Dads Help Kids in School

By Apples 4 the Teacher
Sept. 30, 2009

“My dad can beat up your dad!” Oh yeah? “Well my dad is cooler than your dad!”

One thing about most kids, they’re loyal to their dads.  It doesn’t matter how much he’s working or how he may not be able to throw a ball or ride bikes because he’s working on Mom’s honey-do list, most children think their dad is pretty wonderful.

Often the room parents and those parents who are available to help out at school are the moms.  Many dads would love to help out at school if their schedules were a little more flexible.  Imagine the excitement on your child’s face if Dear old Dad was one of the chaperones on the next field trip.

Dads may not have the flexibility that the work-at-home-moms do to help out at school, but most dads I know are entitled to a lunch each day as well as some vacation days each year.
If  logistics permit it, dads should schedule their lunch break at the school a couple times a month.  They could help out in the school store, in the classroom or media center. Your child will be proud as a peacock!

A sad reality is that there are more and more single parent households.  Some children don’t see their dad nearly as often as they would like.  I remember one field trip to an apple orchard.  Dad rearranged his schedule so he could attend and help rally the children.  While sitting on the hay ride you would have thought he was a local celebrity.  Kids were fighting over who could sit next to “The Dad”.

It’s good for children to see dads participate with school activities.  Dads are cool when they help out at school.  Don’t negate the possibility helping just because dad works when school is in session.  Maintenance man Mr. Bob would love a hand setting up for the school carnival.  Do you realize how many tables and stations need to be set up?

The next time you overhear a group of children trying to one-up each other where their dads are concerned, perhaps you’ll hear one bragging, “Oh yeah? Well MY dad helps out at school!”  Do you know any cool dads?

Source: Apples 4 The Teacher

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism

By Lauren Gelman
Parents
Sept. 25, 2009

Concerns that vaccines may cause autism have been worrying parents since some research first introduced the theory in the late 1990s — even amid mounting evidence that continues to prove otherwise. In light of more new studies disputing the autism-vaccines link, here are some relieving answers to your most pressing questions.

 

Why do some people believe vaccines cause autism?

In the late 1990s, some researchers started raising concerns over the amount of thimerosal — a mercury-containing preservative — found in many children’s vaccines. Although thimerosal had been used as an anti-contamination agent for decades, until 1991 the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccination was the only thimerosal-containing shot recommended for infants and children. The hypothesis: As more thimerosal-containing vaccines like hepatitis B and Hib were added to the recommended schedule, researchers worried that babies were receiving too much of the chemical in too short a timeframe, which could potentially impact brain development.

In a totally separate (but coincidental) issue around this time, another group of researchers theorized that children who received the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine (which never did contain thimerosal) were more likely to develop autism than those who did not receive it.

But almost as quickly as these ideas were introduced, many larger, better-designed studies started disproving the link between vaccines and autism. Today, scientists are more confident than ever that vaccines play no role in the onset of this developmental disorder. Find out why here.

“If thimerosal in vaccines were causing autism, we’d expect that diagnoses of autism would decrease dramatically after the chemical was removed from vaccines,” says Eric Fombonne, MD, director of the psychiatry division at Montreal Children’s Hospital and a member of the National Institutes of Health advisory board for autism research programs.

But a large study recently published in Archives of General Psychiatry found that cases of autism continued to increase in California long after 2001, when thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines in the U.S. (it’s still found in some flu shots). “Not only did cases not decrease — but they continued to rise,” says Fombonne. “That tells us that something else must be responsible for rising rates of autism in this country.”

This study is the latest in a series of many others, in other countries and populations, which drew similar conclusions. “Thimerosal was removed from vaccines in Canada in 1996 and in Denmark in 1992,” says Dr. Fombonne. “Autism is still on the rise in those countries as well.”

And in 2004, both the World Health Organization and Institute of Medicine each concluded no link between autism rates and thimerosal exposure after examining the health records of hundreds of thousands of children.

To understand more about thimerosal safety, a brief chemistry/history lesson is in order. Thimerosal was removed from most vaccines by 2001 because researchers worried that children were being exposed to too-high levels from receiving multiple vaccinations in a short timeframe.

