BY Holly Korus | Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013 4:00pm | COMMENTS (0)
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so if your kids only have time to make one special valentine for their teacher, special friend etc. this Woven Duct Tape Valentine is an excellent choice. Tested and highly approved by the 3rd-5th graders in my after school Duct Tape Madness class. The kids loved learning to weave as well as adding as many special creative touches on and in the back pocket. Continue Reading
BY Georgette Gilmore | Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 10:00am | COMMENTS (0)
Have a child who will be starting kindergarten in Montclair this September? Well start planning, because the Montclair Elementary School tours will take place on Monday, March 18 through March 26. And in order to see all the schools, you will need to juggle your schedule to make it happen.
Through the years, we’ve shared our experiences with the tours, our take on the schools and the wait-it-out process:
BY Kristin Wald | Thursday, Sep 06, 2012 6:45am | COMMENTS (5)
Dear School Bus Driver,
This is my first time at this, and I’m surprised at how nervous I am. I don’t like to think of myself as an overly-anxious parent, you know? So, please don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t want to tell you how to do your job. I certainly don’t appreciate when people try to tell me how to do mine. But I just want you to know, up front, that when you pull away from the end of my block today you’ll be taking my heart with you.
I’ve pictured the yellow rear-end of the school bus pulling away from the curb so many times this summer. And each time makes my eyes water and my mouth turn down. This kid, my son, is so excited to ride the bus to school. So excited. But he’s also nervous and worried about finding his class and about rough kids sitting next to him and about whether someone will make fun of the t-shirt he picked out for his first day of kindergarten. I don’t want him to get special attention, not more than anyone else’s child, but could you do me a favor and give him a grin and a “Good Morning!” when he gets on the bus? I’m sure you would do that anyway, but it’s my first time at this, and I don’t know.
BY Sally Streeter | Wednesday, Sep 05, 2012 2:30pm | COMMENTS (0)
Kids in Bloomfield said goodbye to summer and started school today! See our slideshow after the jump…
BY Lisa Davies | Monday, Sep 03, 2012 4:00pm | COMMENTS (0)
If you need a sweet treat to ease the back-to-school transition this week head on over to the porch bake sale for Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair this Wednesday afternoon.
Toni’s Kitchen feeds and nurtures those in need. All money raised will go directly to Toni’s Kitchen as the Battle Against Hunger bike ride approaches, the weekend of September 7-9.
Come as a baker, shopper or both. The weather forecast is not good for tomorrow so why not do a baking project with the kids? My oven is not working so I will definitely be there trying to buy some muffins for an after-school treat, otherwise I would have made these berry muffins or some carrot cake squares.
Please drop off baked goods (shop-bought or home-made) at 14 Nassau Road, by 7 P.M. Tuesday, September 4.
BY Kristen Kemp | Monday, Aug 27, 2012 10:00am | COMMENTS (7)
My daughters, thankfully, are hot on cooking. So recently I handed them a paring knife and some oven mitts. They know how to cut strawberries and kiwis. They pull the strings out of snap peas and saute them in butter on our behemoth gas stove that scares the sugar out of me.
They’re 6 and a half. Geez. They should be making Summer Thai Noodle Salad by now. Anyway, I started out watching them very closely. But as they get more practice, I give them more independence (i.e. I can check my email while they work). We’re learning how to boil hot dogs next.
Now if they’d just do the dishes.
What age do you plan to let your kids start cooking? Take our poll…
BY Georgette Gilmore | Friday, Aug 24, 2012 2:05pm | COMMENTS (0)
We’re so sad to learn that puppeteer Jerry Nelson has died a the age of 78. He is most famous for being Count von Count, aka The Count, my second favorite Sesame Street character growing up. He also gave life to Mr. Snuffleupagus, Herry Monster, Gobo Fraggle on Fraggle Rock, and many other Muppet characters.
BY Georgette Gilmore | Friday, Aug 24, 2012 12:30pm | COMMENTS (0)
Two more weekends before school starts. Get out and have some family fun! We told you about St. Sebastian’s Feast & Carnival, Puppet-Making and Artist Day at Field Station: Dinosaurs and Yoga Fit Yoga, but there’s more!
Check our Upcoming Events to find out all the happenings and details. We work really hard to give you the most comprehensive events listing around, so if you attend an event because you learned about it from Barista Kids, please give us a shout out. Make sure you subscribe to Barista Kids and receive daily updates of our stories in your inbox too. You can do it right here!
Here are your weekend’s highlights:
Drop your kids off at The Little Gym for the Parents Survival Night. They’ll have fun and you get a kid-free evening! (Friday, August 24)
Celebrate Junie B Jones’ 20th anniversary with a very special party at Barnes & Noble in Livingston. (Saturday, August 25)
BY Betsy Wald | Friday, Aug 24, 2012 9:00am | COMMENTS (0)
(Editor’s Note: This orginally ran in 2011. We feel it’s valuable information and are re-posting.)
Are you sick and tired of the school year becoming one long nag fest about homework, organization, studying, etc.? Are you dreading September? It doesn’t have to be this way. This year, become your child’s “school coach” and stop taking all the responsibility for the work that they should be doing themselves.
The successful school coach uses this checklist:
Here are some practical steps to get started coaching your team:
BY Kristen Kemp | Thursday, Aug 23, 2012 2:30pm | COMMENTS (0)
School will start so very soon. The time goes fast, but as any parent whose kid is out of camp can attest: The days are long. If you’re up for a road trip, a new 16,000-foot play center, WeeZee World, recently opened in Chappaqua, New York. The founder, psychiatric nurse Louise ‘Weezee’ Weadock created a fun zone in her house years ago when her daughter Shannon was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. (See Weezee at left.) It was such a success–for Shannon and the kids in their neighborhood–that Weadock decided to create a fun space where all kids exercise their senses. WeeZee World also focuses on children’s health and fitness.
Weadock would love for you to visit the center, but if you can’t make it, here are her tips for piquing your child’s senses at home. She says her ideas below will help kids’ minds stay sharp while getting them ready to go back to school:
