Kids Get Stressed Too!

March 28, 2012

The other day, my son mentioned his stomach felt funny. Instantly, I thought,”oh,no, stomach flu!”. I am glad that I took the time to ask him some questions before I doused him with echinacea.  It turns out he was feeling stressed about an upcoming test.  I explained that stress or worry can make his body [...]

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Strike! – Bowling

March 22, 2012

Bowling is a great all year round sport that children can practice during the week and compete on weekends as part of a children’s league.  This is a classic fun game which also teaches consistency, patience and strategy. Being on a league also teaches children to be good teammates and to learn good sportsmanship. Bowling [...]

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Encouraging Independence and Self-Reliance

March 20, 2012

The line between parental responsibility and coddling can sometimes get blurred. I am guilty of it.  I remember all too well how hard being a kid was for me. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to do everything for children. Take afterschool, for instance.  After a long day of learning, I find myself [...]

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Tennis

March 15, 2012

I’m always wary of exposing my son to the hyper competitive afterschool sports available.  From parents yelling at their kids, children learning bad sports behavior etc, it can be a volatile environment at best. I have been lucky to find a great sport that seems to bring out the best in coaches, kids and parents- [...]

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Craft for Boys

March 14, 2012

I don’t know what it is about the word crafting but my son runs away when asked to join me. However, no more!  I have stumbled onto enticing crafts for boys. These craft ideas are engaging and take more than five minutes, making them a good afterschool activity that he really enjoyed! Marshmallow Shooter   [...]

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Etiquette Guide for Kids

March 12, 2012

For kids to be successful adults, social skills are as imperative as academic skills. If you start early, polite and caring behavior will become second nature to children.   We all want our kids grow into thoughtful, generous, considerate and respectful people. The key to enabling this is to make learning manners an everyday fun [...]

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Kid Friendly Research Sites

March 6, 2012

So it’s after school and your child has a report due tomorrow. He needs to research but you have things to do, so you can’t sit and supervise the search online entirely. What to do? The web can be dangerous for kids. Parental controls don’t always work. Direct supervision has always been imperative. Nowadays though, [...]

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Extending Academic Learning by Skyping

March 5, 2012

My son uses the online video conferencing tool Skype when he’s gaming. It allows him to speak to friends and see them while they play.  Lately though Skype has become a wonderful tool for extending academic  learning in the after school hours.   Skype has the ability to help kids make connections with people in [...]

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Building Blocks Great for All Ages

February 28, 2012

The quintessential image we picture in our minds when we think of a toddler learning is that of a three year old playing with building blocks. Parents know that building blocks, whether plastic, foam or wooden, aid in the development of young children through constructive open play.  I believe they are still imperative through the [...]

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Spanish Channel

February 23, 2012

A great way to spend some quality time after school is by learning another language. This kind of out-of-school study could help compliment foreign language efforts at school or it can provide your child with an edge over other kids in the future. Learning a second language is probably a goal that all students should [...]

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