Our Blog

To Plug or Unplug? From our partners at Discovery Kids Puterbugs Thirty minutes? One hour? How much time should your child spend using technology each day? In a world where everything runs on technology, the answer is not just about counting minutes. The answer depends on how it’s being used. Any amount of time a […]

When I was a kid, I couldn’t bear the thought of finishing in second place. Girls could do anything, I was taught, and we weren’t supposed to settle for anything less than a blue ribbon. That desire to be “the best” motivated me to work hard at school, but I never learned to distinguish between […]

Create Time to Enjoy The Experience of Childhood With Your Child Many of you may have seen the movie The Bucket List. In this movie, two men realize that they have limited time left on this Earth and decide to make the most of it. They make a list of everything they have always wanted […]

Learning Care Group When my niece was six years old, she spent a week with me. Her favorite game was to write random letters in a line, push them in front of me, and ask, “What does this say, Aunt Shelle?” I would string the sounds together into a nonsense word that would send her […]

Learning Care Group I remember the day that I considered my son an official “reader.” He was in second grade and we were visiting Santa Claus at a local mall. There were banners detailing the history of Santa strung along the path on which we waited. I watched in utter amazement (and with a flash […]

“Grammy, the geese came back!” my four-year-old granddaughter exclaimed in a recent phone conversation. And while I am always delighted to talk with her, I was especially pleased to hear her story about seeing the geese this autumn. The story she told made it clear that her oral language abilities have reached a level that […]

I, like most parents, want my children to have all the tools they need to be successful in this world. And, what we know, is that literacy is so important in both academic and life pursuits. As a parent, and an early childhood educator, I know that we need to support children in becoming strong […]

School has started already here in Hawaii, but there’s no aloha in Aiden’s heart. Aiden is a new Kindergartener who started the year with enthusiasm, all ready for his “Big Boy Classroom.”  His first couple of weeks at school were a breeze – he loved his teachers, his classmates and activities.  But all of a […]

Battling back-to-school worries?  This time of year, parents have many questions – from how to transition from a laid back summer schedule to a busy school time routine, to concerns about discipline, behavior, and potty training.  Take a deep breath and take out your calendar.  Join a back-to-school live chat presented by Learning Care Group […]

Top Reasons You Should Encourage Your Child to Learn to Use Technology Positive uses of today’s technology can play a meaningful role in shaping your child’s future learning potential. Because a young child’s brain makes new connections each day, the experts at Discovery Kids Puterbugs share interesting information on why there is no better time […]

What do children need to know as preschoolers to set them on the path toward high academic achievement? Do the children who know the most letters and letter sounds when they start kindergarten excel in reading later on, or are other kinds of early knowledge more important? Newly published findings from the first nationally representative […]

My son’s preschool teacher prevented a major meltdown the other day; it was a beautiful thing to watch. Two three-year-olds wanted the same toy truck. When she saw them angrily grab for it, she dropped to their level and gently touched their arms to get their attention. “Guys,” she calmly said, “looks like you both […]