As an elementary teacher, I get lots of the same kinds of questions from parents every year, and all of them fall into ghe general category of "How can I help my child to do his or her best in school." With Smart Start I'll be adressing a frequently asked issue realting to education. Feel free to respond in the comments with other questions you may have. My goal is to provide you with answers, tips, and insights to help you support your child as a learner at every stage.
Where I live, the air is fragrant with flowers and newly cut hay right now. It is July, and officially summer. Summer in a child's mind is a time of adventure and family, of lazy mornings and lazier afternoons.
But summer also marks the beginning of an important time in your child's academic career: a time of maintaining skills and progress. Children who do not spend time reading over the summer often show significant losses in their reading skills at the start of the new school year, and boys, specifically find it challenging to sink into a good book over the summer months.
Young boys who have just started reading chapter books often struggle with finding books that engage them. Many tend to prefer nonfiction texts or comics: stuff with a wow-factor and humor rather than character development and plot. Boys are often inclined to put the book down mid-way through and zip off to something more engaging if the book hasn't fully drawn them in, and nonfiction reading or comics caters to this style of reading.
But strong comprehension strategies are built and sustained by reading fictional chapter books that require readers to keep track of characters, monitor plot changes, make predictions, and build on prior knowledge. And it's a worthy summer cause to try and find at least one or two chapter books that belong to a series that your son likes, so that he can practice and build on some of these important reaching comprehension skills.
Diplomats in Geneva recently set new limits on the amount of certain kinds of bacteria allowable in baby formula as well as the level of natural toxins in some types of nuts. They also tackled the amount of gluten permissible in products labeled 'gluten-free.' The safety standards will apply to all internationally shipped foods.
The outcome of the standards is to hopefully affect hygiene practices and therefore reduce the amount of contamination of two kinds of bacteria in powdered formulas which have been known to cause illness and death in infants. Foods labeled gluten-free would not be able to contain more than 20 milligrams of gluten per kilogram, nor could they contain wheat, rye, barley or oats. Regulations were also set for the amounts of aflotoxins in almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios. Aflotoxins are known carcinogens in lab animals.
Over 170 countries claim membership to The Codex Alimentarius Commission responsible for making these decision, which also includes the European Union. Other topics for consideration are frozen foods, flavoring, tomatoes (no surprise there given the United States' recent issues with them) and mineral water.
It's officially summer. To me that means long evenings, watermelon and picnics. Preferably watermelon served all day at the picnic and into the long evening. While I never grow tired of picnic food--burgers, potato salad and pasta salad come to mind--by the end of the summer many people do. The Minimalist over at the New York Times has compiled a list of 101 ideas to ratchet your picnic dining experience up a notch. I was interested enough in trying something new to give the menu a glance, but my critical eye looked for easy, simple recipes and ingredients I'd be able to both pronounce and unearth at a local supermarket while still tending to my number one job, being a mom.
Some of the recipes are familiar or simple enough. Make egg salad and add curry powder to make curried egg salad. That sounds yummy. If I had kids old enough to eat egg salad they might freak out though. The cornflake chicken bites seem more the kid-speed. If you're going to take the time to make fried chicken you might as well throw cornflakes on it and make it bite-sized for your little ones. I would definitely give that one a try. Other recommendations include some that can be store-bought, which is simpler and easier if not cheaper. My aunt never arrives to any event without a deli-bought relish tray. Does it really make a difference if she or someone else is cutting up the vegetables? I don't think so--they crunch just the same.
The 101 ideas provide something for everyone and some recipes are easy enough to make, to modify or to buy at the store. That makes for a good picnic. The kids might be confused by the non-picnic basics though. Worst case scenario? Make some of these for the adults and stick with the hotdogs and burgers for the kids. But perhaps try to get them to try some egg salad with curry in it, just for fun. Jsut don't forget the watermelon.
What about you? Any great ideas for a little something different at the picnic that even the kids will enjoy?
How often do you find yourself searching for answers to life's little parenting problems? You know, like how to get the sand off your kids at the end of a long day at the beach, or what to serve the kid who hates broccoli, or when to buy your toddler her first real shoes? Every day? Probably.
Fortunately for you, we've got the answers! Or at least some strategies that have worked for us, and that we're sure will work for you as well.
