With great sorrow we turn yet again to the topic of how we talk to our sons about a senseless tragedy. This time it is the horrific massacre of nine Black parishioners in a historic black church in Charleston by a 21-year-old white young man. Images of the victims smiling with their families in the days prior and of [...]
As summer vacations begin, so does the "summer slide", where our sons (and daughters) lose academic ground during the months they are not in school. Summer slide can result in our children forgetting what they have learned and slowing the pace of their future learning. As a report from the National Summer Learning Association explains, "It's common for teachers [...]
Summer is almost here! But along with summer fun comes summer slide, the learning loss that occurs when children do no educational activity during the summer months of no school. That loss is real: studies show that most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Experts also agree that [...]
Hard to believe we need protest poetry again this year, and we are only four months in. Today's Thoughtful Thursday salutes Haki Madhubuti, poet and member of the Black Arts Movement. Madhubuti's work with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) informs his activist poetics. As he [...]
NYC educator Alvin Irby is the founder of Barbershop Books, a New York City–based project that puts child friendly reading nooks and a variety of fun and engaging books into neighborhood barbershops, so young Black boys are encouraged to read while they wait for a haircut. With Barbershop Books Irby seeks to connect Black men to Black boys’ early [...]
Ten African-American poets contributed to the Migration Series Poetry Suite created in celebration of the Jacob Lawrence exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The works of a few of them are below. Enjoy. Thataway And the migrants kept coming —Jacob Lawrence Was walking. Was walking & then waiting for a train, the 12:40 to [...]
If you live in or anywhere near New York City, or are planning a visit to NYC over the summer, make sure to take your sons and daughters to "One-Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North" at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). It is a wonderful exhibition that has at its [...]
How focused are you on the toxins around you and your sons in your home? The Center for Disease Control has a list of over 200 products that you should avoid. This list can be overwhelming, and avoiding all these products seems pretty unrealistic. However, we thought these were worth mentioning: Plastic food containers: We all use plastic containers [...]
Need some last minute Valentine's Day ideas for your little guys? Here are some easy and creative ways to celebrate the day: Personalized Cookies: Show your love and satisfy your 8 year old's sweet tooth with cookies that are calling his name. Eleni’s has delicious cookies that you can personalize. You can shop for them online at elenis.com, or [...]
O.K. all you parents who are either in the midst of the school application process for your pre-school or kindergarden son or have submitted your applications and are counting down the months until you are scheduled to hear the responses, take a deep breath and let it go slowly. Time for a reality check. We've all heard the depressing [...]