My son, 7, just convinced his mother to let him get out of Aikido for third time in as many weeks. He said his throat hurt and his eyes sting, which is the same excuse he's used to get out of basketball. It's painful to have a conversation with a 7 year old who so desperately wants to get out of his after school activity and hopes we will cancel and never make him go again. At … [Read more...] about How hard do you push a 7 year old?
Activities
Four Golf Books for Dads
For a lot of fathers, the Sunday of Father's Day means taking time to be away from the kids to play golf. This, I find, is more than a littte sad. Of all the loves I had before kids, golf was probably the hardest to give up in order to spend time with my family, but I've never mourned it enough to spend more than a few Sundays away. Six to eight hours out of a weekend was … [Read more...] about Four Golf Books for Dads
Notable Novelists Card Game experience
Imagine the scene: A warm Spring evening. Good French wine and an authentic steak-frites. Talk of Edith Wharton, Kurt Vonnegut and Ernest Hemingway. Are we in Paris? No, I'm with my 7 and 11 year old son and daughter in a local restaurant and we're playing a new card game, Notable Novelists of the 20th Century while waiting for dessert. For a book lover who would be pleased to … [Read more...] about Notable Novelists Card Game experience
NeoCube, Nanobots and Bucky Balls: great toys for kids or for Father’s Day
My 5 year old son bought a version of these magnets "with his own money" at the SFMOMA two years ago and they were a hit at our house. Evidently, the ones we bought, Bucky Balls, weren't in any way protected and the 2011 New York Toy Fair was filled with versions of them including a major display of NanoDots. As with Lego displays, they even showed how you could create huge … [Read more...] about NeoCube, Nanobots and Bucky Balls: great toys for kids or for Father’s Day
Camp slows Summer Learning Loss
Summer Learning Loss: The Case for Curiosity in and out of School Time Most parents intuitively know that kids forget a lot of what they learned in school over the summer months. What parents haven't known is how far-reaching the effects of this loss can be. Thanks to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and … [Read more...] about Camp slows Summer Learning Loss