But this decision was based on what levels were considered safe for methyl mercury — the kind in fish, which is structurally very different from the ethyl mercury found in thimerosal. Although scientists suspected that thimerosal was much safer than methyl mercury, they decided to remove it anyway, just to be super-careful.

Now, new research published in the journal Pediatrics shows that babies excrete thimerosal too quickly for it to build up to dangerous amounts. In the study, researchers tested the blood mercury levels of Argentinean babies after they received routine childhood vaccinations (thimerosal is still used as a vaccine preservative there). They found that infants expel thimerosal about 10 times faster than fish mercury — so rapidly that it can’t accumulate in the body between vaccine doses.

“This study helps to debunk a crucial basis of the autism-vaccines theory, which held that babies were getting so many thimerosal-containing shots that the chemical would build up in the bloodstream and eventually cross over to the brain, where it could theoretically impact development,” says study author Michael Pichichero, MD, a professor of microbiology/immunology and pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “But thimerosal leaves babies’ bodies way too quickly for that to happen, which just adds more proof that this theory is extremely unlikely.”

Many people confuse the controversy over the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella with that of thimerosal, but the two have always been totally separate issues. In fact, MMR vaccines have never even contained thimerosal.

The link between MMR and autism gained traction following the publication of a very small British study (it only included 12 kids) that found that children developed autism soon after they received the MMR vaccine. The theory: The measles portion of the shot causes inflammation and infection of the intestines, which can then spread dangerous proteins to the brain, causing damage that may lead to autism.

When this study was first published, it launched a frenzied debate that resulted in bigger, better-designed studies that have all failed to find any link between MMR and autism. Most recently, a study in Archives of Disease in Childhood examined three groups of kids who had received the MMR vaccine: those diagnosed with autism, those with special educational needs who did not have autism, and children developing normally. All three groups had the same measures of measles antibodies circulating in the bloodstream — a sign that the vaccine did not trigger any physiological changes unique to the autism group alone.

Researchers suspect that parents may mistakenly associate the MMR vaccine with autism because signs of autism first appear around 12 to 15 months, which is also when the vaccine is first administered.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our expert advisors, and many other reputable organizations agree that vaccines do not cause autism, there are still small but vocal groups who believe they do. And amid that conflicting information, some parents might opt not get their children vaccinated “just to be safe,” because they worry about other possible reactions, or because of religious or other beliefs.

“But if you choose not to vaccinate your child, you are increasing his risk of contracting serious diseases that can lead to complications, hospitalization, and even death,” says Dr. Fombonne. For example, after the MMR vaccine was first linked to autism in England, many parents stopped vaccinating their children — and several children died during a measles outbreak in Ireland soon afterward.

For all the major childhood vaccinations (hepatitis B, rotavirus, DTaP, Hib, pneumococcal, polio, flu, MMR, chickenpox, hepatitis A, meningococcal), most experts agree that the many, many benefits from getting vaccinated far outweigh any possible side effects or risks.

If you have any questions about vaccines and autism or vaccine safety in general, be sure to address them with your pediatrician. A good doctor will listen to your concerns (not belittle them) and help you distinguish myth from fact so you can make the most informed decision for your child’s health.

Copyright © 2008 Parents.com.

Source: Parents

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Are Your Grandchildren’s Parents Overprotective?

By Lenore Skenazy
Sept. 24, 2009

A popular columnist and author argues that parents go too far protecting kids from nonexistent dangers

Adapted from Lenore Skenazy’s Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
In case you haven’t been keeping up, let’s take a look at some of the new products the Kiddie-Safety Industrial Complex is marketing to your grandchildren’s parents, starting with baby kneepads.

Yes, kneepads. Exactly what you’d want a 9-month-old to wear, if he were drafted to play pro hockey. Except that these pads — “The cushiest, comfiest kneepads ever,” according to the One Step Ahead catalog — are for crawling. “These medical-grade neoprene knee guards give little crawlers unparalleled protection, while slip-proof ‘traction beads’ guard against skidding.”

