The transition to preschool to elementary school can be such an anxious time for both parents and for the children. There’s a lot of unknowns to get them ready for and sometimes we think there’s lots we have to do to prepare them for starting. Today we discuss what you can do to help reduce anxiety for your little one with nursery practitioner, Caroline Allen.
In this episode they discuss:
Sexual assault and harassment, sadly happens in schools on a too regular basis, whether that’s happening peer to peer or even between teacher to student. We hope our children never have to experience this. Knowing how to parent our children to take ownership of their bodies, so they know how to say no is key. We discuss how to navigate through abuse, bullying, harassment so they can get help is just as vital.
In this episode, I speak with Meghan Joyce Tozer, author of the critically acclaimed novel Night, Forgotten and her annotated middle school diary, UnSlut: A Diary and a Memoir, which she wrote under the pen name Emily Lindin.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
Have you ever considered a different educational style for your children besides the conventional method? If so, perhaps you have heard of the Montessori method. It is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. In this episode, I spoke to Montessori Home Consultant, Jeanne-Marie Paynel about the benefits of this education style.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
When was the last time you had a dedicated playtime with your child? Life gets so busy so we can’t blame parents for not being able to squeeze this in-between school, dinnertime, sports or dance at the weekend but it is vital to a child’s development. Kim Feeney is the guest on this episode, she is a licensed independent social worker and a registered play therapist supervisor. I wanted to discuss playtime with her and how to build a connection with your child.
The topics we cover in this episode are:
We create more kindness by being kind.
-Katie Hurley
In this podcast, I talk about how I got inspired to record this after reading a post on Katie Hurley’s Facebook wall. I also talk about how kindness is related to friendship and social skills, and I give a few ideas to help get you started in doing some kind acts, wherever you are. Take a listen!
Kindness is key in making good human beings. When I think about how I want my children to be as adults, the one value that I always come back to is that I want them to be kind. I want them to be kind to each other, and to other people. I want them to have compassion for others. I want them to treat others as they would want to be treated. I want them to do this not because they expect something in return or want praise but rather because it’s the right thing to do.
I love Random Acts of Kindness. I think it first started when I heard about what a local girl scout troop had done, completing Random Acts of Kindness. I loved the idea, and integrated it into some groups I was working with at the time. Recently, I’ve been doing acts of kindness with my family. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to try and think of a random act of kindness to complete. Here are several simple ideas to get you started. There are also websites where you can look for tons of other ideas for acts of kindness.
My daughter loves to dance, and for years she kept asking if she could take lessons. Finally, when she was in Kindergarten I signed her up for a local tap, jazz and ballet class. I found a great small business that was right around the corner from us. This place seemed perfect! The teacher, Ms. Amy, is wonderful and she sets a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. She even keeps extra tap and ballet shoes we can use. It’s so thoughtful. We’ve been going ever since. The classes are small, and both years the dance teacher’s daughter has been in my daughter’s class. The teacher and I have become friendly over time, chatting about our kids, schools, etc.
I love our neighborhood. We moved here 14 years ago, and we knew immediately that we lucked out with our entire neighborhood. When moved to the suburbs, we were just a couple of city kids; we used black trash bags to bag our leaves; we didn’t know that wasn’t how it’s done in the suburbs ;-) I think every single one of our neighbors gently set us on the right path. That’s how it is here. We look out for each other: we watch each other’s houses when we’re away on vacation, we water each other’s gardens and we even have block parties together.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions for my family was to do some random acts of kindness. I want my kids to understand the importance of being kind and helping others. I also want them to learn to be contributing and thoughtful members of society.
