Highlights Aha

8-Year-Old Fights to Get WWII Vet Recognition He Deserves Every...

Fri, 24 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

8-Year-Old Fights to Get WWII Vet Recognition He Deserves
Every time 87-year-old Charles Mowbray visits for a living history lesson, 8-year-old Leanna Morris hangs on every word and keys on every picture. But it’s what he doesn’t bring that has really affected her. (via cbsnews.com)

First-Graders’ Acts of Kindness Catch On
A Terre Haute, Ind., group called SPPRAK launched an idea to jot down acts of kindness on a piece of paper, and soon all the local schools were participating, with hundreds of multi-colored thank you notes decorating the walls. (via nbcnews.com)

Bus Driver of the Year Tries to Make Difference on the Way to School
Francine Jackson has been known to go the extra mile for the students on her school bus. She searches the stores and websites for costumes to wear on holidays, and makes gift bags for her “graduating” students, all while maintaining the appropriate levels of law and order on Bus 6. (via thestate.com)

Kids Write Books; Heroes Reply
For their most recent project, the students at Chief Brodie Elementary did research on people who’ve made a difference in the local and global community. Using the information they found, they created fictional tales of adventure featuring them and their “difference maker.” (via guampdn.com)

Learn to Make Your Own Bubbles and Wands with this Craft from...

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Learn to Make Your Own Bubbles and Wands with this Craft from High Five!

What You’ll Need:

Scissors
Hole Punch
Craft Sticks
Tacky Craft Glue or Hot Glue Gun
Plastic lids (Lids that were used for butter, dips, nuts, etc. are flimsy and easy to cut.)
Clean Plastic Jar
Dish Soap

How to Make Bubble Mix:
Mix ½ cup water with ½ cup dish soap in your plastic jar. Make sure that your plastic jar has a wide enough opening to fit your bubble wands!

How to Make Bubble Wands:
To make your wand, cut out a shape you like from your plastic lids. Make sure that your final shape is small enough to fit in the opening of your bubble mix. Experiment with different shapes and colors. You could also use the tops of spice jars that already have holes, or cut up an old berry basket!

Next, add holes to your shape with a hole punch. Or, if you prefer larger holes, use scissors.

Using tacky glue or a hot glue gun, glue the end of the craft stick to the shape to create a handle. Let dry.

Now you’re ready to play!

Want to see more crafts from Highlights? Follow this link.

How to Raise a Green Kid Today, I have a measured sense of how...

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

How to Raise a Green Kid

Today, I have a measured sense of how much trouble our environment is in. We have many challenges ahead of us, I realize. I also know that the wildlife in my backyard is not likely to drop dead today or even tomorrow.

I have arrived at this balanced view over time. But even today I can’t help thinking much as I did when I was young: each time I see an animal in the wild, I immediately wonder how sick it is, how many toxins it’s carrying, and even if it may be the last one of its kind I’ll ever see. I can correct that thought. But it’s still there.

by Highlights Science Editor, Andy Boyles

Kind of a downer? You bet. For many years, I was not only skeptical but downright cynical about environmental efforts. They all seemed frail next to the threats to the environment.

Only after I learned of some success stories did I begin to question my view. The turkey, the American alligator, and the bald eagle are all signs of hope. I began to wonder if the environmental education I had received had helped me very much.

I attended elementary school and middle school (we called it “junior high”) during the late 1960s and early 1970s—the years after Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring had spread awareness about environmental dangers and before the Endangered Species Act was passed. Between those two landmarks, as a biologist told me recently, the outlook for the environment was bleak to say the least.

Environmental education, as I recall it, was also bleak. I had a science teacher whom I would place far from the Bill Nye end of the spectrum. In fact, I’d sit him at the opposite end, next to Ben Stein’s character in the television show “The Wonder Years.” This character was known for showing his class case after case of beautiful wilderness areas transformed into toxic wastelands in the time it takes to advance a slide projector.

His approach triggered a substantial dose of guilt, but not much hope.

And every now and then a letter from a Highlights reader reminds me of both Ben Stein and my own teacher. This question from a nine year old stays with me: “When will we die from global warming?”

The letter I wrote to answer that question did not come easily. Generally, I work to answer our readers’ questions about the environment truthfully while also offering a reason for hope. The approach I take is to inform the reader about the issue, and that information includes some people who are working to improve the situation.