Skidding? Like a baby is going to go around the corner so fast, sparks will shoot out her Huggies? What kind of fools do they take parents for? Knees were made for crawling. And yet, look what one mom wrote on the One Step Ahead website, as a baby knee pads “product review”:

“Sometimes my daughter has problems going from carpeting to the wood and marble floors. It helps her with traction to keep from spinning out. Unfortunately, she did not like the feel on her legs and refused to wear them.”

Score one for the baby! But that mama — she really worries about her daughter “spinning out” while crawling. And other parents writing to the site are just as sold.

Extreme Toddling?

Photo courtesy of freerangekids.wordpress.com Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy

Another product seen advertised in parenting magazines lately is the Thudguard — a helmet to protect grandchildren engaged in that extreme sport known as toddling.

“It’s about time that someone has addressed the diffuse head injuries that are … on the rise for toddlers learning to walk,” wrote one doctor in an endorsement of the product.

Oh, really? “On the rise”? Are toddlers careening into walls and tables like never before? And are they really in danger of sustaining serious “head trauma,” as claims the ad for this $39 helmet?

Let’s ask the vice chairman of pediatrics at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Dr. F. Sessions Cole. His is one of the five largest children’s hospitals in the country. “We see 65,000 to 70,000 patients a year,” says Dr. Cole. “How many are associated with significant head trauma that resulted from instability as toddlers learned to walk?” he asks.

None.

Keep Your Eyes on the Backseat

At the Babies R Us near me, there’s an entire room devoted to child-safety devices: Legitimate stuff like cabinet locks and electrical outlet covers, but also a whole display of mirrors that allow you to watch your baby in the backseat as you drive. “Why do you need one of these?” I asked a dad reaching for one.

“To see if the baby’s okay,” he shrugged.

I suppose I knew he’d say that. But what we’re talking about here is a parent checking up, while driving, on a child who is already strapped snugly into a federally-approved car seat with a five-point belting system. It’s hard to imagine how the child would not be okay and besides, if he was fussy, you’d hear him. Then, at a stoplight, you could turn your head and look at him.

But now, with about ten different car mirrors to choose from, it starts to make good parents feel as if they should check on their car-seat baby more often while they’re driving — which is dangerous!

A Watched Baby Never Boils

Here’s one last safety product that parents don’t need, one that undermines their own good sense: The heat-sensitive bath mat.

This is a mat you put in the bottom of your tub. Turn the water on and if the words, “TOO HOT!” magically appear in a bubble near a duck’s head, you know that the water is, indeed, TOO HOT! Because who can trust their own senses anymore?

Oh, wait. We all can. Just dip a wrist in the water and you can tell if that water is warm, cold, or boiling hot. (Key word: Yeow!) So why do we have not only this bath mat, but also a competing tub turtle that will indicate, “TOO HOT” too? (Not a real turtle, who would indicate that by turning into soup.)

Why? For the same reason you can buy a blanket with a headboard built into it, in case you want to hold your baby but are worried about hurting his neck. Forget the fact you have an arm built for that job.

For the same reason you can buy a harness to hold up your kid while she learns to walk. Forget the fact you could hold her up yourself, or even let her fall. She’s got a bottom built for that job.

In fact, forget the fact that human children are pretty sturdy and parents are pretty competent. We have entered an era that says parents cannot trust themselves. They have to trust a product instead.
Elsewhere on grandparents.com, get a reminder of 6 things you got right as a parent,  find a surprising take on which baby products will really make your grandchildren brilliant, read columnist Adair Lara’s take on grandparenting then and now, and consider how much you are like your grandparents.

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Kids With Behavior Problem

By Jennifer Margulis
Parents
Sept. 17, 2009

Toddlers: Bossy & Bratty

Your once-mellow baby has become an opinionated 2-year-old who responds to your request to put away her toys with a hands-on-her-hips, head-cocked “You’re not the boss of me!”

Brat Buster: Count to three. A snappy comeback might help you blow off some steam, but there is no dignity in mudslinging with a minor. Instead, remember that this is a teachable moment:

Say something like, “I know what you really meant to say is, ‘Sure, Mommy, I’ll pick up my toys.'” Then help by giving clear, specific instructions that she can follow. Remember, she’s only 2 — you need to help her focus on what you want her to do.

