I can marginally recall what my time was spent like in third grade and of course, from my now adult perspective, I don’t remember the third grade being as emotionally charged and dramatic as it really is. I would now like to take this time to personally apologize to Mrs. Messenger for any stress and headaches I caused her during my third grade tenure. I have an immense amount of respect for the teacher (as well as all educators) I worked with. Every day she came to work, ready to teach 20 students and deal with everything from the perpetual “I’m not feeling well” to “doesn’t want to be my friend anymore.” I can only imagine what it is like to be a parent and constantly deal with the pre-pubescent emotions and concerns on a 24/7 basis. So in addition to teachers, I have just as much respect for mothers and fathers

I give even more credit to the children I spent each day with. Some of them trekked over 200 blocks or from outer boroughs (in other words, a 45-60 min trip) each morning (to avoid going to an unsafe school) and they always wore a smiling face. I would eat lunch with the students and some of them could barely afford their meal. As she ate her lunch consisting of a sole sandwich, one girl told me “it’s all her family had” and went back to eating and talking about Justin Bieber with her classmates. They never let at-home drama get in the way of learning and having fun. What I discovered is that children think and process just like an adult, but to the extent that their knowledge and life experience allows them. They want to understand and articulate. Even when they got frustrated with work or playground issues, the kids would always try to resolve the problem (though sometimes it involved tears and chest puffing).

The most important bit of knowledge I left with from my experience with America Reads is that education is KEY. I cannot stress this enough. And by education, I’m not just limiting it to only classroom work. Exposure to new things and personal differences, I believe, is the best way to promote tolerance, interests, and understanding.  For example, one lunch period, I brought carrots to eat and a girl had never eaten them before. In fact, she said she didn’t like vegetables. I gave her her first carrot and she loved it, prompting her to try other greens (from what she told me). Being a Caucasian (a pale one for that matter) teaching at a predominantly Hispanic school located in a lower-income neighborhood, race was a major topic of discussion. Each day I dealt with questions and comments about my skin color and physical experience. While blunt in their delivery, these racial inquiries were not out of malice, just out of curiosity. These kids loved me (as I loved them) unconditionally. They didn’t know any better. They wanted to know more about me and the world I grew up in. From food to race to science fair experiments and everything in between, children want to learn. It is paramount that we help them as much as we can. I‘m grateful that I helped, in some small way, in the education of some of our country’s future leaders.

France’s Gourmet School Lunches (video)

In the states, it seems only private schools in the Northeast can afford to foot the bill for the sort of expenses such meals would cost. There are, however, many things we can learn from the French about meals that Americans just don’t understand, starting with the fact that food is sacred and should be enjoyed – seated and at a table.

Do schools have a place in teaching kids about healthy eating? What do you think?

Bringing your children to work sets a positive example for your kids and also encourages them to become actively interested in your career. Spending a day with you in the office can help illustrate the connection between their efforts in school (at any age) and their future. If your job has events planned, you should encourage your child to participate in those programs to become engaged. One major impact of bringing your children to work is that it will get them to start thinking about their future and inspire them to consider what sorts of jobs they might have in the future. A great way to encourage your kids to start dreaming of adulthood (without having them lose their innocence in childhood!) is to have them take the Dream Calculator Quiz before they come to work with you!

This year, the official organization’s theme for the day is Invent the Future: “Invent The Future not only means considering how much life can change in one year and indeed over a lifetime, but also what choices individuals, groups, organizations, and corporations have to make in order to achieve a better world. For girls and boys, Invent The Future is about their potential to produce positive change, since the future is theirs, and it starts right here, right now.”

Some of the Speakaboos team members brought in their little ones last year to celebrate and share their professional space with their families. Although the kids are too young to participate in any educational activities, they sure had fun with the team and the rest of the employees at 212 Media!

Part of Gove’s comment reflects age-old stereotypes that the wealthier classes are much more educated. I believe that part of what is occurring now in schools is a sort of backlash against modern technology. Literacy and reading have been brought to the forefront of the educational debate, particularly with programs such as Teach For America that brings its own literacy-based methodology to lower income schools. When you think about it, 50 books does seem like an awful lot, considering the amount of time students now spend on the internet, either on Facebook, YouTube, or other similar sites. Part of the issue is that they lose an intrinsic part of childhood and education as they move away from books and other physical forms of literature, such as magazines or newspapers. Life becomes much more abbreviated, limited to what can be fit in a Facebook status or a 140 character tweet. Children lose the opportunity to create an individual experience and imaginary world when they rely solely on visual interpretations offered in films.

Educators and the media have noted this decline in book consumption for the past few years and trends continue to point towards the internet. Considering the fact that kids under the age of 13 now own cell phones or electronic tablets, every aspect of a child’s development is impacted by technology. Furthermore, another point Gove makes that is particularly important is that educators and parents work towards convincing students to read books for more than just exams; one concern the Education Secretary had is that students only read 1-2 books a year, in order to prepare for the GCSE, a state exam similar to our SATs.

