Academically redshirting your child is a topic often discussed by parents as their children get ready to enter kindergarten. In short, redshirting your child for kindergarten means to hold them back from attending kindergarten even though they would otherwise be eligible to attend according to the state cutoff age. Although academic research has found no significant long-term difference in redshirting your child, many parents decide to do so in order to allow their child to grow and mature for an additional year. Some parents, however, decide that redshirting isn’t the best option. Even though their child is “young”, in that they have a later summer or early fall birthday, these parents decide their child is ready to head off to big kid school. Reasons vary, from their child being academically ready to wanting their child to finish their school career earlier. One mom decided to do just that – send her child to kindergarten early – despite others telling her it wasn’t the best decision. And she’s happy that she did.
Posts Tagged ‘school’
Getting ready to send your baby to kindergarten is an emotional process for both the parents and the child. Many parents with summer or early fall babies, or “early” kindergarteners, often wonder if their child is in fact ready to head off to big kid school. There are many factors that a family may take into account when trying to decide to academically redshirt, or hold back, their child from entering kindergarten when they are of the appropriate age. Their child may not be academically or socially ready, they may be of small stature, or the parents may believe their child will have an advantage if they wait another year. Many experts believe that there is no benefit to academically redshirting children but each parent needs to make the best decision for their family and their child. Below is the story of one mom who decided to redshirt her child, and why she thinks it was their best decision.
Education is the most important tool we can use to change the world around us. In today’s world, science plays a huge part in the future of the world. The sad part is that not all schools promote science in early education. That is why parents should help to bridge the gap and educate our children on the vast world of science. Young children learn by hands-on activities and by naturally exploring their world. Experimentation can help foster their learning. Below is a simple pH experiment to help get things rolling.
If you have a child with a late summer or early autumn birthday, the thought to hold your child back from kindergarten for one extra year may have crossed your mind. There are quite a few factors that can come into play when trying to decide if “big kid” school is right for your baby, and ultimately, as a parent, you know best. But we all want to do our research when making this decision as it will impact the rest of your child’s school career. That’s why we have put together some of the reasons for holding your child back and against holding your child back another year.
When you have kids, you don’t realize exactly how many decisions you have to make just by the time they’re 5 or 6 years old (let’s not even talk about how many decisions you have to make by the time they’re adults and start making decisions for themselves!). It starts with the brand of diapers to use and breastfeeding versus bottle feeding and doesn’t stop. Before you realize it, you have to decide on where to enroll them in school. For most families, the days where there’s only one elementary school in town are over. Most of us have a slew of choices when it comes to schools – from traditional public schools to magnet schools, charter schools, and private schools. And there’s also the option of home schooling.
One great option in the public school system is a magnet school. You may not have considered a magnet school. You may not know what they are or whether they even exist in your area. They’re not offered in every school district, but if you’re lucky enough to have magnet schools in the mix, they’re definitely not an option to overlook.
As parents, we all want our children to be safe, happy, and healthy. We hope that as they start school, the first big step toward independence, they make friends easily, find a great group of peers, and excel in a fun, engaging classroom with a wonderful, caring teacher. During the transition from either home or preschool to the larger, educational environment of the public school system, we as parents worry that our children will be lost in a larger system, left behind, or bullied. This exciting (and nerve-wracking) time can be an adjustment period for everyone in the family.
Being less than a week from the 2016 Presidential Election, it’s difficult to imagine a time when voting was not an option for a large portion of the population. Even so, women’s right to vote has only been around for 96 years.
No matter what side of politics you stand on, this year’s election is historical, demonstrating exactly how far the suffragist movement has come since Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott began the charge in 1848. We’ve compiled a quick overview of the highlights you need to know about women’s suffrage and how it has shaped the community we live in today.
I don’t know how it happened. It’s cliche but it’s true. It seems like yesterday the nurse placed her in my arms for the first time and boom – I was a mom. Now here we are, nearly five years later, and we are getting ready to send this bright eyed little girl who loves to change her clothes 18748324 times per day to a school, all day, with a uniform. We are taking this tiny being, who just yesterday it seems was a squishy newborn and pushing her out into the real world.
I have all sorts of doubts about this. I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m worried. I’m scared. Is the world ready for this fierce little girl with a sassy attitude? Is she ready to stand up for herself when people tell her she can’t? Am I ready to take a step back – to let her follow her own path, be her own person, and let her out of this bubble I have created for her?
