May - 2021

Virtual Field Trips for Kids

As we quickly approach the second half of 2021, the world still bears the heavy scars of coronavirus. Nowhere is it more evident than upon the nation’s children, who have seen schools, events, and facilities all close down in response to the pandemic. As travel remains restricted throughout much of the world and certainly within the U.S., COVID has shifted the focus to home learning. Parents and caregivers suddenly became educators and responsible for their children’s schooli

Digital Detox Summer Camps for Kids

The pandemic has had a devastating impact upon many young people. Some are experiencing depression, anxiety, or are under-performing in school—there's even been a rise in truancy. Students who were once excelling are now barely passing. There has also been a dramatic increase in screen time use. According to a recent study, "A staggering 76% of the population between 16 and 24 are spending more time on their phones, while 45% have increased the amount of time they spend on th

Digital Literacy – What Is It and How Can We Keep Kids Informed and Safe in This Digital World?

Most of us think of ourselves as digitally “literate.” We know how to search for information; we have at least one email account; we are on a few social media platforms, and we know how to look for products or services that we may want to purchase through online sources. Even as technology continues to evolve, those with digital literacy make efforts to keep up with that technology so that they can remain literate. Consider just the examples of using chatbots, or video stream

Thrivers: A Discussion Guide for Teachers

Every so often a book comes along that is so timely and needed, you'd think the author consulted a crystal ball before writing it. In my view, "Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Other Shine" is such a book. Written by best-selling author Dr. Michele Borba, an educational psychologist, this engagingly-readable book identifies the essential character strengths children need to "thrive" in a challenging post-COVID world. For teachers tasked with helping

Challenges and Solutions for Schools in Navigating the Digital World

Schools have an important role to play in young people’s social and emotional development, as well as their academic learning. Yet, schools’ responsibilities are only loosely defined when it comes to the digital world. So why the inertia, and what more can be done? For www.parenting.digital, Laurie Day discusses the findings from a new report on "Teachers’ and schools’ interactions with students about their online lives "outlining the struggles of schools to keep up with thei

Cyber Civics: It's So Relevant!

In a recent Cyber Civics lesson, Level 1: Your Digital Reputation, my 6th grade students were tasked with combing through the ‘social media profiles’ of a couple fictitious students to see who was more deserving of a college scholarship they were going to pretend to award. My class was digging into the social media posts of the candidates, looking at their school websites, local news stories, their Tweets, blog posts, work reviews, etc... and generally acting like detectives

Add a Fun Ingredient to Your Dinner Menu: Storytelling

Exclusive Offer: 2 for 1, Parent/Teen six-week storytelling class begins January 9, 2021. Schedule an interview to see if the Lab is right for your family. (www.storytellinglab.online). Somewhere around May or June or a time we once thought of as spring, I started thinking: What if Covid was around when I was a teenager? What if I had to be isolated in the house with my parents 24/7, going to school via Zoom and only seeing friends on a screen? What would we talk about nigh