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Middle Years

The wild that was parenting in 2017 – and what lies ahead

The wild that was parenting in 2017 – and what lies ahead

If the year 2017 was an actual person, I envision he or she would have a fidget spinner in one hand, a smart phone in another while driving a car with his or her knees. It was a wild year for parents and at times even a little scary. But there were also some lighthearted […]

Keep your child’s brain engaged during school breaks

Keep your child’s brain engaged during school breaks

December 22, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, Middle Years

During the recent Thanksgiving holiday break from school, my two sons and I decided to do a game night and dusted off Monopoly. I realized shortly after we started to play that Monopoly is a goldmine for practicing math and reading skills. Adding the dice to figure out how many spaces to move, counting out […]

Charitable giving that goes beyond the swipe of a phone

Charitable giving that goes beyond the swipe of a phone

December 18, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

One day last spring, as I picked my daughter up after school, she rushed to the car in breathless distress. Swinging open a rear door in a flurry of backpack straps, folders and loose homework, she pushed a slip of paper into my hands. “We have to help the animals!” I remember looking around, expecting […]

Ideas for stronger dinner conversations with your kids

Ideas for stronger dinner conversations with your kids

December 6, 2017 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

You just worked a full day, rushed home to make dinner, sit down to eat with your family and open with this showstopper: “How was school today?” A popular answer to this question is, “K,” or perhaps you’re familiar with: “It was fine,” or “Good.” Or even worse, an answer doesn’t come. Just your child, […]

Children and Technology: How parents can help navigate them through the Digital Age

Children and Technology: How parents can help navigate them through the Digital Age

December 6, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years, Uncategorized

There’s been a great deal of discussion in social, educational, and professional circles about the benefits and challenges of children (of all ages) using technology. I began paying more attention to the different points of view when I took a look at my children’s holiday wish lists. Written at the top were smartphones, laptops, and […]

Science says later school start times could be the answer to the tired teen

Science says later school start times could be the answer to the tired teen

November 29, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Sometimes teens get a bad rap when they want to sleep the day away after staying up all night. But it turns out, according to science, your “lazy” teen might just be tired. “When we’re newborns, we need a lot of sleep, as much as 17 hours, in chunks spread throughout the day. But as […]

Are today’s teenagers less prepared for adulthood than previous generations?

Are today’s teenagers less prepared for adulthood than previous generations?

November 7, 2017 | Posted in: High School, Middle Years

Pick the apples off the ground. Put them in the basket. Pick the apples off the ground. Put them in the basket. This was my first job. All…day…long. As a 13-year-old, a friend and I worked in a Saratoga County, N.Y. orchard picking “drops” in the fall. The farm for which I worked used the […]

Striking a balance between down time and busy schedules

Striking a balance between down time and busy schedules

November 2, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, Middle Years

Our local community center’s winter activities catalog arrived the other day in the mail. By the look of it, you would think it was the much-coveted holiday toy catalog because of the way my children have earmarked it, tagged pages, and circled activities. They even color-coded and put their initials next to what they circled […]

Teachable moments: Empathy in action in times of tragedy

Teachable moments: Empathy in action in times of tragedy

October 6, 2017 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”  Perhaps the most famous quote from everyone’s favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers, came from a lesson from his mother, detailing empathy in action. Our […]

Jump out of the rut; learn how to pack nutritious and fun school lunches

Jump out of the rut; learn how to pack nutritious and fun school lunches

October 3, 2017 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, Middle Years

Well, it happened already. My daughter came home from school, handed back her full lunchbox, and with pleading eyes said: “Please, Mom, no more ham and cheese sandwiches. Please.” We are only just beginning the second month of school and I’ve hit a lunch packing dead end. How is that even possible? After chatting with […]