And I wish for today’s kids the experience I would have chosen for myself: less gloom and doom and more time outdoors with an adult who also enjoyed nature.

Has the world ever seen a committed, effective conservationist or environmentalist whose main childhood memories of nature did not come from direct and meaningful exposure to nature? Has one ever stepped forward who was not guided by an adult who also loved nature? Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Rachel Carson, Roger Tory Peterson, and many others—each fell in love with nature before answering the call to champion it.

If our goal is to rear future generations that make thoughtful, deliberate decisions about tough environmental issues, we need to give kids more than the facts. And maybe we need to save the bleakest facts for later. First, we need to help them develop a deep, lasting connection with the natural world. Then, I believe, they will take up the responsibility for saving their little parts of the world in their own time.

Toddler Leads the Celebration When this mother asked, “How big...

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Toddler Leads the Celebration
When this mother asked, “How big is Will?” she had no idea that her son was big enough to lead an entire crowd of adults in a cheer! (via youtube.com)

11-Year-Old Web Series Star Inspiring Girls in the Name of Science
The host of “Sylvia’s Super-Awesome Mini Maker Show” on YouTube is a pint-sized problem solver with a big personality. (via abcnews.go.com)

Blind 7-Year-Old Boy Gets Harp
Patrick loves to sing and play the piano for the residents at Sweet Life Nursing home in Shawnee, Kansas. The staff at the nursing home appreciated him so much they nominated him for FOX 4′s Pay It Forward in which the recipient is given $300. (via fox4kc.com)

10-Year-old Chef Elliott Notrica Cooks for a Cause
Ten-year-old Elliott Notrica wasn’t exactly born in a kitchen, but it’s easy to get that idea when you’re around him. Elliott says he’s felt compelled to cook since he was about two years old. (via ksdk.com)

Let’s Get Moving! On the days when I go to the gym (and...

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Let’s Get Moving!

On the days when I go to the gym (and I wish there were more of them!), it feels good to get moving. Being surrounded by others who are working out inspires me to keep going. And when I listen to up-tempo music, my feet insist on keeping time with the beat – which makes me move a little faster and a little farther.

Here at Highlights, we want to encourage kids to get moving, too. Outdoor play is one of the best ways to make sure kids are active. But what to do on a cold or dreary, rainy day? How about putting on your own up-tempo music and join the kids in a rousing game of “Dance till the Music Stops!” (If you’re looking for a rousing song, check out the You Tube video of Big Bird and Elmo singing “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.) Explain to your kids that they must freeze like a statue when you stop the music. You’ll probably be glad there’s a break so you can catch your breath. Your kids will be learning to control their large muscles and developing those all-important self-regulation skills that enable them to control their bodies and their emotions. And if you keep the game going for several rounds, you’ll all burn some calories and laugh, a lot.

Each month, in Highlights High Five™, we publish an action rhyme. The rhymes invite children to fly like a bird, hop like a rabbit, stretch up high, touch their toes or dance till they drop! Moving and grooving to the beat of a rhyme can tickle children’s imaginations as they lumber like a bear around the living room, prick up their ears as they hear the repeated ending sound in pairs of rhyming words, and get their heart rates up as they jump up and move!

Let us know what you do to encourage your kids to move. Thanks!

Posted By Kathleen Hayes

Family Traditions Tradition! When I hear that word, I can’t...

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Family Traditions

Tradition! When I hear that word, I can’t help but picture Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, arms upstretched, singing passionately about the importance of ritual and family. In my own life, there are a few traditions that might qualify for such grandeur of expression, and they mostly revolve around the holidays: lighting the tree on Christmas morning, the strict Thanksgiving protocol about which family recipe gets served in whose grandmother’s china. Then, there are the day-to-day traditions, the small customs that families embrace and make their own. My older sister calls this “making a memory,” and it simply means paying attention to ordinary events and investing them with meaning.

