To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Scholastic recently unveiled new covers for the Harry Potter series. These new paperback editions were illustrated by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi. In each of the new cover illustrations, Kibuishi captures a pivotal moment […]
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I remember when I was in first grade and I’d ask my teacher for homework. It sounded so “grown-up” to have “homework”. But it didn’t take long for me to learn that homework was no fun. Like most kids, I began to dread it. I joined the armies of kids fighting their parents to watch
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My youngest son just started preschool. He is on the autism spectrum, so he is required to go to public school to receive his therapies. Long story short: our school district is one of the poorest in the entire state of Colorado. This was a surprise to me as there are quite a few affluent
Too Many Toys? Donate to your local School. Read More »
It’s a fact that many kids are moving away from organized sports and after school activities. More and more children are instead sitting in front of the television watching their favorite shows or playing video games that aren’t getting them active. There are many reasons kids are not participating in organized sports, here are just
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Transitioning your younger children to days without their older siblings This year my son will be in the 1st grade. It’s a huge transition not only for him but also for my 4 year old daughter who hasn’t yet experienced a full day without him home. There is also the issue that it’s a milestone
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My daughter’s First Grade class is learning about the neighborhood we live in via short field trips to local businesses and public spaces. Each of these excursions requires several chaperones. A 1:3 grown up to kid ratio, in fact. So my husband and I signed up: He got a scavenger hunt in the park; I
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With schools in many parts of the country in session for a couple of weeks and all kids back in school this week, learning is—or should be—on top of all parents’ minds. I spent the last month talking to parents and kids about going back to school, and one of the things they’re very concerned about is performance. In fact, almost too much. For some kids, especially those starting high school, the level of anxiety was particularly high. Why? Because they’re already concerned about their performance and how that’s going to affect their ability to get into college.
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As a kid I was always excited about back to school. It was a thrill returning to the classroom with teachers and classmates. My birthday in September always felt extra-special, with textbook distribution happening around the same time. In middle school we spent more time in the hallways, racing from room to room. I noticed everyone else seemed taller, perhaps because of the October 31 cutoff date for registration. In high school I did well on the standardized college tests, and one of New Jersey’s most prestigious schools even offered me a scholarship. My parents and teachers encouraged me to accept. Instead, I went to vocational school and got a job.
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It’s that time of year again when parents everywhere are dealing with re-setting their child to get back in the school mindset. But before the learning begins, there are some basic routines that families can establish to make the transition as smooth as possible. Some of it rests with parents while kids themselves also have a role…so how is the work divided?
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I’ve sat through three parent sessions this week at my daughter’s school that dealt with “summer brain drain” and how to keep kids from losing 30% of what teachers worked hard all year to cram into their little brains. And while some of the information was useful, very little of it took into account that kids actually need and deserve some time off. I was also struck by “fun activity” recommendations they offered parents for keeping kids’ minds engaged all summer. I’m pretty sure that my daughter would not, in fact, enjoy me dumping her LEGOs all over the floor so that she can count them as she cleans them up.
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I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by. With school starting on August 11th (August 5th for us teachers), we have already started to get ready for back to school. We are excited each year to begin preparing for a new school year as getting ready for school is a little different at our house. Yes, we have a Kindergarten Princess and a 5th grade Superstar to prepare but as teachers, my husband and I have classrooms to prepare as well. We have shopped and purchased all the necessary supplies, clothes, and teaching resources to prepare us for the first day of school.
I grew up in a middle class Long Island, New York neighborhood. We weren’t poor and we weren’t rich. My parents were hard working people who watched their P’s and Q’s. My two sisters and I got what we needed and for the most part were content. That is until the 4th grade.
