This post is part of an ongoing series featuring items from the newly acquired Santo Domingo collection.
Although most of the items in the Santo Domingo Collection are geared towards adults there are some great exceptions. Discover Skills for Life is a teaching tool for elementary schools that addresses wide ranging topics from building self-esteem to decision making and relationship skills. Also included is a chapter on becoming informed about drugs in which the authors explain different types of drugs in order to differentiate medicine from illegal drugs as well as describing tobacco and alcohol. One section in this chapter is about challenging the myths about alcohol.
The first myth is the idea that only hard liquor is harmful, the second is that only large amounts of alcohol can hurt people. This one is answered specifically for children since they cannot handle as much alcohol as an adult can. The final myth is that alcohol is the best way to have fun. The handbook explains that this is not true and that there are many other ways to have fun such as skateboarding, reading, hiking, fishing and visiting a relative.
There are also discussion questions at the end of each page. Some of them are more casual such as “what favorite ways of having fun do you have?” whereas others are more pointed and specific like “why do many cocaine abusers quickly become dependent on the drug?” The first and last chapters of the book are much more lighthearted, addressing communication, giving up worries, and positive self-talk. Although the book is clearly geared towards children and doesn’t provide a lot of specific information, it is interesting to see how these difficult subjects are address when elementary students are the primary target.
This book, Discover Skills for Life is available in the Santo Domingo Collection at Widener Library.
Thanks to Emma Clement, Santo Domingo Library Assistant, for contributing this post.