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How to Help Your Child with ADHD in School
I watched my son, Luke–who was struggling with ADHD– in mainstream education for six years before finally pulling the plug on the whole operation and vowing to search for a better, alternative solution for him. Luke was a round peg trying to fit into a square hole, the child left behind, the kid falling through the cracks. But not anymore. When we left his Santa Cruz city school after his last day of 5th grade still unsure where he would end up during this scholastic year, I knew we were in for an uphill battle. THE 6-YEAR BATTLE We first learned of his condition from a Stanford research study of…
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Huggy Wuggy
He Hugs You to Death Is Huggy Wuggy too Scary for Kids? by brad Kava It was supposed to be a cultural trip to San Francisco, and it was, until we passed some flea market booths near the wharf. There, Parker saw what became his obsession—a Huggy Wuggy backpack. Normally, I monitor what he watches, but this one escaped me. It sounded so innocent, and so what if Huggy Wuggy looked a bit monstrous—the Muppets are also monsters of a sort. “You know he’s a serial killer,” Parker asked after we’d negotiated our way around several booths that were loaded with the blue character backpack and found one for $15.…
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Defining Gender
Banned in Florida, but Freely Talked About Here Gender Isn’t Always What You Think It Is By Suki Wessling Most of today’s parents grew up with what’s called the gender binary, which assumes the existence of two distinct genders. Most of today’s kids learn about changing gender norms from their peer groups, for whom gender is seen as fluid and as a spectrum. But for many families when they’re at home, gender is simply not an issue…until it is. “My child is 14 and was assigned female at birth, and that’s how we raised this child—as a female, you know? Because that’s how it’s done.”Goldi’s child came out as nonbinary…
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Raise a Water Wise Kid
Raise a Water Wise Kid! Let’s Enter Another Year of Drought with a Positive Outlook By Suki Wessling I have to admit, it’s very easy to feel dispirited about entering yet another summer in a drought that’s now in its third year. But research shows that a positive focus on how we can help makes us more likely to take successful action to solve a problem. So instead of getting bummed out, let’s work on energizing our families to learn more and become Water Wise Kids. How bad is it?On the bright side, Santa Cruz is one of the few counties on this end of the state that are water-independent. That…
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Parenting
Summer Jobs for High Schoolers By Jeanette Prather There are the classic high school summer jobs that might include a smaller retail position, tutoring, babysitting and the food industry. However, in the questionable times we’re living in with ongoing employee shortages, less willing capable workers and more ample excuses, creative options are a must… for everyone. Most summer jobs for teens range between $10 and $25 per hour, according to Indeed.com. Indeed suggests grocery store cart attendant, movie clerk, cashier, lifeguard, housekeeper, automotive detailer, stocking associate, delivery person, lawn care specialist, dog walker and swim instructor as plausible high school summer jobs. Conventional-ish Santa Cruz Jobs Almost everyone from Santa…
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Parenting
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Unique Preschools
Creating New Ideas for Preschools By Jeanette Prather Thinking outside of the box in education has become a super norm as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outdoor schooling becoming more popular, more accessibility to personalized learning and governmental funding supplementing early education, to name a few of the scholastic pivots. Some preschools are taking these opportunities to continue developing their own new and alternative curriculums. “This year, I’ve set up a classroom outside so that we can safely be together,” said Westside Parent Education Nursery School (WPENS) director and teacher Cory Cherk, who is also a 25-year veteran of the preschool co-op scene and a current parent education…
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Preschool UPK TK
What’s the Difference Between Preschool, UPK and TK? By Jeanette Prather Many opinions and options surround early childhood education and pre-kindergarten. With the new roll-out of the universal pre-kindergarten program easing strict TK regulations, there will be even more. Between preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK), and as of last year, universal pre-kindergarten (UPK), California parents have – and will have even more in the coming years – a myriad of pre-kindergarten educational options. And, what the heck is UPK? UPK is a 2021 early childhood education legislation and pandemic response by Governor Gavin Newsom to make pre-kindergarten more accessible to California parents. Experts are hailing the new $2.7 billion universal transitional…
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lying or pretending
Lying or Pretending? Teaching Kids to Tell the Truth By Jan Pierce Somewhere around the age of three, when children begin to understand parents may not know what they actually did or didn’t do, your precious little angel may begin to tell big whoppers. “Baby Jack made that mess,” or “I played with a dinosaur today and rode on his back.” Before you panic, thinking your child is destined for a life of crime, let’s take a look at when children lie, why they lie, and how to teach them to tell the truth. WhyChildren tell lies for a variety of reasons. They’re afraid of getting in trouble, they want…
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Holiday Toys
By brad kava Three things you need to know this holiday season right way. First, if you put off toy shopping you will be in trouble. Those container ships you keep hearing about are backed up all the way to China and Santa can’t get at ‘em. Sadly, Santa Cruz’s homegrown toy maker, Modarri, says they don’t want publicity for their hot make-your-own-cars because they won’t be available for the holidays. So be the early bird and not the worm. Second, Hanukkah starts Nov. 28 and lasts for eight days, with a gift on each. You can be sure a lot of shopping will be done by then. Third, you…
