Last week, I was honoured to host an Eco-schools demonstration classroom. This meant that teachers from other schools came to watch me teach, talk about my program, and learn how they can have their schools and students become more eco-literate. In other words, go green."Huh?" Eco- … [Read more...]
Do You Remember?
I know this time of year everyone's excited for (and sometimes overwhelmed by) Halloween. But we have another holiday coming which I sometimes fear stands the risk of being forgotten. Do you remember what it is? Bestselling children's author Linda Granfield certainly does. … [Read more...]
Children and Competitive Sports – how much is too much?
Back in the days when I was training in gymnastics my training schedule went something like this: Monday: 4 - 9, Tuesday 4 - 9, Wed 4 - 9, Friday 4 - 9, Saturday & Sundays 9am - until whenever we were finished. We trained an average of 35 - 40 hrs a week. These days that is not the norm (well at … [Read more...]
Here’s to the Crazy Ones
This video inspired this post."Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or … [Read more...]
An Education
There's this kindergarten teacher that our whole community raves about; Avelyn didn't get into her class. There are a few kids she knows who are in the same grade; they are all in the other class. I feel kind of bummed about how things have unfolded, which is silly because it's kindergarten and … [Read more...]
Preschool: My Other Boyfriend
My (almost) three year-old started preschool this morning.She will be attending two mornings a week and we are all happy about it. She loves the sense of independence, the chance to learn and play in a new environment, and the friendly teachers. I love that she's learning important social skills … [Read more...]
Is this how our schools should be?
Yesterday a friend of mine sent me the following email. She forwarded it to me after receiving it from another friend and it had caught her eye. In the spirit of back to school, I am sharing it with you. To be honest, it gave me pause. It made me think. I had to ask myself, "Is this how our schools … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Ensure a Successful Start to the School Year!
By: Cayla from Running, Recipes, and ReadingYou know what I think of when I think of the first day of school? It's the optimistic odour of freshly sharpened pencils. Sharpened pencils standing at attention in recycled jars, along with chairs tucked under child-sized desks, and a … [Read more...]
To Medicate or Not to Medicate
By: Cayla from Running, Recipes, and Reading My son, B, has ADHD.When we first found out, our doctor asked if we would consider medication. "Oh, no," we responded, "He's getting straight-A's in school and has lots of friends. We love his personality and don't want him to change." We had … [Read more...]
Schooled
I used to be able (with a few exceptions) to pick out the home-schooled kids in a crowd: they were the quiet, socially awkward ones who liked to talk about medieval times and their pants were always too short.I swore I would never home-school my future children, for the sake of their social … [Read more...]