The Big Picture: Think of your toddler as a scientist. She’s trying to discover with her sassy stance what kind of reaction she can provoke. She may have realized already that if she picks up her toys when you ask, you’ll go check your e-mail or start dinner. But a little back talk and — wham! — the kid now has your full attention. So don’t slip away and attend to business when your child is happily engaged. Instead, focus on her. This positive reinforcement will gradually teach her that she doesn’t need to provoke you to get your attention. When she does give you attitude, don’t take the bait, but don’t ignore it either. “Call her on it in a clear, simple, unemotional way,” says Dr. Borba. Come up with a statement and automatically use it every time you feel she’s crossing the line. For example: “That’s rude talk. Please rewind and try it again.”

Source: Parents

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Child Passenger Safety

Sept. 16, 2009

By Safe Kids USAMore than 260 Safest Generation and Seat Check Saturday events are being held across the country by Safe Kids USA’s coalitions and chapters during Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from Sept. 12 to 18. Child Passenger Safety Week is a nationwide program from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighting the important role of child safety seats in saving the lives of young children.

Preteens are the ‘Safest Generation’

As the first generation of kids to use car seats, booster seats and seat belts consistently, preteens ages 11 and 12 are today’s “Safest Generation” when it comes to vehicle safety.

While being a preteen is all about testing boundaries and learning how to make important decisions, the Safest Generation program provides tools for preteens to use in making responsible safety choices as they become more independent – including choices that could be the difference between life and death.

The Safe Kids’ Safest Generation program uses hands-on activities to help preteens:

• Become more knowledgeable about the newest vehicle safety technologies.
• Receive information that debunks safety myths.
• Learn how to make decisions that could save lives in the event of a crash.

Events held during Child Passenger Safety Week will give preteens the opportunity to complete a course of up to five hands-on activities designed to teach children ages 11 and 12 how to be safer both in and around vehicles.

The Safest Seat is a Back Seat

Research conducted for the Safest Generation program showed that nearly 50 percent of parents surveyed said that it was ok for preteens ages 11 and 12 to sit in the front seat of a vehicle.

Why the back seat?

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under.
• NHTSA found that sitting in a rear seat instead of the front seat reduces fatal injury risk among children 12 and younger by 36 percent.
• Between 1996 and 2002, an estimated 1,700 children’s lives were saved because they were seated in a back seat.

Remember – regardless of why your child wants to sit in the front seat, or why you want them there, all children under age 13 should sit in the back seat.

Find a Safe Kids car seat checkup event near you!

About the Safest Generation program

Safest Generation is the latest program undertaken by Safe Kids Buckle Up, a partnership between Safe Kids USA and General Motors that has been teaching families how to keep kids safer in and around vehicles for more than a decade. As part of the program, a seminar is available for parents to help make sure preteens are safe when riding with friends and neighbors, and to remind them to be a good safety role model whenever they ride in a vehicle.

About Safe Kids Buckle Up

Safe Kids Buckle Up was created by Safe Kids Worldwide and General Motors in 1997 to teach families how to keep children safer in and around vehicles. Nationwide, the program has inspected more than 1.1 million car seats and reached more than 20 million people through hands-on educational activities such as Spot the Tot, Never Leave Your Child Alone, and the Cub Scout Automotive Safety Patch, covering many of the vehicle safety needs for children ages 0 to 12.

Editor’s Note: SPOT THE TOT is a service mark of Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: USA Safekids

Girls Grow Up Fast

By Deborah Swaney
September 10, 2009

When did 7 become the new 16? For today’s young girls, the pressure to look and act hot is greater than ever. Here’s help cooling things down.

The job description for parent says you prep yourself for the dicey stuff kids are likely to ask for. So I was ready for the day my daughter would beg for a fashion doll of notoriously unrealistic proportions, or even for one of those skimpily dressed Bratz dolls. Instead, last fall my 7-year-old freaked me out a whole different way-by begging for a bra. “Two girls in my class have them,” she argued.

