Social and Emotional Learning: A Help or a Hindrance?
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Social and Emotional Learning: A Help or a Hindrance?

March 24, 2015 Since writing the article, A New View: We Need to Empower Introverts, about introverts in schools, I’ve thought a lot about behavioral influences on learning. My kids certainly approach their education differently. My son focuses intently because he worries about missing something the teacher might ask while my daughter tends to focus on the…

What the Creeper? An Introduction to Minecraft
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What the Creeper? An Introduction to Minecraft

March 31, 2015 It happened about six months ago. My son went to a friend’s house and played Minecraft. Parents who have experienced this know what came next … the obsession. He started talking about a variety of things that made little to no sense. The conversation ramped up to critical volume when we finally let him…

Family Friendly Spring Activities: 3 Apps That Add Adventure
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Family Friendly Spring Activities: 3 Apps That Add Adventure

April 6, 2015 Not sure how to entertain the troops over Spring Break? Maybe you’re going nuts inside the house. One of the newest videos from Common Sense Media offers some fun ideas and hits straight to the core of what I love. Family Friendly Spring Activities lists three apps that will inspire outside adventures…

April Volunteer Month: Ideas You Can Actually Use
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April Volunteer Month: Ideas You Can Actually Use

April 14, 2015 April is National Volunteer Month, the perfect time to think about getting kids involved with helping others. I strongly believe kids need to get outside of their personal life bubble in order to appreciate what they have and develop empathy for those less fortunate. This allows them to grow up with a…

Celebrate Red Nose Day on May 21st: Get Your Nose Today #RedNose
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Celebrate Red Nose Day on May 21st: Get Your Nose Today #RedNose

April 25, 2015 Get ready to purchase your red nose and make a difference in the lives of children! Red Nose Day is a campaign dedicated to raising money for children and young people living in poverty by simply having fun and making people laugh. The inaugural Red Nose Day will be held in the US…

Creating “Free Range” Experiences That Won’t End in an Ulcer
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Creating “Free Range” Experiences That Won’t End in an Ulcer

May 12, 2015 A few weeks ago, I talked about the tension between “free range” parenting and a more protective approach. A dad in Tennessee gained a certain amount of notoriety for his solution to this very problem. Now dubbed “Drone Dad,” he followed his daughter’s walk to school with a drone helicopter equipped with a…

Moms Say: Our Last Day of School Traditions
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Moms Say: Our Last Day of School Traditions

June 1, 2015 It’s June. For most elementary students, the year is wrapping up. For most parents of elementary students, you are running ragged because the school has decided to plan everything under the sun within these last few days. Whatever your lead-up looks like, you all deserve some sort of occasion or celebration for…

21 Ideas for Unplugged Summer Fun With the Kids
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21 Ideas for Unplugged Summer Fun With the Kids

July 31, 2015 I just read a great article about the difference between kids nowadays (overbooked, plugged in and stressed) and the kids in the 1960’s- early 90’s (us). I’m sure most of us remember summers running around the grass with the other kids in the neighborhood. We also remember being bored with a capital…

Keep Their Brains and Smiles Working Through the Break
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Keep Their Brains and Smiles Working Through the Break

June 29, 2015 It’s summer. The kids are done with school and homework is the last thing on their mind. As parents, we face the balance of how to keep them learning, their brains working, and the lessons fresh while still leaving space for summer fun. I have always been a huge believer in allowing kids to rest….

Warm Weather is Perfect for Family Bonding: 5 Great Ideas
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Warm Weather is Perfect for Family Bonding: 5 Great Ideas

August 12, 2015 While it’s great to spend time huddled together indoors during the winter months, there’s something about that carefree feeling of summer that can really bring people together. Maybe it’s the lack of inhibitions that allow us to better connect with each other or perhaps the sunshine makes us happier. Whatever it is, warm…

5 Times Someone Nailed the Truth of Parenting
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5 Times Someone Nailed the Truth of Parenting

August 5, 2015 Parenting … “It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love,” some people say. While they might be right, I’ll be honest, most days parenting expressions just make me roll my eyes. Being a mom can feel like anything but lovely. Between the sunshine and rainbows of Mommy videos, I’ve found a these 5 videos…

Multiple Intelligences: Fresh Perspective for a New School Year
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Multiple Intelligences: Fresh Perspective for a New School Year

August 20, 2015 It’s that time of year. School, and all of the activities that come with it, are starting up again. One of the best parts of these beginnings is the blank slate. Kids enter the classroom relatively clear. Their potential remains untapped. They have no grades in the grade books or homework assignments…

5 High Tech Ways to Keep Track of Your Kids This Fall
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5 High Tech Ways to Keep Track of Your Kids This Fall

September 2, 2015 One of today’s most hotly debated topics revolves around how much freedom children should be given. Some parents believe that kids should be independent from a young age while others feel that their children need to be closely monitored. The majority of us fall somewhere in between. No matter what side you’re…

