A nine-year-old student shares her exciting experience attending a Thai cooking school in Chiang Mai, Thailand, learning to make Pad Thai and mango sticky rice.
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Visit Krampus Santa Cruz at Holiday Lights!
Experience Krampus Santa Cruz at Sparky's Holiday Lights on Dec 4! Enjoy millions of lights, walk the grounds, and meet Krampus, St. Nicholas's mischievous counterpart.
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Should Kids Enter College After High School?
Four students share their perspectives on whether kids should enter college directly after high school, discussing career paths, financial savings, and personal choices.
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Atlantis Fantasyworld Reaches Superpowered Milestone
Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz celebrates nearly 50 years as a beloved comic book destination, built on owner Joe Ferrara's passion and a strong community.
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Today’s Children Are Today’s Leaders
Discover how Positive Discipline empowers children as leaders and changemakers. This approach fosters mutual respect, responsibility, emotional intelligence, and social justice.
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Young Reader Discovers a Powerful Story From Ukraine
A young reader shares her experience with "Kidnapped From Ukraine, Under Attack" by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and interviews the author about the book and her writing journey.
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The Heartwarming Story of Kevin the Clinic Dog
Discover the heartwarming journey of Kevin, a one-eyed miniature poodle, from a traumatized stray to a beloved "Clinic Dog" and finally finding his forever home.
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Happy Holidays from the Growing Up Staff
Growing Up staff share heartfelt holiday wishes, reflect on community engagement, and invite continued support as they look forward to a new year.
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Giving Differs Through the Generations
As the Santa Cruz Gives selection committee reviewed applications for the 2025 six-week holiday fundraiser, we talked about current events and trends in giving that might impact the campaign this year. Volunteer Center executive director Karen Delaney told us about a study that showed that younger donors have different priorities than older donors. SANTA CRUZ GIVES Older donors prioritize the urgency of meeting basic needs — food, housing and health care — since federal funds were slashed this year. Younger people prioritize mental health, social justice, peace, and general well-being. An interesting stat is that young people give more often. They’re adept at using their phones for quick donations as…
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Inspiring Student Innovators at TEDxMeritAcademy
Colleges today are looking for curious students — those who dive deeply into subjects that truly fascinate them. Gone are the days when being a “Jack of all Trades” guaranteed admission. Juggling three sports, piano lessons, multiple clubs, and hundreds of volunteer hours no longer impresses top universities. Instead, admissions officers are drawn to students whose curiosity leads them to explore meaningful questions over time. They can spot the difference between a last-minute “passion project” and one that reflects genuine dedication. When a student begins exploring an idea in 8th or 9th grade and develops it throughout high school, it shows depth, resilience, and authentic engagement — qualities every selective…
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Rethinking Thanksgiving and the Stories We Share
You are not alone in wondering about what it means to hold the 4th Thursday of November as a day of gratitude, known to some as Thanksgiving, and to others as the Day of Mourning. In a country rooted in colonization (which still continues today), we have been conditioned to ignore the uglier parts of our country’s history and how the experiences we take for granted today came to be. At Positive Discipline Community Resources, we invite you to stay curious and examine the ways in which we have the power and privilege to bring humanity and compassion into our parenting and teaching of traditions. “The antidote to feel-good history…
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Pet of the Month: Rocco
Meet Rocco, the lovable “chocolate bear” with a powdered sugar coat! Though considered a senior, Rocco’s youthful spirit shines — he loves walks, hikes, and endless games of fetch. He rides beautifully in the car and has lived happily with children under 12. Rocco’s adoption fee is sponsored by the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation’s “Leave No One Behind” fund, helping long-term residents find homes. Plus, every dog adoption includes “Pawsitivity Bucks” — a $200 training voucher to connect adopters with local positive-reinforcement trainers. Come meet Rocco and discover a loyal, fun-loving companion ready to make life’s adventures sweeter!
