Topic: Child Development

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Henry James: 10 quotes on his birthday

10 quotes from the great American novelist Henry James on his 169th birthday.
Charles Dickens: 20 books about his life

As the bicentennial of Charles Dickens approaches, here's a list of 20 books about his life, for readers of all ages.
10 books for a good cry

Author Hallie Ephron recommends the best literary tear-jerkers.
5 books to keep kids happy on a trip

These five books will keep even the rowdiest of young readers quiet during that long holiday trip.
Top 15 money games, toys for kids

One of the best ways to teach kids about money is to make it fun. There are plenty of toys and games – even books – that do just that. Here are my 15 recommendations for money toys and games that entertain as well as teach something about how to handle cash, ATM cards, debt, and so on. These money games and toys are age-specific, so click through to the age of the child you plan to buy for. (Descriptions include links to examples from Amazon.com, but there are many alternatives you can find).

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Time breast-feeding cover: On parenting, can we all get along?

Parenting trends – including 'attachment parenting' – come and go, but fervent debate about tactics is rooted in widespread parental insecurity and the so-called middle class 'mommy wars.'
Modern Parenthood
Time breastfeeding cover: Attachment parenting vs. an attached parent (+video)

Time breastfeeding cover: It's as controversial for its breastfeeding toddler as for the actual content, and is all about 'The Baby Book,' the William Sears philosophy that has redefined the mother and baby relationship. But the Time magazine breastfeeding cover aside, aren't we all into "attachment" when it comes to our kids?
Modern Parenthood
Cooking with kids: big fun, with a dash of skill development

Cooking with kids: big fun, with a dash of skill development. Gourmand Mom sees benefits, for parent and child, of rolling up your sleeves and whipping up something delicious in the kitchen together.
War over #Julia: Has Obama campaign set a trap for Republicans?

The Obama campaign's 'Life of Julia' Web infographic shows how government helps women from cradle to grave. Republicans have pounced on it as 'nanny state' excess. But the #Julia Internet meme has taken off.
Parent warning: Hot weather coming, don't leave baby alone in car

Where's baby? Look before you lock: A new national parent warning ad campaign aims at the coming hot weather and parents who would leave a baby alone in a car. Heat killed 33 babies left in cars in 2011.
Modern Parenthood
Screen-Free Week: Parents this includes you, and your iPads, too

Screen-Free Week runs through May 6, and while it may be difficult, parents should not exempt themselves from the celebration. So, turn off those iPads, stash the mobile phones, and have a week of screen-free powered-down fun. We'll make an exception for Modern Parenthood.
Modern Parenthood
Ban homework before third grade; support children’s play

A homework ban before third grade would stop the increasing imposition on kids as young as kindergarten-age. After school free time for children's play actually Increasingly helps younger kids develop important skills, and learn to control emotions.
Modern Parenthood
Middle school boys: an awareness campaign. Really.

Middle school boys may suffer a particular condition peculiar to adolescence – and the presence of moms. Here's one mom's awareness campaign – in all seriousness, of course.
Henry James: 10 quotes on his birthday

10 quotes from the great American novelist Henry James on his 169th birthday.
Change Agent
Shakira advocates for children at the Summit of the Americas

Shakira will meet with heads of state, including President Obama, at the Summit of the Americas in Colombia. Shakira is already working to provide better education to children.
Keep Calm
Millennium Development Goals: Clean water checked off list. Now back to work.

The Millennium Development Goal of sharply improving access to safe drinking water has been reached. But China drove a lot of the progress, skewing the data with its size and obscuring problems in Africa.
Charles Dickens: 20 books about his life

As the bicentennial of Charles Dickens approaches, here's a list of 20 books about his life, for readers of all ages.
Toddlers to tweens: relearning how to play

Children's play is threatened, say experts who advise that kids – from toddlers to tweens – should be relearning how to play. Roughhousing and fantasy feed development.
10 books for a good cry

Author Hallie Ephron recommends the best literary tear-jerkers.
5 books to keep kids happy on a trip

These five books will keep even the rowdiest of young readers quiet during that long holiday trip.
Pre-K winners for Race to the Top contest: Will they spur broader reform?

Nine states will receive federal Race to the Top money to boost support for pre-K and other early-learning programs, the Obama administration announced Friday.
Top 15 money games, toys for kids

One of the best ways to teach kids about money is to make it fun. There are plenty of toys and games – even books – that do just that. Here are my 15 recommendations for money toys and games that entertain as well as teach something about how to handle cash, ATM cards, debt, and so on. These money games and toys are age-specific, so click through to the age of the child you plan to buy for. (Descriptions include links to examples from Amazon.com, but there are many alternatives you can find).
Kids tablets: Five touch-screen computers for the nine-and-under set

If Mom and Dad want to use an an iPad, why shouldn't Junior get a tablet computer, too? Many parents appear to be following that line of reasoning, but many child-development experts say it's best for kids not to have too much "screen time" each day.
Seven worst Christmas toys for kids

This year’s list of the worst toys is brought to you by plastics, those bright synthetic polymers that threaten to overtake the living rooms of middle-class parents. They can be classified into three categories: those that assault our senses, those that skank-ify our daughters, and those so bizarre they deserve a spot on late-night TV. Don’t be fooled. Many of these toys make great gifts, at least for someone else’s child, ideally someone who lives out of state. Here's my list of the Top 7 worst Christmas toys for 2011:
Robert Reich
Morally indefensible budget cuts

We’re in the worst economy since the Great Depression – with lower-income families and kids are bearing the worst of it – and what are Republicans doing? Cutting programs Americans desperately need to get through it.
Banned Books Week 2011: Top 10 most challenged books of 2010

The 10 books most banned or challenged by communities throughout the US in 2010, according to the American Library Association.
Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of September 19, 2011

Readers write in to defend Head Start as a good use of federal funds and to praise the 'People Making a Difference' profile of a public servant.
How does Obama want to reshape preschools? Education Department shows its hand.

The Education Department announced the guidelines for its latest Race to the Top competition, which will target preschools. The rules show what President Obama wants to change.
Can Facebook get teachers fired?

A Missouri public schoolteacher is seeking to stop a state law limiting teachers’ contact with students on social networks, calling it unconstitutional and a violation of protected free speech rights.
Are federal social programs working? No one knows.

Most federal social programs have never been evaluated for true effectiveness. The good news is that they are ideally situated for just such study.