This post is sponsored by Thorn for Parents and all opinions are my own. Online safety and sex top the list of uncomfortable topics for parents to address with kids, but have you talked about sexting and nudes yet? We’re aware of the implied safety risks of digital devices in our children’s hands but often…
Education
The New Normal of In-Person Learning During a Pandemic
I start every class period at the door, smiling behind my mask as I greet students with a pump bottle of hand sanitizer. My students know hand sanitizer is required for admission to our computer lab. This is just part of the new normal of in-person learning during a pandemic. Some of my middle schoolers…
How to Prepare for a Return to In-Person Learning
This post is sponsored by TextNow Back to school season is here and while we’re excited for the return to in-person learning, this year comes with a mix of emotions. Our kids may seem happy and well-adjusted but living and learning during the pandemic has been stressful. We can’t expect our kids to remember everything…
5 Ways to Teach Tweens to Say No to Underage Drinking
I’ll never forget the day that my 9 year old daughter asked me for a beer when we were at a ballgame. I could have been shocked that my elementary schooler tested me with such an outrageous question in public, but I turned it around into a teachable moment. Having the knowledge to provide a…
NASA TechRise Student Challenge Invites Schools to Advance Space Exploration
As a middle school computer science teacher, I’m always looking for ways to connect what my students are learning about programming to the real world. As a parent, I’ve championed STEM learning in my own community by forming SilverSat. I know hands-on project based learning is one of the best ways for students to learn…
4 Ways to Foster Entrepreneurship in Children
This post is sponsored by Acton Children’s Business Fair and includes tracking links. For more information about tracking links and how to opt out, please visit All About Do Not Track prior to clicking any links found in this post. Every child is a hero with gifts and capable of changing the world. Some are…
Dear Students, We Did It!
Dear Students, I know this year hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been one long rollercoaster ride with more twists, turns, and loops that any of us could have ever imagined but now that our year is coming to a close, I am so glad you stuck with me on this crazy unpredictable ride. When…
How to Learn About Southeast Asia with Raya and the Last Dragon
Growing up, I never saw anyone who looked like me as illustrations on pages of the books I read, pictured in magazines I subscribed to as a tween, or in the movies I watched. These days we know that representation matters. Exposing our kids to diversity is important because there are many things to be…
Better Hearing and Speech Month Twitter Chat (Friday 5/21 1:30 pm ET w prizes!)
This is a sponsored post As the school year winds to a close, we’re celebrating making it through a roller coaster of a year but questions linger about what lies ahead. We hope there will be a full return to in-person school but what does this mean for our kids? Has virtual school impacted their…
How to Send a Last Minute Teacher Appreciation Gift Instantly
It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and this year, teachers deserve to be appreciated more than ever! Showing appreciation for teachers who have gone to extraordinary lengths to teach and care for students feels hard when gift giving has been made more complicated by the pandemic. Fortunately, Punchbowl makes it easy send a personalized last minute teacher…