4 Questions for Grade 5 Parents Before Middle School

Question 1 – To what degree is your son or daughter able to manage by themselves when no one is watching over them?

Middle school is an exciting and enjoyable period in our children’s lives when they are given more freedom coupled with greater expected responsibility. As an example, students in middle school move from class to class and meet with various teachers over the course of each day. They will need to bring the class materials with them that are required for each class. This is helped by being forward thinking and anticipating which folders or other equipment will be necessary.

Parenting Tip – Over the summer work on empowering your son or daughter to manage the things they will need in order to have a successful day.

100 (actually 125) Things to Do Before Entering Middle School

A few weeks ago during a Coetail Saturday session Kim Cofino shared the viral video Caine’s Arcade. I really enjoyed the video and equally the dialogue that ensued. Having just spent 3 weeks or so deconstructing Kony 2012 it felt great to have something perhaps a bit more above board to consider. Zoe Page brought up the concern that misappropriation of Caine’s Arcade taking away child’s ingenuity and making it into an adult meme. While I appreciated the point, I could also see how happy Caine looked in the film when his wish came true and people visited his shop. As a parent bracing myself for exorbitantly high college tuition bills in just 8 short years, I also couldn’t help but think how fantastic it is that a successful scholarship program was set-up and perhaps Caine’s college tuition won’t be something his family needs to worry much about.

Distraction As Pain Relief