There isn’t much good kid news lately due to a lot of focus on Katrina, which is very appropriate, because we are, in many ways, a nation in mourning right now. There were a few stories in the Chronicle of Higher Education that caught my eye, because they were dealing with the same issue: our kids are simply not prepared for college when they leave high school.
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Poor Higher Education Preparation Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:24 pm
So What If Kids Eat Healthy At Home Fri Sep 9, 2005 9:57 pm
Apparently they will get junk food at school, according to a new study by the United States Government Accounting Office. Many schools have exclusive contracts with soft drink companies, and 9 out of 10 middle schools offer “competitive foods” in vending machines. Maybe this isn’t such a big deal---in fact, I remember my own mother packing my lunch for many years with healthy food that I would then trade off for something more tasty. At least I was learning the fine art of bartering in the process, and some other kid was getting healthy food. In the social sense, it all worked out for the best I suppose. But how do we teach kids to choose healthy foods if there is no real choice? Or, what if they will be the dork eating an apple while all their friends eat chips? There is no good answer for everyone, but understanding the trends and economics involved with school food supply is a good start.
Some Good News on Teen Sex - Well, Sort Of Wed Sep 7, 2005 9:46 pm
NBC4.tv shares some statistics published by Teen People magazine on teenage sex statistics. The upbeat news is that many teens report love as their primary reason for having sex, but since many of the girls who are sexually active are no longer with their first partner, it makes parents wonder if they are applying the proper judgment to determine love. There are also some sobering statistics regarding parent perceptions of sexual activity vs. reality.
More Full Day Kindergarten Tue Sep 6, 2005 7:20 am
Our home school district recently had a fight about this issue, because the district wanted to pull kindergarten back to half day and the parents were really mad because they felt that the children needed the extra class time. The argument was that today’s kindergarten is more like yesterday’s first grade, and that expectations have risen quite a bit since our own school days. Apparently, the tide is turning back to full day, according to this article from CNN and the Associated Press. Many kindergarteners are learning the basics of math and science, and they need the extra time to cover all of the material. In fact, 65% of our nation’s kindergarten classes are now full time, according to the article.
Helping Children Cope With Katrina Tue Sep 6, 2005 7:02 am
This has been a very sad week for our nation, and as we are glued to our televisions, tracking the latest updates on rescue/recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina, our children are seeing it too. Parenting Exchange offers some tips for helping our children process this tragedy, and make sure that they understand without becoming overwhelmed. Even if people close to you are not directly affected, children are likely to feel fearful and anxious, so explaining the situation in simple terms that they can understand is the best approach.