On the flipside, however, in the United States, eBook sales within the teen fiction market have done particularly well, according to the NYTimes. What might account for this success is the attraction to eReaders and similar devices. Perhaps the best way to address the drop in reading, at least among different groups of kids, is to find a good way to promote eBooks to educators as educationally valuable. One interviewee said, ““There’s something I’m not sure is entirely replaceable about having a stack of inviting books, just waiting for your kids to grab…but I’m an avid believer that you need to find what excites your child about reading. So I’m all for it.”

Part of our mission at Speakaboos is to foster a love for reading based on traditional stories and characters, in a modern way. The storybook videos invite kids to read along with the stories and oftentimes, hearing a story aloud can help children develop greater oratory skills. Like many other people, I don’t believe that there will ever be a good replacement for a physical book. Few things can completely replace the experience of changing pages (and possibly getting papercuts!) or the overall interaction. On a level, it is separate from watching and hearing a story on a digital screen, in that reading is much more active. That said, life sometimes gets in the way. Reading does take time – and some parents just don’t have that. Electronic readers, tablets, and/or iPhones with book Apps may prove useful to those who want to encourage their children to read but can’t sit to help teach their kids how to pronounce each words. That’s where narrated eBooks come in.

Barnett is said to have an IQ of 170 (just a few points higher than Albert Einstein’s). Says the Daily Mail, “The boy wonder taught himself calculus, algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a week, is now tutoring fellow college classmates after hours.” If he does manage to solve some of the equations he’s set aside for his doctoral program (many of them involving complicated astrophysics and theoretical physics), Jacob Barnett may be in line for the next Nobel Prize.

But things are not all golden for the “boy wonder.” Barnett suffers from a mild form of autism known as Aspergers: “A syndrome that is similar to autism, but with the distinction that those with it typically function better, have normal intelligence and near-normal language development.”  Jacob Barnett is considered a savant — “a rare condition in which people with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual’s overall limitations.”

Mr. and Mrs. Barnett report that their son often has trouble sleeping at night because he sees numbers in his head. A professor at IPIU says, “When he asks a question, he is always two steps ahead of the lecture. Everyone in the class gets quiet. Poor kid. . . . He sits right in the front row, and they all just look at him.”

We can only guess what Jacob Barnett will uncover in his research as he gets older.

Autism affects individuals from all ethnicities and classes, though little research has been done outside the United States. It is 4 times more likely to affect boys than girls. Autism does not necessarily come with implications of other mental disorders, however, studies show that roughly 10% of individuals who are autistic also have identifiable genetic/mental/neurological disorders, such as Down Syndrome. Autism, Rett, and Asperger’s disorders all fall under the ASD or pervasive development disorder categories.

Signs of autism can come late. Infants may exhibit normal development up until 12-18 months, gaining the ability to speak some words and then lose them entirely. Roughly 40% of children with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) cannot speak at all. Others gain the ability to speak later in childhood. The average age of diagnosis is between 4 and 5 years, but parents are encouraged to act early and look for signs throughout early development. The earlier ASD is detected, the longer you have to act against it and counter most of its troubles (particularly if on the less severe side of the spectrum). Early intervention is stressed by experts across the board.

The following are signs to look for:

• no smiles or warm expressions by or after 6 months of age
• lack of responsive expressions, either facial or physical (pointing, waving) between 9 and 12 months
• no early communication (babbling, etc.) by 12 months
• sudden loss of communication skills (at any age)

Familiarizing yourself with typical milestones may also be helpful.

What can you do to help? The first step to helping is to simply spread knowledge. The greater awareness around it, the greater the likelihood of finding a cure.

The child, a first grader at Edgewater Elementary, could die if she comes into contact with any trace amounts of peanuts. School officials have devised special precautions to ensure her safety while in the classroom. According to Fox News:

Students must now wash their hands and rinse out their mouths before they can walk into their classroom.Desks must be regularly wiped down with Clorox wipes.All peanut products have been banned.Snacks are no longer allowed in class. Even outside food is no longer permitted for holiday parties.

Many parents feel that these restrictions constitute “special treatment” and take time away from learning in the classroom. Their solution? Throw the girl out of school and make her parents home school her.

But as District Spokeswoman Nancy Wait explained, removing the girl from school would be a violation of the Federal Disabilities Act, “It would be the same thing as putting a handicap ramp for a student that is physically disabled. The only difference with this is that is affects other students.”

Disability Act or not, many parents are still taking time every day to stand outside the elementary school with picket signs. No word as to how students actually feel about these new precautions. One reader  on Jezebel.com wrote:

“Kids are supposed to be tactless, they haven’t learned better. That’s what adults are supposed to be teaching them. Their parents seem to be teaching them, “Whine and gripe enough, make other people feel awkward and uncomfortable enough, alienate people who are different, and things will always go your way!”

Are these parents setting a bad example for their children? Or has the “special treatment” for this one student really gone too far?

So, what exactly is Space Race you ask? Well, Space Race is a webisode series starring Eagle Wingstrong and other new characters like Vulture Albatross. Space Race’s mission is to engage children in learning about the solar system and naturally, space travel and racing. The content team at Speakaboos worked to create educational worksheets, coloring pages, crafts, and trivia cards, to supplement all of webisodes. If your kids love baking, be sure to try out our new recipe for Moon Balls!

