Electronic Morning Buzz

Recently I was reading this article in The New York Times and saw a little too much of my own family in the portrait of a busy family with his and hers Blackberry devices and laptop-toting kids.

As our family prepares to head back to school, my husband and I are trying to reduce our morning compulsion to check email or surf our favorite news websites at breakfast time. It is hard enough to make it to school on time without these digital distractions. Now sitting down to eat breakfast together is our main focus when we get up in the morning. 

We want our kids to feel that our morning routine is not too rushed, so if they are finished dressing and eating breakfast, we let them have a bit of free time before heading out the door. My son will sometimes dash off a new drawing before leaving the house in the morning and my daughter will sometimes take a few minutes to read a good book. Whatever they do to unwind it happens without the laptop. This downtime helps them get their head together before the busy school day.

Raising Bilingual Kids

While in the midst of packing for our big trip to France and I could see how excited my kids were to see their French side of the family. Sure, it helps that there was a big family wedding this year where they are sure to see all of their cousins, but I know they are also excited to spend more time with their other language and culture. They have been keeping their French side under wraps for most of the school year since there is not much opportunity to speak French at school.

Spanish is the enrichment language of choice these days and they are learning some Spanish at school. Still I am glad my kids are learning French at home with their papa and during regular visits to France. They have many family experiences to back up their immersion in the language.

It may sound silly, but I think my kids sound and act different in French. Maybe it's all the baguette and Comtécheese that goes with the conversation or somehow their French language filter is just a little different than their American filter. My son is ten now and he sometimes mentions he would like to spend more time with his cousins and grandparents. He really looks forward to his summer visits to France. This year my 6-year-old daughter was mainly excited about the wedding and seeing a cousin's pony farm.

They appreciate the differences between their home in Brooklyn and their grandparents' vacation home in Brittany. The abundance of good food and lots of family visits make the visits fly by and they enjoy a bit of independence since they are visiting small town France where kids can roam free and enjoy nature.

Reading over Summer Break

Every year the "summer slide" hovers like a dark cloud over our kids' summer vacation. Don't get me wrong, my kids love to read so we don't necessarily need to push reading, or at least we don't think we do! We figure if we provide the books the rest will take care of itself. Hah!

Our summer goes something like this... We start the summer with ambitious plans for a balance of old-fashioned relaxation, quality time with their grandparents and essential creative time in arts camp. Wait, did I mention the sailing class, piano lessons and ballet class? Before you know it, August 20th is upon us and they have barely had time to read two books. 

We all sit there scratching our heads and wondering where the time went. I guess it's a classic case of over-scheduling. What's a parent to do?

Well, it does not hurt to introduce a summer reading routine. We pick out a book for the week and try to read at least a chapter a day. Since my kids are entering second and fifth grade this makes sense for us. My daughter has even decided to keep a journal of her summer reads. I let my son follow his interests... dragons facts, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Adventures of Tintin... whatever keeps him reading.

Looking for ways to keep your kids on track this summer? Check out Summer Reading Challenge for some fun activities that will keep your kids tuned in to reading this summer! The Summer Reading Challenge can help kids to find books they want to read, play games, connect with other kids who want to talk about their favorite books.

Community Service enters NYC's School Curriculum

Last month the Brooklyn elementary school that my kids attend was highlighted by Mayor Bloomberg at his NYC Service Initiative Rally. With NYC's Service Initiative launch, public service has now officially become a part of K-12 Public School Education in New York City.

As a parent, I can not help but feel that all this change would not be possible without the 2008 Presidential Election results. Now it's ok to support change as a positive force rather than something to be feared. Through community service we can bring out the best in our culture, our communities, our citizens, and our children. My kids are lucky to see this change. I sure hope it lasts.



I admire the mayor for standing behind these ideals and his administration for attempting to bring these values back into our educational system. "Throughout my life, I've found that giving back is one of life's greatest rewards and that civic service may be the most important thing we ever do," said Mayor Bloomberg. "New York has always been fortunate to be home to everyday people who want to pitch in and help - and we need as much help now as ever before. NYC Service will channel New Yorkers' good intentions to tackle our greatest challenges, particularly those caused by the economic downturn. We are meeting the President's call to action and New York City will be the first city to strategically connect the power of its volunteers to solving its biggest problems."

Like the mayor's office, Scholastic has launched a kid-friendly public awareness campaign with similar themes. Check out www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig to learn more.

Who will Our Teacher be Next Year?

I have been spending a lot of time lately wondering about who my children will have as a teacher next year. Let's face it. School has some good years and some not so good years... and a lot of that has to do with how well your child (and your family) connects with the classroom teacher.

Here’s the process in place at some schools with a formal matching process for finding the right teacher for each child. (This is an excerpt from a principal’s letter that was sent home explaining the process):

1. Parents fill out a form toward the end of the year answering questions about the best learning environment for your child, any concerns that you have about your child and any children you do not want in your child’s class. This form is taken very seriously.

2. Then they talk to each classroom teacher about what they feel like the child needs from a teacher and a class - i.e. Firm teacher, lots of choices, work sheets VS free form work.