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Child Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit Brings Benefits And Potential Pitfalls By Suki Wessling The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, whhich was signed into law on March 20, enhances the 2021 child tax credit (CTC). Most families are automatically receiving monthly payments of $250 or $300 per child without having to take any action. This is great news for families, no matter how you cut it. But it adds some complexity over the existing child tax credit, tax experts say. Read on to learn what the new credit is and how it will affect your taxes. What is this new CTC and how is it different from the old one?The major difference…
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Pandemic-era Birth Stories
Pandemic-era Birth Stories Unknowns, Rainbows, and Hard Choices By Suki Wessling Pregnancy and birth are full of unknowns even in the best of times. During a pandemic, everything you thought to expect gets thrown by the wayside.Three moms talked to me about their experiences with birth during this time. Two of them were first-time moms and so their experiences were all new. One was having her third—and her experiences were all new as well! I want to thank these moms for their openness and sharing. Although each related struggles associated with pregnancy complications, Covid restrictions, and mental health challenges, their stories—like all good birth stories—are about perseverance and strength in…
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School Anxiety
Facing Anxiety as Schools Reopen By Suki Wessling Caught early, anxiety can be alleviated and treated. But as children continue to suffer, anxiety can take a toll on their physical, social, and academic health. Before the pandemic, professionals were already sounding alarms about the state of our children’s mental health. Now with the return to school, parents, psychologists, and caregivers are concerned that the problem may have been exacerbated by long months of isolation. Caught early, anxiety can be alleviated and treated. But as children continue to suffer, anxiety can take a toll on their physical, social, and academic health.In this article, a variety of professionals weigh in to help…
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Right Feet
Getting off on the Right Feet By brad kava I spent Superbowl Sunday at the emergency room with my 5-year-old son, after he slipped and ran headfirst into a bench at Anna Jean Cummings Park. Four hours and seven stitches later, I didn’t really care about the game. But I did wonder about his shoes. Why didn’t they grip the ground better? Looking them over, they had flat soles with no tread like I have on my more expensive hiking and running shoes. I realized we are cheating our kids. Why don’t we buy them the best shoes, like the ones we buy for older kids and adults? I soon…
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Reading This Summer
Reading This Summer More Important than Ever If your child can read, he or she can learn anything. It’s really quite important. So get on the reading bandwagon this summer and let those skills flourish.. Summer is here and it’s time for fun in the sun. Yes. But, many of your children have been through the pandemic mill when it comes to their classroom experiences and they will need extra support to maintain their reading skills.Some children in primary grades have not had “normal” educational direct instruction for two years. While we all applaud the efforts of classroom teachers during this challenging time, even they know the instruction has not…
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Don’t Forget to Dance with Your Baby
Don’t Forget to Dance with Your Baby 7 Reasons a Baby Twitches & Moves from Tongue to Toes by Sue Doherty Have you noticed how often a baby twitches while sleeping or waves, wiggles, and squirms about while awake? Is all this movement necessary? What can the science of sensorimotor development tell us about these phenomena? Let’s look at the sleeping infant first. When a baby sleeps, if they are developing typically, you will observe them profusely twitching. Professor Mark S. Blumberg studies such twitches called “myoclonic” twitches. As he puts it, there are “intriguing relationships between twitching and the skills that babies are developing.” Twitches send sensory feedback from…
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Musical Children
Raise a Musical Child…Even if You Aren’t a Musician By Suki Wessling I think that it’s a wonderful thing to have your children go and be in a room filled with music, see other kids listening to music and dancing and moving your body. “They felt like they were going to give us something that we would use for the rest of our lives,” music educator Barbie Wong says of her parents. Wong is a music educator who has made a study of how parents can instill a love of and passion for music in their children’s lives. She leads workshops for parents on the subject, starting with biology. “When…
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Early Financial Literacy
The Value of Early Financial Literacy By Christy Shults Whatever you choose, teaching your children the value of budgeting and saving at a young age will carry with them through their adulthood. Good luck with your money adventures! “Can you Venmo me? Or CashApp, Paypal, Zelle, I’m pretty sure I have Facebook Pay too.” Sound familiar? Who writes checks anymore or carries cash? Long gone are the days of giving your kid a $20 to go out. Admittedly paying allowance has been much easier since March 2020 when social outings came to a halt. All I have to do is transfer my kids’ budget to their savings accounts. It could…
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Mini Musicians
Give Kids The Choice…By Taking It Away by Chris Jackson If your kids want to choose to learn an instrument once they’re adults, they can, right? Wrong. If you don’t make music lessons mandatory for your kids, they won’t have the choice to learn later. If you require the lessons, they will have the choice to not pursue it as adults. The vast majority of successful musicians do not have some crazy gift. They learned early and played their instruments a lot. My parents made it mandatory for me to take piano lessons at nine years old. They did the same with my two brothers. Both of them made the…
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The New Normal
The New Normal By Jeanette Prather “These are the best of times!” announced Julie Horner, editor of the SLV Post. At first glance you might be thinking that Horner was referring to some obscure, off-the-cuff situation, but she was simply referencing the “here and now.” She was mentioning how good things have spawned from the bizarre year-plus our society is coming out of. And she’s not alone, especially among the parents locally who’ve become masters at thinking outside of the metaphoric parenting box. “Creative parenting,” we can call this. “Our weekends used to be really full of events, birthday parties, etc.,” said Felton mom, Sarah Marie Shane-Vasquez. “During the pandemic…
