Has anyone heard the term "fake news" ricocheting about recently? Of course you have, I'm being facetious. The news, fake or authentic, represents current events, or history occurring now. It's been said that "history is writ by the victors", which is another way of alerting us to the possibility of fake news. We study history in an effort to learn from the...
Last fall when my son was participating in virtual learning, I hosted an in-person backyard kindergarten group for a few families in our neighborhood. I wanted to give my son and the other children an opportunity to experience some “kindergarten magic” that was inevitably missing with online learning. This article highlights some of our favorite learning activities that can be used...
In April of 2021 Earth Day falls on the 22nd and Arbor Day on the 30th. Often these observances come and go without much fanfare. Credit to those who make an effort during that week at learning about Mother Nature and environmental concerns and causes, and more so to those who take action toward those matters. I suspect, though, that anyone who puts forth energy on those days is probably perenn...
As I drove down the interstate last week, I thought about the multitude of tasks involved in the act of driving that have become second nature for me over the past two-plus decades. From steering and maintaining a safe speed to monitoring blind spots and checking for other hazards (“Watch for deer” is a common phrase in Wisconsin for a reason), there is a lot to manage...
Guess what? March is Music in our Schools Month, and appropriate in my opinion. If you live in the northern half of our country you always feel relief as winter fades and spring approaches. If you live in the southern half you look forward to earlier and longer sunshine. Time to get out of the stale indoor air and filter your lungs and watch the trees and plants build buds on their way to flowe...
My 5-year-old son, Abe (who is typically a kind boy), recently started hitting his 3-year-old brother. The physical aggression seemed to stem from impulsivity, frustration, or a combination of both. When my response of a time-out, followed by a verbal apology wasn’t working, I knew I had to figure out a different approach.
I continued with the time-out (quiet time to...
Lynn (Henny) with Jade, Chau with Emerald
Lynn Nguyen is my aunt. Well, she’s my wife’s aunt. Ok well she’s not her hereditary aunt, but she fell in love with my wife and her two sisters when they were all babies and neighbors and she’s been an incredib...
When I was in graduate school, I was required to write a poem for a course focused on children’s literacy. I dreaded this task because I did not think I was much of a poet. My professor encouraged me to look for inspiration from my favorite children’s authors. I love Cynthia Rylant’s work and was encouraged by the poetic language in her book In November. I decid...
January 28, 1986
January 17, 1991
September 11, 2001
March 17, 2020
What do all these dates have in common? They’re days that left enduring impacts on my generation. Every generation experiences events that etch into their minds forever. In my case the abiding events to date are the space shuttle...
As the youngest of six brothers it's a common theme for everyone in the family to assume I know something that I was too young to experience. "Of course you know the story about the tennis ball in the tail pipe!" But I didn't, because I hadn't been born, and the story had been told so many times before I was old enough to remember and they all assumed I remembered it....