Sesame Street Goes Green

This week, Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary. For the next two years, the curriculum on Sesame Street will be environmentally based. Children will learn about birds, hibernation, and sustainable living among other things. I love this trend of characters children can identify with teaching them about the environment. For his birthday, my son was given a Curious George DVD where Curious George goes green. In each short episode, we watched George learn things like how to make compost and what and when to recycle. Speaking of which, I wonder if back on Sesame Street Oscar the Grouch will move from his garbage can to a recycle bin.

--Green Mom

The Committee...Part 2

If you read my blog entry last week, you know that I am now officially on two committees at my kids’ schools. Given that both monthly committee meetings are falling in the same week, I’m already committeed out. I’m interested in what we’re meeting about. I wanted to get more involved. I even like the other people on the committee. But last night we played an extended game of hide-and-seek after dinner. Then we tucked the kids in and watched “Mad Men.” I’m ready for a rematch tonight, and I’ve got “Brothers and Sisters” waiting on my DVR. I want to go home, put on my sweats, and hang out. I’ve been in meetings all day. Enough is enough, no? Apparently not. I know the right answer; I get how important it is to be involved in our kids’ schools and activities. But after a long day at work, playing with the kids followed by lounging on the couch seems pretty irresistible. What’s the right balance? And where can we find another 3 hours to tack on to the day?

- Modern Mom

Germs

I will confess, I am a bit of a germaphobe. I use a lot of hand sanitizer and wipes, we wash our hands a lot in our house, shoes do not go past the front hallway. My husband is worse than I am, but won’t admit it. And, as parents of children in group care, we all know that we are starting the season of lots of runny noses, coughs, and colds…not to mention the flu, so I’m on heightened germ alert. Great news, last week at school they focused on germs.

At circle time, they read Bear Feels Sick, Who’s Sick Today, and Germs Make Me Sick.

For Science Lab, they did 2 experiments. The first activity was to put Vaseline on their hands and then try to remove it. First, they tried rinsing it off in cold water. Then they tried warm water. When they realized that didn’t work, they tried soap, warm water, and rubbing their hands together. They all discovered that with a little soap and singing the ABCs while they rubbed their hands together, they were able to remove the Vaseline. Then, they did a “Pepper Run” experiment. They put water into bowls and sprinkled in some pepper; the pepper flakes were the germs. When they touched the water with a piece of soap they saw the germs run away. Conclusion: germs don’t like soap.

Of course, they did an art project about germs, too (that’s why I’m not a teacher – I would never be able to come up with an art project about germs!). Each child traced their hand and cut it out then drew a face on a paper plate. Then put them together with a tissue to demonstrate how you sneeze into a tissue.

And, everyone got stickers – the teacher used the Bright Horizons Staying Healthy stickers – it was hysterical when my daughter came up to me and said, “A-choos to use a tissue.”

--Commuter Mom

Carrying the Weight

On my drive to work, I’m seeing the familiar signs that school is back in session…more cars on the road, school buses, and crossing guards. At one point in my commute, I pass by a school and have made an interesting observation. The kids walking to school are not carrying their own backpacks. I’m not talking about kindergartners or children also carrying a tuba for band practice! I’m talking about what appear to be 8 or 9 year olds, walking to school with their parents and carrying nothing while mom or dad schlep the backpack and lunchbox. I even saw one mom pulling the backpack on wheels! Can someone explain to me why?

--Green Mom

Apple Pie

I walked in the front door last night after an annoying commute and the house smelled delicious. I asked what my daughter was having for dinner that smelled so good and she looked at me with a big grin. “It’s in the oven, apple pie. And, I made it. All. By. My. Self.” Huh? My husband made apple pie with her? Really?

No. Turns out they are celebrating Fall at school this week and so they made apple pies. Each child got to make their own full size pie to bring home. My daughter told me how she got to peel the apples with the crank, she measured the sugar and cinnamon, and she mixed it all together. All. By. Her. Self.

The teachers helped them to put the top crust on and then the kids poked it with a fork. The pie went into a large Ziploc with a label – a big red apple cutout with a photo of my daughter with her finished pie on one side, and cooking instructions on the other.

I could get used to coming home to homemade apple pie. Maybe they could celebrate Italy next week and make lasagna.

-- Commuter Mom

Preschool Science

I love to see what new science experiments are going on in my daughter’s preschool room.



