School's out, the summer slide, to enrich or not
Finally, the welcome relief of summer break - a much-needed pause for parents burnt out on the endless shuffle of extracurriculars.
And just like that, Kindergarten is a wrap! Congratulations to all students and parents for making it through the year.
What’s New This Week 👩🏫
While we’re celebrating the end of this school year and welcoming summer with open arms, parents may already be thinking ahead to next year (which comes up sooner than expected). Don’t forget to live in the moment and enjoy free time with the family, but we’ve compiled some resources to make it easier when slowly developing a plan for another academic term.
Over 50 of the Best Books for Kids to Spark a Love of Reading: Anytime is a good time to read, but especially while sitting out by the pool or in a lawn chair! Explore this list of books to foster a love of books for your kids this summer.
Top Public High Schools & Universities in the U.S.: Perhaps your learner is hoping to explore a new scene as they enter their high school career, or they’re taking the big leap soon and starting college. Linked are the top 100 choices, respectively, across the country, according to U.S. News.
What Are Math Manipulatives?: Math is a language every student should be fluent in, and downtime during the summer is perfect for encouraging the use of math manipulatives, physical objects students can use more easily to model and solve mathematical concepts.
What We’re Reading This Week 📖
For the getting your children interested in the world around them: The Week Junior. I found this printed weekly magazine on my friend’s dining table a couple of weeks ago. It’s a 32-page publication for 8 to 14-year-olds that covers current events, science, sports, nature, animals and more. Her 10-year-old reads it, and I thought it was a wonderful way to expose kids to the rest of the world in an age-appropriate way that also encourages learning.
US Adults Plan To Have Fewer Children: Surprise, surprise. Not. Birthrates are declining, and many adults cite the cost of child care as a major decision factor. 60% of adults said free child care would be extremely or very effective in encouraging more people to have children. Roughly half said the same about requiring employers to provide paid family leave (51%) and providing more tax credits for parents (49%).
Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,’ Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds: “This is the first study to identify that addictive use is important, and is actually the root cause, instead of time,” said author Yunyu Xiao and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. The study followed more than 4,000 children across the country. Screentime is not inherently bad, but avoidance of life is a red flag.
How We’re Feeling This Week ❤️🩹
These past few weeks have been full of joyful milestones for my little girl—her first jazz dance recital (that she actually rehearsed for!), her debut piano performance after lots of practice and a few jitters, and her Kindergarten moving-up ceremony.
But at the same time, the world has felt heavy, marked by frightening events across the globe and in our local communities. Just yesterday, I saw a message sent to the families of a NYC school:
NYC is a place built on the backs of immigrants—my own parents were the first in our family to come to the U.S. Our beloved nanny, who cared for our daughter for five years, came from China. Our daughter attends a non-zoned public school where more than 60% of the students are from minority backgrounds. Even the summer camp we’re heading to is immigrant-founded and immigrant-run.
It’s hard not to feel sadness, shock, dismay and fear — for us, our children, and other families all over the world.
But as Kim reminded me, there are things we can all do to help in small ways, which added together, can actually make a big difference — voting locally, whether in primaries or school districts, donating to campaigns and causes, and showing up for the people and beliefs close to you. It’s also how we can set an example for our kids and future generations of how we would like the world to be.
The below is from a LinkedIn post from an old colleague reflecting on why he joined the board of a queer theater group:
As I reflect, I think I joined because, deep down, I knew I needed to do something. I needed to push back against that creeping fear. I needed to be part—however small—of the solution. I needed to reconnect with my community and make sure our stories were still being told. That we were still being seen.
Being part of the theater has helped me reclaim some of that lost joy. It’s reminded me that there’s so much power in showing up for each other. It’s a place where people are celebrated for exactly who they are—no apologies, no explanations. It’s a place that loudly and lovingly tells the stories some would rather erase.
Read Chris Mancini’s full post here.
Signing off,
Your Team at MomBrains