FamilyEducation Blogs

March 4, 2009

Can Recess Be Saved?

A major study published this month in the journal Pediatrics explored the links between recess and classroom behavior among some 11,000 eight- and nine-year-old children. It found that students who had more than 15 minutes of recess per day showed better behavior in class than those who had little or none. Lead researcher Dr. Romina Barros said the findings are important, because many schools do not view recess as essential to education.
January 27, 2009

Kitty cat company

If you live in the city, cats are the perfect companions. They basically care for themselves, except for their daily feeding and litter cleaning.

I have two male cats and they always welcome me home after work and curl up with me on a cold day. Stewart, left, is five and a gentle giant. The Little One, right (I got him as a kitten and the name stuck when comparing him to Stewart), is three; he's the rambunctious one. [more]

December 18, 2008

Kids at play

Last weekend, while waiting for our flight in a nearly empty airport terminal, K-Man and a (I’m guessing) four-year-old girl started playing together. They were running around, playing tag, chasing each other, and for the most part, staying out of people’s way (with the occasional misstep). No surprise, but I really enjoyed watching him engage and interact with his new and fleeting friend. Needless to say, the feeling in the terminal wasn’t necessarily the same. [more]

November 17, 2008

Keeping the spirit, taming the trouble

This past weekend my parents and sister visited, and on Saturday, after a visit to the local art museum, we came home and ordered Chinese take-out. T. finished hers in record time and disappeared from the table. About five minutes later there was a crashing sound, a dreaded splashing sound, and then silence. Thirty seconds later we heard T. crying--not in the I've been hurt way, but in the oh my god, look what I did way. [more]

November 13, 2008

Lessons to play by

Yesterday afternoon I ate lunch with L. and then stood on the blacktop watching the kids race around the play structure, all of them engaged in various chaotic forms of organized play. As I watched them I realized that not only is it hard to see your own kids grow up, but it's also actually kind of hard to watch other people's kids grow up.