Kids all across the country are beginning to board school buses, get into their carpools and gear up for another school year full of fun and learning. It doesn’t matter if your kids start school after Labor Day or if they started a few weeks ago, it is certain that you have a list of items that you need to be well prepared for the upcoming months. This school year, make Target your one stop shopping center for all of your back to school needs. From school supplies to classroom must haves as well as all you need to create your homework station, your arsenal of school snacks and healthy foods, and your secret stash of germ fighters to help keep your little ones free from all the illnesses schools seem to attract – this superstore has it all.
It’s that time of year again. That time when camps end, pools are closed, and our kids squeeze their sun-kissed skin into new shirts and jeans, pack up their fresh school supplies into crisp, unstained (as of yet) book bags, and we as parents lament (or rejoice) the beginning of a new school year.
For some kids, the beginning of school is exciting – a time to rejoin with old friends and make new ones, and continue their progress in their own coming-of-age stories. For some kids, however, (and parents too) the start of school is an anxiety-producing event. This can be especially true when your child struggles.
Schools are set up with a system of supports designed to help those children who struggle. Among those supports is a School Psychologist. However, even with supports in place, many parents are still very much in the dark as to what they can do to access available resources. Here’s a quick run-down on one resource parents can tap into today: your friendly neighborhood School Psychologist.
The early school years are such a precious time. Your young child is just getting the hang of what school is like and his brain is a sponge, soaking up all that there is to learn. The curiosity of preschoolers and kindergartners is inspiring. Make the most of the first school years with the right stuff. We have all your preschool and kindergarten essentials here for you in one place!
This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. We were paid for this post and received the included Carter’s clothing as compensation.
Back to school means new clothes shopping! Whether you love it or hate it, it must be done. So why not make it easy on yourself by stocking up on one brand at one store, for both your daughters and your sons? Save yourself time, money, and the hassle this year. It can be done!
Another school year has come and gone, and it’s summer time already. When you made that last preschool run you may have been thanking your lucky stars that you don’t have to rush everyone out the door so early. But soon the dust settles and you realize you have your child home now – and they are bored. Every day at preschool they were playing with well-coordinated activities in a place designed for messes. Home is a bit different, and now you’re stuck trying to figure out what to do to keep your preschooler’s mind and body just as active as they were at school.
You may be amazed at how much your child learned throughout the school year. But remember how when you were in school your mind would somehow lose much of what you learned during the school year, and your teachers would spend the first few weeks reviewing that material? It is the same for your preschooler – if they don’t practice the skills they learned this year they may forget them over the summer. Just because the school year is ending doesn’t mean the learning has to stop! Here are some activities for you to do at home with your preschooler to keep their learned skills sharp throughout the summer.
It’s a time in a parent’s life that they look forward to and dread all at the same time – sending your child to school for the first time. Choosing the right preschool can sometimes feel like choosing the right college. There are tours, discussions of tuition, reviewing curriculums, and nerves about sending your baby into the big world. For your preschooler, there are many things to consider outside of your child gaining valuable knowledge and social skills. You want to be sure your child is safe, happy, and growing in their love of learning.
Walking into a tour for a preschool can be overwhelming if you aren’t prepared. There are several factors that go on behind the scenes in a preschool, and you want to be sure that you have a clear understanding of how the school is run and their goals for the children in their care. But with some basic knowledge in hand, you will be able to ask the right questions and get the information you need to make a good decision. With that in mind, here are some tips about how to choose the preschool that’s right for your child – and you.
In the course of one day, our children’s teachers are not only their educators; they are their cheerleaders, their defenders, their nurse, their coach, their psychologists, their activists and their friend. Most importantly, teachers are our children’s mentors and role models; the person who has the potential to be one of the most influential individuals in our child’s lives.
One thing’s for sure: Teachers deserve mountains of appreciation.
Most schools have one week a year, typically in the spring, when the students and parents can shower our teachers and school staff members with adoration and thanksgiving. Teacher Appreciation Week is a fun time to get kids involved with expressing gratitude. Some schools assign a theme to each day of the week so that everyone is consistent, such as bring a flower for your teacher on Monday and a candy treat on Tuesday. In that vane, we’ve come up with a week-long list of ideas to acknowledge the hard work of our wonderful teachers, all of which you can tailor to how simple or detailed you’d like your gifts to be.