It’s that time again. The bittersweet time of year when we send the kiddos back off to school.  Time to check off the list of to do’s before we drop them off for the first day.

1) Back to school shopping.  Timing is everything.  Many states are now offering a tax free period for back to school purchases.  Now we’re faced with a decision: is the seven cents per dollar that we’ll save worth the aggravation of fighting roving packs of angry mothers in search of the last twelve pack of #2 pencils?  Maybe, maybe not.

2) School uniforms.  If…

There are not too many memories I have retained from my first year in elementary school, but making origami models is certainly one of them. One of my mother’s friends came into the classroom to teach us about origami. Ori means “folding” while kami means “paper.” Quite literally, it is the art of paper folding. She taught us to make several different models. One of the easiest, but most elegant designs was the butterfly. We were allowed to color on the paper to personalize our butterflies, and we were very proud of our work.

In fifth grade, I made a…

Do children and politics mix? The obvious answer would seem to be “no,” but the issue is a little more complicated than that. Consider that their opinions are going to be shaped by someone – books, movies, TV, friends, teachers – shouldn’t we be at the forefront of their political and philosophical development?

Then again, whenever someone else’s young children have a strong opinion, especially one with which you disagree, don’t you sigh and think how unfortunate it is that their parents are indoctrinating them like that? Come on, be honest.

In working with children over the last…

Tiny Titans is a monthly comic book published by DC Comics.  It was recently awarded the Harvey Award for Best Children’s Comic, and with good reason.  Tiny Titans succeeds where so many other early education tools fail: kids want to read it.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, the Teen Titans are a team of superhero sidekicks that got together to form their own team.  Back in the 1960s, DC wanted to cash in on a younger audience.  So Batman’s partner Robin, Wonder Woman’s young sidekick Wonder Girl, the Flash’s protege Kid Flash, Aquaman’s trainee Aqualad, and the Green Arrow’s…

In honor of Independence Day this weekend, I thought I’d post about another kind of independence. Children start exerting their independence at an early age, and continue to push the boundaries until they leave the nest.

There are so many landmarks along the road to independence, and it is important to keep our children moving along the path at an appropriate pace. For some, that may mean pushing your child forward against their resistance. But for most of us, it is a matter of holding them back just enough so that their ability can keep pace with their ever-increasing independence.

Both…