A full 23 signs — a couple fake, most real — that take overprotection to the extreme. Laugh until you realize…uht oh. Click here to see them at Let Grow.
Author: lskenazy
Kindergarten teachers AND their students are sick of the outlandish standards imposed upon them. Pushing kids to read sooner doesn’t mean they become smarter — or even better readers. One teacher is urging her compatriots to join the “Close your door and teach” movement. Her essay is at Let Grow — click here!
I hadn’t thought about it, but this Let Grow piece points out that at family reunions, kids play in mixed-age packs and the parents — busy catching up — let them loose. It’s like time travel back to an ’80s childhood for everyone. Read it here.
This helpful piece over at Let Grow has suggestions on how to get special needs kids cooking. For instance, have your kids (special needs or not) cut vegetables using a serrated knife, because it is less likely to slip. I realize that is pretty basic, but some good advice is just that!
New technology brings new norms. The telegraph allowed us instant communication across long distances. The TV allowed us to sit at home and be entertained. And Life 360 allows — normalizes — us to believe that our kids must be supervised remotely all the time, or they’re in danger and we’re not doing our job. My take on the phenom is over at Let Grow. Click here!
Let Grow did a wonderful video with Jonah Larson, the perfect example of a kid finding his passion simply by having some free time and a parent who trusted him to explore his interests, no matter how quirky. His mom told us that at age 5 Jonah found some crochet materials in a bag and was enchanted by them: She told Jonah that she didn’t know how to crochet, but if he was interested, she’d figure out how to help him learn. So she found a YouTube tutorial for a dishcloth, set it up, and let him go. “I left…
For some kids, sleepovers are just too scary. We’ve got some tips on how to get them over this pretty normal stage. Click here to see them at Let Grow!
What’s wrong with saying, “Be careful!” a couple million times? Well, this: The message kids hear is pointless (Be careful HOW?), at the same time it is also dis-empowering (You think I can’t figure out how to do this safely?). Let Grow ponders the rise of this phrase and things to say instead it, in this article. And we’ve got a free poster with these alternatives that you can get by clicking here!
One wonderful year we had both kids doing the dishes thanks to a chart clearly stating whose job it was on which days. Other years we slacked off on the chart and the dish-washing slacked off, too. If you’d like to print out Let Grow’s free, customizable chore chart, click here. And either way: Happy New Year!
‘Snow joke! After 57 years, this midwestern town is about to toss its snowball ban off the books! Click here to go to Let Grow and watch the mayor and police have a snowball fight to celebrate. (They’re the guys in this picture.)