Category: high school age

Quality After School Includes Play!

[ 0 ] 10.16.2012 | Children's Museum

By Cathy Saunders, Director of Education, Providence Children’s Museum

Play is important for children’s healthy development. All too often the school day offers little or no opportunities for children to play – recesses are limited or eliminated, “test prep” replaces hands-on exploration, and so on. By the time the typical child finishes 5½ or more hours of school, he is ready for some fun!

Think about your childhood afternoons. What were some of your favorite memories – gathering with other kids at the park? Playing hoops at the local community center? Making messes in the kitchen? Doing Scouts or some other organized activity? Digging into your favorite hobby? I’ll bet that it included some time to rejuvenate as well as opportunities to engage your mind in something interesting to you.

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Family Matters: Mother-Son Bookclubs

[ 1 ] 10.12.2012 | Anisa Raoof

A few friends and I started a Mother-Son Bookclub about a year ago as a way to challenge our boys to read more, teach them to articulate their thoughts, and encourage them to discuss books in a fun atmosphere outside the classroom. We hope this Bookclub inspires our boys to become lifelong readers and continues to be a positive way for us to connect with our sons as they get older.

We came up with a few loose rules, to get started.

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Turn your toys into a 3-dimensional eye-spy game

[ 0 ] 9.20.2012 | Anisa Raoof

My friend Jason, co-owner of Rag and Bone Bindery, finds creative ways to play with and inspire his children to think outside the box.

The original plan was to make a city with his son out of toys, but one thing led to another and the city turned into a giant eye-spy game. His son calls it Toyville. I think it’s amazing and a beautiful work of art.

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Getting to School: The Challenging Connections between Absenteeism and Transportation

[ 0 ] 9.13.2012 | Jill Davidson

Jill Davidson shares this slightly expanded version of the column that she wrote for October 2012′s East Side Monthly, (out later this month). Although she has more to say about absenteeism, achievement, transportation, and related issues, she is starting the conversation here and looks forward to continuing the discussion in the coming weeks and months.

Ever since the fall of 2005, our family has had a child in kindergarten, first grade, or second grade at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School. By the time we’re done with our three kids’ passages through the early elementary school years, we will have experienced nine consecutive years of little kids going to King, from which we live 0.9 miles. According to the Providence Public Schools’ transportation policy, my kids are not eligible for transportation by school bus. We’d need to live a mile or more from school in order to qualify for bus transportation to and from school, and that tenth of a mile has made a gigantic difference in our lives.

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Family Matters: Getting Kids Involved in Voting

[ 1 ] 9.7.2012 | Anisa Raoof

With the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, September 11th and the general election on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, that will determine who leads our country for the next four years, we are surrounded with news, sound bites, posters, fliers, and roaming politicians vying for our attention. Through the eyes and mind of a child, this all must seem absurd. One of my sons recently asked, “It seems like everyone spends so much time trying to get elected or re-elected, who is actually doing their job and why can’t we use the money spent on campaign promotions for something more important? (Like pencil sharpeners or school field trips.)” Well said.

Teaching children the meaning and importance of voting — on the playground, in the classroom, at home, and for the national government — are important life skills for kids to learn at any age.

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We all benefit from a little help from our friends: Partnership for Providence Parks

[ 0 ] 8.29.2012 | Guest Contributor

I am so excited to introduce you all to the Partnership for Providence Parks (The Partnership), a new city-wide non-profit geared toward helping the people and community partners that help our parks be active, vibrant, healthy, playful and unique places. We have over 100 Parks in Providence, at least one within a ½ mile of every resident. Some of these places are nature conservancies, with hiking trails and wild animals (nice ones of course), others are community hubs for arts, fitness, play, or all of the above.

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Hidden Gem: Apple Valley Minerals

[ 1 ] 8.23.2012 | Elyse Major

When my boys were toddlers, it seemed a bit easier to turn a nothing day into a something day. At two and four years old, even a trip to the pet store to look at parakeets and hamsters was enough to wow them but now at nine and eleven, sometimes it takes a bit more … or does it?

The other afternoon we stopped by our local library and there was a display case filled with rocks, minerals and even petrified poop courtesy of Apple Valley Minerals. Many afternoons the boys and I have passed that small business, housed in a quaint slate blue cottage with a hanging sign on 7 Homestead Avenue in Smithfield. We decided to investigate.

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Readers share their favorite summer activities with Kidoinfo!

[ 0 ] 8.15.2012 | Anisa Raoof

I recently asked Kidoinfo readers to share their favorite summertime activity. You shared many fun and fabulous ideas. No surprise that swimming in a pool or ocean appears numerous times. Food is another family favorite as well as simple no-hassle ideas such as going for a walk or bike ride. Read on, if you’re looking for ways to enjoy the last days of summer.

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No Child Left Inside

[ 0 ] 8.14.2012 | Jeanine Silversmith

Rhode Island is one of the first states to complete an Environmental Literacy Plan. And now, the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA), in partnership with the six state professional Environmental Education (EE) associations in New England, will award at least nineteen grants up to $5,000 each to eligible groups such as non-profits, EE organizations, schools, and local or state agencies. Made possible by a $150,000 grant from the U.S. EPA Regional Environmental Education Sub-Grants program, the awards will support projects that increase environmental education capacity or advance education by helping implement state environmental education plans. Projects may include professional development, student projects, or statewide capacity building for delivering environmental education. All proposals must be received by Friday, August 31, 2012. To learn more, please visit the RI Environmental Education Association website.

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36 + Hours in Providence with Kids

[ 3 ] 8.10.2012 | Anisa Raoof

Since Providence is such a cool place to hang with kids, we love sharing our favorite family-friendly things to do in the area on a regular basis. Although the recent New York Times article, “36 Hours in Providence, R.I” mentions many fab things to do and see in the city, it’s not tailored for families, prompting me to update my Kidoinfo post from 2007, “36 Hours in Providence (with Kids).”

I’ve a packed a lot into the weekend and I know in reality that children need naps, nourishment, and places to roam. Although you may only want a playground and a family friendly place to eat, I provide plenty of options depending on the weather, the age of your kids, and your sense of adventure. Have fun playing in Providence!

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