Being Your Child’s Advocate for School and for Life

This past academic year was a bumpy one – and that’s putting it mildly! We have encountered so many challenges and obstacles in our family life, in our work world, and in our children’s academic needs. When thinking about all the difficulties that you had to navigate to keep your child’s learning momentum going, I urge you – keep going. Once students return to school in the fall, whether in person, some form of a hybrid program, or heaven forbid a terrible outbreak and distance learning starts again, they will still need you – their parent – to be their advocate. Stand up for what is best for your child, whether by nudging your child gently, or by intervening on their behalf. Here are some ways to continue guiding your children and showing them you care.

Mental Health

Above and beyond all else, please check in with your child and connect with them on a daily basis. Regular interactions in which you can express love and affection to your child in a way that speaks to their heart is the best way to go. A lot of external factors can be swirling around in a teen’s world, but children need you – their parent – a constant source of affirmation. If things are rocky between you and your child, try to find another trusted adult role model who could provide a regular check in for your child. If your child is completely withdrawn and sullen, seek advice from your medical provider, your school counselor, or other professional help.

Physical Health

The old adage “You are what you eat” comes to mind here! Eating healthy, nutritious food gives you a foundation for a healthy body and a clear mind. For middle schoolers who are experiencing puberty, healthy eating helps regulate mood. Steer clear of sugary snacks and drinks, as they lead to inflammation and can cause acne, among a host of many other health problems. Drink plenty of water and get enough sleep at night. Take advantage of cool mornings or longer daylight hours in the evening to make sure you and your teens are getting regular exercise.

Family Life

If there’s a positive aspect to come out of sheltering in place, it is the regular interaction with family members in your household. Thankfully, we are in a post-shelter-in-place environment now, and hopefully, you will continue the good habit of eating and communicating regularly with your children. Even as society transitions into a post-pandemic reality, children still need the stability of regular relationships and positive connections with their family members.

Friendship

I always thought this practice was strange, but when my middle school aged daughter attended get-togethers at a friend’s house pre-pandemic, she would tell me that they would watch movies on their device or be on their phones talking about memes they sent each other over text. During the pandemic, children might not have had any choice but to connect with friends virtually, and maybe even participate in online games. It is my sincere hope that they don’t return to in-person get-togethers – only to revert back to online interactions! Suggest that your children and their friends ride their bikes at the park, visit the beach, or plan outdoor picnics. Gently wean them from reliance on their devices so they can appreciate and nurture true human interaction.

Media and Technology

While we’re on the topic of screen time, cell phones, social media and all things technology for our tweens and teens, please do check out Common Sense Media for their age-appropriate and thoughtful reviews of books, video games, apps, movies, and more that your child may be consuming. As for cell phone use, consider these convincing points presented by Wait Until 8th. To adopt a healthy perspective and relationship with technology, check out recommendations made by the Center for Humane Technology.

Life Long Learning

Acquiring knowledge does not happen at school alone. Now that summer break is upon us, I highly encourage a brain break for your kids! Opt for enriching activities that emphasize critical thinking as applied to life skills. For example, your children might find it enjoyable (and delicious) to research and plan healthy recipes, prepare a budget for grocery shopping, and cook a family meal. Kids who are interested in learning how to invest money might find it captivating to take some online financial literacy classes and participate in mock stock market simulations. Other topics to consider exploring – play an instrument, learn to code, design a webpage, create art using a new medium, start a home business, take up photography, or learn a new language. The possibilities are endless!

These next eight weeks of summer blogs will feature a variety of activities that you can share with your children and family throughout the summer break. Happy play and learning!

Wishing you well,

Jaime

Can My Grandson See Dad Yet?

Can My Grandson See His Dad Yet?

It has been over a year since my grandson has been able to visit with his father who works in another country. Thankfully, Kenji and his dad continue to meet online twice a week and enjoy discussing everyday activities and plans for the future. As summer is soon upon us, Kenji’s dad is in the process of relocating his business contract to live near his son and family. This change is heartwarming and full of wonderful future shared adventures.

It is helpful that Kenji and his dad continue to build on a history of long-distance Facetime visits. For example, when Kenji was a preschooler, he needed prompts to help him talk with his dad. We would build a Lego project to share with dad and collect thoughtful art projects to discuss with dad. As Kenji became older, he would build a Lego project with his dad while talking with him on the phone. Sometimes, dad and son would build the same project at the same time in two different countries. Now Kenji is a second-grade student and he is able to carry a thought-provoking discussion with dad. They talk about important topics in each of their lives. For example, they discuss the differences of weather, schooling, and daily activities in two different cultural communities. Regardless of the topic, both dad and son are bound together with their love and commitment to each other from afar.

May each of us value the little child within us as we play with our children!

Joyce

What Will We Do With Children This Summer?

What Will We Do with Children This Summer?

