Tags for "Childhood"
The Building Blocks of a Good Education
What ever happened to Kindergarten?
This past weekend I found myself in Western Massachusetts for an old fashioned Timber House Raising. Now I have to be honest, before this weekend I had no idea what a Timber Hose Raising was. Living in Brooklyn it's not so often you come across someone who decides they're going to build their house and then invites the whole neighborhood over to help. It's even less often that you get to watch a house being build with no metal. But that was exactly what happened. Over the last two years pieces of tree were cut, shaved and carved into lumber, each piece measured and chiseled to fit exactly into the... A Pair of Fresh Eyes
I have plenty of experience with having those three things and then some crushed by plenty of people who were supposed to educate me, after all. But I'm beginning to notice just how much she learns and sees on her own, and if I or anyone else tried to take that from her, she simply wouldn't be the same person.
Yesterday I was cutting the top of a facial tissue box off so we could use it to hold our growing pile of colored pencils. My daughter promptly asked if she could use... Everyday Opportunities
She adds three cherries to her tree from her bucket and then, with a sly glance at me from the corner of her eye, adds two more.
"Hmmm... Is that three?" I ask.
"No!" she laughs and puts two of the cherries back.
I'm seeing more and more of this testing-me behavior every day. She likes to know her limits and she's all about discovering loopholes. She's learning about fairness, sharing, kindness, and ethics--as well as counting and colors, not to mention developing those fine motor skills even further--all with a game of Hi Hi Cherry-O!
Recently I sent in my six-word memoir for a project our local... Actions Speak Louder Than Sticker Charts
It wasn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last. And it wasn't even late in the day!
We were reading, she in my lap, a small toy fish in hers. By small, I mean it was slightly larger than a fingernail; she loves tiny things. This is the same fish that she accidentally broke by pulling of its tail yesterday. I glued it back in place (rather messily; it is tiny, after all) and today, while reading, she tore it in two once again.
Exasperated, I sighed, taking it from her and setting it on the table. "Didn't I just fix this?"
"I'm sorry," she pouted, and she was. "I didn't mean to do it." And she didn't. I saw her absently pull at the little... The Importance of Play Dates
The thing is, play dates are an incredibly important part of our lives. In our neighborhood, there are no other kids; when I was growing up, they were always in abundance, so I always had playmates when I wanted them. My daughter isn't so lucky. Yes, she gets to play with kids when we go to story time, the Magic House at the children's museum, the park, and wherever else we go--and we do go somewhere at least weekly--but it's just not the... The Social Gap Between Child and Adult
Was he heartbroken over it? Nah... but he was pretty bummed out. He had never made a lei before, and here was a great opportunity to broaden his horizons, but he couldn't participate...apparently, he's too old for... In Like a Lion
Normally I'm not one to wish for time to pass by quickly. Our family tries to enjoy every day, celebrate the seasons of the year, and generally make the best of what we have. This March, however, has thrown us for a loop, largely financially, and I won't be sad to see it go.
It's also been a difficult few weeks for our daughter. She has not only picked up on the tension, but also suffered from her parents having to compensate by working as much as we possibly can. Even that hasn't eased all of the burden, and she's turned to tantrums, name-calling, and even the dreaded, "I don't love you" words in frustration.
Already stressed and... Colin Wants To Go To South Africa
The article revolves around Colin's university prohibiting him from enrolling in a class that would take place in South Africa over the summer, due to his young age. The University reasons that a boy at such a young age may be at higher risk of something undesirable happening while in South Africa than a typical... Parenting for Social Change
Posted on Nov 18, 2009 - 02:02 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
This week I'll be asking the question. Here it is:What ever happened to Kindergarten?
This past weekend I found myself in Western Massachusetts for an old fashioned Timber House Raising. Now I have to be honest, before this weekend I had no idea what a Timber Hose Raising was. Living in Brooklyn it's not so often you come across someone who decides they're going to build their house and then invites the whole neighborhood over to help. It's even less often that you get to watch a house being build with no metal. But that was exactly what happened. Over the last two years pieces of tree were cut, shaved and carved into lumber, each piece measured and chiseled to fit exactly into the... A Pair of Fresh Eyes
Posted on Feb 17, 2010 - 05:02 PM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
If I directed everything my daughter was to ever learn in her life--or if someone else did, for that matter--I would abandon all hope for the survival of her creativity, originality, and sparkling personality itself.I have plenty of experience with having those three things and then some crushed by plenty of people who were supposed to educate me, after all. But I'm beginning to notice just how much she learns and sees on her own, and if I or anyone else tried to take that from her, she simply wouldn't be the same person.