Skeptical that she’d gotten her facts straight, I checked out a local children’s store. Yikes! They had a whole assortment of flirty bras and panties perfectly sized for second-graders. Staring at those crazy underthings, and at the body-glitter tubes on the counter, something creepy dawned on me. Today’s girls don’t just want to own a hot-looking doll, they want to be one.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so shocked. After all, my daughter and her friends are more likely to worship teen heroes like Troy and Gabriella from the High School Musical movies than to expend energy adoring cuddly cartoon characters like the Care Bears. And these same kids are the ones shaking their little booties when the Pussycat Dolls come on the radio, singing, “Don’tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?”

Clearly, something’s going on, so much so that the American Psychological Association (APA) recently convened a task force on girls’ sexualization. “There’s a real syndrome happening, and it’s picking up speed,” says Eileen L. Zurbriggen, PhD, who chaired the APA group. “Even little girls are now feeling they should look and act alluring.” Her committee found that this is harmful to girls on several levels.

“The core issue is what they feel valued for,” Zurbriggen explains. “It’s as though factors like whether they’re smart or funny or kind or talented at something like sports or art get erased.” And their self-esteem suffers for it. “The images their idols present are so idealized, most girls can’t attain them. That makes them feel bad about their own bodies, and this can eventually lead to anxiety and depression,” Zurbriggen says. Preoccupation with their “hot-o-meter” score can even hurt their school performance. “A girl’s mind becomes literally so full of worries about how she looks and what other people are thinking, she doesn’t have enough energy left to focus on learning,” says Zurbriggen.

How did things get that way, and what can parents do to counteract the situation? For answers, we have to look beyond the kiddie lingerie aisle.

Editor’s Note: We want to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source Parents

Healthy After-School Living

By ARA Content
Sept. 7, 2009

While what children eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner are extremely important for a child’s health, snacking also plays an important role. Developing healthy snacking habits early on may have more of an impact on a child’s overall health than most people realize.

After-school snacking can either contribute to a healthy lifestyle or can be an unhealthy culprit in your child’s day. It’s no surprise that most kids are ravenous after school; they often eat lunch at 11:30 a.m.! And with today’s parents staying later at the office or facing longer commutes, many families are not sitting down for dinner until 7:30 p.m. It’s all too easy for children to fall into a routine of junk food, and hours in front of the TV after school if parents or caregivers do not intervene. A great first step to improve your child’s well-being is to plan an after-school routine to help your child stay healthy and active even after the school bell rings.

“With the changing demands and pressures of work and school, it’s more important than ever to incorporate simple nutritious solutions into our routines,” says Laura Molseed, registered dietitian for Del Monte Foods. Here are some simple solutions to meet every family’s needs!

Stock Your Pantry with Easy Choices

Tip: Take your kids to the grocery store, and allow them to be directly involved in the selection process. According to experts, they are more likely to make better choices for it. Encourage kids to choose their favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as a selection of nuts, raisins, low-fat yogurts and whole-wheat crackers, all of which are low in fat, sodium and sugar. “While an occasional sweet is a nice treat, having routine sweet afternoon treats, such as cookies and cupcakes, can really add up in terms of extra calories, fat and sugar ” says Molseed. “Keeping delicious, fun and healthy options in the kitchen and in your children’s lunchboxes will help them feel energized until dinner.”

 

Get Them Involved!

Tip: Teach your kids that healthy can still be fun.

Children love the idea of cooking, and making their own snacks and treats. Young children can help make easy 1-2-3 recipes, and older children can assist with meal planning, even creating their own dinner or lunch options. For example, for a twist on dessert, take Del Monte Fruit Chillers sorbet out of your pantry and turn them into something your entire family will love — a fun, after-dinner treat! Kids will love making this easy recipe for Iceberg Pie, a creamy, refreshing dessert. Simply mix 1/4 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt with a 4.5-ounce cup of Fruit Chillers sorbet and pour the mixture into a favorite bowl. Freeze overnight. Del Monte Fruit Chillers sorbet (delmonte.com) is available at Target and Wal-Mart nationwide and is found at room-temperature in the canned fruit aisle. One cup of Fruit Chillers sorbet contains 100 percent DV Vitamin C and almost one complete serving of real fruit.