Back-To-School for the Preschool Set: Learning Without the Classroom
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Back-To-School for the Preschool Set: Learning Without the Classroom

August 25, 2015 We’ve been seeing them for a month now: back-to-school pictures, back-to-school sales, back-to-school supplies and so on. But if you have a little one at home, “back-to-school” might not look like an August commercial. What can you do with those toddlers who get left behind when the older kids go to school…

Parents Rock Out for Back To School: 4 Fun Parody Videos
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Parents Rock Out for Back To School: 4 Fun Parody Videos

September 1, 2015 It’s the first day of September, that wonderful month that traditionally signifies “Parental Freedom.” Oh no, I meant to say “Back to School.” Whether your kids started weeks ago or still have a week of vacation, you can probably relate to the feeling I have today. Even though I know the massive…

A New Approach for Those Frustrating Discipline Moments
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A New Approach for Those Frustrating Discipline Moments

September 15, 2015 This summer gave me plenty of time to interact closely with my entering-adolescence daughter. It also left me with a sense that we were going to need a different approach to discipline. Raging hormones just aren’t that responsive to sharp words or punishments. I realized that I had to step into her shoes,…

Becoming Your Child’s Sherpa: 5 Steps to Guiding Children
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Becoming Your Child’s Sherpa: 5 Steps to Guiding Children

September 29, 2015 Deep in the wilds of Nepal lives a native people group perfectly adapted to the harsh environment and challenges of mountain climbing. Climbers attempting to ascend Mount Everest turn to them as guides. They are Sherpas. Their name has become so synonymous with knowledgeable leadership that in our modern culture, we use…

Science of Generosity: What We Give and What We Gain
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Science of Generosity: What We Give and What We Gain

November 17, 2015 We’ve all heard it, especially around this time of year. “It’s better to give than receive!” “Give back to the needy! Work in a soup kitchen or donate to a toy drive!” The idea even pops up in most of our holiday stories. “The Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!”…

California Lemonade Stand Girl Inspires Others To Put Compassion Into Action
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California Lemonade Stand Girl Inspires Others To Put Compassion Into Action

December 7, 2015 When the California lemonade stand girl, Vivienne Harr, rang the bell on the New York Stock Exchange floor two years ago to ring in Twitter’s IPO, both she and her dad thought their amazing run had closed with a bang.  But they were so wrong. Right after Vivienne, then a fourth grader,…

The Party Is Over: 7 Ways to Alleviate Winter Doldrums for Kids
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The Party Is Over: 7 Ways to Alleviate Winter Doldrums for Kids

January 8, 2016 It happens every winter. Kids fall into the January doldrums. Despite the new toys that likely came along in December, the short days indoors can cause children to be bored or want to play video games all day. I, like many parents, won’t allow that! Some gentle redirection, and perhaps thinking out of the box,…

We’re Trapped! 6 Indoor Survival Activities That Go Beyond Screens
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We’re Trapped! 6 Indoor Survival Activities That Go Beyond Screens

January 26, 2016 Be it a massive snowstorm on the East Coast or El Nino rains on the West, many of us face the possibility of days inside with the kids. No matter what your opinion on screen time and video games, they can only hold a child’s attention for a certain amount of time. I’ve worked…

Take the Stress out of Standardized Testing
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Take the Stress out of Standardized Testing

February 17, 2016 It’s that time of year again: In early March, expect your child to spend hours a day feeling antsy and filling out bubbles with a number 2 pencil. As schools are being held more and more accountable for increasing student achievement relative to state learning standards, additional classroom time is being devoted to…

Parenting in Real Life: 3 Times They Nailed It
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Parenting in Real Life: 3 Times They Nailed It

April 26, 2016 Last week, I almost had to punch a co-worker. During a discussion she actually said, “Well, your kids can take care of themselves but my animals can’t.” I’ll pause here to give you a chance to roll your eyes. Still, she can’t be held completely responsible for her perceptions of parenthood. She’s…

Celebrating Fathers-to-Be on Father’s Day
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Celebrating Fathers-to-Be on Father’s Day

June 6, 2016 When Mother’s Day and Father’s Day roll around, it can be tough to know whether to include expectant parents but, really, why wouldn’t we? They are already caring for their child by preparing for their arrival. Interestingly enough, we seem more willing to include pregnant mamas but how wonderful would it be…

Summer Survival: 7 Low Maintenance Activities to Occupy Your Kids
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Summer Survival: 7 Low Maintenance Activities to Occupy Your Kids

June 7, 2016 Memorial Day doesn’t mark the start of summer. Neither does the solstice. We’re parents. Summer starts ten minutes after you walk through the door on that last day of school when kids tell you they’re bored. Many of you have already started “summer.” Our district likes to drag it out until it…