Hurray! It's the school holidays! Time to play, rest and reconnect with friends and family. An opportunity to recharge and rejuvenate. The chance to dream, explore and catch up on all those hobbies that demand more time.
After a term of school work and routine, students deserve a break ... as do their parents! But how do we prevent their academic skills from slipping and ensure they don't forget what they've learnt -
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, School Holidays, Primary School, Homework
There are so many benefits to learning to play an instrument - it relieves stress, builds confidence, develops reasoning skills and more. But for parents who have never played an instrument themselves, deciding on a first instrument for their child can be a daunting experience.
Conversely, parents who are proficient at music often put their child on the same musical journey, starting their child on the instrument they first learnt to play.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Performing Arts
My cousin applied for a position as Head of Drama at a prestigious British private school. During the interview, she was asked to define the primary role of drama in education. Her answer? "Therapy". She got the job.
Many people see drama as a 'touchy, feely' subject that allows kids to express themselves, while having some laughs along the way.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Performing Arts
Yes, I still read to my ten-year-old. He can read perfectly well by himself and will happily immerse himself in Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and a wide range of non-fiction but I will still read a chapter or two of a cracking good novel to him most nights.
Topics: Parenting, Literacy, High School, Primary School
After church one Sunday, I watched an elderly lady donate $50 to sponsor a teenager on youth camp. "What else can we do for our young people?" she asked, "And how can we get to know them?". Despite a large contingent of teenagers in our church, I am sorry to say that 'getting to know them' is no easy task - the older members of the congregation would be lucky to even come in contact with one.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, Community
I recently read Enid Blyton's 'Magic Faraway Tree' series with my sons and they were astonished. Not so much by the exciting adventures of Silky, Moon Face et al but more by the volume and complexity of chores the young protagonists were expected to do. Barely school-age children were chopping wood, preparing meals, darning socks and cleaning houses.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
