Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you must know that the "Black Panther" movie is opening on February 16th, just a few days away. This is the EAGERLY anticipated film, based upon a very popular Marvel comic book character, which stars Chadwick Boseman, Academy award winner Lupita Nyong'o and Michael Jordan, and is directed by Ryan Coogler [...]
In honor of Valentine's Day next week, today's Thoughtful Thursday features love poetry from an array of poets. We begin with a couple of love poems from Langston Hughes, whom poet Elizabeth Alexander rightly calls “'our' poet laureate, our'Shakespeare in Harlem.'" Then on a poem from Nikki Giovanni, one of the world's best known African American poets, who speaks [...]
Greetings GCP Parents, We posted this originally in 2011, but having reviewed it recently (and finding out about a few new and useful sites) we are posting this updated version. While it may now read a bit alarmist in tone, the underlying message is still critically important: Pay attention to your children's social media activity! This is especially important [...]
It may not come as news to you that there is a nasty strain of the flu virus--H3N2--sweeping the nation. This flu has been sending folks to the hospital in record numbers, has killed at least 37 children nationwide and it is on track to become the worst flu epidemic since the swine flu nearly a decade ago. Why [...]
How much time do your children spend on their smartphones? How is it affecting their attention spans, their interaction with friends and family, their mental health? Two large Apple shareholders--an activist hedge fund and the California State Teachers Retirement System-- have written a letter to Apple asking it to focus on this important issue by developing software that would [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features a delightful video from PBS News Hour in which author Jason Reynolds explains how poetry can help reluctant readers learn to love literature. Reynolds notes, "The separate stanzas aid and perpetuate a kind of incremental reading one small chunk at a time" which makes it much more approachable and enjoyable. Definitely worth viewing--it will inspire [...]
A recent New York Times article found here brings alarming news for parents: a parasite that is often found in stray dogs and cats has been found across the nation in places where children play, and children exposed to the parasite could develop problems with their breathing, liver function, eyesight and their cognitive skills. Don't want to be an [...]
If you are on the East Coast as we are, you are are experiencing the aftermath a snowstorm of epic proportions, which has been called a "bomb cyclone", "bombogenesis" and a winter hurricane. Whatever you want to call it, it has dumped a lot of snow on us, and the winds are whipping around at high speeds and at [...]
Anxiety is a normal and developmentally appropriate emotion in children which can even be helpful, e.g., motivating them to study for an upcoming test. But anxiety is truly problematic and becomes a disorder when it impairs basic functioning or causes serious, often physical distress. What should we do to help our children with this? A recent Wall Street Journal [...]
Baby, it's cold outside! As the first day of winter approaches, here in the Northeast the temperature has been dropping and the wind has been whipping up. We've gone from light breezes to gusty gales, and we have had our few first snowfalls. Just in time for the holidays! Today's Thoughtful Thursday celebrates the chilly days of almost-winter, with [...]