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Pet Insurance 101
In planning for a pet’s health and wellness, many people have looked at and purchased pet insurance. If you are interested in learning more, here are a few general considerations and questions to think about: ROUTINE CARE Like for any family member, there will be routine medical costs. Yearly check-ups, vaccinations, and teeth cleaning are predictable. Ask your veterinarian for an estimate of these yearly routine costs so you can plan for them. Some pet insurance plans cover routine medical costs. UNPREDICTABLE EXPENSES For unanticipated costs such as injuries and sudden illness, or long-term conditions that any pet can develop, a pet insurance plan can be a wise investment. If…
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A Day of Joy and Generosity
Every song begins with a single note. And for 125 Santa Cruz students this month, that note will ring out from the gift of a brand new guitar that they can call their own. On November 16, Free Guitars for Kids (FG4K), in partnership with Pajaro Valley Unified School District Expanded Learning, will host a Family Fun Day at the Grove located at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. More than 2,000 family, friends and community members are expected, but the heart of the event will be the magical moment when these students walk away with their first instrument. What looks like a simple gift is, in truth, the beginning of…
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Creative Writing is Creative Learning
I’ve been teaching writing to children for almost 20 years now, first in small homeschool groups, then online since 2013. My students have ranged from reluctant writers who can hardly put out a sentence to avid writers who forget to eat when their creative juices are flowing. In the time that I’ve been teaching, I’ve noticed public school curriculum doubling down on technical writing skills. They’ve pushed essay-style writing earlier in the curriculum and even early elementary students are tested on writing skills. In that same time, however, I’ve done the opposite. I’ve tried teaching essay writing to children, and it was miserable. Teaching creative writing, on the other hand,…
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Music’s Enduring Role in Youth Culture & Family Bonds
Parents often say it feels like the old rites of passage have faded or lost their spark. Thankfully, many remain. There’s still the first driver’s license, the cap tossed skyward at graduation, the first heartbreak, the first day of college when life is full of possibility. And this the growing-up milestones that hit every generation in the heart—the ones with rhythm, melody, and emotion. Music remains the one shared experience that never loses its charge or the thrilling moments of maturing and independence. The sweat and chaos of a first concert at The Catalyst where you come home happy with ears ringing, or the freedom of first-time record shopping alone,…
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A Kid’s Adventure at teamLab Planets Tokyo
One of the first things we saw at Narita Airport outside of Tokyo, Japan, after our eleven-hour flight from San Francisco was a big wall-sized poster with two people surrounded by a big room full of swirling color. I was amazed! It was an ad for teamLab Planets, a unique kind of museum, where I knew my mom and dad and my sister Anaïs already had tickets to visit a day and a half later. TeamLab Planets is a fun museum for kids in Tokyo. At their website, they say: “With your entire body, immerse, perceive and become one with the art.” And it really did feel like I “became…
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Pet Of The Month
Introducing Princess Cupcake, a 1-year-old ruby-eyed angel with a soft Himalayan coat as delicate as spun sugar. This gentle royal adores attention, especially from kind, slow hands. When granted space in her kingdom, Cupcake bursts into delightful zoomies and binkies, wiggling with joy as if casting little spells of happiness across the land. Once her magical energy is spent, she curls into a regal stretch, drifting into beauty sleep and dreaming of her furever castle. Cupcake is as charming as she is graceful, waiting patiently in her tower for the perfect adopter to share her love. Thanks to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation’s Leave No One Behind Fund,…
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Saying Yes Even With Limited Choices
The most tempting word in parenting? Of course it’s “no”. Sometimes it’s “NO” and sometimes it’s “noooooooo” You might be thinking, “yep, that’s my job as a parent.” Children want to do absurd things. That’s their job. They are working to learn the world around them, become a person in their own right, and have fun. As parents then, we feel a need to keep our children safe, teach them the right ways of things, and help them avoid mistakes, pitfalls and injuries. So why is “no” troubling when trying to parent the positive discipline way? The short answer is that there is nothing wrong with the limit setting of…
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Golfing For Children’s Cancer Support Services
Growing Up in Santa Cruz was a sponsor of the Jacob’s Heart Golf Tournament Sept. 12 at Seascape Golf Club. This year we participated for the first time with a golf team! All proceeds from the Golf Tournament will go towards Camp Hearts + Hands. This 3-day summer-camp-style weekend is full of fun and joy for kids diagnosed with cancer and their families. From dance parties to arts and crafts, pony rides, and relaxing massages for parents, Jacob’s Heart families have a blast sharing in activities while building supportive relationships with others who understand the challenges of a pediatric cancer diagnosis. It is also an opportunity for families to establish…
