Learning Together at Home
For many Austin families, summer came before we expected it. Not the summer of pool parties, sprinkler playdates, and sparklers with neighbors after dark, but the summer of lots and lots of unexpected family togetherness. When you add in anxiety about the state of the...
How Nature Impacts Childhood Development
The statistics on how much time American children spend outside each day is startling. The National Recreation and Park Association states that the average child spends only four to seven minutes engaged in unstructured play outdoors, while spending an average of...
How to Help a Reluctant Reader
Getting some kids to read is like pulling teeth. Actually, for most reluctant readers, pulling teeth would seem like a walk in the park— that’s how resistant they are to reading! While most of us would agree that reading is good for children, we might not know...
Why Educational Summer Camps Matter
It’s February and love is in the air. I would say that a chill is also in the air, but we do live in Austin after all, so no guarantees! Good weather or bad, though, chances are that thoughts of summer and summer camps are not top of mind. You might want to try a...
Encouraging Kids to Try Something New
Childhood presents a wonderful opportunity to explore new activities and to try new things. Failure often doesn’t carry the same weight as it does in adulthood, and the playing field can be more level. By nature, many of those involved are also trying activities for...
Does My Child Have a Learning Disability?
A learning disability is a neurological condition that interferes with a child’s ability to store, process, or produce information. Its effects can be seen in a wide variety of areas, including reading, writing, speaking, spelling, math computation, reasoning,...
The Truth About Childhood Mental Disorders
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental disorders among children are described as “serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave or handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through the day.” Media...
Online Learning Comes of Age
A dear friend called me to talk about her first-grade daughter, who was complaining of boredom in school. As a former educator, she wanted my advice. The family didn’t want to change schools or teachers, but they did want to ensure their daughter stayed engaged and...
Celebrating 30 Years of Library Card Sign-Up Month
This September marks the 30th anniversary of Library Card Sign-Up Month. Started in 1987 by the American Library Association, the national observance was created with the goal of ensuring that every child might obtain and use a library card. During the month,...
Do Dress Codes Target Girls?
When I write, most of my research begins with a Facebook post and informal chats with friends. I like hearing people’s thoughts on a topic before I start writing, to ensure a broader perspective. Twenty minutes after my post on dress codes went up, it was readily...
Summer Reading for Every Level
Teachers often warn of the dreaded summer slide – the decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months, when school is not in session. Just 20 minutes of reading a day will help your child retain his or her reading skills, and...
David’s Law Supports Victims of Cyberbullying
David Molak tried to get away. He even transferred to a different school, but the cyberbullying continued. Then in January 2016, the 16-year-old from San Antonio took his own life. But because the bullying wasn’t physical, and there wasn’t enough evidence to meet the...
