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Your child’s little tummy is easily filled. The more junk food he eats, the less room there is for the wide range of protein, good fats, fruits, veggies and whole grains he needs for the rapid growth his body undergoes every day. Nutritional deficiencies can quickly build, making your child fatigued, irritable and crabby; not […]

Talking with you –in real time –is the highlight of my work here. In our latest chat, we brainstormed about getting fun summer schedules under control, and the importance of establishing a strong relationship with your child’s teacher even BEFORE school starts. We also shared how saying goodbye on that first day of school is […]

With summer wrapping up, you might find yourself and your children needing to make a few adjustments to get ready for the school year. We want to make this transition a smooth one, so we are inviting you to join a live Twitter discussion on back to school readiness! Day: Wednesday August 15, 2012 Time: […]

 My two-year-old has a 10 p.m. bedtime. It happened gradually, over the summer. Longer, relaxed days, keeping up with her older siblings, and special outings and occasions have all pushed her usual 8 p.m. bedtime to this ridiculously late point. It’s gotta stop. I can picture us during the first week of school: bleary-eyed children […]

In parenting, many decisions are easy: Don’t run into the street. Take turns with your friends. But many of the most important decisions AREN’T easy, including when to start Kindergarten. Will she be ready? Or is it best to wait? When it comes to tricky parenting dilemmas, there usually isn’t a “perfect” decision. Starting Kindergarten […]

When my first child started daycare, I made the same rookie mistake many new parents make – I didn’t ask any questions. I felt embarrassed – that somehow, asking questions made me look dumb. Four kids and several daycares later, I now know what I wish I’d known then – there’s no such thing as […]

My little friend Olivia is 4. She used to be a happy, fun, sociable girl. But since school started, she’s been crabby, whiny, and prone to meltdowns.  At school, she can’t sit still during circle time. And today, she got sent home early for biting her friend Joshua. Is Olivia in the wrong classroom? Does […]

Literacy is an amazing thing. It helps us read the instructions on a shampoo bottle (wet, lather, rinse, repeat) and make sense of the latest e-mail “good luck” chain (send this to 10 people, or else). As I have discussed in previous posts, oral language, reading and writing all come together in this idea of […]

Learning Care Group When my niece was six years old, she spent a week with me. Her favorite game was to write random letters in a line, push them in front of me, and ask, “What does this say, Aunt Shelle?” I would string the sounds together into a nonsense word that would send her […]

Learning Care Group I remember the day that I considered my son an official “reader.” He was in second grade and we were visiting Santa Claus at a local mall. There were banners detailing the history of Santa strung along the path on which we waited. I watched in utter amazement (and with a flash […]

Battling back-to-school worries?  This time of year, parents have many questions – from how to transition from a laid back summer schedule to a busy school time routine, to concerns about discipline, behavior, and potty training.  Take a deep breath and take out your calendar.  Join a back-to-school live chat presented by Learning Care Group […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Critical thinking is defined as analyzing and evaluating information or evidence in order to guide decision making. It is literally thinking about thinking. The term critical thinking is often co-mingled with creative thinking, higher order thinking, and even, problem solving. It is a function of all of these or better put—all […]