We are full into Black History Month. For four weeks, kids all across the country are reading about, talking about, writing about our country’s black ancestral history. Stories of contemporary bright lights such as Beyonce, Te-Nehisi Coates, and Barack Obama give way to stories of Ella Fitzgerald, Frederick Douglass, and Romare Bearden — men and […]
Today I recommend a book for Black History month. This is not the story of someone famous but a story of black history nonetheless. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Woodson won the Newbery Award for this poetic memoir of her life growing up as an African-American child in the 1960s and 70s. Through her […]
When I think of Super Bowl parties, I have to admit I get images of beer guzzling and colorful language. Which can be lots of fun. But what if you’re including kids at the party? Here are some kid-friendly ideas to go alongside the adult partying: GAMES. Kids get pretty bored with watching men – […]
Watching the Super Bowl this Sunday? Not sure yet where you want to park your tush to catch the football fireworks? I toss out for your consideration, joining in a watch party that has a charitable component to it. Here in Chicago, Otis Wilson (are you old enough to remember the Super Bowl Shuffle?!) is […]
Whoo hoo! One of the days I anticipate all winter is…tomorrow! Groundhog’s Day! Hoping for Punxsutawney Phil to foretell an early spring. For kids who feel the same way I do, here are a couple of fun books about the fascinating subject of predicting the weather. Ahhhh. Punxsutawney Phyllis is by Susanna Leonard Hill with […]
I’m a parent, so I know. There is a deep-seated desire in each of us to protect our kids from all the scary things that await them out in the world. We Want to Protect our Children We want to protect them from bullies and mean girls. We want to protect them from failing exams […]
Ever since the election there’s been a cloud of impending doom hanging over many of us. If you’re like me, dread has a not-so-healthy side-serving of obsession that goes along with it. I’ve gone from being a casual facebook user to checking multiple times a day, scanning for evidence that everything is going to be […]
Jackson Pollock’s birthday is this week. You know Jackson Pollock – the guy who dripped paint onto canvas in energetic but seemingly random patterns. Some are puzzeld or dismissive when they look at Pollock’s work, unable to make heads or tails of it. But Pollock himself described his work as “motion made visible.” And many […]
I was in Montana last week. The snow was piled high on every side and temperatures dropped well below zero. Brrrr. Here’s a perfect story for that kind of weather. Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell A small child heads out into the gusting snow….and stumbles upon a baby wolf lost from its pack. […]
This weekend, a deep freeze has descended upon Chicago and much of the rest of the country. If you’re like me, you enjoy the warmth of the fireplace and hot chocolate or tea and a soft wool blanket wrapped around your legs. But if you’re like me, you also need to get out. After hours […]