Recent Articles
20 Halloween Lunch Ideas for Kids
Kooky Spooky Characters Lian Mama Obento features this fun idea for making a Halloween "haunted house" bento box lunch -- with all of the well-known Halloween haunters included! This charming confection is made out of an onion bagel with cream cheese and a hot dog slice for the front door. (Th
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Really scary! How to Handle All That Halloween Candy
Every Halloween, your children drag home huge bags of candy, and you wonder: How much should I let them eat? What should I do with the rest? And how can I protect their teeth? Joel Berg, Ph.D., chairman of the University of Washington’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry, says kids should only eat c
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Homework: Set Your Kids up for Success
“Let’s start the school year right,” you tell your child each fall. “It’s time to buckle down and establish good study habits. For starters, lose the Xbox and the remote control. And while you’re at it, color-coordinate your notebooks, keep an assignment checklist and label your folders.”At least th
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Handwriting and Literacy: Does Your Child Have the ‘Write’ Stuff?
A few years ago, Seattle parents Michelle Lewis and Henry Underhill noticed that their 5-year-old son did not seem interested in learning letters or their sounds. At that same time, the boy’s 3-year-old brother was trying to write his name. The parents saw the difference, but at first they weren’t t
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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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Falling for Color: Five Fall Family Hikes in Greater Seattle
With summer a fading memory, hiking might be the last thing on your mind. But don’t pack up the kids’ hiking boots just yet. Autumn is a terrific season to hit the trail. Our wildlands are bursting with fall color right now — hues of flame red, bright orange and soft yellow. Summer crowds have dwin
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