Originally published Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print view
Get the conversation started to forge new friendships
Back-to-school ideas for finding new friends and a clever craft using old CDs to showcase photos of friends and family.
Akron Beacon Journal
You can be surrounded by hundreds of kids on the first day of school and still feel alone, especially if you are the "new kid" in the classroom.
Making new friends may seem impossible, but arming yourself with some creative ammunition can help you get through the first few scary days of the new school year. Make a commitment to speak to at least one new person each day.
Given an opportunity, people love to talk about themselves. Asking a question and staging it along with a compliment should get a conversation going.
For example: "I like your shoes (blouse, bracelet, etc.). Where did you find them?" can start conversation. Or try asking about special interests such as sports and clubs.
If you ride a bus to school, pay attention to the kids who get off at stops near yours. Not only are they potential school chums, but they are also your neighbors — another avenue for starting a friendship.
Join after-school activities, such as science or literary clubs. You'll have an immediate topic of conversation based on an activity you both find interesting. Remember, the person you speak to may be shy, too.
Making a magnetic CD photo frame to hang in your locker is another way to let people know that you are an interesting person who has friends and special interests.
I found directions for this craft at Better Homes and Gardens on the Web at www.bhg.com/crafts/kids. Type "rainy day projects" in the site search bar, and you will find lots of back-to-school projects.
CD photo frame
Supplies:
• 3 old CDs
• 2-inch-wide ribbon, about 24 inches long
![]()
• Photos of friends, pets or family
• Glue
• Decorative-edged scissors
• Patterned paper
• Refrigerator magnet (available at most craft stores)
Cut a refrigerator magnet into three or four pieces. Glue one to the underside of the end of the ribbon. Fold ¼-inch of the ribbon over to the back and glue to secure.
Cut circles of decorative, patterned paper. Position your photos over the circles and glue, then glue the circles and photos to the shiny side of the CDs.
Glue the CD to the ribbon. Glue a magnet onto the back of the ribbon at the place where the CDs are positioned to help hold the ribbon on the metal locker surface.
Add other embellishments if you would like.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
E-mail article
Print view Share:
Digg
Newsvine
Seattle Times Fund For The Needy offers opportunity to give
Washington businesses break ties to industrial-food chain
This holiday gift list lets your conscience be your guide
Antique wood stove can light your decorative fire

Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Real Salt Lake is handed the 2009 MLS Cup trophy at Qwest Field, November 22, 2009.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Tugboat sinks on Seattle's waterfront
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Senate vote clears hurdle
239 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
128 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
122 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
121 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
121 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
90 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
58 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
53 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
52
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- 175 foster kids in Washington get 'forever families'