ParentDish is happy to announce the DailyDish, a compilation of tips and tricks to make your life as a parent a little easier. Each week, our crack team of parent bloggers will help you with various common dilemmas -- this week's tips, for example, are all geared toward making your day at the beach or pool more enjoyable and less stressful. Coming next week: strategies for making your staycation a YAYcation.
Tips will appear daily in the special fancy box over on the right , under the logo you see here (today's tip: how to prevent bringing the beach home with you). We'll set you up with a new tip every weekday, so stop by to see what we're dishing about today.
Would you use the new milk jug? Or, are you wedded to the cardboard cartons of what is soon to be the past? I remember when I was a kid and we got milk delivered to our house every week in a glass bottle. Nothing tasted more refreshing. By the time I was a teen those days were gone and we got cartons. Now, those cartons are being replaced by something less expensive to produce and more environmentally sound.
Sound good? It is. Still, the new concept has some consumers fuming, or at least perplexed. The problem with the new milk jug is that it SPILLS. Kids drink more milk than anybody, and this new design, being favored by places like Wal-Mart and Costco, which is becoming more available by the day, is not easy to use.
Kids have trouble pouring anyway, but the new milk jug, so foreign in its design to many, makes that simple task more manageable. Some sellers have taken it upon themselves to educate consumers on the how-to, to make pouring from the jug easier. Folks still are a little unnerved by the square shape of the jug--and they're not convinced the same old milk is in there. I had the same problem with Parmalat. Now I love it, but it was hard getting used to it at first.
What about you? Had any experience with the new milk? And???
Back in the days before Eve Ensler, the word 'vagina' was the verboten V-word. Now, it seems, there is another V-word on the horizon that people -- well, guys -- refuse to discuss, let alone think about: the vasectomy. Women have long-regarded the vasectomy as an easier, safer way toward permanent birth-control. Well, it's semi-permanent, actually, because it is a reversible procedure. Men regard it as little more than butchery. Women could get their tubes tied, the men say. Men could wear a condom, the women say. Men say that would reduce their feeling. Women say, well, tough!
But what about the vasectomy, really? Modern medicine would say it is a simpler and safer procedure than tubal ligation. It's also cheaper. There's also a new non-scalpel version on the market (my husband says don't even think of mentioning the words 'scalpel' and 'penis' in the same sentence; it turns him green). The result of unwanted pregnancy after a vasectomy is also low at 1 in 1,000.
It's also a procedure no one is really using. Why? Well, there is the obvious concern that my husband put so well. Then there are the myths that having a vasectomy reduces testosterone, etc. that still float around us like so much hot air. There's also the fear of having a needle stuck in one's weewee, which has been replaced by jet-powered anesthesia.
What about your family? Once you reached the optimal number of children (or no children!) what method of birth control did you or are you employing? Was vasectomy an option, or was it verboten?
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $1,000,000 to charities in Iraq and the United States. Through their Jolie-Pitt foundation, the power couple's donations will focus on the needs of children affected by the war.
$500,000 was given to three charities in Iraq to support children's education. Another $500,000 was donated to give aid to children whose parents were killed in the war or who have a parent in the military. The $1,000,000 will provide educational supplies and counseling to children.
Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations. Pitt has made a name for himself building homes for those devastated by the flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It's nice to continutally be able to report on celebrities doing GOOD! Thanks, Ange and Brad!
Time Magazine recently interviewed an editor-at-large from popular magazine Psychology Today. The topic? Children, and whether or not we're turning our kids into wimps. Hara Estroff Marano, the interviewee, had much to say on the subject of children, and how we raise them. Marano, who is also a grandmother and author of a new book titled A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting, says we are turning our kids into wimps. She says we need to let our kids have bad experiences as it's the only way they learn.
Marano pointed out her research on the college campus, noting that her colleagues commented that many of the students they were treating lacked coping skills. Says Marano, "...they have no idea how to manage the vicissitudes of life." Why has this happened? Well, according to Marano we're worried about our kids being successful. We push them too hard to achieve, and we worry more about branding than experience, focusing on sending them to the best schools, etc., when perhaps the brand name of Harvard or Yale is not what they need. Access to information through the Internet makes everything fleeting and transitional and ultimately obsolete before we can even understand it fully.
Marano also argues, along with much of our nation, that our children are being over-medicated and that play time is not valued as it should be. And, shocker, she feels we're too involved in every aspect of our children's lives. So how to deal? Well, according to Marano, we need to step back, let kids prove their competence, let them play, and make sure we eat together five times a week. I don't know if doing these things will save our kids from being wimps, or if they're wimps in the first place, but she does provide an interesting perspective.
