Articles on examiner.com

I have started writing for examiner.com as the Oakland parenting examiner for the elementary years. Go to Examiner.com Oakland Elementary Years to see my articles. I would like to hear from you. What do you think about my articles? What subjects do you think I should write about next? Do you know of anything fun, exciting or unique happening in Oakland for families or children? What about the schools? Any topics you would like to see me cover there? Let me know your comments so that I can write on some of the subjects my blog followers would like to see!

Earth Day is Wednesday!

April 22nd is Earth Day. This is a great day to remind yourself and teach your children about the values of recycling, conservation and generally taking care of the planet. Quite a few organizations take the opportunity to schedule a clean-up around this time and it is a fun and active way to involve the whole family and reinforce Earth Day values. We went out and helped the SF Wildlife Refuge in Fremont on Saturday and we got a guided tour of the wetlands, the birds and other wildlife as we helped clean up around the bay and refuge. Try the below sites or simply do a search on Earth Day Clean-ups and find out the best way to help Mother Earth and teach a valuable lesson to your kids!

http://www.calparks.org/programs/earth-day/

http://my.nature.org/earthday/

Teaching Empathy & Community Support

My 4 1/2 year old asked me about a homeless woman asking for money on the street corner as we were at a stoplight the other day. She was just curious about the world around her and had never seen this before, or noticed it before. But, it made me realize what a difficult task it is being a parent and explaining the complexities of real life to a preschooler without making her feel guilty or more confused. I get the simplest answer while still allowing her to feel validated for asking but she asked me later that night, "Do you think that lady found a home tonight?". Children process things slowly and deliberately and sometimes without us really paying attention, especially in a busy world. But, this made me realize that it would be important to follow up with some discussion about our clothes and toys donations to various organizations, engage her more in Toys for Tots and also to model behavior that shows community support and that we care for the people around us. It is easy as an adult to get callous and less caring. But, it is important to develop empathy in our children. This forces us all to be better people. I did a little research and the following organizations are geared towards charity, volunteering and children. Starting this early with children makes it a part of their life without even thinking about it...another wonderful family activity while making the world a better place through community support!

http://www.usafreedomcorpskids.gov/kids/

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/christmas/volunteer.htm