usually the way innovation happens. We are always looking for ways to make something easier. We want to buy the latest gadget to make something in our lives easier.

Do your kids struggle with memorizing something like a Bible verse, the presidents of the United States or prepositions? Instead of finding a steampunk-inspired thinking cap, have your kids try these tips.

  • Get some index cards and have kids make their own flash cards. The very act to making the cards will help with memory. You can get creative and use images as well as words. This works with visual as well as kinetic learners. If a child speaks it while he or she writes it, it also helps auditory learners.
  • Kids can walk or use hand motions to help them memorize. It helps kids who learn kinetically to move as they learn. It also helps emphasize important passages.
  • Make a song out of it. Auditory learners may grasp something when it it put to music or a rap.
  • Be an example. Find something you want to memorize and try these techniques. You may find something that works for you also works with your child.

Even though we live in an age where we can search the Internet for a fact, memorization is still an important skill. Encourage kids to memorize facts and passages.

I drew this cartoon for Kidzmatter Magazine.

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Bible Proverbs webcomic

How a book can give wisdom

Cartoon of a dad and a boy with a broken window

Cartoon of a boy with a baseball bat and a broken window. An angry dad says, “That was NOT a wise choice, young man! Go inside and read Proverbs!”

I drew this old cartoon when I was thinking how I would need to discipline my newborn son. I believe he had to go to his rooms a few times, though I don’t remember if I specifically told him to read out of Proverbs!

When it comes to books in the Bible, Proverbs is unique.  There are no stories. It is a book of wise sayings that will keep you from big trouble if you follow its advice.

But reading Proverbs or any book does little good if you don’t put it into practice.  I have read many a book with great advice that I have never put into practice. The danger in that is you can feel you have accomplished something without really doing it. It’s all the satisfaction without the hard work!

My goal today is to actually put into practice what I’ve read today. Now where is that Bible?

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