Mar
26
2011
I recently attended a screening for the movie entitled, “Race to Nowhere.” It’s an excellent, realistic story about the stress and pressure that our kids are going through. The pressure from the enormous amount of homework that is given to cover all of the material in the lesson plan. Pressure to take honors and advanced placement courses to bump up the grade point average over the previously top “4.0”. Pressure to get the, “A” and load the high-school resume with everything from proficiency in sports and musical instruments to demonstrating a serious commitment to community service. Pressure to get into the “best” school –whether it’s college for high-schoolers or even a top tier lower, middle and upper school for our younger kids. Pressure to look unique and stand out amongst all of the top applicants. Pressure felt by the parents and their kids. Pressure to succeed. And what is this pressure doing to our children? What is this pressure doing to us as parents? In some cases it is having a deleterious effect on the child, on the parent and on the family. The rates of teenage suicide are climbing. Clinical depression is being seen more and more in the teenage population by psychologists. We already know that the use of caffeinated beverages, energy drinks and stimulants are also on the rise in this age group. We have research ...
Posted in: Editor's Page, Home
Jun
09
2010
Did you know that in the latest guidelines (Dietary Guidelines for Americans), all children (from preschool through age 18) should be physically active and get 60 (sixty) minutes of exercise/physical activity each and every day? Well it’s true. This exercise or activity does not have to be only from sports, but also can come from walking and playing (a.k.a. recess). And the exercise does not have to be done all at once. You can break it up into several periods throughout the day- for example: 6-ten minute episodes or 4- fifteen minute episodes.
Parenting tip#1: according to many studies, kids (and adults too) that are physically active have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases like obesity, type-2 diabetes, elevated BMI, stroke, coronary artery disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis elevated blood fats, elevated blood pressure and elevated insulin levels. On the other end of the spectrum, kids that are not active and are sedentary (e.g. sit in front of the TV or computer) have a much higher risk of developing chronic diseases like overweight, obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer.
Parenting tip #2: If you eat 100 more food calories a day than you burn, you'll gain about 1 pound in a month. That's about 12 pounds in a year.
Here is a chart that shows the calories (units of energy) ...
Posted in: Editor's Page, Home
Nov
12
2009
Review by Lisa Garner
And the 2009 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award goes to….We Eat Food That’s Fresh written by Angela Russ-Ayon and illustrated by Cathy June. Congratulations ladies for serving up a delicious treat while empowering parents and children to learn more about the importance of establishing proper eating habits and having fun in the process. Join the children on an island adventure with a quirky chef who whips up their interest in trying an array of tasty new fruits and vegetables. From the garden to the kitchen, he awakens their curiosity regarding the mysterious world of flavorful and unfamiliar produce as he mixes, beats, and stirs them into delicious new combinations and recipes. Will this persuasive chef capriciously entice his visitors into trying something new? June’s scrumptious pastel illustrations are blended beautifully with Russ-Ayon’s easy rhymes and rhythmical verses. This delightful picture book comes with a CD which includes an audio book and a musical companion song that will delight children with its carefree island beat. The book’s text flows beautifully with easy rhymes and repetitive verses which will work well for individual, group, buddy, or choral reading.
Posted in: Teacher - Book Reviews
Sep
01
2009
By Graehm Gray
I was having dinner the other night at the house of a close friend of mine. As we sat down, I noticed that my friend and his wife were seated next to me and his three kids were across the table. The room was peaceful. The food on the table was served family style. At first, there was a bit of calm in the conversation. Then I started to ask the kids, all of whom I've known since their birth; what they did that day, how was school, what activities were they involved with? Suddenly, like a volcanic eruption, all the kids spoke up. It was terrific! We all had a great discussion on; why there is so much homework these days and what they served for lunch and what sports they were doing. I heard all about the teachers; who was great, who was strict. I heard about one of the students who slipped in the cafeteria, and about an upcoming Washington project. It was a wonderful time, listening to these kids discuss their day. Pretty soon the mom and dad were both involved in the fray about how much time is devoted to homework and how much time is devoted to extracurricular activities. Inevitably the conversation included how much time is spent watching TV, on the computer and of course with a teen age daughter, on ...
Posted in: Editor's Page