Posted By Mary Alice Moore

For example, grocery shopping. Yes, you read that right—I am one of those wacky people who loves to grocery shop. I love to cook and plan meals, and therefore I love walking slowly up and down the store aisles, examining produce and discovering new foods. But only when the store is quiet and uncrowded, which means I shop very early on Sunday mornings. Better still, my two younger sons come with me—it’s our thing, and we all look forward to it. We create a list ahead of time, and we pick up coffee and juice along the way. At some point we started a silly game where the person who comes closest to guessing what our customer number will be at the deli counter wins the right to place their drink in the shopping-cart drink holder. Over time, this little game has evolved into a spirited competition, with lots of different strategies (“it’s raining today, so I bet a lot people haven’t shopped yet”) to guide the guessing.

But by far the most important tradition in our family happens at the dinner table. Like most families, we juggle a lot of schedules, which means we manage to eat dinner all together about three nights per week. I pay careful attention to those nights; I work hard to make them calm and pleasant and memorable. We always ask two questions: “What was the best part of your day?” and “What was the hardest part of your day?” I deliberately avoid the term “worst” because it sounds defeatist and not worth dredging up. Saying “hardest” instead of “worst” prompts more discussion, which is always the goal, especially as kids get older. It’s a way to get beyond the frustrating one-word answers: Nothing, Fine, OK, the barely-perceptible shrug.

As often as not, the responses to “best” and “hardest” are unremarkable: “I got to be line leader!” or “There were fish sticks for lunch, ewww!” But frequently they’re more revealing and occasionally even enlightening: the nuances of friendship, teachers who are “unfair,” feeling proud or invisible or vulnerable. Emotions are expressed, conversations unfold, brothers offer perspective and humor and sometimes even sympathy. Importantly, my husband and I participate as well, which offers the opportunity to model some of the advice we give. Acknowledgements such as “I had an important meeting today, and it went really well!” or, conversely, “…and it didn’t go well, so my boss wasn’t happy” help kids see that everyone makes choices, struggles with decisions, and just plain has ups and downs.

Having family traditions is a terrific way to show your kids that they’re part of something special, that they matter. What are your family traditions—the big ones, and more importantly, the small ones you created yourself? What are the traditions that make you dance and sing with your arms over your head?

The Importance of Teaching Empathy to Children When I was a...

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Importance of Teaching Empathy to Children

When I was a kid, the practice of letting captains choose their teams was alive and well in gym class. Those who were not athletically gifted were, of course, chosen last. One by one, a name was called, and that child would run with obvious relief and gratitude to stand with the newly formed team. The few kids left at the end looked miserable, even though they knew their fate as soon as the game was announced. Thank goodness this practice is now mostly verboten. We are much more enlightened about the potential harm public humiliation does to a child’s self-esteem.

But today, certain kids are still shut out, cut out, and singled out in embarrassing ways.

Posted By Christine F. Cully

It happens everywhere—not just in the gym but on the playground and in the classroom, too. Some of our Highlights readers write to us about feeling excluded. Their letters are poignant, and their embarrassment is palpable. One reader writes that she was standing with her best friend when her friend received a hand-delivered invitation to a party to which she wasn’t invited. It was awkward for her, and she wondered why the invitation wasn’t delivered more discreetly. Another reader wonders why she didn’t receive valentines from several classmates who sent cards to others, despite the teacher’s admonition to send a card to everyone or no one. Another reader wants to join the kids who play Four Square at recess, but the others refuse to give him a turn. Sometimes these exclusionary behaviors lead to bullying, which is persistent and intentional—but not always. Often, they simply reflect insensitivity to the feelings of others—a lack of compassion or empathy.

Certainly, some people have a temperament that makes empathy come more naturally. But it’s also true that empathy or compassion, like other positive character traits, can be taught.

My mother had zero tolerance for unkind behavior. My sisters and I could get in more trouble for excluding or embarrassing others than almost anything else. As a mother, I tried to teach my children similarly. I even found myself chanting the same mantras my mother once chanted to me: Kindness matters. Try walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. How do you think he/she felt? How would YOU feel? Yes, perspective-swapping—seeing a situation from another person’s point of view—can be taught. More to the point, perhaps, it is easier “caught than taught.” Kids learn best when they see adults modeling the desired behavior.

Even adults can be influenced by the positive actions of others. Look at how the “26 Random Acts of Kindness” movement swept the nation after the Newtown tragedy. Countless people pledged to perform one random act of kindness for each life lost at school on that terrible December day. The acts themselves varied widely—but they were all seeded in empathy. They all grew out of shared sorrow for the pain of others.

