When Bullying Goes Too Far

Awhile back, we touched on how to avoid spoiling your child for a better social life in school. On the opposite spectrum of the spoiled bully, however, is the good child that goes ignored. Sirdeaner Walker was one of these children, taking his own life when the school did not address bullying he’d reported several times. He was only 11 years old.

Here are five steps to telling that your child’s being bullied — and acting proactively.

Five Ways to Tell Your Child’s Being Bullied – And How to Address It

1. Ask Questions at Parent-Teacher Conferences. When you attend parent-teacher conferences, make sure to ask your child’s teacher how they’re doing socially. Ask if they’ve ever made a complaint, or even a vague comment, about negative relationships with other children. Do not write it off as “kids being kids;” make sure the school addresses any bullying on their campus. The child that is bullying needs just as much help as the child(ren) he/she’s terrorizing.
2. Ask Your Child About Their Friends… And Their Not-So-Friends. Rather than blatantly asking a child how they’re being treated at school — which they might answer dismissively — try approaching their school social life at a different angle. Ask about their friends. Ask if there are kids that aren’t so friendly. This will show your child you have an interest and help him or her open up to you.
3. Observe Changes in Behavior. A bullied child may suddenly show a behavioral change when entering the school or new grade. Don’t think this is just the mood swings involved in growing up; be aware of your child’s feelings.
4. Attend School and Extracurricular Events. If a school is having a holiday event or sports event that your child is part of, make sure you attend. You can observe how your child interacts with other children.
5. Pick Your Child Up from School. If your child normally takes the bus, offer to pick them up once in awhile. Are there things happening after school? Many bullies choose to terrorize other children after school’s let out.

You can help bolster your child’s self-esteem through activities they love. You can also teach them how to turn to the adults at their school and how to stand up against bullies.

1. Totally Gross Game of Science and other board games. This board game teaches your child about biology, chemistry, and other sciences that are in high demand on high school and college class lists. Give your child a love for science early and they will apply themselves towards the rigorous studies necessary to find the campus or online college of their dreams!
2. Lego Town Developers Kit and other Lego kits. Everyone loves Legos! This set gets children ready for exciting careers in engineering and construction. Help foster your child’s building skills with a fun and educational Lego set and they’ll be enrolling an engineering degree program before you know it.
3. Flower Presses. Flower pressing is unique in that it fosters a love for both science and art. Children learn more about biology and ecology by pressing not just flowers, but all kinds of different plants; introduce them to the vascular structure of a leaf through a creative project! Once the flower pressing is complete, use the results for more arts and crafts. The horticulture department at world-renown Colorado State University would applaud this early childhood learning.
4. Telescopes. I’ve personally loved telescopes my whole life. I received my first telescope for Christmas at ten years old, and found myself taking Astronomy for my general education in college to look through the “bigger and better” equipment. A telescope is attractive to almost any age and, best of all, can lead to a very fulfilling education and lucrative career. They even make nearly indestructible telescopes for little hands!
5. Binoculars. Like the telescope, this is a toy (or serious tool, depending on the monetary expenditure) that can be enjoyed by all ages. Telescopes open up a world of moons, planets, and stars, fostering a love for the solar system. Binoculars conversely focus on our ecosystems, letting children explore birds, trees, and bugs.
6. Musical Instruments. As early as rattles and as late as band in junior high and high school, music is an option for all ages. You can purchase wooden and plastic music toys such as drums, xylophones, and bells to encourage children’s love for musical learning. It’s a proven fact that students that participate in musical programs perform higher than other students.
7. Rubik’s Cube. Rubik’s cubes come in all shapes and sizes these days and can both entertain and educate children practically anywhere. Leave one in the back seat of the car and see what your child thinks about mathematics.
8. Abacus and other wooden counting toys. The abacus was man’s first calculator; why not let it be your child’s too? Teach children how to count at an exceptionally early age with an abacus or other toys that let them flip and turn pieces.
9. Transforming figurines. Transforming toy figurines of all kinds are on the markets these days. Not only do these foster a child’s imagination, they teach children about space and matter; find out just how many forms the same toy can take!
10. Stuffed Animals. For especially young children, stuffed animals act as an introduction to ecology and the animal kingdom. This could later foster into a love for biology and learning. Stuffed animals of exotic and extinct creatures are especially nurturing for inquiring minds!

