Posts by Jen Lumanlan
Why children ask ‘why?’ – and how to stop it from driving you crazy
‘Building a foundation for life-long learning’ is a common phrase to find in school mission statements, yet student motivation is an ongoing concern in public education: children’s engagement with learning actually decreases as time spent in traditional school increases. For parents of preschoolers, this news may be surprising. After all, our young children have an…
Read Full PostThe six skills children REALLY need to succeed as adults
Have you heard of Gitanjali Rao? She’s from Colorado, and she was named America’s Top Young Scientist in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017 – at age 11. She’s a brilliant kid. Her award-winning project was an inexpensive device that detects the presence of lead in tap water faster than currently used…
Read Full PostWhen a crying child is a sign of good parenting
My daughter was having a meltdown this afternoon when I picked her up from preschool. A friend had ‘taken’ a creation she had made – a plastic bottle and a tube of cardboard, and it had broken. The friend fixed the toy and gave it back to us, but the crying didn’t abate. I leaned…
Read Full PostThe ultimate holiday gift giving guide
It’s that time of year again: Black Friday (the day when we spend more than $6 billion (and $2 billion of that on smartphones) is past, and the end-of-year holidays are on the way. Everywhere you turn there are suggestions and promotions for the best gift you can buy for your loved ones: a simple…
Read Full PostThe respectful parent’s guide to surviving the holidays
Holidays are a time of family, friends, and passing on traditions to children. The songs, the sparkly celebration lights, families coming together – everything says that this is the most wonderful time of the year. And most of the time, it is. Although at other times it can be extremely stressful! If you have young…
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