In this world, space ships live just like humans: they have homework to do, friends to see, and places to explore. The webisodes featured on the mini-site will teach your children and students new things about the solar system with interesting new characters.

“Space Race is action-packed and humorous with educational components as well,” says Richard Schweiger, CEO and executive producer of Space Race. “Each webisode features an interview with one of our star characters and an education module which will provide more detail about a certain part of our solar system; Eagle Wingstrong teaches about Earth, Vulture Albatross: space stations, Colonel Coot: Mars and so on.”

We hope you enjoy it!!

- Got a kid that doesn’t like leafy greens? Try sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are sweet, great mashed or roasted, and filled with all kinds of nutrients, from beta carotene to vitamin B6 to vitamin C. It is definitely a better alternative to other starches. If your kids are all about french fries, try sweet potato fries, baked in the oven with a little sea salt.

- Got a pasta lover? Instead of just serving your child spaghetti with plain tomato sauce, try pureeing spinach and tossing it in. If they don’t see the green, they won’t know it’s there! Depending on just how much you add, the taste should not be affected at all.

- Do your kids love sloppy joes, tacos, or meatballs? Switch to lean ground beef or lean ground turkey. The leaner is is, the healthier. Though some people prefer higher fat content, there are certainly ways to keep your meats juicy – and if they’re covered in sauce, they should still taste delicious.

- Encourage water at an early age. Juices are loaded with copious amounts of sugar and should be limited. A good way to do this is to either dilute the juice with water or alternate their drinks on some sort of schedule – orange juice with breakfast, water with lunch, milk with dinner or at bedtime. Make sure you’re purchasing 100% juice — juice “drinks” or juice “beverages” have lower amounts of pure fruit juice and are thus less healthy.

- Don’t bribe your kids with rewards for good eating. There shouldn’t be an incentive to eat apart from just being hungry.

- Set an example for them yourself. If you don’t eat your greens or your meat, you shouldn’t get any pudding either!

- Consult your doctor before putting your child on a vitamin regime. The best way to get nutrients is by eating them, but if you’re worried about your child’s health, it is certainly smart to take necessary precautions.

- Throw in some berries! If your kid love love loves yogurt, try to toss in a few blueberries or raspberries. The smaller the fruit, the greater the nutrients. Both are high in antioxidants

- Make breakfast a priority. Kids who go to school hungry lose concentration and momentum. Pick high fiber foods like oatmeal or whole grain english muffins. Pop-tarts, as delicious as they are, will not keep your child full for very long. Rolled oats are better than instant. Try to serve it with raisins, brown sugar, and/or honey. A delicious way to get the mind going.

-Kids have a sweet tooth? Remember portion controls. Try to vary popsicles and ice cream, but definitely reach for frozen yogurts over ice cream. Many frozen yogurt varieties taste just like ice cream and still contain those pro-biotics found in regular yogurt. I recommend StonyField Farm’s Fudge Swirl.

For specific recipes, I highly recommend The Sneaky Chef. I personally have a hard enough time getting my 5-a-day, and her recipes are super helpful – and tasty!

What do you do to convince your child to eat healthy?

Before the invention of the printing press in 1440, reading was limited to religious peoples and upper class society. Books were handwritten and oftentimes embellished with elaborate illustrations, making the value of the book rise as a piece of literature as well as a piece of art. Surely, Johannes Gutenberg must be rolling in his grave to think of all the ways we can read books today. From mass produced paperbacks to audiobooks to digital copies on our Kindles or iPads and now to the start of enhanced video books, like those featured on Speakaboos. The sheer wealth of reading materials available to us is astounding. Not only can we read classic books like Frankenstein, but we have an ever-growing list of contemporary titles to choose from. There could not be a more exciting time to read than right now, based purely on the amount of access we have to books.

School Library Journal reminds us that in New York City, at least one million residents cannot read about the elementary school level. Such a number reflects only this massive metropolis, but can serve as a warning to the rest of the United States (and the world). Perhaps the best way to prevent such numbers from growing is to remind our children and students of the importance of reading in and out of the classroom.

Here are some great ways to spark your child’s interest in reading and reinforce early literacy development:

• Take a field trip to your local library for their story time hour.
• Look for any interactive storybook videos, either as cellphone apps or on your computer
• For every birthday or holiday, purchase your child at least one new book
• If a movie comes out that’s based on a book, read the book before seeing the movie. Then you can discuss the differences!
• Make reading a part of the bedtime routine. Children who are read to at an early age develop better listening skills and find a love for literature earlier on.
• Don’t use reading as punishment. If you take away television or video games, leave the books be.
• Rent a few audiobooks – let your children listen to their books while in the car.
• Using subtitles with DVDs can be really helpful. Hearing AND seeing the words can help reinforce vocabulary.
• Plan a family game night with games like Scrabble or Pictionary. While Scrabble helps with spelling, Pictionary helps expand their vocabulary.

Have any other suggestions? What routines or activities do you do with your kids to encourage them to read or make them fall in love with books all over again?