1. Enroll your child in preschool first. Enrolling a child in preschool gets them acquainted with spending time with other children and learning basic concepts. This provides an obvious head start in kindergarten.
2. Familiarize your child with the company of other children. Attend parent-child events like summer swim classes so that children may interact with others their age before being thrown into the kindergarten environment. While preschool helps with this, additional activities (or neighborhood friends!) can only further take the edge off.
3. Read to your child. Children that are read to at an early age have a higher likelihood to enjoy reading–a quintessential part of learning–as they grow older. Get your child acquainted with reading time by acclimating them to the routine of being read to bright and early.
4. Prepare your child for a day without you. Children that have separation anxiety have a harder time facing kindergarten. By letting your child stay with a friend for the day or attend a couple of educational programs without you, you prepare them for the independence they will have to face when they enter the kindergarten classroom.
5. Get your child acclimated to routine. Your child will be doing the same activities around the same time of day in kindergarten. Helping your child adjust to the concept of a daily routine early will make life less stressful later when the kindergarten classroom imposes routine on your child’s daytime hours. Routines can be taught to children in fun ways, such as daily chore time followed by daily snack time.

If you follow these five simple steps, your child will be on the right track for the first day of kindergarten. Have any other suggestions or questions on how to help a child face their first year of K-12 school? Feel free to discuss!

I won this gift for a little girl in need at my school.  Stephenie*, whose nickname is Butterfly, is a 7 year old girl whose house bunt down on Monday, December 15, 2010 only days before Christmas.  They are living with the mother’s friend right now in an apartment.  She loves animals.  She had a class pet that passed away and she wrote about him for weeks and weeks after the event.  She doesn’t have any pets of her own, but has talked about wanting one and I am sure that she will LOVE her Zhu Zhu Pet!  I am sure that her face will be filled with emotion when she receives this present.  Thank you so much!

The K-12 Directory of Schools Blog team is excited about the joy that the Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest brought during the 2009 holiday season. We encourage our readers to check back for more interesting things for parents and children alike. Future free giveaways are always a possibility and we are open for suggestions. We will continue to be one of the leading providers of K-12 news, learning, and articles, from guides on online dinosaur lessons to reviews on schools across the country.

*Names were protected for confidentiality purposes. The Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest ended the last week of December 2009.

One of the ways teachers can encourage reading in the classroom is by making books readily accessible, in sight, in a pleasant and attractive manner; basically, by copying the methodology of bookstores. Without expensive racks to hang magazines from and wooden display cases to put up the latest best sellers though, how does a teacher go about this? That’s where personal, quality, and affordable book stands come in, propping books up anywhere from the teacher’s desk in a high school classroom to the top of the toy box in a kindergarten.

A display stand:

• Allows students to look at the cover of a text from a distance or up-close in a pleasant manner
• Gives the advantage of showing books in their entirety, versus a book stack
• Gives the option of showing more than one book at a time, depending on design

Students may also use stands to prop up their books and avoid neck stress while reading. This might seem a bit excessive, but with the weight of backpacks and a very slow progression towards e-books, this is a great temporary fix for a child’s posture.

Display Stands 4 You offers PETG thermoplastic polymer book stands that are virtually impossible to break, even if a six-year-old rough houses right into it. They’re not heavy either, so there’s no worry about metal or wood falling on toes. They also accept school purchase orders; Atwater High School’s already done an investment in them for every student and have found how much easier it is for students to read. Take a look at how to encourage the reading a literature through a simple, effective, and affordable prop like a book stand.

Disclaimer: The K-12 Directory of Schools Blog received product samples from Display Stands 4 You for this review. Though the K-12 Directory of Schools Blog may receive samples from time to time, this does not impact the discretion of our review. Thank you!

