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A P A R E N T ’ S N E W S L E T T E R F O R B O U L D E R V A L L E Y K I D S
updatehealthy kids make better learners
Copyright © 2016 by Boulder Valley School District. All rights reserved
Volume 8 | Issue 6 MARCH 2016
Look for us on the web!www.bvsd.org
>> Help children balance fun and safety
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Very young children typically stay within a certain radius of their parents, intuitively knowing that they’re safe when their parents are close by. As children age, the circle of safety begins to widen. As they develop new knowledge and skills, children naturally want to venture out into the world and test these newly acquired abilities. Now it’s the parent who is trying to keep the child within a circle of safety and, too often, it’s the child who challenges those efforts. Therein lies one of the biggest challenges of parenting: Knowing how to balance parental control with child empowerment.
These issues begin in childhood and, if we’re not careful, can be explosive in adolescence. While we assume that adolescents want to be independent of their parents, this process actually begins by age two. Power struggles stem from a natural urge in children to have control over their choices. It’s their developmental destiny and we need to learn how to support and strengthen it, while keeping them safe, rather than simply fighting it. This can be quite challenging, however, because, until their mid-twenties, our children’s brains are still developing. And one of the last areas to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which oversees cognitive functions like judgment, reasoning, and impulse control.
So how do we help our children have fun and enjoy life’s adventures, while still being safe? By constantly adjusting that balance of parental control and child empowerment, as a function of our child’s developmental level and maturity. We want to give them as much responsibility as they can handle without it being too much. Whenever possible, engage them in the conversation regarding rules and discipline plans, which will help them develop a sense responsibility, as well as effective problem solving skills. The more open and non-judgmental you can be when having challenging conversations, the more your children will share.
Try to treat your children with the same level of respect that you expect from them. Our children will frequently make mistakes because learning requires trial and error. These mistakes are critical opportunities for learning, so focus more on what’s to be learned than simply the mistake itself. And besides, don’t we all need to have more fun? By following these strategies, you’ll not only have a more positive parenting experience but also stand a much better chance of surviving your child’s adolescence!
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Dr. Jan Hittelman, Ph.D.Boulder Psychological Services
The Antidote for too much screen time
Love and Logic: Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun™
BVSD Lifelong Learning offers summer fun
Be Water Wise This Spring
Participants needed for Focus Groups
Calendar of classes & events
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Every day children are inundated with media images from a wide array of technologies.
Because of this media saturation, our collective conversation about the impact of media exposure has intensified. This conversation typically focuses on:
1) The proper amount of screen time; and 2) Attempting to correlate images to specific
behaviors.
Although these are important issues, focusing only on these perspectives prevents children from gaining necessary critical thinking skills. It is certainly up to parents to decide what is appropriate for their children to watch, however, we are all eventually exposed to media images. Therefore it necessary for children to know how to read and process images. The antidote to too much screen time is – media literacy.
Media literacy is commonly mistaken for digital technology use, filmmaking, or film literature. Although these fields are tangentially related, media literacy is knowledge of the grammar of media images, understanding our universal visual language, and being able to see the ways media images shape our ideas and perspectives.
Media literacy is necessary for all ages. At the Pre-K and K level it is important to help students process and articulate their experiences with media. At the elementary age, we have the opportunity to guide children’s interactions with media so they naturally engage with media critically. Middle and high school is the time to talk about the way images shape the way we see people, places, and nations. The goal at all ages is to help children become conscious participants in our media culture.
It is impossible to avoid media images. The antidote to the power of images is to give children the power – media literacy. This will require a shift in the way we currently think, however, it’s a shift that will open up new worlds of opportunity for our children.
>> The Antidote for too much screen time
by Laurie Chin SayresLabragirl Film Project
Are you tired of yelling, pleading, threatening and bribing? Are you being the kind of person you want your children to imitate? Are your children learning the skills they need to live safely and successfully in our complicated world? Do they ask themselves this question: “I wonder how my next decision will affect my life?”
This workshop provides practical tools and techniques that can change the way your family operates and makes parenting more fun. The early childhood class is geared toward parents of young children from ages 0-6.
Cyndi Goldfarb, M.S., LCCE, has taught classes for parents in the Denver/Boulder area for 27 years. Originally an occupational therapist with a master’s degree in pediatrics, she started teaching childbirth classes in 1986. Both of her children were raised with Love and Logic, and she has been teaching Love and Logic parenting classes since 2002.
Love and Logic: Early Childhood Parenting Made FunYWCA of Boulder County, 2222 14th St., Boulder, CO 80302
To register, go online www.ywcaboulder.org or call 303-443-0419. The workshop will be held Thursdays, April 14-May 12 from 5:30-7:45 p.m. Cost is $35/person; $60/couple. The registration fees for this program are at a greatly reduced rate thanks to the generosity of the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation.
>> Love and Logic: Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun™
www.labragirlfilmproject.org
page3 THRIVEupdate | MARCH 2016
Summer is almost here and BVSD Lifelong Learning has your child’s passport to fun! With more than 90 brand new offerings this year, the Lifelong Learning summer camp program is bigger and better than ever. Register before March 31 and take advantage of the Early Bird Special – you’ll receive 10 percent off all summer camps by using the promo code destination.