Many of us here at Highlights embraced the “26 Random Acts of Kindness” idea. Flooding our little corner of the world with kindness seemed like a reasonable, albeit inadequate, response to that horrific event. We hoped—no, we were certain—that children were watching us. Our children. Your children. Our Highlights readers. And I heard my mother’s voice again: Actions speak louder than words.

“26 Random Acts of Kindness” is not as much in the news these days. But the Boston bombing and other recent events remind us of the importance of teaching our children empathy. We need the conversation about this to be widespread and ongoing. And we can start right here. Will you share with us your ideas for teaching children how to be sensitive to the feelings of others? Let’s keep talking.

5-Year-Old Turns Unwanted Eye Patch into Art In an effort to...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:47:00 -0400

5-Year-Old Turns Unwanted Eye Patch into Art
In an effort to bring fun to a challenging situation, Addie decorates her eye patch. “Some kids are really scared to wear it outside,” she says. “When you do these custom patches it’s more fun.” (via 9news.com)

Dancing Twin Babies Can’t Get Enough Music
These two will have you smiling and dancing! (via youtube.com)

You Make Sure You Call that Teacher
When teacher Al Siedlecki was helping a group of students study for a test, something happened that in all his years of teaching had never happened before. (via storycorps.org)

How the Portland Timbers Made an 8-Year-Old’s Wish Come True
Through Make-A-Wish Oregon, Atticus was granted his greatest wish: that his club, The Green Machine, would play against the Timbers. (via mlssoccer.com)

Read last weeks Highlights of the Week.

Download Our “Reading Right from the Start...

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:29:59 -0400

Download Our “Reading Right from the Start Guide”

Set the stage for a lifelong love of reading and learning, with our “Reading Right from the Start” guide!

Click here to download!

Helping Kids Develop Self-Confidence There’s a reason...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Helping Kids Develop Self-Confidence

There’s a reason self-confidence is called self-confidence — It’s based on one’s own perceptions and not other people’s. Telling kids that they’re “the greatest” doesn’t help them develop true confidence. Instead, children build real confidence by learning that they can meet challenges, overcome difficulties and build coping skills. As parents, our role is to help them develop enough of a “can-do” attitude so that, no matter what lies ahead, they’ll face the world with a sense of inner strength.

Here are 9 Ways to Help Your Children Develop Self-Confidence:

1.   Accept your child’s individuality. And celebrate it! Don’t compare her to other children.
2.   Be a role model. Take on new tasks, speak up and demonstrate confidence through your own actions.
3.   Be available to brainstorm. Help him come up with positive ways to deal with the disappointments, failures and rejections that are an inevitable part of childhood.
4.   Make sure your child has opportunities for success. Let her see with her own eyes how she can accomplish a specific task or met a challenge. Remember that kids like tangible results.
5.   Congratulate your child for his efforts. Recognize his persistence and hard work in trying to reach his goals.
6.   Encourage self-reflection. Help your child recognize her own unique strengths and how to use them well.
7.   Intervene when your child truly needs backup. Otherwise, encourage him to tackle challenges on his own.
8.   Remind them that everyone makes mistakes. Self-confidence is built by learning what one can do differently next time and neither giving up nor blaming circumstances.
9.   Everyone is a work in progress. Self-confidence is like a muscle that develops with practice and experience.

11-Month-Old Twins Dancing to Daddy’s Guitar We don’t...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:04:22 -0400

11-Month-Old Twins Dancing to Daddy’s Guitar
We don’t think this could get much cuter. (via youtube.com)

Recipe for a Reader
My mother did everything right. Okay—well, maybe not everything. But when it came to turning her kids into readers, my mother had it down. (via huffingtonpost.com)

Toddler Knows Her States
Without speaking a word, Lola shows off her geography skills. (via youtube.com)

Birthday Treasure Hunt
This dad created a treasure hunt for his son’s 11th birthday that included solving clues, using maps and compasses and ended with a big treasure. (via imgur.com)

Read last weeks Highlights of the Week.

