Like so many others during this stay-at-home period, I have spent an unusual amount of time watching television, especially news or current events programming. It helps me stay up to date on how my life, which feels completely out of my control, is likely to change or when it might ever return to some semblance […]
History books are a gift to help us never forget. They are like breathing in at the focus time and then breathing out years later. By recording history we capture a point in time for future reflections. Daunting? But writing a history book that accurately reflects the facts is challenging. A well-written, vetted history book takes planning and […]
Sometimes we educators get focused on literacy development in young children exclusively in the form of reading, as if print is the only kind of communication between humans. Granted, print is the most venerated form of literacy in our culture. Mastering this literacy skill leads to becoming avid, self-determined, lifelong print readers, writers and learners, and […]
The U.S. tradition of long summer school breaks hails from times when children lived on family farms and needed to be available during the growing season to help tend them. While beneficial for farming, long breaks from structured learning can take its toll on academic progress. The sometimes negative impact of up to 12 weeks away […]
With school years suspended, possibly for the duration of the pandemic, academic regimentation dictated by age, test scores and past accomplishment disappears. This is good news, folks! Positively possible Families suddenly are left in a homebound world of what could be infinite learning possibilities regardless of a child’s school status. Developing the habit of unstructured, fulfilling lifelong learning […]
Okay, so we find ourselves at home with one or more squirming, tussling, arguing, irritated kid who wants to go and do anything but stay at home, but can’t. To provide more educational structure to each day, should you put on a homeschool hat and give it a try? Nah. I suggest that you keep your […]
Are your kids home for spring break or an extended break due to COVID-19? Are you working from home or perhaps not working, but quarantining at home? If you’re finding yourself with a lot of time in close quarters with your kids, you’re not alone. Experts recommend that to keep everybody from getting antsy and feeling […]
When children who have had plenty of experience with books and reading go to the school library, they tend to know what titles they want to check out. Like most avid readers, they know what topics and which authors they like. They also enjoy the freedom the library offers, as selecting their own books to […]
March is National Reading Awareness Month designed to showcase the value of reading. That’s a good thing, but the focus is always about better children’s reading, which belies the vast powers of sharing reading with the whole family. Sharing reading of anything by anybody within a family can be a HUGE asset for creating a culture […]
I’ve been reviewing various authoritative sources about “ages and stages” for children. Most parents at some point encounter such guidelines and then consider what they’re doing wrong or right for their young children. Every area of language development from Asking questions to delivering Zingers are at some point a concern for parents, especially new parents. […]
