Go ahead and get your kids thinking about a real world environmental issue because the Invent It! Challenge is back and better than ever! This 6th annual challenge, a partnership between Cricket Media and the Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is launching on January 17, 2017 and kids from […]
Most of us want to raise our kids to have cultural sensitivity and to be free of prejudices. However, the reality is we live in a world where there is racism, bigotry, and discrimination. And we all have our own unconscious biases that can get passed along despite our best efforts. The easiest way […]
ON AUGUST 21, 2017… a most magnificent sight is coming right to our backyard. Many call it the Great American Eclipse because so many millions of Americans will be able to easily access the 70-mile-wide path of the total solar eclipse. Another cool fact is that this eclipse will be the very first, since the […]
Two separate articles came through my inbox during the past few days. The first was the announcement of a new piece of technology called Aristotle which supposedly can understand the speech of very young children, allowing it to answer their questions and play simple games. The device will even read the child a bedtime stories, […]
To let the kids stay up, or not to let the kids stay up. That is the question. And I have no answer for you because you know your kids way better than I do. Late nights can bring out the worst or the super worst in kids depending on his or her disposition. […]
Everyone loves winter break, right? Um, yeah, right. Love it. Definitely. Winner. The most wonderful time of the year. So you sense some sarcasm? Here’s the thing: My kids are home. It’s cold out (at least where I live) so outdoor activities are difficult. Friends are away so arranging playtime with other kids is […]
The candles! I mean the candles! It’s been reported that 72 percent of Jewish people in the United States celebrate Hanukkah. This is a bigger percentage than those who partake of any other Jewish rite, including attending a Passover seder or fasting on Yom Kippur. Yet it is one of the most commonly misunderstood […]
What is a leader? A leader is a person who unites us and inspires us to work together toward a common goal. A leader is a person who is responsible for guiding the group toward new heights of success, individually and collectively, and for bringing out the best in each of us. In a symphony, […]
The winners in the 3rd annual Global Folklorist Challenge were announced this week and they are an impressive bunch. If you don’t know, the Folklorist Challenge, sponsored by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, asks students to identify a form of folklore in their community and document it by interviewing a tradition bearer […]
Last year around this time, I posted a blog about holiday shopping, or more accurately, holiday overspending. In it, I repeated some good advice that I got and still abide by: When it comes to gifts, try the rule of four for your kids: one gift they want, one gift they need, one gift […]