LilSugar

Tips For Getting Your Child to Open Up About School

LilSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:30 -0800

Afternoons in many preschoolers' households often sound like this:

Mom: "What did you do in school today?"
Child: "I don't remember."
Mom: "What books did the teachers read?"
Child: Silence and a blank stare.

Though many schools provide parents with a preview of the week's activities – or a wrap-up at the end of the week – trying to get your lil one to open up to you about what they did on a particular day can be compared to pulling teeth.

To get the conversation started, try these tips at the end of the next school day.

Don't ask, just tell. Rather than pepper your lil one with questions about her day, tell her about something new or different that you did today. Present it in a way that she can relate to so that she can share about her day, too.
Shake up the routine. Don't ask the same questions in the same order every day. Rotate the questions you ask and how they are presented.
Make it funny. Try telling them about their day by substituting out-of-place details at key points. This should get them talking about what really happened.

To see the rest of our suggestions, read more.

Move beyond yes and no. Questions that simply require a yes or no answer are not going to spark a conversation. Asking about their favorite part of their day or who they sat next to for snack may start a discussion rather than a dead end.
Remove distractions. If your lil one has been in school all day and is now home with his favorite toys, he is more likely to play with his toys than speak. Try to hold the conversation in a space where he won't be distracted.

Do you have any tried-and-true tricks to get your wee ones talking?

Tell Mommy Your Thoughts on Paying Cash For Extra Credit

babysugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:30:52 -0800

Would you work a little harder on a task at the office if your boss offered to give you a bonus upon completing it? Many would answer that question with a resounding, "Yes." What if that same situation was applied to schools with teachers and their students? Kids earn extra credit points a number of ways but one North Carolina school came under fire for offering its pupils 20 test points (10 points to be used on two tests of their choosing) if they brought in a $20 donation to the school.

Like many schools across the country, Rosewood Middle School is facing tough economic times and was looking for innovative ideas in fund-raising. After the parent advisory board came up with the concept and then the principal endorsed it, it looked like the fund-raiser was a go, but it never actually took off. The state education officials got wind of the practice and stopped it before it was ever set in motion. They believe it is teaching children the wrong lesson - that grades can be bought. Instead of cash, they insist the students should be rewarded bonus points for knowledge gained, not green paper. In defense of the program, Principal Susie Shepherd made the point that two test bumps won't make a difference in a student's final grade but that the money would have been helpful in upgrading the computer lab and their classrooms.

Do you agree with the state education officials or do you think the fund-raiser was a legitimate way to get kids involved in the school's improvement efforts?

President Obama Wants Kids to Stay in School Longer

LilSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:28:27 -0700

President Obama may be leading our nation, but he's just dad to his daughters, Malia and Sasha. And, his new idea to have longer school days and years is none too popular with them. In addition to adding class time, the commander in chief wants schools to be safe places for children to go in the afternoons and on weekends. According to one report, American students spend less days in the classroom but not less hours. It said:

Kids in the US spend more hours in school (1,146 instructional hours per year) than do kids in the Asian countries that persistently outscore the US on math and science tests - Singapore (903), Taiwan (1,050), Japan (1,005) and Hong Kong (1,013). That is despite the fact that Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong have longer school years (190 to 201 days) than does the United States (180 days).

Many American parents feel their children have too much academic pressure and are over-scheduled already. What's your take on this educational initiative?

Have You Adjusted to the School Routine?

LilSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:30:07 -0700

The kids may have adjusted to their new school routine, but have you?

Sixty-three percent of LilSugar readers prefer the lazy days of Summer to the rush of the school year, with the tight scheduling and early morning routines that the days involve. While lil ones may relish returning to their friends, the start of their extra-curricular activities and the normalcy of their daily routines, for both working and stay at home mamas, the school year often means fewer lax mornings and later nights as they try to cram all of their day's activities into fewer hours. Add PTA meetings and meet-the-teacher nights and a parent's planner is quickly overflowing with appointments and activities – enough to start counting down the days to Thanksgiving break.

Tell us, have you fully adjusted to your school year routine yet?

How Do Your Children Get to School?

LilSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:30:55 -0700

What child hasn't heard the story of their parents hiking five miles to school, uphill (in both directions) during a blizzard? Such tall tales may seem even more foreign to kids as fewer moms are allowing their lil ones to walk to school on their own. According to the National Household Travel Survey, child abductions, unsafe traffic conditions, and neighborhood conditions can be blamed for the decline in the number of walkers from 41 percent in 1969 to 13 percent in 2001.

Following the discovery of Jaycee Duggard, the New York Times looked into the dwindling number of school kids who walked to school and found there is a heated debate over the matter. While helicopter parents may escort their wee ones the one or two blocks to class, free-range parents feel the need to cut the cord. Mamas who allow their offspring to walk alone often face the wrath of neighbors and school administrators who scold them for their decisions and require them to sign permission slips that explain their decision to allow solo journeys.

How does your child get to school each day?

Did You Skip Work to Take Your Child to Class?

LilSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:20:14 -0700

Back-to-school jitters aren't only reserved for lil ones. Parents can be just as anxious as they prepare for the child's first day in a new classroom.

For working parents, the return to school often involves some calendar choreography to manage work commitments during the same time frame. But for many, it is well worth taking a vacation day to ensure that they can be there to see their tots off and pick them up at dismissal.

With most of the nation's schools back in session, did you take work off for the first day of school?

Nursery Schools Enlist the Help of Mental Health Experts

LilSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:00:36 -0700

Call it the preschool diaries. When one tot acts out at nursery school because his family recently moved, the whole class can be affected. The Wall Street Journal recently found that behavioral problems among young children have grown beyond the usual stubbornness that typically characterizes the preschool set. With more educators recognizing emotional issues in the youngest school children, some nursery schools and day care centers are enlisting the ongoing help of mental health professionals to provide insight and support to staff members. The behavioral experts help the teachers and school staff maintain order in the classroom and teach the students to modify their actions before they become routine. Do you support this practice?

What Classes and Activities Are Your Children Enrolled In?

LilSugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:00:00 -0700

Put me in coach! With the school year back in swing for most children, a new season of extra-curricular activities is under way. From athletic teams to the more creative hobbies, after-school programs offer children a chance to burn off some energy, make new friends and learn skills.

Though camps saw a downturn in enrollment this Summer due to the economy, 59 percent of LilSugar readers said they were maintaining their kids' schedule of activities. Heidi Klum was recently spotted picking up Henry from karate class in LA, and we've seen a number of celebrity tots participating in sports. What classes will your kiddos be taking this Fall?

Parents Try to Stop Obama's Speech From Airing in Schools

LilSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:17:35 -0700

Do we send our children to school to learn or monitor what they learn? Parents throughout the country are objecting to many public schools' decisions to broadcast President Obama's speech next week. The Commander-in-Chief's address which will be made directly to students at a high school in Virginia, is scheduled to be streamed live on the White House website. Many schools across the nation also plan to air it in their classrooms.

According to the White House, the speech will emphasize "the importance of education and hard work in school, both to the individual and to the nation." But groups of parents, including some in Texas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, South Carolina, and Utah, are accusing the government, and their school districts, of forcing the Democrats' agenda on their children by not reviewing the speech prior to presenting it. Do you think these parents are overreacting?

Make Your Child the (Rice Krispies) Apple of Her Teacher's Eye

babysugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:00:23 -0700

What does every teacher get on the first day of school? An apple. Smiling faces would be more than enough for any educator, but parents often usher them in with a less than shiny fruit that ends up in the teacher's lounge. In an effort to do something fun the night before my daughter's very first day of preschool, together we made Rice Krispies apples that I hope won't be tossed into the compost.

To see how to make these tasty delights, read more.

Using the same ingredients (plus one) that you use for regular Rice Krispies treats, melt the marshmallows and butter in a pan or bowl. Add some red gel dye to the mix. When the mixture is a lush red, add the cereal to the mix and stir. Instead of pouring the mixture into a pan, make baseball size balls and lay them out in pans that can be refrigerated. Once they have cooled off for a little bit, take them out and sculpt them into apple molds. For my stem and leaf, I used a diced up caramel and half of a green sugar candy. Using a straw, poke a small hole on top and add a leaf and a stem. Wrap it up in cellophane and tie a ribbon around it. Attach a card with your child's name and that teacher will be begging for apples year-round!

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