As June comes to a close, GCP congratulates all of the young men who are in the graduating class of 2013. Whether they are graduating from elementary, junior high, lower, middle, high school or college, these boys have worked hard and deserve praise for this important accomplishment. These transitions are important steps in their lives and should be heralded. [...]
Some interesting information to check out this weekend: 10 Most Violent Video Games: Just in time for summer vacation, Common Sense Media has compiled an annotated list of the 10 most violent video games currently on the market. Parent's perspectives on the world of video gaming seems to be divided between parents who are avid fans of games and [...]
Here's a new GCP weekly feature: Thoughtful Thursday. Every Thursday we will post a creative writing to inspire you and your boys. Today's offering is a classic from Rudyard Kipling: If for Boys. The first line came to mind recently as I wrote to encourage a friend who was a target of unfair criticism. I dug up the poem [...]
Inspiration for today's post came in a conversation this afternoon with a dear friend about a documentary film she is producing about Paul Williams, the renowned African American architect. She described interviewing an African American architect who worked with Williams. This architect came from a family of doctors and lawyers, and my friend asked him how he came to [...]
Parents can use all the help we can get to encourage our sons (and daughters) to see math as an interesting and useful discipline, especially as we encourage them to pursue studies in the STEM fields. As a recent article in Education Week reveals, museums around the country are providing this help by developing programs and exhibits to encourage [...]
Ebony Magazine has been running a series of special reports on "Saving Our Sons" in recent issues. Part three of this series in the July 2013 issue focuses on how parents can prime their sons for success in the classroom. Pick up this issue and read this report, as it is chock full of interesting and informative advice about [...]
If school is not out already for your sons, they (and you) are counting down the days until summer vacation begins. As you are locking in their schedules, don't forget to make time for summer learning. As we've noted in previous posts, research indicates that children lose learning skills over the summer, and summer learning programs can not only [...]
It has been a long Mother’s Day (spending the morning having “Mommy and me” time with my mom, the afternoon with my family, and a quick trip out of town in the evening), but I would be remiss if I didn’t post on Mother’s Day. So Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms, which includes moms, grand moms, great [...]
It is National Teacher Day! Let's take a few moments to think about special teachers who have influenced our lives and the lives of our children. My favorite teacher from my elementary school was Mrs. Portia Paterson of Public School 116 in Queens, New York. Mrs. Paterson was my third grade teacher, and even though third grade was a [...]
Are you or your sons STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) enthusiasts? Do you want to be? Sounds like the new show "The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius" premiering on the Discovery Channel tomorrow (May 1) is right up your alley. This show will feature an impossible sounding engineering challenge each week which teams of skilled contestants will attempt to [...]