Yesterday I was cutting the top of a facial tissue box off so we could use it to hold our growing pile of colored pencils. My daughter promptly asked if she could use... Everyday Opportunities
Posted on Feb 25, 2010 - 11:23 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
As the wheel stops, my four-year-old quickly counts the cherries and announces, "Three!"She adds three cherries to her tree from her bucket and then, with a sly glance at me from the corner of her eye, adds two more.
"Hmmm... Is that three?" I ask.
"No!" she laughs and puts two of the cherries back.
I'm seeing more and more of this testing-me behavior every day. She likes to know her limits and she's all about discovering loopholes. She's learning about fairness, sharing, kindness, and ethics--as well as counting and colors, not to mention developing those fine motor skills even further--all with a game of Hi Hi Cherry-O!
Recently I sent in my six-word memoir for a project our local... Actions Speak Louder Than Sticker Charts
Posted on Mar 04, 2010 - 01:45 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Today my daughter broke my heart.It wasn't the first time, and it certainly won't be the last. And it wasn't even late in the day!
We were reading, she in my lap, a small toy fish in hers. By small, I mean it was slightly larger than a fingernail; she loves tiny things. This is the same fish that she accidentally broke by pulling of its tail yesterday. I glued it back in place (rather messily; it is tiny, after all) and today, while reading, she tore it in two once again.
Exasperated, I sighed, taking it from her and setting it on the table. "Didn't I just fix this?"
"I'm sorry," she pouted, and she was. "I didn't mean to do it." And she didn't. I saw her absently pull at the little... The Importance of Play Dates
Posted on Mar 12, 2010 - 02:06 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
A lot of people like to scoff when I say something like, "Oh, we can't on Wednesday night; we have a play date." They want to know why I have to schedule time for my daughter to play with other kids and think I'm being a helicopter parent for doing so.The thing is, play dates are an incredibly important part of our lives. In our neighborhood, there are no other kids; when I was growing up, they were always in abundance, so I always had playmates when I wanted them. My daughter isn't so lucky. Yes, she gets to play with kids when we go to story time, the Magic House at the children's museum, the park, and wherever else we go--and we do go somewhere at least weekly--but it's just not the... The Social Gap Between Child and Adult
Posted on Mar 15, 2010 - 01:13 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
This past week, there was a Hawaiian Music Festival at Tempe Town Lake, not far from my neighborhood. I did not attend, but a good friend of mine checked it out before coming over to my house for a visit. He said it was a fun time with plenty of ukuleles to play and good music all around. But when he got to the front of the line of the 'Make Your Own Hawaiian Lei' booth, the staff told him that adults were not allowed to make a lei, that the artful activity was for kids only.Was he heartbroken over it? Nah... but he was pretty bummed out. He had never made a lei before, and here was a great opportunity to broaden his horizons, but he couldn't participate...apparently, he's too old for... In Like a Lion
Posted on Mar 30, 2010 - 10:45 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
I, for one, will be happy to see March go this year.Normally I'm not one to wish for time to pass by quickly. Our family tries to enjoy every day, celebrate the seasons of the year, and generally make the best of what we have. This March, however, has thrown us for a loop, largely financially, and I won't be sad to see it go.
It's also been a difficult few weeks for our daughter. She has not only picked up on the tension, but also suffered from her parents having to compensate by working as much as we possibly can. Even that hasn't eased all of the burden, and she's turned to tantrums, name-calling, and even the dreaded, "I don't love you" words in frustration.
Already stressed and... Colin Wants To Go To South Africa
Posted on Mar 31, 2010 - 12:18 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Recently I stumbled upon an interesting article on NPR's website entitled, Age May Be Barrier For 13-Year-Old College Student. The story tells about a 13-year-old boy who maintains a 3.9 GPA at the University of Connecticut. The boy, named Colin Carlson, is a double major and seems to be deeply motivated in his studies, which include environmental studies and evolutionary biology.The article revolves around Colin's university prohibiting him from enrolling in a class that would take place in South Africa over the summer, due to his young age. The University reasons that a boy at such a young age may be at higher risk of something undesirable happening while in South Africa than a typical... Parenting for Social Change
Posted on Aug 24, 2011 - 12:06 PM by Shawn Strader in Resources