With the new year upon us, we get kids ready to return to school. In the midst of the craziness of clothes, books, sports activities and the like, it is hard to take a step back and think about what happens in the classroom, and how our kids are processing the information. Some kids are highly intelligent, yet do not respond well to the standard classroom techniques, especially if they are “visual-spatial learners” as outlined in this article from Utah Family Magazine and U Can Learn. The author provides some clues to identifying alternative learning patterns in children, as well as ideas for teaching your visual-spatial learner.
Latest Additions
How Does Your Child Learn? Sat Dec 31, 2005 11:57 pm
Keeping The Holidays Happy For Kids Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:59 pm
We hear a lot in the press about how adults can get clinically depressed or just generally bummed out (yes, that is a technical term) during the holidays. We parents jump through hoops to create magic for our kids - especially those of us doing the Santa thing - and in the process it may not occur to us that our kids are getting stressed out too. In our family, the recent challenge has been with traveling, which presents its own version of magic from child’s perspective. You get in a car or plane, something happens, and then you are in a new place. But this type of activity overextends kids just as the gift giving phase does as we’ve learned. This article from CNN highlights the necessity of keeping kids on a schedule during the holidays, and making sure you take the time to understand their pressures and help them stay happy during the hoopla of the holidays.
Could It Be A Urinary Tract Infection? Sun Dec 25, 2005 9:24 pm
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse released this electronic information sheet on urinary tract infections. We have not experienced one of these in our house as of yet, nor did I have one as a kid, so I suspect it would be difficult to spot if without being aware of the potential symptoms. It is important to note that some children need to be assessed for proper functioning of their urinary tract using ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Wake Up Call For Parents Of Teens Fri Dec 23, 2005 11:41 pm
It seems obvious, but we have a real issue with keeping children safe on the internet. This is much more real than you might think, since most kids are far more tech savvy than their parents, and can find very creative ways to get what they are looking for. The Polly Klaas Foundation released results of a survey this week that highlights some surprising trends among our young people and their internet use. For instance, teens are likely to make contact with someone they have never met before through instant messaging. This means that we as parents don’t know them either, which is troublesome, especially since age deception is common and frequently practiced on the internet.
Cancer vaccine for girls? Thu Dec 22, 2005 10:46 pm
Yahoo! reported on a new vaccine that holds strong promise against the virus leading to cervical cancer - and it is more effective when administered between the ages of 10-14 than in the late teens and early 20s. Researchers are very excited about this because it means that girls can be protected long before they run the risk of catching the sexually transmitted virus.
Learn Manners For Credit? Wed Dec 21, 2005 12:09 am
Everywhere I go, I hear complaints from random people that today’s children have no manners. Is this something we should teach in schools? One middle school in Salt Lake City, Utah, thinks so, and they teach their children etiquette for 45 minutes each school day in hopes that the students will not be the subject of manners complaints later in life. Some lessons are well received, and others not - after all, these are seventh-graders, and the urge to do what feels most comfortable is pretty strong.
Seventeen kids? Sun Dec 18, 2005 11:48 pm
OK, so I had this big plan to share some really meaningful information with you, and then I see that there is a couple with seventeen children. On most days, I am trying to figure out how to survive with my family that including me, only tops off in the single digits. Can you imagine their holiday newsletter, if they even bother with it? If they don’t, it is not a huge loss, because those newsletters are getting out of hand, at least with my relatives.
Do Techie Toys = Smart Baby? Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:14 am
This New York Times article (free, registration required) takes a serious look at the explosive use of electronic “learning” toys such as Leapster and V.Smile. It seems these newfangled gizmos may not be harmful, but they should be put in context. One expert from the Kaiser Foundation said ‘“If parents are thinking, ‘I need a break, I’ll put my 4-year-old in front of this nice harmless video,’ that’s one thing,” she continued, “But if parents are thinking, ‘This is good for my 3-month-old, it will help her get ahead in the world,’ that’s another.“‘
Are You A Vegetarian? Mon Dec 12, 2005 11:42 pm
I work with a woman who is a vegetarian - no red meat, chicken or fish, and she is pregnant. During her pregnancy, she has started eating some fish, however, she and her husband plan to raise their child completely vegetarian. Carnivore that I am, I thought this sounded absurd, so I decided to check it out on the internet, and I found some sage advice from reliable sources that I thought I’d share in case anyone else would like to continue their vegetarian eating habits during and after a pregnancy.
Emerging Trends Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:42 pm
Normally, I’m not very political in my posts, because when it comes to our children, democrat or republican, we all want to raise good, healthy kids, and the other stuff is just noise in many respects. This article in Ode Magazine goes even further beyond the political issues, and outlines trends that will drastically shape our world in the next 10 years. When I first saw the headline, I thought maybe they were talking about perfecting hybrid cars or building more automated houses, but these trends are real, and if they are true, our parenting tasks will get much more interesting in the years to come. Here’s a hint - if Ode Magazine is correct, you won’t need a passport to travel, and countries as we know them will no longer exist.
