Mara Yoko, School Social Worker

As we rev up for summer vacation, I wanted to give you a few more websites that I’ve found that you may like.

www.fatherhood.gov – Check out this website for ways for Dads to stay active in their children’s lives and to be a good role model for both boys and girls.

http://fishfulthinking.com/Fishfulthinking/LetterJune2011?EID=4686&MID=4439286&LID=4206 - This page discusses thoughts on raising socially responsible children and activities that work well in the summer.

http://money.msn.com/saving-money/three-meals-plus-snacks-for-4-dollars-a-day-freedman.aspx and http://money.msn.com/saving-money/how-to-eat-when-you-are-really-broke-weston.aspx - These two articles offer suggestions on ways to feed your family over the summer.  I know that summer can be a time of struggle in this regard, since a lot of our children receive breakfast and lunch at school during the school year.  Having to feed children over the summer on the same income a family has the rest of the year can be a challenge.

http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-free-summer-meals-20110615,0,5200375.story - This article from the Daily Press,  lists places in Newport News, Hampton, and Suffolk that offer free breakfast, lunch, or dinner for children 18 and under through the summer.

http://fishfulthinking.com/Fishfulthinking/LetterMay2011?EID=4636&MID=4336679&LID=4152 - 101 things to do before the end of summer!  Check out this article and see if any of these suggestions appeal to you!  Have fun with your children this summer!  There are plenty of things to do in Hampton Roads for free or very inexpensively.  Walking and talking is a nice way to wind down the day after dinner.  Tell your kids about memories you have of when you were little and the things you enjoyed doing.

Below is one last article with suggestions on effective discipline.  It came from the Marshall Memo, which is available to educators.

Tips for effectively disciplining your school-age child

• Be sure “no” is not the word your child hears most often.   Positive reinforcement is important. Praise your child for good behavior so he does not see misbehavior as the only way to get your attention. Your child can be sensitive to criticism, making this kind of praise a perfect way to bolster his self-esteem.
• Remember tantrums still happen.   Try to remain calm; if you react to these tantrums your child will see them as a way to get attention. Take a deep breath and calmly tell your child that when he is ready to talk about how he feels, you are ready to listen.
• Empty threats are dangerous.   It is easy to become angry and make unrealistic threats of punishment, like “If that fighting does not stop we are never going on another car trip!”   Threats on which you cannot follow through, especially those with the word “never,” will weaken the power of the realistic consequences you may use in the future.
• Manage discipline.   Your child may feel like he has little control and believes that the way to gain power is to misbehave. Constant discipline will only fuel that belief, instead, focus on giving your child positive attention when they are doing something good. This will show him that he can gain power and your attention this way, too!
• Involve your child with choices.   Sometimes the way to deal with a child who may feel like he does not have any control is to involve him in the process. Offer him an “either/or” choice so he feels he had some say in the matter. Remember a child should not always have choices. You need to decide when this is appropriate (e.g. battle over what to have for lunch, not whether or not a seatbelt needs to be worn), and make sure that you can live with either choice.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!  I’m still available, so feel free to contact me if you need me.  You can reach administrators and office personnel all summer as well. 

Mara

Hello!  I wanted to share another very useful webpage I’ve found.  http://www.familyeducation.com/home/  The Family Education website has loads of information you may find helpful.  However, I am sharing this particular page because it provides information that all parents should have but can’t always find.  It’s hard to know what tasks and skills your child is developmentally expected to do as she gets grows.  When can I let him use scissors?  When should she know her ABCs? 

This webpage can help answer questions such as these.  Use the hyperlink in the previous paragraph to go to the page.  At the top of that page, you will see tabs for age ranges (for example, Your Child 0-6, Your Child 7-11, etc.).  Click on the age range of your child and then, at the drop down menu, click on the more specific age or range of your child.  For instance, I went to “Your Kindergartener”.  On that page, you see a list that includes a Readiness Checklist, quiz for parents, etc.  If you click on the Readiness Checklist, you see skills that your child will be expected to know in kindergarten.

This very helpful site can give you an idea of what your child should be able to do at different ages, and ways that you can help him or her learn those skills.  It really is a great site and I hope you like it as much as I think you will!

Have a great day!  Notice little gifts all around us (like a beautiful sky, a hawk flying overhead, a genuinely kind smile from a stranger, or a gentle breeze on your cheeks).  Peace to you and yours!

Welcome to a new year!  Let’s work together to make 2011 a great year for our kids!  Part of making it a great year, might include renewing our determination to teach our children how to make better choices when it comes to their physical health.  Let’s keep working on getting our kids more active and making better food/snack choices, so that they can enjoy healthy, happy lives.

As a school social worker, I like to make parents and teachers aware that I am here for them when they have questions or concerns regarding a child’s behavior, attitude, and physical/mental/emotional well-being.  If there is something that I am unable to answer immediately, I can research the issue and get back to the parent or teacher quickly.  Though I may not always have the answer, I do have a great variety of resources at hand.