The Japanese language has a different counter for practically every object. As an example, “two dogs” is translated as inu nihiki, where “inu” is dog, “ni” is two, and “hiki” is small animal. If you say “two stamps” though, the counter changes; it translates into “sutanpu nimai,” where “suntanpu” is stamp, “ni” is two, and “mai” is small, flat objects.

English speakers find this fascinating. Why not just say “two dogs” and “two stamps?”

Before you write Japanese off as a stranger language though, consider the collective nouns in English, which all mean “group” but change based on the thing being grouped: a crowd of people, a school of fish, or a herd of kangaroos. The following are a hundred different ways to group creatures!

1. Army of Ants
2. Colony of Ants
3. Swarm of Ants
4. Flange of Baboons
5. Congress of Baboons
6. Tribe of Baboons
7. Sleuth of Bears
8. Sloth of Bears
9. Pack of Bears (polar bears only!)
10. Flight of Bees
11. Grist of Bees
12. Hive of Bees
13. Swarm of Bees
14. Congregation of Birds
15. Flight of Birds
16. Flock of Birds
17. Herd of Boar
18. Sounder of Boar
19. Rabble of Butterflies
20. Swarm of Butterflies
21. Clutter of Cats
22. Litter of Cats (kittens only!)
23. Pride of Cats
24. Drove of Cattle
25. Herd of Cattle
26. Team of Cattle
27. Yoke of Cattle (two cattle only!)
28. Brood of Chickens
29. Flock of Chickens
30. Clutch of Chickens (chicks only!)
31. Herd of Chinchillas
32. Bed of Clams
33. Quiver of Cobras
34. Band of Coyotes
35. Siege of Cranes
36. Congregation of Crocodiles
37. Float of Crocodiles
38. Herd of Deer
39. Parcel of Deer
40. Kennel of Dogs
41. Pack of Dogs
42. Litter of Dogs (puppies only!)
43. Pod of Dolphins
44. Drove of Donkeys
45. Herd of Donkeys
46. Bevy of Doves
47. Cote of Doves
48. Flight of Doves
49. Flight of Dragons
50. Weyr of Dragons
51. Wing of Dragons
52. Flock of Ducks
53. Paddling of Ducks
54. Team of Ducks
55. Aerie of Eagles
56. Convocation of Eagles
57. Swarm of Eels
58. Herd of Elephants
59. Parade of Elephants
60. Business of Ferrets
61. Cast of Ferrets
62. Fesnying of Ferrets
63. Catch of Fish
64. Haul of Fish
65. Run of Fish
66. School of Fish
67. Shoal of Fish
68. Army of Frogs
69. Colony of Frogs
70. Knot of Frogs
71. Flock of Geese
72. Gaggle of Geese
73. Skein of Geese (only in flight!)
74. Wedge of Geese (only when they fly in a “V”!)
75. Horde of Gerbils
76. Herd of Giraffes
77. Tower of Giraffes
78. Cloud of Gnats
79. Horde of Gnats
80. Swarm of Gnats
81. Herd of Goats
82. Tribe of Goats
83. Horde of Hamsters
84. Drove of Hares
85. Warren of Hares
86. Aerie of Hawks
87. Kettle of Hawks
88. Array of Hedgehogs
89. Prickle of Hedgehogs
90. Colony of Penguins
91. Huddle of Penguins
92. Parcel of Penguins
93. Rookery of Penguins
94. Herd of Pigs
95. Litter of Pigs
96. Gaze of Raccoons
97. Nursery of Raccoons
98. School of Shark
99. Shiver of Shark
100. Zeal of Zebras

Why not just say “a group of people” and “a group of fish?” Why say “inu nihiki” and “suntanpu nimai?” The English language’s collective nouns are just as fascinating as the counters of the Japanese language; maybe English isn’t as simple as we thought after all!

For those interested in learning more about collective nouns, try out this site and this site. Thanks for visiting K-12 Directory of Schools Blog!

K-12 Directory of Schools Blog announces the fifth and final winner of the Free Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest! We ran this contest throughout the 2009 Holiday season, giving parents the opportunity to win a FREE Zhu Zhu Pet, the toy craze of the 2009 Holiday season.