Today, there were 8 or 9 water bottles around the edge of the water table, each filled with blue water. The middle of the water table was filled with yellow water. The water bottles looked like regular bottles with the lids screwed on; but, my daughter told me they were faucets. She picked up one of the water bottles, loosened the top, and water started to stream out of the bottom, just like a watering can. As she loosened them (or she got one “started” and let me unscrew the lid the rest of the way), we counted how many holes there were by watching the water as it flowed into the center of the water table. The water was fast or slow depending on how loose the cap was. Unfortunately, I had to go to work, so I didn’t get to see the yellow water turn green as more and more “faucets” were turned on.



We made this one at home to add to our bath toys…minus the color. Should be fun!

--Commuter Mom

Complex Guilt

School is starting and that means the juggling act is kicking into high gear. I made peace with the idea of after-school programs when my son entered kindergarten; with two working parents there are limited options, after all.

But this year it’s before school that’s got me in a bit of a panic. My husband needs to be out the door by 6:45, which means getting one child to the child care center, another to early morning speech therapy appointments and getting the third on the school bus – all before my workday starts – is virtually impossible. In year’s past I’ve experimented with hiring morning help, adjusting work hours, and relying on neighbors. But this year I’ve come to realize that the solution that probably makes the most sense is signing my second grader up for before-school care. It’s offered on site, I can drop him off as early as 7, and it’s fairly inexpensive. He even has a couple of friends who are doing it.

So why do I feel so guilty? I can’t shake the vision of him sitting alone in a corner of the school cafeteria glumly eating his bagel while other kids are around a homey kitchen table eating French toast and warm maple syrup with all sorts of family members casting a warm glow. Maybe I need to spend a couple of mornings in other homes to see that we’re not the only ones where chaos ensues. And maybe I need to visit the before-school program to reassure myself that my son will be engaged and social, that he might, in fact, actually be having a good time. In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for a guilt complex that’s stuck in overdrive.

--Modern Mom

Modern Mom: School Daze

I will never forget the thrill of a snow day. It was so much better than a planned vacation day, providing both the surprise factor and the giddy anticipation as the newscaster read through all the towns that preceded mine alphabetically (back in the dark ages pre-Internet). So I feel a bit hypocritical now. On the one hand, I want my son to have the great feeling of finding out school is closed because of snow. I get so excited thinking about spending the day sledding together, drinking hot chocolate, and snuggling on the couch for a movie. But then I remember that just because he has a snow day doesn’t mean I do. My daydream gets interrupted by my nightmare of having to figure out at the last minute whether my husband or I is going to be the one to stay home from work, which meetings can be rescheduled and which can be done remotely. If only as parents, we could plan ahead for snow days it would all be so much simpler. We’d just have to make sure to keep it a secret from our kids so they’d still get to experience what it’s like to get a “pass” for the day.

New Mom: Ode to the Infant Teacher

When New Girl goes to the center each day, we call it “school.” When she runs to her teachers, we call them, well, her teachers. I’ve noticed that some people, friends, sisters-in-law, my mom, either roll their eyes thinking we’re inflating this experience, or laugh with a little “oh, how cute” to use those terms to describe what they think of as “day care” and “baby sitters.” But more and more every day, their brush off of New Girl’s teachers as somehow something less than a first-grade math teacher, or high school English teacher, or college professor, makes me angrier and angrier. In fact, these women are so much more.

I see the grace with which they teach these infants to learn. They teach babies to learn how to comfort themselves to sleep; they teach even the most stubborn 1-year-old to learn to use a cup; they teach them to learn to eat at the table, to figure out a new toy, to overcome frustration, to be proud of their accomplishments. They teach them that they can be loved unconditionally by people in addition to mommy and daddy. I want to say to the non-believers out there, “You try teaching someone who can’t talk, can’t walk, and can’t understand your language how to be a loving, gentle soul, and that the world is safe as long as you are there by his side. Teach someone who cannot hold a paintbrush how to make masterful works of art. Teach someone with no teeth how to enjoy the fruits of the earth. Teach someone who cannot support herself how to literally stand proud on her own. And then, teach them how to talk, walk, and understand your language. And do it all in just a few months.” New Girl’s teachers are the most miraculous people I know. They are amazing, wonderful teachers. And I haven’t even started on what they’ve taught me, but that’s a blog — or a tome — for another day.