Knowledge is power!  Knowing where to go to find information is very empowering.  That is why I like to share information with you, so that you know there are resources out here to help you with almost every situation.  So, if you feel more comfortable finding answers on your own, I will keep sharing ways for you to do that.  Or, if your concerns sometimes seem confusing or overwhelming, or if you’d just rather have someone to bounce ideas off of, please feel free to contact me and we can discuss your concerns and possible ways to address them.

For now, allow me to share these web pages: http://www.education.com/terms/all-topics/ and http://kidspriorityone.org/note/disability-resources-for-parents-and-educators.  In the first, you can find links to articles and information on loads of topics.  The second webpage is about resources for disabilities.

Wishes of peace & contentment to you and yours!

It’s that time of year when homework is probably getting harder, as teachers move past review of learned material and move on to lots of new stuff!  Try to help your kids avoid too much frustration by utilizing strategies to help them feel better about the work they have to do.  The weather is still nice enough to use the outdoor activities discussed in the previous post!  Some additional suggestions include:

• Get your son/daughter into the habit of first doing the work they find hardest.  This way, when they are getting tired of doing homework, the easier stuff can be done more quickly and with more confidence.
• Sometimes assignments can look like too much work.  “A whole page of math problems?  I can’t do all that!  It’s too hard!”  These might be familiar phrases in your household, and they are understandable — especially if math (or whatever the subject is) is a subject your child finds difficult.  However, you can ease that pressure, by having them work on “chunks” at a time.  For example, tell your son or daughter to start with just the top row of math problems.  That’s not so many.  After you check them, the child can do the next row, etc.  Doing 5 problems at a time seems much less daunting that having to do 25 or more!
• It can be very hard to concentrate when you are surrounded by a lot of distractions.  Allow siblings to do their homework at the same time, so that one is not distracted by the play of his brothers or sisters.  If not all of the kids have homework, the ones without should play somewhere away from those who do.
•                        The television should be off during homework completion. That should just be a rule for every household in which that is possible.  TV simply too easily draws the attention of those around it. 
•                        For some people, music can have a calming influence and actually assist in focusing, BUT it has to be quiet music, preferably with no lyrics (which tends to distract us).
• As we sleep, our brains often work on the problems we encountered during the day.  You should try asking your child his/her spelling words or math facts in the morning, during breakfast or on the drive or walk to school or the bus stop.  Since their brains had the night to work on the problems they practiced before bedtime, they might surprise even themselves with some of the answers they are able to recall.  **Important note here – in order for these morning study sessions to continue to be effective, they need to be non-confrontational.  When your child gets the right answer, offer praise and cheers.  When your child is incorrect, calmly give the right answer and move on to a problem you think they know.  This should just be easy and stress-free,  making learning fun and interesting (and not uncomfortable and anxiety-producing).

News for our Army families:  Free Online Tutoring is available! Tutor.com is now available for free for Army Families and families of DoD Army Civilians! Go to www.myarmyonesource.com , click on <Child, Youth and School Services>, and go to the drop down menu to <Study Strong / Tutoring> and register for a password. Once the family receives a password, they are eligible for free online tutoring from a live tutor, 24 hours a day seven days a week for grades K-12.

As a reminder for all military families, check out www.militaryonesource.com for assistance and information on a wide variety of topics.

Spring is here and the days are getting longer.  Kids, and parents, want to get outside in the sunshine and warm breezes.  Try not to let studying always keep your family indoors.   Studying can be done outdoors, too, while having fun!  Did you know that movement can stimulate the brain?  (Check out this link: http://childparenting.about.com/cs/exercisefitness/a/kidsfitness.htm)

Maybe you can have your child practice his spelling words while you play catch, or you can quiz your daughter on her multiplication tables while you walk around the block.  Does your child have to write a report?  Generate ideas while playing Frisbee or riding bikes.  These activities have multiple highlights.  For one thing, you are helping your child with his/her homework.  However, you’re also getting to play together, enjoy time with each other, and do something good for your body and muscles.  It’s a win/win situation.  Give it a try.  If you have other good suggestions, leave a comment.

It’s time to take new steps and learn new things!  As I am still in the process of getting comfortable with this blog, this is one of the things I’ll be learning this year. 

I have added a link to this site – www.kidspriorityone.org.  I encourage local parents and others who work with children to use this site as a resource for information for all things related to kids.

I will try to update this blog soon!  In the meantime, be nice and take care.  Peace to you and all.

Hello! 

Welcome to my edublog.  It’s just getting started and therefore is under construction.  Check back, though, as the year goes on, as I plan to put more in here.  Feel free to contact me with questions about your child.

Take care, and peace to you, yours, and all of ours.