Get Them Moving!

Time spent in front of the TV or computer is often at the expense of physical activity. Kids need to be moving at least 30 to 60 minutes a day, according to experts.

Your child is continuously bombarded with advertisements, often for fast food and other sugary snacks that do not promote healthy habits. According to Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages eight to 12 see an average of 21 television ads each day for candy, snacks, cereal and fast foods. It’s no wonder the first snacks they reach for are typically the items they see on TV each day.

Keep your kids active and provide plenty of healthy snacks along the way to avoid this. As kids often do not go directly home after school, packing healthy, delicious snacks they can easily eat on the go is important.

The colorful new “Bento Box”, based on the Japanese version, will hold several nutritious snacks in its various compartments and comes with a nutritious eating guide that allows you to plan fun, healthy snacks with your child!

Tip: Check with your babysitter or daycare center to ensure they are walking, dancing or playing group games.

Consider suggesting the babysitter host an after-school game session, but swap the usual board games with entertaining and interactive games designed to get your kids up and off the couch. One game that combines yoga, aerobics and stretches is the new WiiFit, soon to be launched from Nintendo. Finally, encouraging your child to eat healthier snacks and do more physical activities after school may prevent your child from reaching for the sugary or salty snacks, while still leaving them hungry for a delicious family dinner!

Source: ARAcontent    Eversave

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Family Reacts You Going Back to Work

By ARW
Sept. 2, 2009

Although the extra money will come in handy for you all, your family’s reaction to you returning to work can take many forms. In order to make the transition from ‘stay at home’ mum to ‘working’ mum as smooth as possible, you ought to be prepared for the various reactions from your family members.

The most important thing to remember is that is you are ready to go back to work and you, with the help of your husband or partner, can arrange necessary child care then you are entitled to. Every woman and every family situation is different, but you must do what feels right for you.

Resentment

It is common for husbands or children to feel resentful over their wife or mothers return to work. For the husband, this can be because they now have to take on some tasks (taking children to childminders or cooking dinner) that their wife did when they were at home. Some men also like the ‘traditional’ aspect of them earning the money and their wife looking after the children at home.

For children, they can feel as though they have less quality time with their mother, especially young teenage children who enjoyed their time together after school. A good way to deal with this is to maintain a regular routine of having a family dinner together at the table. This not only gives you a chance to ask your partner and children about their day, but also builds confidence and social skills.

Proud

If your husband or partner is proud of you for going back to work, this can also create some problems. Although it sounds desirable, some women feel annoyed that they were not proud of them for bringing up the children, or patronised. You need to discuss this as soon as possible because in all likelihood your family was just as proud as when you were at home.

Disapproval

If you have decided that you want to return to work but your family is less keen, you will need to deal with the issue carefully. Do not allow your family to change your mind, unless you are not certain yourself. This is the type of issue that can be difficult at first, whilst people are settling into new routines, but tend to be sorted out in time. If you just do not go back to work to ‘keep the piece’ you will just feel resentful and the same issue will come up in another guise.

If the family member that is disapproving of you returning to work is your mother or mother in law, you and your partner will need to present a united front that supports your choice. Unless you rely on them for your childcare (in which case, it is better to find another source of childcare), there is no reason why they should pass judgement on your behaviour. You do not need to justify your choices.

If it is your own mother, you could take her for a coffee and a chat to explain how her comments are making you feel. You could also do this for your mother in law, although it may be more appropriate for your partner to do so, depending on your relationship with her.

Source: A Return to Work

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Parent Involvement at School

By Family.com
Sept. 1, 2009

When we think of parent involvement at school, we typically think of the PTA. But there are other support groups including PTOs, boosters, and foundations. In some schools, a support group such as the PTA can be a very active body, addressing issues such as budget, school policies, fundraising, and community relations. While being a member of the PTA can be very rewarding for parents, it can also be a time-consuming endeavor.

In fact, there are many ways to get directly involved with your child’s school. Let the teacher or principal know of your interest and any areas of expertise you have (gardening, photography, or cooking, for example).

