A World of Books and Children
Search and enjoy 8 years of posts chock-filled with ideas from It’s OK Not to Share and beyond.
There's been a bit of silence on the Starlighting blog lately. That's because behind-the-scenes I've been tapping away on my keyboard to create the sequel to It's OK Not to Share. A new book is being born!
It's 8am and my kids are out sledding with the neighborhood kids. They scurried out of their pajamas when a neighboring 8-year-old knocked on the door, sled in hand.
Last weekend we hosted a party to celebrate the dark. It was ostensibly a Halloween party, with costumes and bobbing for apples, but the main ingredients were simply nine kids running around in the dark.
I stumbled on a bit of environmental good news this month. Amid tales of climate problems, declining honeybee populations and invasive carp it's rare to hear good news stories about the environment.
First, thank you to the folks who have read my controversial post "Why we say "No" to Homework." I must admit, I was blown away by the thousands upon thousands who read that post.
What if you heard a teacher say: "Your assignment is late. You can't eat lunch today."
Preposterous, we say. Lunch is essential for giving kids energy. It boosts brain power, helps focus and concentration, and gives kids a social break. So does recess.
If you have a new kindergartener, perhaps this scene happens in your family: Sudden crash when you get home. Screams. Tears. Droops. Falling asleep in the car or on the sofa. You know something's not right. What is it?
When I talk about raising children, people often ask me about manners, particularly greetings. As we think about what's truly polite, it's good to step back and examine how we greet people ourselves.
It's still summer vacation in most parts of the U.S., but soon the dreaded Signatures will return. I'm talking about parent signatures on everything from school work to piano lessons.
It can be tricky to talk about disasters in the news. Kids don't need to know about many disasters, but some events are so big every child notices. Kids see and overhear media talk and adult conversations. They may not pick up on the details and reasons, but they do pick up on the worried tones of voices around them.