3. Each grade level develops a preliminary list based on child’s academic, social and special needs.

4. Next administrators review the groupings and assign teachers based on student needs and teacher strengths.

5. The special area teachers and special education staff review the list and make recommendations.

6. Finally the grade level teachers reconvene to review the classes to verify optimal placement.

In many cases the principal personally reviews each class to make sure she agrees with all the placements.

This process can be quite time-consuming... taking up to two months. But just consider all that the teachers, the students, and the administration have to gain when they take a bit of time to find the right match for a child's learning style.

Whether your school has this option or not, you should definitely make an effort to get to know the teachers in the next grade and talk to your kids about who they would prefer as a teacher. The rest is all about working with the school to find the best match and expressing your feelings to the teachers and the administration. Involved parents are more likely to have their opinions taken seriously so don't be shy to speak up.

The Story of Stuff: Teaching about Climate Change

Teachers in need of lessons and classroom materials to teach about climate change and environmental education are turning to the Web like never before. Technology helps classrooms keep on top of current events and lessons for a future where “being green” may matter more than “earning green.” There are few state or local school mandates on how to teach the subject of environmental education. Many teachers are left to develop their own lesson plans on climate change, taking some elements from groups like the National Wildlife Federation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bill Bigelow, the curriculum editor of Rethinking Schools clearly thinks there is a need out there stating that “a lot of the textbooks are awful on the subject of the environment.”

Then along comes The Story of Stuff from independent filmmaker Annie Leonard, which takes viewers on a provocative tour of our consumer-driven culture — from resource extraction to iPod incineration — exposing the real costs of this use-it and lose-it approach to stuff.

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption and it has quite a following among classroom teachers seeking effective tools to teach about climate change. Educators say the accessible video is a great solution for teachers as they try to teach about global warming though their textbooks have little to say on the subject despite what science has revealed in recent years.

"The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."

Watch the preview of The Story of Stuff or visit the website at www.storyofstuff.com.

NYC Schools Cope with Swine Flu

New York City closed two more schools this week while some charter and private schools have opted to close their doors due to an increase of flu-like illnesses. So far there are some 30 closed schools in four of the five boroughs. Most schools remained open, however many have a higher than normal absentee rate.

As the number of closings increase, hospital waiting rooms are growing more crowded by the day. “While there are abnormal number of people going to the hospital, who are worried, virtually none, a very tiny percentage of them have any symptoms whatsoever,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

What can you do to help your child steer clear of the swine flu?
As with other flu viruses, the best way to help prevent the spread of H1N1 is by thorough hand washing and covering your face when you cough or sneeze. Last but not least, get a good night's sleep and drink plenty of liquids. 

Mother of the Year

You’ll never guess what happened this week… I have been honored as Mother of the Year.

Okay, so I didn’t really get a call of congratulations from President Obama and George Clooney has not yet asked for my lasagna recipe (though he is welcome to come over for dinner).

This hilarious video was created by www.MomsRising.org and has been making the rounds in the Momosphere during the past week. MomsRising.org was founded three years ago by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbinder with the goal of “creating a more family friendly America.” The group is a test of the potential of the internet for grassroots organizing. The video is not only a fun way to honor a mom you care about. It also has a compelling message:

“Moms in this country are way undervalued – Mothers make 73 cents to every dollar an equally qualified man makes at the same job – Single mothers make only about 60 cents to a man’s dollar – Those two facts, it should be noted, really suck – especially because men aren’t making much these days either – Over a lifetime mothers are paid anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million less than men doing the same work due to gender wage disparity. That’s a ridiculous “Mommy Tax.” A full quarter of US families with children less than 6 years old live in poverty – Well duh, all these other statistics would lead to this likely outcome – Motherhood is one of the hardest full-time jobs that does not come with Social Security or health benefits – It does however come with a lot of labor as well as love.”

Don’t be shy, go and create your own video and share it with all the moms you know just in time for Mother’s Day. All you need to do is go here and enter your favorite mom’s name. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Party On!

Welcome to the grade school blog on the Scholastic parent channel. As parent to both a first grader and a fourth grader, I hope to share some of my family’s school experiences as I learn more about what makes other grade school parents tick.

This week my daughter’s first grade class decided to gather up a gift fund and bake cupcakes for their teacher’s birthday. It is only fair that the kids celebrate their teacher’s birthday after she has gone the extra mile throughout the year to allow small birthday celebrations for each of the kids in her class. The kids want her to know how special she is, just like she made them feel special by making a little birthday crown and inviting parents to provide treats and goody bags for each child's birthday.

As a parent I really appreciate this level of involvement and strong sense of community in the classroom. It helps children to socialize and make friends. These skills are just as important to their future success as the reading, writing, science and math they focus on throughout the day. 

Holidays and birthdays offer fun activities with peers and give kids time to recuperate from the pressures of school. Classroom parties are too often left at the wayside after Kindergarten but we should not forget how important they are to the school experience.

Are you feeling inspired? If so, here are some Class Party tips from Scholastic Parents Channel on how to plan a great class celebration no matter what the occasion.