My oldest son is required to have a tablet for 1st grade. The school has some available for loan, but our district apps can run on any platform so I prefer to get our own. That way, we can keep track of what’s going on with it and maximize the use of this educational tablet!
One thing I really love about California is that there are so many places that are perfect for an impromptu weekend trip. The laid-back style … Read more
Some of you spotted this stroller in our infant car seat post and asked about it. I’ve been eager to share the gadget that’s been … Read more
School is starting back up! For us that means that at about 2pm every Monday through Friday we have a preschooler, transitional kindergartener and a 1st grader all rolling through the door demanding food at once. That and telling the legends of the playground. Very similar to a show involving dragons, armies and intrigue…just smaller.
My 4-year-old is going into Transitional Kindergarten in a week. Cue the dramatic mom tears! Actually, as a former elementary school teacher, I’m thrilled with the idea. Schwarzenegger signed the Kindergarten Readiness Act into law in California in 2010, changing the enrollment date so that all kids would be at least 5 when they enter school here. The law also created Transitional Kindergarten (or ‘TK,’ which is often called Pre-K or PK in other states) to bridge the gap between preschool and kindergarten for students whose birthdays fall just short of the cutoff date. The idea is that older 4-year-olds need more mental stimulation than a typical preschool or daycare might provide, but they aren’t ready for the full structure of kindergarten.
I’ve talked a lot about nighttime routines recently. Having a well-defined evening routine and reliant bedtime is one of the things that helps keep me sane as a parent. I think a lot of us start with the very best intentions, but wind up falling off the nighttime routine wagon and landing in one of two camps: the moms and dads who do everything for their kids at night or the moms and dads who do very little for their kids at night. I remember when I used to babysit, I’d go from a household where a 3-year-old was brushing his own teeth and tucking himself in to a household where a 10-year-old still expected the toothpaste to be smeared on by an adult.
It’s back to school time here! People frequently ask how the kids manage school when our business requires a lot of family travel. I shared some of our frustrations and schooling solutions last year. We’ve taken a blended approach by keeping our son in public school and using the district’s contract learning program when we feel it’s appropriate, opting out of certain things that don’t work for him and supplementing with our own curriculum at home. There were a few bumps along the way, but we got into an awesome groove by the end of the year. We’ve been continuing our at-home lessons through the summer and it’s been such a joy. Sometimes I really do think that I could teach them myself.
As I grow older, I really get the sense there are no guarantees in this world. The markets, employment, housing bubbles, and so on. Well, I suppose traffic in southern California is something you can always count on. That runs like clockwork! So many other things, though, don’t go as planned. I guess this is where the old adage comes in, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Chelsea and I recently flew with the kids across the country to Orlando for a conference and some much-needed vacation time. We waited until just days before takeoff to book our car rental, so we wound up getting the very last 7-seater in Orlando from a sketchy-looking off-airport spot that had a shag sofa in their waiting room.
We’ve been spending just about every day lately at the beach or by the pool. It can be kind of a challenge to keep the whole crew engaged, entertained and safe in the water when you have a spread as we do from ages 6 to infant. Today, we’re sharing how we explore water play with siblings of varying ages.