It is spring and our children are getting excited about summer camps and activities. Many communities are now scheduling children for summer camps with an alternative plan of online activities if communities are forced to reenter lockdowns due to new COVID outbreaks. Activities that remain flexible include:

Sports camps that reinforce independent skill development drills in sports like soccer and karate
Snow skiing and outdoor sports camps while social distancing with others
Park play, nature hiking, and beachcombing
Swim lessons in a private pool without other students and masked instructors
Cultural camps offered remotely
Outdoors camping and backpacking trips
Computer literacy camps
Entrepreneur online camps
Sewing camps with individualized learning options
Music camps with individualized learning options

Social-Emotional Focus

As you and your children consider summer camp options, consider:

How to enhance the social-emotional needs of your children
Opportunities for your child to socialize with others
How to best limit computer time and enjoy the great outdoors
Activities your child can do to give back to his or her community with community service activities

Much success with adaptable play camps this summer!

Joyce

Teaching Our Children About Their Cultures

My family celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day because we are primarily Irish. We wear green, enjoy a corned beef and cabbage dinner, and decorate the house with shamrocks, Leprechauns, and pots of god. We may listen to some Irish music and read Irish folklore. We also talk about what we value most about our family heritage.

Culturally Sensitive School Celebrations

During the winter months our students celebrate a variety of culturally sensitive holidays at school. These include Martin Luther King Junior Day, presidents’ holidays, and the Cesar Chavez holiday. Several also celebrate Chinese New Year, the Tet Festival, or Saint Patrick’s Day with their families. We write stories about favorite holidays and share details about how our families celebrate a specific holiday. Most students describe a special meal that was part of the celebration with culturally relevant foods and traditions. Many families typically invite relatives to these special meals and celebrations.

At the end of this cultural unit, students will write their version of their family’s bill of rights with a mission statement or the values of their family. When considering the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of community members. These include the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and worship. Here is an example of a family’s mission statement with some rights within a family:

Creating a Family Bill of Rights

Our family’s mission statement is to protect, respect, and support each other in our healthy development of individual family members. Our family’s bill of rights includes these 10 freedoms:

The right to be respected and supported by each family member
The right to have individual needs expressed and supported by family members
The right to express individual feelings and beliefs about a situation without threats of being ridiculed or punished for those beliefs
The right to attend school and participate in extra-curricular activities and team sports
The right to participate in age-appropriate social and physical fitness activities with friends
The right to participate in service learning, community services, community leadership activities
The right to go to church and participate in age-appropriate church sponsored social activities
The right to explore and plan for a career path and college preparation
The right to work in a job with school-supportive hours while also attending high school
The right to help family members with project-based learning activities

A Family’s Bill of Rights Impacts a Family’s Values

Whenever, we complete this project with parents and their children, families are able to focus on what their values, mission, and bill of rights are for their family. These provide guidance with goals of what they would like their family to achieve. Many families frame or post their family’s mission statement and bill of rights in a prominent place in their home. These become a motto for family harmony and a guide for family growth.

Much success as you celebrate your family heritage and identify your family’s values with a mission statement to support the development of your family’s bill of rights.

Mary Ann

Preparing Our Elementary Kids Return to School

It has been a year since many children in California and nationally have returned to a traditionally classroom since the COVID 19 pandemic. Many smaller elementary schools and school districts have successfully reopened their schools to students while enforcing clearly defined health and safety procedures.

Safe COVID Practices

Summarized below are best practices these schools use to ensure that their students are safe at school:

The school continues to share with families what the staff has done to ensure safe learning for students. Classroom teachers and the school’s administrative staff provide regular updates.
Students sit in socially distanced desks in classrooms.
They wear masks at school.
Students bring their own food and socially distance from others when eating lunch and snacks.
They bring their own hand sanitizer or soap for regular handwashing.
Many schools test students every two weeks to ensure they do not have COVID 19.
Most students continue attending school online two to three times a week as part of a hybrid learning model to limit the number of students at a school site each day.

How Are Kids Feel About Their Schools

As students return to school, they are:

Excited to visit with their teacher and classmates in person
Excel at school because they are so happy to be back in the classroom with other students and their teacher
Can receive added support more readily due to the many resources available to students at the school
Express more confidence about their computer literacy skills after logging into the online classroom daily, completing homework online, and learning to make a slide and take pictures of their work that they have emailed to their teacher
Appreciate the ability to work independently on the computer and in small classroom projects because of the training they received as distance learners
Are proud of the resiliency skills they have gained while sheltering at home and through distance learning
Are able to demonstrate various strategies they have learned online on how to reduce stress and anxiety while completing new computer applications.

Home Sheltering Successes

May your children celebrate the many computer literacy skills and self-resiliency skills they have acquired while sheltering in place for nearly a full school year.

Joyce