Building Confidence and Resiliency in Young Learners
By Marissa Hutter
Today’s Kindergarten curriculum has advanced. Whether you attend public or private school, children are expected to be reading and writing stories by the end of Kindergarten. They have a certain number of sight words to be memorized. They take written tests and get graded. The transition from a play-based preschool, to an entirely academic day has challenged our children in new ways. The curriculum has changed, however, children’s developmental needs have not. Children today still require the same social, emotional, and cognitive foundational skills that were once offered over the course of Preschool and Kindergarten.
Yes, the transition into kindergarten can be difficult. But ultimately, building a foundation of confidence and resiliency will equip children with the mindset, motivation, and capability to succeed in school. (more…)
I’m In to Protect Kids on Safe Kids Day, Are You?
By Kate Carr
We’ve all had personal or professional experiences that are so meaningful that we’ll remember them forever. I’ll never forget walking through South Africa with a group of people all working to make sure babies were born HIV-free and that their mothers stayed healthy and could care for their children. I’ve also walked hand-in-hand with brain cancer survivors and cheered on marathon runners to raise awareness for many worthwhile causes.
There is nothing more empowering than being part of a sea of people committed to saving lives. It’s those moments that inspired Safe Kids to find a way to highlight our cause by giving all parents a chance to come together around the one thing we care about most: our kids. (more…)
March-2017, Best Summer Camps
Serve Yourself Before Serving Others
By Fern Langham
More and more women, especially hardworking moms, are experiencing thyroid and hormone imbalances – which manifest as unfavorable and un-sexy symptoms such as weight gain, brain fog and anxiety. Quickly and deservedly so, women become disheartened and down-trodden by these symptoms, perhaps even angry, confused or exasperated at the ways in which their body is ‘failing them.’ Yet oftentimes women keep pushing their bodies, going and going and going, in a desperate bid to keep up with all the things they wish to accomplish everyday… and who can blame us? Modern life calls for heavy expectations on women, both from society and frequently, ourselves too. Too often we are expected to be super-woman; donning our capes and flying off into the world, keeping everything running just-so. But what is providing our fuel? What is nourishing us? (more…)
Lessons Learned from Grieving Children
By Lauren Schneider
In the United States, 1:20 children experience the death of a parent by age 15. Other children face the death of siblings,friends, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. With such a high occurrence of this major life cycle event it behooved parents, therapists and educators to learn how to support grieving children. Children experience a range of intense emotions including sadness, anger, fear and guilt. They feel isolated and ill equipped to talk about the death of a loved one with peers, and often are reluctant to share their grief with surviving family members for fear of upsetting them. (more…)
72 Hours in Cuba
By Shirin Yadegar
Havana has such a deep history full of music, culture and art and finally as Americans we are able to visit so when my husband told me that we had the opportunity to spend four nights in Havana without the kids I said YES.
There are direct flights from Los Angeles to Havana on Alaska Airlines Make sure to lock your luggage or they may rummage through your bags. (more…)
January-2017, Must have guide to a healthier 2017
Homemade Pasta How-to!
Are you thinking about homeschooling?
Here’s why increasing numbers of parents are choosing this flexible, affordable alternative.
By Jamie Gaddy
An estimated 2.3 million children are homeschooled in the U.S. right now and the number continues to rise. Many parents consider homeschooling, but they fear that their children will be isolated or worry that they themselves will not be adequate as teachers. Yet they know that the schools available to their children are not giving them a positive experience. If this sounds familiar and you’re considering homeschooling, here are some things you should know. (more…)