A Guide to Baby Shower Gifts (With Love, from Highlights) You...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A Guide to Baby Shower Gifts (With Love, from Highlights)

You got that pastel invite covered in booties or balloons. It’s baby shower time! Even when you have a registry to guide you, it’s sometimes hard to find the perfect present amid all the choices. Here are a few tips for parent and baby pleasing offerings:

1. Get playful! While newborns don’t need much in the way of toys, they will soon be curious babies. Look for safe, simple toys that provide opportunities for multiple ways to play and explore. Check the age range on the product and make sure it is appropriate for a young baby.
2. Get practical! While new parents often end up with too many sets of newborn onesies, some practical items will never go unused. Diaper wipes, burp clothes, and infant laundry detergent never go out of style!
3. Get reading! At Highlights, of course we think a book or magazine is the perfect shower gift. It adds an extra special touch if you write a note in the cover. If you order a subscription, like to our baby magazine Highlights Hello, you can include a bookmark inscribed with a special message for baby. (Bonus points if you drop by after baby arrives to read him your gift!)
4. Get developmental! It’s easy to get wrapped up in how tiny and cute all those baby products are, but keep in mind that babies grow fast. It’s okay to give toys that a baby can grow into, especially ones that will help him or her learn and develop along the way! (That’s what we here at Highlights call “Fun with a Purpose”)

The Highlights Baby Shower Gift Guide:

1. Highlights Board Books 4-Book Set

2. Highlights Hello

3. Shake, Rattle and Teethe

4. High Sea Symphony

5. Three Little Pigs Play Set

6. Basic Skills Board

7. Tobbles Neo

8. Frolicking Frog

Posted By Hillary Bates

Download The Ultimate Rainy-Day Activity Book! We’ve...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:43:47 -0400

Download The Ultimate Rainy-Day Activity Book!

We’ve come together again with Melissa & Doug to bring you the Ultimate Rainy-Day Actvity Book! With cheery puzzles, games and crafts, you may even look forward to the next day of drizzle.

Download it here!

Need more rainy-day kid activity ideas? Be sure to check out our “Rainy-Day Fun” Pinterest boardand enter our Rainy-Day Giveaway contest for a chance to win great prizes from Highlights and Melissa & Doug!

A Recycled Craft for Earth Day This Earth Day kids craft comes...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A Recycled Craft for Earth Day

This Earth Day kids craft comes from Crystal at Surviving a Teacher’s Salary! Grab your craft supplies, old toilet paper rolls and get started…

You’ll need one toilet paper tube per snake, some googly eyes, scissors and paint.

To create your snake, use your scissors to cut slowly on an angle into your toilet paper tube. Continue to cut, rotating the tube.

Once you have cut from one end to the other, you should have a long spiral piece of cardboard.

Carefully stretch out your toilet paper tube to make your snake the size you’d like. You can make it very long and skinny with fewer spirals, or you can keep it tightly coiled (this is where your creativity and imagination comes in!)

Now you’re ready to paint. If you have older kids, this would be a great time to do some research on snakes and see if you can copy their patterns. While the paint is drying, brainstorm some ideas of what to do with your snake. You could play zookeeper, pet shop, learn about snakes or even turn it into a gift. Glue on your googly eyes or draw some on with a marker and you’re finished!

How did your kids play with their snake craft?

How a 12-Year-Old’s Letter Saved an Entire Forest Olivia’s...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:50:19 -0400

How a 12-Year-Old’s Letter Saved an Entire Forest
Olivia’s victory is a reminder that engaged citizens—even young ones!—can protect and preserve our remaining wild places, and that the future of the natural world depends on more people like Olivia taking a stand. (via takepart.com)

Caine’s Arcade
A 9-year-old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store is about to have the best day of his life. (via youtube.com)

Joe Jarvis, 5-Year-Old Entrepreneur, Runs a Successful Garbage Business
‘Garbage Man Joe,’ as he calls himself, serves neighbors who want help hauling their trashcans to the curb every Sunday evening. (via huffingtonpost.com)

7-Year-Old Asks Birthday Guests to Bring Shoes to Donate to Africa Instead of Present
For her 7th birthday, Makenna Burchinal of Bismark, North Dakota asked her guests to bring a pair of new or used shoes to donate to children in Africa. (via sunnyskyz.com)

6 Awesome Jobs for Kids
When you’re a kid, being a business owner is pretty cool. Seriously! You’ll make some extra money, you get to be the boss, and you’ll be using real business skills that millions of grown-ups use every day. (via nerdwallet.com)

Read last weeks Highlights of the Week.

