Multiple Methods for Teaching Math ... And Still Counting

There are few subjects more apt to generate heart palpitations and sweaty palms than math. For many of us, math is a time bomb of anxiety — loaded with memories of standing before a blackboard, clutching a piece of chalk and wondering if spontaneous human combustion was a viable option. Today’s elem

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Who’s Got the Beat? Music Programs Enrich Schools

Photo credit: Will Austin As a child, Heather Arnold moved frequently, attending at least 12 different schools between kindergarten and graduation. Finding continuity in the face of so much change was difficult, but she found solace in the music departments at her schools. “By taking part in

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Test Stress: Getting Those Scores to Soar

Algebra quizzes. Standardized tests. SATs. Like it or not, tests count. Everything that goes on in a classroom is influenced by test performance, says Kathleen Vasquez, literacy and social studies program manager for Seattle Public Schools. “I tell underperforming kids, ‘Try your very best on every

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Teaching Compassion: Changing the World Through Empathy and Education

Children are often told in a tone of reprimand by parents and teachers: “How would you feel if they did that to you?” It is essentially the photo negative of the Golden Rule (“do unto others …”). What if that message evolved into a positive set of values, then fused into lesson plans, group activiti

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Family bike-riding basics

Updated June, 2012 Karen Axon can’t wait for the arrival of warmer weather and sunnier days so her family can resume their favorite summer pastime: bike riding.On summer days, Axon, her husband, Troy, and their two boys frequently escape from their Bothell home for a riding adventure to the beach o

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Great hikes for kids in Washington state

You’re stuck inside staring at your computer screen — or watching your children stare at one of their own screens. Enough! you say. We should be hiking! But can you manage hiking with your kids? Author Joan Burton says yes. In her book Best Hikes with Kids: Western Washington & the Cascades, Bu

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Why Your Child Needs More Time Outside

Does your child have "nature-deficit disorder"? In his 2006 book, Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv coined that phrase, and it's been inspiring discussion ever since. More than ever before, Louv says, children are out of touch with nature and outdoor play, instead staying inside, plugged in to

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The Montessori Mind: How Montessori Promotes Mindful Learning

Pediatric neurophysician Dr. Steven Hughes will be holding a 3-part session on Education for the 21st Century on Saturday, February 25, in Seattle. STARS credits and clock hours will be available. Full details about the event can be found on the PNMA website. Young children aren’t usually known f

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