Here in New York City the weather has been bitterly cold over the past few days, and today it was gray and rainy. Has anyone been feeling down in the dumps lately because of weather? Kinda makes you want to sing the blues. And so today's Thoughtful Thursday will feature just that--The Blues. Brought to you by Langston Hughes [...]
Now that our children are back in school after the holidays and settling back into the routine, it is a great time to check in with their teachers to see how things are going. If your son is in elementary or lower school, why not send a simple email to his teacher to ask how he is adjusting to [...]
However you choose to celebrate Dr. King's birthday this year, be sure to have your celebration include sharing some of his wisdom with your sons and daughters. Here are some of his well known messages and some not so well known, all of which remain so powerful and relevant today. Enjoy! Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. [...]
If you are looking for interesting ways to enable your children to focus on the life and work of Dr. King on his holiday, take a look at the King lessons and activities on educationworld.com, found here. Scholastic.org asked teachers around the nation how they honor the work and legacy of Dr. King, and you can find their great [...]
Do you think your son needs a little help making friends? Perhaps he is a bit shy, or not very interested in meeting new people? Does he have a small group of friends and you want him to widen his circle? Parents know that learning how to make friends is an important skill, one that their children will need [...]
It's the last Thoughtful Thursday of 2018! (Never mind that it is making its appearance on Friday; in 2019 we will do better.) Today's Thoughtful Thursday features New Year's poems. We begin with "Song for the New Year" by Eliza Cook, which reminds us to be thankful and hopeful as we move into a new year. Next we have [...]
Winter is on its way, and if you are on the East Coast, baby, it's cold outside! Today's Thoughtful Thursday ushers in December with a group of great winter poems. First up is "Winter Trees", by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), an ode to the beauty of a winter forest. In "Those Winter Sundays" Robert Hayden (1913-1980) reminds us that [...]
Hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Today's Thoughtful Thursday (yes, it's the Friday edition) celebrates Thanksgiving in all of its family and food-filled glory, with poems from two of our most celebrated African-American poets: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) and Langston Hughes (1901-1967). We begin with Hughes' classic "Thanksgiving Time", a wonderfully vivid celebration of the day. We then [...]
Have a little one who will soon start school? Or an older student who wants/needs to make a change? Then you should check out the Parent #ToolKitTalk, "Helping Families Navigate School Choice" TONIGHT (11/13/18) at 7pm EST. You can be a part of the conversation with the Managing Editor of GreatSchools.org and the Executive Director of FamiliesEmpowered.org, who will [...]
It's Thoughtful Thursday, time to turn away from all the worries of the world and let a bit of poetry soothe the soul. As the first full week of November comes to an end, and the trees here in Central Park are putting on a colorful autumnal display, let's celebrate the fall season with a couple of poems. First [...]