A Sure Sign of Spring: Peepers! I saw my friend Dan Kriesberg...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

A Sure Sign of Spring: Peepers!

I saw my friend Dan Kriesberg catch a spring peeper. I was amazed!

I have heard the springtime chorus of these little tree frogs many times. Some people compare their sound to a whistle. Often, a lot of male peepers are singing all at the same time, with not a moment of silence. One frog or another fills every chance for quiet with a peep. When they are all calling for females like that, they sound a lot like jingle bells.

But no matter how hard I tried to catch a spring peeper in the beam of a flashlight, they always eluded me. I have never been able to spot one, not even when they were out at night, peeping all around me.

by Andy Boyles, Highlights Science Editor

Dan found his peeper in the daytime. We were at a nature writing workshop in northeastern Pennsylvania, taking a guided walk through a forest with a group of eight or ten other writers. While most of us stayed on the trail, listening to the leader, Dan wandered a few feet off the trail every now and then. I watched him lift one rock after another, looking for any animals that might be living underneath. He always replaced each rock in exactly the same spot where he had found it, even making sure the rock was in the same position as before. This method left suitable homes for wild creatures, even if they didn’t happen to be at home when he peeked in.

Under one rock, he found a red-backed salamander, a two-inch long amphibian with the body plan of a lizard. It had black sides and, as you might guess from the name, a red stripe down its back. Its toes were so tiny and finely formed that they seemed almost unreal, like the fingers of a fairy-tale creature.

Dan put the salamander back where he had found it and, as always, gently lowered the rock back down over its resident.

A few minutes later, Dan called out with the most excited voice we had heard from anyone that morning. “I found a spring peeper!” he said.

He walked onto the trail with his two hands cupped together and something in the hollow between them. When he lifted the top hand, we saw a tiny brown frog sitting in the palm of the other hand. It was only about an inch long. Like all spring peepers, it had a dark X on its back. After all my nighttime searching, Dan had easily found a spring peeper in the morning sunlight.

Since then, I have learned a lot about spring peepers by reading about them. But Dan taught me my favorite lesson about these musical little frogs. They are not just in books. And they are not just sounds on the night air. They are as real as you and I. To find and see and touch a wild frog can be a profound experience for a child—something he or she can remember for a lifetime, something that places the natural world permanently in a child’s mind and heart. If your family lives where you can hear a chorus of jingle bells in the spring, you and your children might be able to find one too. I’d love to hear about it if you do!

Helping Each Other Cope Yesterday was a difficult day. The...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:40:33 -0400

Helping Each Other Cope

Yesterday was a difficult day. The technology that connects us to friends and loved ones also ensures we know of any tragedy almost immediately. Less than an hour after explosions killed and injured people at the Boston Marathon, my social streams were filled with grief and advice. In addition to dealing with our own fear, sadness and shock, those of us who are parents also think through how we will help kids deal with what they have heard.

My son is 5 years old. He is old enough to hear about tragedies in the news from friends, but not old enough to really understand much of what is said. Children his age can be very frightened by images of violence. They don’t have the coping skills that we develop as we age. I drove home from Highlights hoping that no one had been watching it on a mobile phone at school and wondering what I would say about yet another senseless horror in the news. I had barely made it through the Newtown talk I’d been forced to have because he heard grownups discussing it. And… I had said then that things like this were “rare.”

Before leaving work I had re-read the advice put together by thoughtful Highlights editors and the childhood experts we had consulted. Listen, I told myself. Let him know how I cope with these feelings (how is it I do that?). Just be there for him, and encourage him to express himself through a drawing or just by talking to me.

I had to use all of these ideas last night, but not for the reason I thought. He hadn’t heard about the horrible violence in Boston. But, early in the evening he emerged from his room in tears and panicked. Hadn’t I said that if his fish (a pet he has had since he was 2) floated that would mean he was dead? I had. He was.

