Better kindergarten teachers may mean earning more as adults

Author : David Leonhardt, The New York Times.


How much do your kindergarten teacher and classmates affect the rest of your life?

Economists have generally thought that the answer was not much. Great teachers and early childhood programs can have a big short-term effect. But the impact tends to fade. By junior high and high school, children who had excellent early schooling do little better on tests than similar children who did not -- which raises the demoralizing question of how much of a difference schools and teachers can make.

Encourage to live simply

Simple living, going green, and generally doing away with the unnecessary is gaining popularity :-)) And that's really cool.  I'am not definitely against it. 

But it’s all for naught if we don’t pass on a love of simplicity to the next generation – we depend on them to do a stellar job stewarding the earth’s resources.

While I were reading about lots of articles and forums regarding how to get rid of unnecessary toys and paring down kids’ schedules, I was astonished at all the research out there that indicates that children need lots of downtime, lots of freedom, and lots of room to use their imagination.

It’s hard to do that when we complicate their lives.

Education! Education!!

Its all about Education !!

The CA Teachers Association and PTA recently distributed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled "Your Child's Education Begins at Home."

Although it is to be assumed that those who are reading this article already know that education begins at home, the PSA contained some wisdom that bears repeating.

First, ask your children what they studied in class that day. (If you are homeschooling your children, omit this step, as they may think you are developing memory problems!)

KIDS SUMMER CAMPS, ACTIVITIES :-))

Community Summer camps

1) Sunnyvale community center has summer camps, lego camp being one of them. Some are full day, some are half day :


http://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityServices/ClassesandActivities.aspx


2)Santa Clara City too has these summer camps :

Raising Happy Kids :-))

Dr. Hallowell, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, outlines five things kids need most to build a lifetime of self-esteem and confidence. They are:


1.Connections. Feeling rooted gives children a foundation of security. Children need unconditional love from one or both parents and benefit when they have close ties to their extended family, feel part of their school, and help care for pets.