It’s that time again – when our kids will bring home their first report cards for the school year. Apparently they’re going to look a little different. CBC’s Metro Morning had an interesting interview yesterday with Annie Kidder of People for Education about the new “Progress Reports we can expect this week. Rather than listing marks in the different subjects we’ll read whether our child is progressing “well,” “with difficulty,” or “very well” in each subject.

I think this is a great idea.

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I dropped my younger son off at his school on Friday and watched the parade of children in costume arriving. There were smiles all around. I watched a girl get out of a car in a very clever homemade cow costume. She was beaming! There were princesses (of course) and many ghoulish bloodied figures. The teachers were dressed up too, and the whole thing had a happy, festive atmosphere.

Dressing up is so much fun!

The "princess" in this photo is actually my older son. But that's what you get when you have three older sisters who like dressing you up!

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The mill at Black Creek Pioneer Village is one of the only working water-powered mills in this part of the country. We live in the machine age but very few of the technologies we use are transparent. Children understand what things do, but they usually can’t understand how they do it. In fact, the same is usually true for us adults! It is really wonderful for children to see something like a working mill. It is mechanical and very powerful, and most importantly, you can see all the gears and wheels with your own eyes. You can understand how it works.

You can even buy flour ground at the mill in the Village gift shop. Take it home and bake something with your children!

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Metro Morning, the CBC Radio 1 morning show, had a nice piece today about getting ready for the pre-teen years. Karen Horseman, who is on a roll these days if you ask me, spoke about her feelings as her oldest child starts Grade 7. He now has a locker at school and subtle changes in relations between the boys and the girls are starting to happen. It’s a moment that make many parents nervous – their first child is approaching the end of childhood …

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My younger son just started playing in the local basketball house league. His first game was on the weekend, and what  a joy it was to see all those people there just for the kids. No try-outs, no pressure, just lots of encouragement and lots of fun. That’s what’s great about house league sports.

House leagues teach skills in an inclusive, supportive environment. I love it!

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This is not news: our children don’t get enough movement. In fact, none of us do. I’m sitting here typing on a keyboard, that, plus the phone, plus the car, plus reading various materials, plus the occasional meeting, pretty much summarizes my workday. At the end of the day I’m tired, so as soon as dinner is ready, I’m sitting again to eat it. Then, after that, I might watch a movie. If I am not careful, I may find I have been sitting for almost all of the time I am awake. That is just not healthy.

And it sets a terrible example for our children.

Shooting hoops is better than sitting.

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I’ve tried all the tricks for getting my kids to eat healthier foods. The simplest one is to just prepare something simple and put it near them without comment. I remember that if my parents asked if I wanted some apple, I would usually reply “no,” but as soon as my father started slicing his own apple, I wanted some. Carrots, apples, celery, orange slices, berries, cheese and healthy crackers, nuts, whatever. Just prepare it and serve it.

Works every time.

Apples just taste better if they were sliced by mom or dad

I was clearing out a drawer on the weekend and I found Alfie’s tag. Alfie was my daughter’s cat, but he had come to live with us because her apartment at the time was too small (she was in university). He was a very social and playful cat, and gave our own lively cat, Cheechoo a run for her money. Alfie was alway more daring than Cheechoo and wandered pretty far afield when he was outside. The kids and I long ago agreed that we would rather let our cats go outside and have a life, even if it meant there was a chance of something happening.

Cheechoo on the left. Alfie on the right.

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A while back I innocently signed up for the “Clutter Control Club” Newsletter on the Canadian Parents web site (click on the link for “Clubs“).

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Read more…

Last Friday, my son’s drama camp at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People concluded. His group performed a play with a crazy plot about a Crisis in Candyland. My son played a mafia boss. His groups (the 11 to 12-year-olds) was the senior group among three who presented the fruits of their labours. Their performance was charming, funny, and very well done. For me the best thing was to see the effect of this experience on my son.

Theatre is good for children. Read more…