I remembered those lessons I had just read, trying to help navigate my son through a far lesser tragedy, but one that was real and poignant to him. Unfortunately, our kids will experience sadness big and small in their lives, and many will not come from the distance of the television. One of the hardest parts of being a parent is explaining things to kids that we can not understand ourselves. But being there for them, being present, and being thoughtful about how they experience events, this gives us something productive to do with our own grief. In comforting him over a small loss, I was able to do something with my horror and pain over the much bigger one we all had yesterday.

As we continue to mourn our losses, personal and national, how do you help kids cope? How do they help you?

A link to Highlights tips for helping kids deal with tragedies in the news.

Posted By Hillary Bates

Springtime Activities for Babies Spring is a delightful time...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Springtime Activities for Babies

Spring is a delightful time for babies! Getting to experience the sunshine and fresh air will result in a healthy and curious little one. Babies love to observe the trees, flowers and clouds. They notice small things, like bugs and birds. They love the feel of movement in a stroller or a front-pack. And although it may be chilly, a typical baby can handle the cool weather if dressed properly. (A covered head and warm mittens will work on a brisk day.)

An added benefit comes when you snuggle down to look at books together. Many of the pictures – of trees, flowers, animals, cars – will connect to the things you discovered outside during your walk. Even a very young child can begin to make these connections. Books come alive for a child because they reflect real, rich experiences.

Enjoying the spring by taking walks, reading books or laying on a blanket in the park can be relaxing and helps your child begin to love and wonder about nature. But these are just a few ways that you can experience spring. How are you and your little one discovering the benefits of springtime?

Arizona Students Learn Confidence through Chess Teacher Ted...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:05:54 -0400

Arizona Students Learn Confidence through Chess
Teacher Ted Komada started a chess club nine years ago at Killip Elementary School in Flagstaff, Ariz., hoping to help students build confidence. The team has now won five consecutive state championships. (via today.com)

Dad Dancing at Stadium
This dad isn’t afraid of acting silly in order to have a good time with his kids. (via YouTube)

Unplug for National Screen-Free Week with Random House Children’s Books
“I spent my entire childhood unplugged,” children’s book author Dan Yaccarino says in this video from Random House Children’s Books. “What I really enjoyed doing was building things, drawing, writing.” (via huffingtonpost.com)

Teacher Runs the Sahara to Raise Money for Students’ Laptops
If everything went according to plan, Liz Byron is right now running or walking her way through the Sahara, participating in a 155-mile footrace known as the Marathon des Sables, or Marathon of the Sands. (via bostonglobe.com)

7-Year-Old Boy Fighting Brain Cancer Scores 69-Yard Touchdown
It’s not every day that you see players and fans from both teams cheer at the top of their lungs when someone scores a touchdown, but that’s what happened when Jack Hoffman ran the ball into the end zone during the University of Nebraska’s spring football game. (via mashable.com)

Read last weeks Highlights of the Week.

5 Tips to End Sibling Rivalry As parents we want to be fair to...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

5 Tips to End Sibling Rivalry

As parents we want to be fair to our children, but we know as well as they do, that they aren’t on a level playing field. Older siblings have acquired more independence and developmental skills while the younger ones need special attention. When you mix in gender, special talents and disabilities, you’ve got the perfect storm for sibling rivalry.

A certain amount of sibling competition can be expected (It even exists among animals vying for resources!) And while rivalry between your children can’t be entirely eliminated, there are things you can do:

Structure privileges in a way that kids comprehend. Children find it more “fair” if you enforce privileges in a consistent and concrete way. For example, staying up until a certain time comes with being a certain age. A clearly stated system actually helps reduce competition.
Make sure each child knows he or she is valued. This may sound obvious, but when there’s a cute baby or more advanced older sibling in the house, it’s easy for a kid to feel overlooked or overshadowed.
Encourage kids to explore a variety of strengths. Parents often try to reduce competition by labeling siblings as having distinct and different abilities. However, there’s often more than one athlete or musician in the same family. Avoid labeling kids in a way that limits their exploration. Provide comparable encouragement, opportunities and resources for each child.
Encourage cooperative projects. Create opportunities for siblings to collaborate and accomplish a goal. Help them learn to listen to one another and respect each other’s contributions.
View the family as a team. Encourage siblings to root for one another and enjoy one another’s successes. Help them recognize that the accomplishments of one can be seen as enhancing, rather than detracting from, the other.