Your thoughts? Do you think we overprotect our children and undervalue their ability? Or is that what it takes to get through this crazy modern world?
A recent New York Times article calls attention to a humorous bumper sticker: "I'm spending my children's inheritance." While that sentiment may be a funny one, it turns out to be true in more ways than we know. Our parents, who may have had something to give us at one point, are now spending what they once might have earmarked for us. And it's a trend we'll probably be continuing with our own children. Never mind the Paris Hiltons of the world, who are sure to inherit a fortune if not the earth itself. What about the rest of us? The economy is tanking, and there's no quick financial solution to that. Those of us with retiree parents are finding our parents need what they have just to contend with inflation.
Many parents are doing what my grandparents made a veritable hobby of years ago. They give away their furniture, jewelry and other assets while they're still alive. According to the AARP, 21% of folks interviewed who were born after 1964 thought they'd receive an inheritance, not Grandma's fiesta ware. So what stops the inheritance buck here? Things like the fact that people are living longer than ever, that social security is dwindling and will probably end, that medicare stinks and will probably get worse. Fewer people have pensions and more of them have soaring healthcare costs. All of this and more contributes to a lack of inheritance.
As for me, I'm probably never going to make any money any way, so I won't have anything but a wiener dog and an old Honda CRV to pass on to my kids. I will try to instill in them to instead save, save, save. The American dream is capitalism, and the old American way used to be inheritance. The new American way is to save--because no one is going to do it for you. And while I may not be able to pass on any money to my kids, I've made sure my husband and I won't be passing on any debt either.
What about you? Do you have an inheritance coming, or do you plan on setting one up for your children?
Let's face it--the economy stinks. Or, maybe, we never had any money anyway. Still, we love dad and want to get him something special--or at least useful and not (too) gimmicky--for Father's Day. We don't have the money for the new watch he deserves or the new car he could really use (to haul us around in to our various activities). So, what can we get him that will show him how much we love and appreciate him and that's not another tie or t-shirt without breaking the piggy bank?
Wayne Parker over at About.com has some ideas for frugal--not cheap--Father's Day gifts. I appreciate the fact that this list was compiled by a man. Not that a woman couldn't pick out just the thing for her baby daddy, but there is something appealing about the idea that this man would recommend and possibly actually want--let alone approve of--these choices. I especially like the notion of the baseball cap organizer--I know a dad (massive Angels fan) who could use one of those. Also fun and unique was the secret safe. Who would have thought? My only assumption is that the safe isn't big enough for certain kinds of videos or magazines, but rather for extra car keys and the like. Depends on the dad, I suppose.
Other ideas include buying dad a DVD of one of his favorite movies or TV shows, or perhaps getting him a subscription to his favorite magazine (but not the kind that would go in the secret safe). Honestly, some dads might prefer a gift certificate to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or wherever they get their morning coffee/tea. If dad is athletic, sports socks are actually a good gift--they're not cheap, they're very comfortable and they will be used. Pair them with some wrist sweat bands and you're good to go. Get dad a new water bottle to take with him--just make sure it's free of bisphenol-A.
Adjusting to life as a new mom can be incredibly hard: the sleeplessness, the nursing, the fact that your body is still not the body it was before the baby. And when your on your third (or eighth or fifteenth) consecutive day at home in your pajamas you may start to wonder why this whole Mommy thing seemed like such a good idea in the first place.
Thank god for the Rookie Moms.
The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to Do With (and Without) Your Baby is a lifesaver for new moms. Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss -- the Rookie Moms -- have complied an exhaustive and engaging array of simple, manageable outings for new moms and their wee ones. The book, which is tiny enough to tuck into a diaper bag, is arranged by age, from month 1 to month 12; activities include #10 Take a nice hot shower (with how-to tips for keeping baby comfortable and safe), #89 Swing out sister (getting baby in a real swing, like out at the park or playground), and #188 Throw an inside-out party (celebrate the baby being on the outside by indulging in things you gave up while pregnant, like soft cheese or bungee jumping).
The premise behind the Rookie Mom's Handbook is simple: new moms need to get out of the house, every day. "No matter what activity you choose, we are adamant that you must get out of the house, even when it seems easier just to stay in. The baby will be less fussy, and you'll be happier too." Flett and Moss give moms seven good reasons to leave the house every day, the most important of which is number 7: "That's what people do, and moms are just people who have children."
