Social and emotional development
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Talk Like a Pirate Day
Wondering why so many people are wearing eye patches today? Or have parrots on their shoulders? Or have taken to growling Arrrgh! at unusual moments? It’s because today is National Talk Like a Pirate Day! Drag out your old copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and read it aloud to your children. Point out the author’s Continue reading
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Parent Talk: Natural Catastrophes
Today I awoke to news of continuing devastation by several Atlantic hurricanes, a deadly 8.2 earthquake in Mexico, and tsunami warnings for the Pacific coast of Central America. Forces of nature like these transfix children. Their natural curiosity makes them eager to know and understand more. We parents, however, need to monitor the ceaseless stream Continue reading
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Children and Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Don’t you love it when your child plays with others and uses her imagination and creativity to act out stories? Then you must read aloud one of Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s excellent books. They mix fantasy, adventure, mystery, and magical thinking in a way that children respond to. A person’s imagination is not an isolated ability. It Continue reading
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Venus in Music and Art
Your child read the book, did the research, wrote the report, and made the model of the planet now exhibited in the hallway. What’s missing? The art and music that the planet inspired, of course! And it’s not limited to the composer Gustav Holst, whose composition The Planets consists of familiar melodies to many people. You Continue reading
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Understanding “Politically Correct”
In our homes, what we say and how we say it matters. Children hear everything and understand more than we think they do. We’re the ones who help explain the world for them as they grow. And there is plenty to help them understand during this election season. In school, your child learns to understand today’s politics Continue reading
Write Away 