If you did not receive a BVSD Lifelong Learning Summer Camp Catalog through your child’s school and would like one mailed to you, please call 720-561-5968.And don’t miss Lifelong Learning’s super selection of Spring Break camps to keep your child safe and focused on fun when school’s not in session. Besides a series of “Spring Fever on the Farm” camps (goats, chickens, and cows, oh my!), curious kids will love the “Science Exploration” offerings:
>> BVSD Lifelong Learning offers summer fun
I still remember that enveloping feeling of blue. I know, blue is not a feeling. But from a child’s eyes, it was nothing but blue and silence, like being at the bottom of a fish tank. Except it wasn’t a fish tank. It was the bottom of a swimming pool. Many people have near-drowning stories. Or maybe, once upon a time, they jumped in to save someone from sinking deeper and deeper—as my brother did for me. You may have even known someone who never got saved. On average, 3,500 people die from unintentional drowning each year in the US. One in five of those people is a child under the age of 14. Why bring this up now? Spring break is a siren song for swimmers, for splashers, for water slide-goers. Whether you are enjoying the beaches of Bermuda or a hotel pool in Phoenix, it’s a preview to summer and a wake-up call for families. So parents, it’s time to once again become a water watcher. Tips from the Y
1. Everyone loves a pool party, but who’s watching the kids? All adults should take turns on water watcher duty, focusing their attention on the water and the kids. That way, the water is always being watched, and everyone gets plenty of time to enjoy the party.
2. Most people think drowning looks like a child flaying in the water. But that’s a myth. Look for a mouth bobbing up and down while the body is upright and the arms are down, trying to push against the water.
3. Participation in formal swim lessons reduces the chance of drowning by 80 percent. Make sure your children have the skillsThe Y is currently registering for summer camp, youth sports and swim lessons. Register at ymcabv.org.Andra Coberly is the communications specialist for the YMCA of Boulder Valley. The Y strengthens community through programs that focus on healthy living, youth development and social responsibility. Financial assistance is available.
>> Be Water Wise This Spring
Everything Rocks and Minerals The Force of Nature: Water Body, Blood and Bones!
Creepy and Cute Crawlers Candy Chemistry, Yum! Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics
For teens, Spring Break is the perfect week to complete ACT Prep or Driver’s Ed. The one-day ACT Boot Camps in English, Math, Science and Reading will be popular so don’t delay. To see a full list of Spring Break camps for kids and classes for teens, visit www.bvsd.org/LLL.
>> Participants needed for Focus GroupsBoulder County Public Health will be holding focus groups to gather input about SNAP at the Farmers’ Markets. If you are a SNAP beneficiary and would like to participate in one of these focus groups, please email Jill Strange at [email protected]. Focus group participants will receive $50 in Market Bucks to spend at the Longmont/Boulder Farmers’ Market.
page8 THRIVEupdate | DECEMBER 2014/JANUARY 2015
>> Calendar of classes & events
THRIVE | 6500 Arapahoe Road | Boulder, Colorado 80303Phone 720.561.5824 | Fax 720.561.5830 | Email [email protected]
in collaboration with
MARCH 2016 Wednesdays, March 9-April 20 (no class March 23), 3-5 p.m., Fireside ElementaryTuesdays, April 4-June 10, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Superior Elementary Common Sense ParentingCommon Sense Parenting is a practical, skill-based parenting program. The program’s strategies and techniques address issues of communication, discipline, decision making, relationships, self-control and school success. Presented by Certified Common Sense Parenting Trainers Leslie Gaiser (BVSD Instructional Specialist) and Anna Stewart (BVSD Parent, School/Community Liaison). Training is free, $25 for book and materials. Registration required. Email [email protected] or call 720-561-5918. Sign up for one session – meets two hours a week for six weeks.
Monday March 7, 6-7:30 p.m. How to Deal with Sibling RivalryHorizons K-8 Charter School, 4545 Sioux Drive, BoulderUnderstand why sibling rivalry occurs and how to help your children get along better. A Pathways to Success Workshop – Free and open to the public. www.BoulderPsychologicalServices.com
Tuesday, March 8, 6-9 p.m.The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia – PEN documentary film showingHosted by cinebarre, 1164 W. Dillon Road, Louisville, COProvides uplifting accounts of the dyslexic experience from children, experts and icons such as Sir Richard Branson and financier Charles Schwab. The film clears up misconceptions about the condition and paints a picture of hope
for all who struggle with it, shining a spotlight on the latest scientific research. Tickets: $10 adults/$5 youth. www.parentengagementnetwork.org/events-2. Contact Kathy Valentine at 303-810-6456 or [email protected].
Tuesday, March 15, 6-7:30 p.m. Adoption: Parenting Challenges and SolutionsLouisville Library, 951 Spruce Street, LouisvilleAn opportunity to focus on the challenges that adoptive parents face and discuss effective strategies to meet those challenges. A Pathways to Success Workshop – Free and open to the public. www.BoulderPsychologicalServices.com
Wednesday, March 30, Noon-1:00 p.m. Webinar: Taming an Angry HeartHear about effective anger control techniques and learn how to help others and yourself to control anger before it controls you. A Pathways to Success FREE Webinar. Register by going to www.BoulderPsychologicalServices.com/free-webinars
Thursday, March 31, 6-8 p.m.Twice Exceptional LearnersBVSD Education Center, 6500 East Arapahoe Road, BoulderLearn how BVSD works with students identified both as gifted and with special needs. This session is part of an education series provided by BVSD Special Education specialists. For more information, contact Anna Stewart at [email protected] or 720-561-5918.
THRIVEupdatefor BVSD Parents
Published by BVSDWritten by local experts
and parents
THRIVEupdateEditorial Board
Managing Co-Editors>> Leisha Conners Bauer CU Boulder Community Health>> Dr. Jan Hittelman Boulder Psychological Services
Copy Editor >> Maela Moore BVSD Communications
Publication Designer>> Jade Cody BVSD Communications
Translator>> Eugenia Brady Approved BVSD Translator
Look for us on the web!www.bvsd.org
>> Calendar of Classes & EventsDECEMBER 2015 – JANUARY 2016 EVENTS CONTINUED
page8 THRIVEupdate | DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015-16
