10/15/2010

Race to Nowhere Film

To continue with the school subject, I got this link to watch the preview of a documentary called "Race to Nowhere" and that will be on the Screen Nationwide starting on October 26th.

The documentary is about the struggles that students are facing these days at schools, the saturated after school schedules, the pressure they are feeling and that comes from everywhere (classmates, teachers, parents), and the competitive environment in which they are leaving.

If you have a few minutes watch the trailer it looks very interesting. 



If you get to see it, share your thoughts I'd love to hear them!

School years ahead of us...

It seems as if this week I'm getting information about our current educational system from everywhere. Some people say that they want the system to change the entry date so their kids can go to school one year later while some others don't agree with this change ... the truth is that everyone has their own opinion on this and at the end it we as parents will have to make the final decision on when to send them to school and to which type of school.

Let's face it sometimes we (the parents) are the ones who are not ready to see our kids start the journey that will lead them to be independent and it is not that the child is not ready for life, we did it and our parents did it and I'm sure that once my child is enroll in a kindergarten, elementary school and all the way to college she will be able to survive no matter the entry date as long as I give her the guidance and support needed on each stage. What are your thoughts about this?

10/13/2010

Heat Wave in the area, what to do when I have to stay home with my child?

Many times I have heard other moms say "Help! I'm having my kids at home, what should I do with them if we can't get out?" On the last few days, I've been staying at home in that situation and although I didn't know what to expect it hasn't been as chaotic as I expected.

We start the day by reading some books, then we would dance or sing some of her favorite songs. Now that she is a toddler, she is enjoying doing craft projects, everything can get really messy by I'm sure both of you will have a great time!

Another  activity I like to encourage her to do is "pretend play" at her age she enjoys pretending she is an animal, a zookeeper or even a princess this type of play can have her busy or a long time, I just need to give her some direction or "ideas" so she starts developing a complete story around the situation.

I found this pretend play to be a great way to develop her imagination and for me to notice all the things she has been learning on these years.

Do you have any other ideas on what to do when you have to stay at home with your kids?