ModernMom: The Season of Giving…but to Whom?

It seems some clarity is needed. With the gift-buying (and for some, the gift-giving) season well underway, I’ve been thinking about which of my children’s myriad of caregivers should be on my list. And apparently I’m not the only one mulling this over, because yesterday three colleagues whose kids are in child care for the first time asked me what is appropriate.

Primary teachers are obvious as are, in my opinion, others who spend significant time in the classroom. But what about the center director and assistant director? The program coordinator? And if you cast the net that wide, do you risk offending someone by leaving her out? And then there’s my kindergartener to consider. As the first time parent of a school-ager, I have no idea what’s expected. The classroom aide? The room mother? The lunch ladies? The bus driver? This list could get very long very quickly.

The question isn’t only who, but also what? I have a relationship with my toddler’s caregivers. I see them at drop off and pick up, we communicate almost daily by telephone, and we write in a shared journal. I know a bit about them and have a sense of the kind of gift they might enjoy. That’s not the case with my kindergartner’s community. I don’t know what they’d like or how much to spend. Frankly, the whole thing is more than a bit overwhelming. So if you have any ideas, please let me know. I, and the teachers and lunch ladies and bus driver, thank you in advance.

ModernMom: Returning the Favor

Generally speaking, it’s my practice to give back when given to. If someone invites my family for dinner, I plan to host the next time. Bring me chicken soup when I’m under the weather? I’ll be there with flowers when you’re feeling blue. But now I find myself on the receiving end of a deal that’s feeling uncomfortably one sided.

As a working mother, my children are used to fairly long days in child care or after-school programming. And, of course, one of the great things about my child care center is that it caters to working families, so except for national holidays, the center rarely closes. Not so with public school. In fact, my son’s school has announced that every Thursday for the next eight weeks (yes, eight weeks) will be an early release day. Enter my guardian angel neighbor. Lo and behold she has two kids in the same predicament and since she’s available to pick them up, why not let her pick up my son as well and have him come to their house for a play date for the next eight weeks. (Yes, eight weeks.) That works … it’s fabulous, in fact. But how in the world can I reciprocate? Does my profound gratitude and repeated thank-yous suffice? Should I offer to host her children at my house for eight Sunday afternoons, or is that over the top? If it’s “an eye for an eye,” doesn’t it stand to reason that it should be a play date for a play date?

ModernMom: The Sound of Silence

They say “no news is good news,” but as far as my new kindergartener is concerned I don’t buy it. He’s now in the middle of his 3^rd full week of school and I have yet to hear a peep from his teacher. My daughter, on the other hand, is in the toddler room at the child care center – she’s been there since she was an infant, and I still get a daily sheet that tells me (in great detail) about all of her bodily functions. My toddler’s teachers are gracious when I call them to check in on her day and full of details at pick-up.

Since there’s no daily sheet to speak of in kindergarten and I pick my son up from an after-school program, I’ve had to rely on him to tell me about his day’s experience. Here’s what I’ve learned thus far: they have strawberry milk in kindergarten. This, apparently, is the most exciting – or at least memorable – part of his day. I’m not sure I can wait until parent-teacher conferences to find out how my son is doing in his new school. One of my friends suggests that I volunteer in the classroom to get a sense of what’s going on; another says I should e-mail the teacher weekly. HELP! How can I narrow this information gap?

ModernMom: New School Jitters

Judging by the Back to School sales, promotions, and advertisements, it’s apparently time to start thinking about the first day of school. For my family, that means kindergarten. And with the start of a new school comes high anxiety, sleepless nights, and nervous sweats…and that’s just me. My son is fine with the proposition of starting kindergarten. For him it means one thing and one thing only: he gets to ride the school bus. I on the other hand, am consumed with thoughts about whether he’ll make friends, how he’ll do without his daily nap, and yes, the SCHOOL BUS. I never rode a school bus myself so most of my ideas about what it’s like come from the movies, which paint a pretty scary picture. I’m also more than a little consumed with the new logistical nightmare we’re headed toward. Two different drop-offs in two different locations, not to mention a variety of after-school arrangements. And how in the world do they get away with defining “full day” as 9-3? I’m used to dropping off my kids at 7:30! Do any of you have advice about dealing with the kindergarten transition? Help!