This is the perfect baby shower gift for any rookie mom in your life. And let's face it, even if this is your second (or fourth or eighth) baby, you're still a rookie at some level.
In a recent New York Times article, the pain associated with not being able to have a child is likened to that of a back ache--dull, aching, and never quite goes away. For some women, the miracle of child birth and the joy of raising a child will always be unattainable--because of infertility, because of timing or age, or for unknown reasons.
Some of these women (and their partners) adopt. Some, like Pamela Mahoney, who was interviewed for the article, make the tough decision to move on. Many of them do this after countless hours and thousands of dollars spent on treatments, analysis and IVF. They decide to remain childless.
The question that keeps ringing in the back of my head is why not adopt? There are so many children out there who need loving homes, the kind that surely these couples would be able to offer. As one woman commented in the article, adoption isn't an easy answer. She'd seen the struggles of her friends who went through the adoption process. I've seen it to--some meet with success, others not so much. It's just as heartbreaking.
Remember those days before you were married, before you had kids? Those we call the salad days, of dating, of togetherness. Generally speaking, those days are full of getting to know each other going out, and lots and lots of sex. Then, we get married and settle down, and so do our sex lives.
Not so for two couples whose bedroom activities have been documented in their recently published books. Both couples' goal? To have sex as much as possible. Can it be done? Sure. Should it be done? Well, I guess you'll have to read the books.
For some strange reason--or maybe familiarity really does breed contempt--our sex lives go down hill, or at the very least take a detour, after we get married. Show me a couple who has as much sex as they did when they were dating (religious preferences aside) and I'll show you a couple who are writing a book.
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to lose your child, to just be walking around out there when suddenly, bam, she's missing? Has it ever actually happened to you? I don't think any of us wants to relive the recent saga of what happened to the McCanns, yet this is the world in which we live. I can't even allow myself to imagine what that horror must feel like. I know now why my mother was so overprotective when I was a kid!
MomLogic feels the same way and has provided us with a list of good ideas to keep in mind. After a recent incident in upstate New York when a little boy went missing--but was then thankfully found--Pattie Fitzgerald of safelyeverafer.com compiled a list of tips we can all use to mind our little ones, whether we're on an out-and-out full-on family vacation or just a quick trip to the store.
Things like having a meeting place in case you get separated is always a good one I remember from my own childhood. I also noted with interest dressing your child in bright colors to make him or her easily identifiable in a crowd as well as the notion of telling a child to find another mom with kids to ask for help should separation occur. Another great and simple idea: make sure your kids know your cell phone number. One would guess at this point many kids actually have phones of their own, which, though annoying at times, could make all the difference.
I noted that the safety precaution my mom had to resort to when I was a kid (because I was a wanderer) is not one there. She had to harness me and clip it to her belt!
"When my father explained that (s)he was becoming a woman, (s)he handed me a pamphlet about transgender issues," says Monica Canfield-Lenfest. "I really wanted a pamphlet for me. Ten years later, that resource finally exists." Canfield-Lenfest is the author of a new resource for children of transgendered parents.
Produced and published by COLAGE, an organization that works with children and adults who have one ore more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parents, the guide "seeks to provide an understanding of transgender issues specifically for the children of transgender people." It includes sections on common questions, transition, and coming out as a Kid of Trans (KOT).
The guide has quotes and advice from other KOT's sprinkled liberally throughout, offering comfort to those who suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar territory. The guide (in PDF format) is available for free from the COLAGE website. Check it out if you or someone you know is a KOT. Many thanks to Monica and COLAGE for producing this valuable resource!
How often do you find yourself searching for answers to life's little parenting problems? You know, like how to get the sand off your kids at the end of a long day at the beach, or what to serve the kid who hates broccoli, or when to buy your toddler her first real shoes? Every day? Probably.
Would you use the 
Adjusting to life as a new mom can be incredibly hard: the sleeplessness, the nursing, the fact that your body is still not the body it was before the baby. And when your on your third (or eighth or fifteenth) consecutive day at home in your pajamas you may start to wonder why this whole Mommy thing seemed like such a good idea in the first place.
"When my father explained that (s)he was becoming a woman, (s)he handed me a pamphlet about transgender issues," says Monica Canfield-Lenfest. "I really wanted a pamphlet for me. Ten years later, that resource finally exists." Canfield-Lenfest is the author of a 
