• Last updated 6/27/11 by Cynthia Mosher

As a stay-at-home mom, I love learning about great resources with free educational worksheets or activity suggestions.  The days at home get looooooong sometimes, and I can only play Candyland so many times in a row before I'm desperate for something new.  And I don't like my kids to watch a lot of tv, which means the burden is on me to come up with fun (but educational) activities for us to do.  I thought it might be fun to start a Wiki with some suggestions for free printable worksheets an and activities and have others collaborate by suggesting their favorites too.... read more

• Last updated 4/3/13 by Cynthia Mosher

There are several factors to consider in deciding when your child is ready to begin school. 1) Evaluate Maturity As a former preschool and kindergarten teacher, I believe that one of the most important aspects of a child’s readiness is his social and emotional development.   2) Assess Basic School Skills A child should be gaining confidence in several of the following categories before you consider enrolling him in a preschool or kindergarten program:   Gross Motor skills. Controlling the large muscles such as arms and legs with... read more

• Last updated 8/10/12 by Cynthia Mosher

Mothering Magazine Articles Inspired Education Ways of Learning RESPECT: What Children Get in Democratic Schools Pulling Forward: The Transition to Kindergarten Great Green Schools Thirst for Profit Challenges Natural Parenting Toolbox: Questions to Ask Principals and Teachers Ask the Experts: What's the Difference between Waldorf and Montessori? and here Gentle Hands, Quiet Voices: Secrets of Montessori MDC Discussion Threads Progressive Education: MDC Reading List for Schoolin' Mamas Comparisons Link describing... read more

• Last updated 3/11/13 by mamazee

I got a message from my son’s school the other day. “It’s nothing to worry about,” his teacher was quick to say into the machine. “I just wanted to let you know that your son’s been identified as a kiddo who needs extra help with reading.” Etani, though he loves to be read to and has a prodigious vocabulary, has really been struggling with learning to read. We’re a family of readers. James is reading Kafka’s short stories now; Athena is reading the Warrior series and the Sisters Grimm; Hesperus, who has read the Twilight series three times, plows... read more

• Last updated 3/8/13 by mamazee

With the kiddos heading back to school, Mothering.com has some wonderful resources to inspire you throughout the year. Check out these great articles and visit all of the resources from Mothering.com in our Education section. Some resources to get you started: The Satisfied Learner: How Families Homeschool Their Teens Homeschooling Can Help Every Parent Pulling Forward: The Transition to Kindergarten Inspired Education Home Sweet Homeschool Hatch a Natural Writer Gentle Hands, Quiet Voices: Secrets of... read more

• Last updated 3/8/13 by mamazee

by Sarah Juliusson of www.MamaRenew.ca – Find Mama Renew on Facebook & Twitter It’s that classic final week of summer and I have to say, I’m ready for school to begin again. Call me a grouch if you need to, but this readiness has nothing to do with my Love of summer, my joy at having our boys at home with us, or my longing to spend each and every day outside in the sun.  As Jennifer Margulis wrote this week in her Mothering blog, these final days of summer are to be savored. I am, quite simply, ready for rhythm again. Way back in the final... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Nathaniel’s last year in preschool was horrible. There’s no other way to say it. He’s in kindergarten now, and I had anxiety over the summer–would this be a horrible year, too? At the same time, I knew worrying wouldn’t help, and that “worry is using your imagination to create things you don’t want,” one of my favorite wise things Ashisha (Mothering’s editor-at-large and resident sage) told me. He loves kindergarten, and seems to have a new peace about not only school, but his place in the world. It wasn’t good for him to be one of the oldest kids in... read more

• Last updated 3/31/13 by mamazee

More on exploring kindergarten in San Francisco: There's a mantra I keep hearing from the parents I know and meet on school tours: "It's not going to happen." This is always understood as referring to the possibility that their child might end up at a substandard school. I say it as well. It's our way of saying that we are not going to just accept whatever the SF public school lottery gives us. The vast majority of parents I know, irrespective of their personal politics, are applying to both public and private schools, with the private ones as backups. If they... read more

• Last updated 3/31/13 by mamazee

Last week my wife and I went to Kindergarten information night, sponsored by the San Francisco Unified School District. A quick word about how it works: Parents turn in a request for their top 7 schools. There is a lottery (which is part of SF's effort to integrate its schools); it is commonplace for families to not be assigned any of their top 7 choices. The system is universally hated by parents. But it was great to meet the parents, teachers, and principals at the information night. After hearing public school parents speak about their experiences on a panel,... read more

• Last updated 4/4/13 by mamazee

Her [Asian-American, early 40s]: Everyone we know in San Francisco is always going on about how important diversity is. And when we talk about schools, all the anxiety is about diversity. We worry that if we send kids to private schools, they won't be exposed to diversity. But then their own social networks aren't diverse. Everyone they know is... Him [White, late 30s]: ...white and Asian. Her: Yeah. So, my question is, why put all this emphasis on schools? Why not just send your kid to private school and give them the education you want, but at the same time... read more