Last weekend, my six year old and eight year old both wanted to play a board game with me. In our house, the three of us playing a board game is kind of a conundrum because my oldest desires to play more sophisticated games like Clue or Stratego while my younger daughter would rather play […]
In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, there is an interesting exchange between Alice and the Red Queen while the two run in a race against each other. Alice, slightly frustrated that they are running but appear to be going nowhere says, “Well, in our country, you’d generally get to somewhere else—if you run very […]
At my children’s school, the teachers send out a weekly newsletter which details the lesson plans for the week. Over the last nine months, these newsletters have been focused on learning modules like multiplication tables and spelling tests. However, for the last week of school, the newsletter was slightly different. Since the teachers and classes […]
I remember the first day my mind was blown by a picture book. It was 1983 in Littleton, Colorado. Every week our second grade class at Damon Runyon Elementary would file quietly through the library and circle up at the feet of Mrs. Webber for story time. Mrs. Webber was exactly how you’d picture […]
In The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman wrote, “When I was growing up, my parents told me, ‘Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.’ I tell my daughters, ‘Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.’” Friedman is right. Our children are growing up in a vastly […]
Right now in Texas, most schools are closing the books on the 2013-14 school year and turning the kids loose for a much needed break. And kids aren’t the only ones who are relieved – we as parents are grateful for a reprieve from the spelling tests, math flashcards, and other school-related activities that have […]
As the temperature shifts from spring to summer, many families put the finishing touches on summer vacation planning. Usually, vacation means leaving behind the comforts of home to experience a new place or destination. It can also mean finding some much-deserved relaxation. But the situation changes when vacations include traveling with children. Kids – […]