Here’s the fifth winner’s story:

My own children are too old to be interested in a zhuzhu pet.  But as an educator in a Title 1 District, I know many needy and deserving children.  I would give this gift to a 10 year old girl who just lost her home and belongings to a fire.

The K-12 Directory of Schools Blog is grateful for this giving teacher that is looking out for the well-being of a student in hard times. We hope her student’s new Zhu Zhu Pet will make her difficult times just a little more bearable.

Check up on the K-12 Directory of Schools Blog from time to time to see other giveaways we sponsor, as well as articles for parents and children in elementary school, junior high school, and high school. The K-12 Directory of Schools Blog is committed to offering quality reading material for the K-12 community.

Here are some of the other exciting posts the K-12 Directory of Schools Blog has offered for parents and students:

• Top 5 Sites for Learning About Whales and Dolphins
• Top 10 Extracurricular Activities for K-12 Students
• Academic Benefit of the Fine Arts
• Top 10 Sites for Children Learning About Dinosaurs

Thank you to all the contestants of the K-12 Directory of Blogs Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest, and congratulation to the winners. Have a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Eve!

K-12 Directory of Schools Blog announces the fourth winner of the Free Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest! This contest is going on all week and gives parents the opportunity to win a FREE Zhu Zhu Pet, the toy craze of the 2009 Holiday season. We still have one Zhu Zhu pet left, which will be given out the Monday after Christmas; so submissions are still being accepted!

Here’s the fourth winner’s story:

My two daughters have had a very tough year handling the breakup of there family and being abducted by their father. They need as much christmas cheer as can be shared to help them feel some happiness to make up for all they have been through.

We hope your daughters enjoy their new Zhu Zhu Pet toy.

Interested in participating in the Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway? It’s simple! All you need to do is submit an email to zhuzhu@k12directoryofschools.com explaining why your child deserves a free Zhu Zhu Pet this Holiday season. Learn more about it at the Free Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest announcement. Check back Monday for our final winner!

Here’s the third winner’s story:

My daughter really deserves to win a Zhu Zhu Pet. I’m expecting a baby next month and have had a lot of complications. I’ve been on complete bed rest for two months now and was limited in my activity even before that. My daughter has been such a big help. She does most of the cleaning for me including vacuuming, dishes, mopping, dusting etc and helps out with her little brother. She’s only 9 and she does all this in addition to getting her homework done with no complaints. My husband works a lot of hours so I don’t know what I would do without her.  She would be very excited to get this reward in the mail.

We hope your daughter enjoys her Zhu Zhu Pet and you have a great Holiday. Best of luck with your pregnancy!

Interested in participating in the Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway? It’s simple! All you need to do is submit an email to zhuzhu@k12directoryofschools.com explaining why your child deserves a free Zhu Zhu Pet this Holiday season. Learn more about it at the Free Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest announcement. Check back for our fourth winner!

Here’s the second winner’s story:

My son deserves a ZhuZhu pet because he has worked so hard this year to meet all of his goals. He is now out of Speech therapy and is on the Honor Roll after a prior year of struggling to the point that we held him back. He is excelling this year in everything and is so excited when he gets recognized for accomplishing another goal. We are unemployed right now and have been for 6 mos. It has been very hard and it is breaking our hearts that our kids will not have a Christmas. They are all very accomplished but our younger children just won’t understand that Santa couldn’t come for them. We have looked into help and have found that due to my husband receiving military disability that we do not qualify for any “programs” to help us. We are a family of 7 and this would be a wonderful gift. Thank-You.

We send our wishes to the second winner’s family! We hope your son’s Christmas will be a little brighter with a Zhu Zhu Pet. Santa may bring him a gift yet!

Interested in participating in the Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway? It’s simple! All you need to do is submit an email to zhuzhu@k12directoryofschools.com explaining why your child deserves a free Zhu Zhu Pet this Holiday season. Learn more about it at the Free Zhu Zhu Pet Giveaway Contest announcement. Check back tomorrow for our third winner!