ParentTalk Forums / ParentTalk / School-Age Children

Camp

online-editor — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:28:43 GMT

Does your child go to camp? What age is best for starting camp? My son's going for two weeks, full days (day camp only) in August and he's five.

French Immersion

online-editor — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:44:08 GMT

Hi there.

As I mentioned in the blog, our son will be starting French Immersion in the fall. I'm excited for him as I think it's a good opportunity but I'd love to hear from French-Canadian folks or those with kids in FI on the pros and cons of this program.

All advice/suggestions welcome.

Lisa

Is this normal for a 4 year old girl?

cherylmomof2 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:27:41 GMT

My daughter is bossy, demanding, snappy, snippy and just downright whiney some days. Is this normal for a 4 year old? She doesn't listen, I have to ask her 5 times to do the simpilest thing, she talks back. My husband and I are going nuts. Any tips? She's smart as a whip....writes her name, mine, her brothers, knows her numbers, colours, shapes, letters etc. Is she just showing her personality?

Whining!

online-editor — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:27:41 GMT

Has anyone else found an effective way to deal with whining and complaining with young school-aged kids?

Loves preschool so much I have to drag him home

violet1amythest — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:00:16 GMT

I'm very excited that Cole loves his new preschool and am absolutely thrilled to have some 1 on 1 time with Carter but Cole loves his preschool so much that it is literally an argument brimming when it's time to go home. All the kids get picked up within 20 min of each other so it's not like someone is hanging around to play with still. But he still wants to stay. When we do finally get in the car he is upset that he can't go to preschool again right now. I'm sure this stage will pass as he gets used to preschool as a whole which includes going home when it's over. HOw have you all dealt with your little one going to preschool?

Anyone else have a VERY active boy?

online-editor — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:21:58 GMT

Our almost-five-year-old is constantly on the go. We can barely keep up with him. I'm quite sure he doesn't have ADD because he can sit and watch a movie and does not have problems at school but the boy talks a mile a minute and wants to be entertained constantly.

Do you have a son (or daughter) with this go-go-go mentality?

Kumon schooling

violet1amythest — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:03:52 GMT

I've seen a few ads for Kumon schooling and am wondering if any one has their kids in it. I haven't had the chance to check it out online to see what it is all about but plan on trying to get some info about it tonight. Have your kids had any success with it more then in the normal school ciriculum?

Uniforms vs Street Clothes

MrsE — Fri, 05 May 2006 14:11:32 GMT

Right now my DSS's are at a private school where they wear a uniform. I would rather have them in street clothes-too much ironing for me with the uniforms! I'm happy when they have gym day and they can wear their uniform. A happy medium would be a permanent uniform of school gym clothes.

I went to a uniformed high school and didn't mind that-and I did my own ironing, so mom was off the hook there.

Lying

huntersmom81 — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:53:06 GMT

What do I do with a 7 year old who has discovered lying? He lies about everything now....i have caught him every time and I have sent him to his room/taken away priviledges..you name it i've tried it, but it doesn't seem to effect him the way I was hoping. However, he doesn't lie about the same thing twice. So maybe he is learning and testing at the same time.

The other day he faked being sick (and boy did he put on a show), but he admitted that he was lying just so that he didn't have to go to daycare. I give him points for being creative, but how do I curb this before it gets out of hand.

Is my 4 year old son gay?

chupche — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:22:57 GMT

While we (family) were sittiing at the kitchen table, we were talking about sill things and marriage. My 4 year old son said that he didn't want to get married. He then said he was going to marry a man. My husband turned to me and asked if we should be concerned. I shrugged it off and just said, kids will say funny things, like I want to be a pony when I grow up or marry my mother or sister. Should I be concerned that he may be gay? He is quiet at school, but does play well with children. He is a little shy, but very outgoing with people he knows. I can honestly say, I have lost sleep and can't eat. Am I overreacting? I don't really care if a person is gay, but I guess when it comes to my son, I don't want him to grow up being teashed, confused, etc. It's bad enough growing up with peer pressure, being gay would only be worse. Am I overreacting? Any info would be appreciated.

A Conduct if Life Book for Kids 6-9 years old!

ahbooks — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:57:17 GMT

Hi! My name is Amanda and I just wanted to share some exciting news with as many parents as possible. There is a great conduct of life book out there for kids, one that helps busy parents, teachers and caregivers have profound and intimate conversations with kids on matters like self-image, materialism and respecting the environment (to name a few). The book is called GIFTS by Amanda Maragos
for more info visit www.ahbooks.ca
Enjoy!

co- sleeping with mom

Samismom — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:00:00 GMT

a lady I know (divorced for 3 1/2 years and shares custody with Dad) still lets her 7 (grade 2) year old boy sleep with her every night. she doesn't even try to put him in his own bed cause they like to sleep and cuddle together. I believe he is to old for this. when he is at his Dad's he can sleep in his own bed with no trouble. any advice??

lead paint worries? PC writer wants to talk to you!

kirav — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:40:53 GMT

Hi there, I'm a Parents Canada writer working on an upcoming story about lead poisoning and kids. I'd love to do a couple of quick 10-minute phone interviews with parents who worry about the toy recalls we keep hearing about. Especially those who have found and thrown out toys covered in lead paint. Or parents who have concerns about lead poisoning in general (lead can be in old homes, water etc.). Maybe you've done renovations lately and worry about the dust? Or maybe your own child has been diagnosed with lead poisoning. Luckily, this is very rare though.

