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Archive for February, 2012

When the news gets scary

When the news gets scary

February 29, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

  Feb. 15, 2018 – The dateline for this article has been updated several times since its original publication in 2011. Terror in the streets and violence in our schools repeatedly spark a search for help. What can we do, how can we talk to our children about the scary events we all may see […]

Please don’t suck helium

February 29, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Peer pressure. We all hear about it. At some point in our lives, we probably even succumbed to it. Peer pressure isn’t always bad. In fact, there are times when peer pressure is good – such as when your children’s friends challenge them to push themselves in a class or athletics, or to try something […]

Raising a responsible child

February 29, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

The text came within 60 seconds after the bus pulled away from the curb. “I left my math homework on dining room table. Can you bring it to school?” It was the fourth time in three weeks my 7th grader had forgotten something at home that absolutely had to be delivered to school or she […]

‘TV diet’ gets high ratings

February 29, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

It should come as no surprise that watching too much television contributes to obesity in children. The obvious reason: Watching TV doesn’t require much physical activity beyond the thumb on the remote for channel surfing. Studies about childhood obesity also point out that kids frequently snack more when they’re in front of the tube – […]

Toddler tantrums often mimic adult behavior

February 29, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

A new study indicates the way parents approach the toddler years can affect how their child will develop. Researchers found that “parents who anger easily and overreact are more likely to have toddlers who act out and become upset easily.” In other words, if you quickly fly off the handle at your toddler’s boundary-testing antics, […]

New learning standards: “Slow down, dig deeper” for better understanding

February 14, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Spend any time around educators these days and you’re likely to hear the terms “common core” and “shifts.” They’re talking about new learning standards, called “Common Core State Standards” (CCSS), the result of an effort kicked off in 2009 by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The […]

Write on! Tips to help your child flourish as a writer

February 14, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

My 7-year-old son’s aversion to writing is somewhat surprising, given that he’s the child of two professional writers. Yet, his second-grade teacher’s comments at our parent/teacher conference were not totally unexpected. We’re familiar with his pattern. His idea of expanding a sentence is to change “It was fun” to “It was really, really, really, really […]

Preschool math made fun

February 14, 2012 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Whether it’s counting forks for the dinner table or measuring the length of the kitchen counter with Matchbox cars, there are plenty of opportunities to make learning math concepts fun for your preschool child. Learning beginning math concepts such as sorting, patterning, ordering, counting and number recognition can help your child navigate the world of […]