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Spoiler Alert this post is about the magic of Christmas, parental lies, and when it's time to come clean with your kids.I am happy that my kids were gifted with many magical holiday seasons with Santa for many years. While there is a movement of parents who never want to deceive their children about Santa, and I respect that (so long as you or your kids don't spoil the magic of believing for others), we've always been team Santa is magic. That chapter has ended, and now my kids are both entirely on board for helping make Christmas magic for...

Coming back from winter break can be hard for everyone. The kids are out of routine and the teachers are as well.  When it comes to classroom centers in the new year, shake things up a bit. Add some pizzazz and engaging manipulatives to make center time inviting.You don't have to go big or go home. I'm talking about adding little bits of fun to your classroom literacy and math centers for January.  My 5 Favorite items to add to winter centers cotton balls plastic ice cubes fake snowballs shredded paper water beads Cotten BallsCotten balls are inexpensive. They are soft...

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 22, 2019. While working on my MLIS degree I’m also working as a library aide between two elementary schools. Let me tell you… kids are quite the patrons. I’ve had kids tell me I look their dog (I took it as a compliment), tell me they had a secret and then sneezed in my ear (should’ve seen that one coming), and survived the general day-to-day experiences of working with 5-10 year-olds. My courses have talked a lot about the best way to serve patrons and help them find the right materials...

  By Phil Galewitz Before the covid-19 public health emergency began in 2020, millions of children churned on and off Medicaid each year — an indication that many were losing coverage because of administrative problems, rather than because their family’s income had increased and made them ineligible. Spurred by pandemic-era lessons, several states are rethinking their enrollment policies for the youngest Medicaid members. Oregon is leading the way after getting federal approval to implement a new continuous-enrollment policy. In 2023, when the public health emergency is expected to end, Oregon will become the first state to allow children who qualify...

Sifting through my emails over coffee reading through questions form homeschool moms. How do you get kids to read? How do I teach kids respect for others and themselves? How do teach a child to write? And then my heart sunk. This one wasn’t a question, but an exhale of defeat from a mom who just began my free Homeschooling with confidence class.  “My homeschool year was a flop”. In the quiet of the day when my entire house is still sound asleep and my coffee is still hot, I want to look this young mom in the eyes and smile. “Breathe… You’ve got...