You can also ask to volunteer in the classroom and help with projects or other classroom tasks such as making copies, helping individual students, or preparing activities. Similarly, you might suggest an activity or series of activities to supplement the curriculum (for example, you could come in and lead the class in a cooking lesson that focuses on measurement).

You might also volunteer around the school by helping in the library, monitoring students on the playground, or helping with tasks such as creating a brochure for new families. Think outside of the box — the options are limitless. If you express an interest in being involved, chances are the teacher and school will find a way to make it happen.

Source: Family

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Tips for New Kid in Class

By Kathie Felix
August 26, 2009

For students of any age, there is nothing that compares to the first day at a new school. It’s a mix of excitement for a new start and apprehension about the unknown—combined with a powerful need to fit into a new setting. As a parent, you’ve been focusing for weeks now on the good parts of the new school year ahead—the opportunity to make new friends, the bigger and better features of the new school, and even new class selections that the old school may have been unable to offer. You’ve still got a few more weeks ahead to help your young learner develop a sense of confidence about their new school experience. This is the perfect time to develop a checklist designed to make the first day of school a breeze.

Before School Starts

Make an appointment to tour the new school. The month of August is a good time to work with school staff members to make sure your new student gets a leisurely and comfortable start in his or her new surroundings.

A tour of the building can be a real confidence booster. When students know where things are, they will feel much more secure about a new setting. It’s a great relief for youngsters to know in advance how far they may be from their classrooms, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, and other locations.

Ask if you can make an appointment to meet your child’s new teacher or teachers in advance. Learners of any age will welcome seeing a familiar face when they walk into a new class setting for the first time.

Help your student to make appropriate clothing choices by obtaining a copy of any student dress code well in advance of the start of school. If the school has a uniform, buy it early and let your child get accustomed to their new daily look. Some students entering Kindergarten may enjoy putting their uniform on in a game of dress-up for friends and relatives; just make sure to hang the clothing up out of reach to keep it in the best possible condition for the start of school.

If possible, make new friends before the school year begins. For any child, life at a new school is all about making friends quickly. Once you’ve looked around the neighborhood, check a little farther afield. Some local libraries welcome volunteer workers of school age; some youth centers and swimming pools offer paid or unpaid employment opportunities. Get creative; brainstorm with your new neighbors and see what you can come up with.

Youth-oriented membership service organizations are another great way to make new friends—for parents, as well as for children. Camp Fire USA, Girl Scouts of the USA, and Boy Scouts of America offer supportive environments and activities for a range of ages. Each organization has an online locator feature that will help you find the group near your home.

Encourage students who may be struggling with starting over in a new place by reminding them that a new school is a new opportunity to reinvent their image. They can emphasize interests that may have been under the radar at their old school. It can be very cool to be the new girl or guy in town; new classmates will be trying to figure out this mysterious new person who suddenly appeared in the classroom.

The First Day of School

Make sure you know what time school starts. This may seem obvious, but some schools don’t include start time information on their advance paperwork or web sites. You don’t want to be guessing at information this important on a stressful first day.

Keep an eye on your child’s first-day clothing choices. Although younger children may look charming in sweet little outfits and dressy shoes, these may not be the best choices for the rough-and-tumble world of the playground or the long (for a Kindergartner) school day. With older kids, talk about first impressions and ask them how they’d like to launch themselves at their new school by dressing for success.

Know how the lunch plan works. If your child will be bringing lunch, make sure it’s something they will eat. Have prepaid lunch cards or lunch money ready well in advance to avoid morning scrambling.

Be sure your child understands how their school transportation will work and where to find their ride home. Children of all ages need some type of reassurance in this area. Make sure younger children understand that Mom or someone will be there for them when they get home.

The School Days Ahead

A routine has been established; it’s time to explore and enjoy the new school. Your child may enjoy blogging about the start of school with friends from the previous school.

As the days go by, new friendships will bloom and the new school will begin to seem less strange. Talk to your youngsters often and let them tell you what they think of their new surroundings; help them find the best parts of the new world around them.
 

Editor’s Note: Kathie Felix writes about education for a variety of national news media outlets.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Apples 4 Teachers

« Previous Page — Next Page »