Pufferdust...for Parents

It's been a while since I have written about dinnertime conversations with your children (CLICK HERE). Recently, particularly in light of the frequency of school shootings and cases of sexual abuse, as parents, we simply need to know more than just our child's academic progress and…

The following video was shared by a friend on Facebook and I thought it so important that I wanted to post it here. Please watch and learn the lesson it teaches.... Lollipop Bait

by Steven A. Melnick - You can't help hearing that our schools are failing. All you need do is tune into the evening news, pick up a newspaper, or listen to talk radio. The outrage is everywhere and the blame is being placed squarely on teachers,…

Recently I attended an event with a group of friends that was family-oriented--children, parents, grandparents alike. About 20 of us gathered for a picnic where each family contributed the usual potato salad, cheese dip, chips, crackers, along with some more substantive hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. We all…

by Steven A. Melnick – When my brother and I were little, you could almost set your watch by when we sat down to eat dinner. Each evening, when Dad returned from working in the steel mill, dinner was on the table at 4:30pm, promptly.

by Steven A. Melnick -- There is no question that childhood obesity is on the rise and it has serious consequences. Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for making school meals healthier. At school, for example, children are a somewhat captive audience when it…

by Steven A. Melnick -- Frank was a student who wasn't terribly interested in school but seemed to enjoy the social aspects of it and getting into a little mischief now and then. He exuded a kind of macho persona and had a certain energy…

by Steven A. Melnick -- Since 2007, we change our clocks back to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time on the first Sunday in November. As the saying goes, spring ahead, fall back. So on November 7 at 2:00am, the time changes to 1:00am. This…

by Steven A. Melnick -- Picture the familiar scene of visiting your child's school during Open House or Parent-Teacher Conferences. Open House is usually a pretty festive occasion. Parents are walking the halls perusing the bulletin boards and displays of student artwork, compositions, and projects.

by Steven A. Melnick -- When I taught 4th grade, I used to play the piano in my classroom every day--either in the morning as the students came into the room or, most often, in the late afternoon as they were getting ready to go…

by Steven A. Melnick -- While listening to the radio over the past week or so, I've noticed quite a few warnings about the dangers of lead paint in the home, particularly those built prior to 1978, and its effect on children. I'm not sure…

by Steven A. Melnick -- For people who already rent or own a home, the choice of which elementary school their child(ren) will attend is determined largely by geography. School districts typically have defined attendance zones for each of their buildings. But for those parents…

by Steven A. Melnick -- Read…read…read! One of the most important gifts we can give our children is an appreciation for books. I sometimes try to imagine how my son's life would be diminished without Bilbo, Frodo, Prince Caspian, Rat and Mole, to name but…

by Steven A. Melnick -- I was driving down the highway the other evening and came up behind a van with two children in the back seat. The two appeared to be absorbed in an animated movie on one of those flip-down video screens so…

by Steven A. Melnick --The recent suicide of Tyler Clementi at Rutgers University over cyber-bullying has shined an even brighter sad light on the problem of bullying, particularly cyberbullying. Although we often admonish our children to “stand up for themselves” or “don’t be pushed around,”…

by Steven A. Melnick --Teachers can't do it alone. Although much criticism is leveled at the public schools today, the role that parents play in educating a young child is often ignored by those critics. The relationship between parents and schools is an important one…