Karen Alley, The Daily Post. As web editor, Karen blogs every day about news and events that are going on either in our area or on a national realm. Bringing together hot topics with local ties is what keeps her perspective on the news interesting.
Renee, Teen-dom Tales, provides a look into the life of a mom of a teen, a stage of life that brings with it a whole new realm of parenting challenges.
Stephanie, Mamma Said, writes witty and insightful posts chronicling the development of her two young boys, ages 3 and 1. As a Greensboro resident, they're out and about at locales around the Triad quite often, and she also brings in the working mom perspective at times, with her part time job.
Lisa, The Single Mom's Soliloquy, adds a different spin on parenting as she writes about the issues, challenges and joys of raising a daughter as a single mom. Her look at life in the new world order of blended families and split families is refreshing and sometimes controversial.
Heather Maggs, of The Time Out Corner, presents a humorous blog on the roller coaster life of a stay-at-home mom of a toddler.
Myra Wright, familiar to you as our editor, also blogs inPiedmont Ponderings. It's a great outlet for her creative sense of humor, and she brings some great perspective to life in King as the mother of three kids.
It seems like kids are born storytellers. They can take an everyday thing that happened at school and turn it into an exciting story by dinnertime. We've got a great way to channel that creative genius in a project that's educational and fun, and comes with its own reward! It's time once again for Piedmont Parent's annual Young Authors Contest, an event that attracts hundreds of kids each year to write their own book. Deadline for entries is Nov. 13, and you can find full details on how to enter here.
It's a great way to encourage writing because everyone who enters gets a certificate and an invitation to the Young Authors Reception in January. The National Writing Project, which lists 10 ways to get kids writing, advocates recognition as one way to get kids excited about writing. While you might think your kids are already overburdended with school and homework, the methodical approach to academics often doesn't foster creativity the way it should, so it doesn't hurt to encourage it some at home. Our contest is one way to do this, and some others include getting kids writing things like greeting cards and fortune cookies.
It's also a good idea to get kids published, something that's a lot easier to do in these days. For more information visit KidsontheNet.org, which has tips on writing for the new media as well as forums for kids to submit work.
So start thinking up some fun stories! Writing's something that is important no matter what you choose to do with your life, and it's something we can help foster in our children at all ages.
Obama has just come out saying he thinks American children need to be in school more. Longer days, a longer school year, more time in the classroom and less time with "nothing to do." (Not his quote.)
Believe it or not, this is not a new debate. As long ago as 1990, a New Jersey representative called for a longer school year. And in February of this year the secretary of education made his case for more time in school. But will more time in school really be productive academically? Or do we just want schools to become babysitters? One of the arguments is that in poor communities, kids fall behind during long summer breaks. They also miss out on the free breakfast and lunch at school.
Wilkes County is trying out a new program that will be looked at by schools across the state. In an effort to save teaching positions during a tough budget year, Superintendent Laws shortened the school year to 162 days, but kids go 45 minutes longer every day. So there's more instructional time per day. But they get more breaks during the year. And we all know that long stretch of time after Christmas with no break wears on all of us.
A different option could be more days in school, but shorter days, as Stacey Padula argues in her article.
What do you think? Is more time in school really the answer to creating responsible, thinking adults?
It's 6:15 a.m. I happen to be dressed and working when my 5 year old starts calling me. I go into her pitch-black room and she says, "Is it morning, time to get up?" Hoping for a few more minutes of work time before the morning craziness starts, I quickly tell her it's still the middle of the night, rub her back a minute and sneak out. She slept until 7:15.
Granted, that doesn't always happen. Most of the time when my early riser wakes up at 6 a.m. or earlier, she just gets up and walks downstairs. Once she sees me dressed and working on the laptop, there's no going back to bed. But I really needed that extra work time, and fully admit I told her a lie in order to get it. So guess what that makes me? A Pinocchio Parent! Yep, they've come out with a new label for parents. Turns out, all those white lies we tell our kids, to help them feel better about themselves, to make them behave, to shield them from the world, or even just to make our lives a little easier temporarily, are being studied by researchers in Toronto and California.
The comforting part of the study is that parents have been lying to their kids for generations. But it's also interesting to see how these lies affect our kids. When Uncle Rusty heads out for a cigarette and we tell the kids he's just taking the dog out, are we protecting them, or avoiding a touchy conversation? And it's not just the little ones that we lie to. What are you going to tell your kids when they ask you the tough questions about sex and drugs, and what you did as a teenager?
Even the experts don't always recommend full disclosure. But openness and honesty are great ways to keep the lines of communication flowing, something that you'll never regret once you're a parent of a teen.
Here are some good sites for tackling those tough topics with kids:
Haven't we had enough rain? They're calling for more this weekend, but it doesn't mean you can't still have a great time! Find some great bargains as the consignment sales continue this week, three big ones are Christ United Methodist Church and Mt. Pisgah Church in Greensboro, and Main St. Methodist in Kernersville.
Of course, all that shopping is sure to make you hungry. Thank goodness there's both outdoor and indoor dining at the Greek Festival in Greensboro. You can't beat this deal, with an admission price of $1 and kids under 12 free.
Believe it or not, this is just a sampling of what's going on around the area this weekend. Looking for a fall festival? In the mood to pick your own pumpkin? We've got the perfect resource in our newly updated Fall Festivals page, from the Maize Adventure to pick-your-own pumpkin patches. For more details on what's going on this weekend, check out our calendar.
Tomorrow morning at 10:30, the NC Zoo, along with its parent agency the N.C. Dept. of Natural Resources and other partner agencies, will officially open its new wetlands exhibit. The wetland exhibit is a creative way to help the environment. Its purpose is to filter stormwater runoff from the North American parking lot, but at the same time it educates visitors about the importance of wetlands and protecting and preserving the environment.
The planning for the project included testing for contaminants in runoff and selecting plants that will be beneficial to the project. Students from the Asheboro High School Zoo School assisted with the project and will continue to play a part with water monitoring requirements.
The opening is very fitting considering this week is unofficially named Climate Week. Obama addressed the UN on Tuesday abotu climate change and what the U.S. is prepared to do, leading up to the big climate change summit in Copenhagen in December. To read more about the summit and how you can use it as a learning opportunity for your kids, check out our blog Climate Change for Kids.