If you're interested in talking to me, feel free to drop me a line at: kira@vermond.ca or at 1-877-826-9883 and we’ll set up a time to talk.

Thanks!

Kira Vermond

is your kid overlooked in a large class?

ritapita — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:22:14 GMT

They're capping classes in K-grade 3 to 20 students by 2008. Have your kids struggled in larger classes? I'm researching a story on this topic and would love to hear from parents about their child's experience. Please post or email me directly at rheaseymour@sympatico.ca

family home or life in chaos?

rude awakening — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:35:37 GMT

I work for the television production company Next Film. We are currently producing a brand new series for the W Netowrk designed to help families lead a more harmonious life - whether you face bad manners at the dinner table, are always late for everything, start jobs but never finish them or some members of your household are just downright lazy - we want to hear from you!

If this sounds of interest please either email me (Sheila Risk) at srisk@nextfilm.ca or phone me 416 531 2500 ext 715.

We can help!

Starting preschool this year, any tips?

violet1amythest — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 14:30:49 GMT

I am starting Cole into preschool this year and am not totally sure what to expect in his reaction. He is sometimes ok with me leaving him and sometimes not. I am the type of mom to drop off and walk away but that is not always possible. Last week Cole went a church evening camp and was in a group of like aged kids. The first 2 days he was fine, no problem leaving me and I didn't need to hang around. The 3rd night however was a disaster. They actually called us 30 min later to pick him up as he wouldn't calm down. He knows the leaders at the church since we regularly attend and has been around most of them. When he got home he burst into tears again and mainly sat with me the rest of the night till bed time. The next night I stayed with him while everyone was upstairs singing, when everyone went downstairs I took him down and said I would stay for 2 min. I finally had to tell him I was going to stay upstairs while he was in his class room in order for him to stay. We didn't go the next night as we were away. I don't want to have a repeat of this happening with preschool but am not sure on how to reassure him enough that I will come back.

The preschool he is attending has only 8 kids and is only 1 day a week. I think that is the best situation for him as he doesn't seem to do well with large crowds. Since he was 2 months we have attended a playgroup fairly regularly and has been around other kids quite often. So it won't be a totally new experience.

What are some of the things you are doing/did to prepare your kid for the separation and new experience?

Loot Bags

Danicasmum — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:44:43 GMT

I'm looking for your opinion. Which is better....one bigger 'gift' for the loot bag, or a bunch of little dollar store stuff? I'm trying to get a feel for what people do now. I don't want to buy tons of little junky things that just get lost, but I also don't want to add to the craziness that parties have become. Any help?

Birthday Parties

fcgilbert2001 — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:44:58 GMT

Hello everybody,

I have a quick question. When a child is invited to a party at a "location" (bowling alley in this case), are the parents expected to stay?

Thanks

Cyberbullying

Moderator — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:18:23 GMT

Hello PC.com Members,

There's a great new article from our new ParentsCanada subscription based magazine called, Cyberbullying. It discusses how to deal with the growing issue your kids may be exposed too.

Take a look in our "Tweens" section now or click here: http://www.parentscanada.com/relating/articles.aspx?listingid=107

recommended nanny agency

regev1 — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 15:58:53 GMT

Hi, we just wanted to share a site we came across that has lots of good info on finding/hiring/employing a nanny, including the details of the Canadian laws and regulations - we found it very useful actually. The address is:
http://www.ofek.ca

Questions about starting school

cherylmomof2 — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:22:48 GMT

My daughter will be 3 in April. She's too young to go to school right now but she keeps asking me what she needs to go to school. I told her the obvious...backpack, lunchbag, 100% toilet trained, a year older etc.

Her questions got me thinking...when your child starts kindergarten, what are they expected to know? Count to 10, say ABC's...write their name....I have no idea.

Can anyone give me some advice on what I can do to start getting her ready now?

please help.....

cristina37 — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 03:15:26 GMT

Hi....

I am so concerned about my six year old daughter. Let me know what you think. She will cry and beg me not to go to work constantly..she says that she'll miss me. she will not sleep by herself and although my husband and i have repetitavely brought her back to her room she will return and return all night until one of us will finally fall asleep in her bed. She usually will not want to go to anything ie..a birthday party or dancing lessions unless one of us or another family member will stay with her...I feel like such a failture, what can i do to get her through this and help us get our lives back?

P.S. I only work part time so it's not like i am gone a lot

sincerley

cristina

recommended schools

workmom — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:58:45 GMT

I'm having a hard time selecting a good school for my child. We live in Calgary, so if you can recommend one that'd be great.

Thanks.

Summer Activities

MrsE — Fri, 05 May 2006 14:09:15 GMT

It won't be long before summer vacation! Yay! I love it when the boys are out of school and there's more time for the fun stuff!

What do you have planned for your school-aged kids during the summer? Are you home with them or sending them to camp or a sitters? What fun things do you like to do with them? Any favorite outdoor activities or crafts?

We are in......

bresco — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:06:49 GMT

I am taking my son to JK this September but we are out of district. I just got the word that we are in at the daycare within the school so the school will definitely take him. I'm so thrilled. Our local school is a bit shall we say, unorthodox, and there was no way I was putting him in there. We are thrilled. Now for the transition in July to the new daycare and then big boy school in September.

Okay I'll start...

bresco — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 10:58:24 GMT

Hi,

I have a 3 1/2 year old boy who is just starting JK this September. Any ideas for an easy transition to school?