Someone once told me that mammals learn through play. When children run and play they are also learning. They are using their creativity, developing their self-confidence, building resiliency, increasing physical prowess; learning how to work in groups, to share, negotiate, and resolve conflicts; and honing self-advocacy skills. Play is the work of children and it is through … [Read more...] about Give Them Free-Range Play
Making Change
Home-remaking in a Transgender Marriage
National Geographic says that its ground-breaking special issue, "Gender Revolution" is about the "shifting landscape of gender:" "To a degree unimaginable a decade ago, the intensely personal subject of gender identity has entered the public square." The compelling documentary, Trans List, reminds us that our old assumptions about gender are dead. Plus, gender is reshaping ma … [Read more...] about Home-remaking in a Transgender Marriage
World Food Day: Zero Hunger
October 16th is World Food Day, a worldwide event designed to help alleviate hunger by raising awareness. It is held on October 16th to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945. Events are organized in over 150 countries across the world to promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and f … [Read more...] about World Food Day: Zero Hunger
Halloween Candy Dilemma: Yes to Sugar
The costumes are ready, and the children’s energy is rising! It’s almost time for trick-or-treating! It’s a time to be imaginative and to let go and have fun. Does the thought of managing your children’s candy make you feel uncomfortable? You may be a parent who takes care to feed your children nutritious food, so Halloween may seem like an undoing of all your good intenti … [Read more...] about Halloween Candy Dilemma: Yes to Sugar
The Voices of Mothers Matter
We often ask ourselves, as women and mothers, what we can do to improve society. Those of us with young children rightly feel overwhelmed by the prospect of any more responsibilities beyond our everyday struggles. For those of us with older children, however, the timing could be right for making our voices heard outside or our own homes. And, while social action is important, … [Read more...] about The Voices of Mothers Matter
Strong Gun Laws Save Lives
According to Brady United, 97% of Americans want expanded background checks for gun owners. In fact, firearm deaths are significantly lower in states with stricter gun control legislation. Gun violence cannot be correlated with mental illness, stress, drug use, unemployment, or inequality but with poverty, dominance of working class jobs, and with the rates of high school … [Read more...] about Strong Gun Laws Save Lives
How To Help Asylum Families
According to the nonprofit, "Freedom for Immigrants," 45,000 children and adults languish in immigrant jails and prisons. Few have access to a court-appointed attorney, a telephone call, or a speedy trial. Two thirds of people in US immigration detention are in private prisons and the rest are locked up in county and city jails. Many of those detained are subjected to … [Read more...] about How To Help Asylum Families
Food Insecurity Hurts Learning
Imagine a world in which millions of young American children don’t live with food insecurity. They’d be more ready for school, better able to count and know their alphabet letters. They’d find it easier to sit still, pay attention and finish a task. They’d probably be better at making friends and more eager to learn. Our study suggests that millions of young American childre … [Read more...] about Food Insecurity Hurts Learning
The Lives Of Student Parents
I was nearly 42 years old with five children at home when I decided I wanted to pursue an undergraduate degree at our local university. Initially, I wondered how I could do it, as I was homeschooling my children, and my spouse was working outside the home. However, with his encouragement and my own burning desire, I applied, was accepted, and began my studies. It took me six … [Read more...] about The Lives Of Student Parents
How To Support Our Farmers
It’s time for a revolution in the food system—both young and new farmers need more support to nourish future generations. Farmers, businesses, policymakers, and educators need to promote agriculture as an intellectually stimulating and economically sustainable career, and to make jobs in agriculture and the food system “cool” for young people all over the world. Agriculture m … [Read more...] about How To Support Our Farmers