Green Parenting for Non-toxic, Healthy Homes
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When I was a kid, my brother had guinea pigs. Fat little guys with stubby little legs that he desperately tried to train to do entertaining things like play soccer with a super ball and sniff out money (he was a little Alex P. Keaton-ish). In my innocent upbringing I would never have imagined conducting tests on our little friends.
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I thought I’d seen it all when I was cruising the yogurt section of my supermarket and spotted blue, cotton-candy flavored yogurt for kids. Manufacturers are all too aware that children are compulsively drawn to Technicolor food and those that are sweet or salty. Since getting kids to eat well is an exercise in triage as you figure the pros and cons of cost, time, and availability you might be tempted to take the path of least resistance: chicken nuggets, flame colored mac ‘n’ cheese, blue yogurt. That’s fine sometimes. But the chemical additives—preservatives, flavors, and colors—found in these types of food have a disproportionately greater health impact on children than on adults.
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This year, over 400 families nationwide have hosted their own Healthy Home Parties. Here’s what they had to say about the experience:
Received all the “goodies” and LOVE everything that came in the box. Can’t wait to share with friends!!
“I just hosted my party in conjunction with the Family Fun Day at my daughter’s pre-school. The kids played outside and we all enjoyed the samples and treats. Parents walked away more informed and thrilled with their coupons. This is such a great idea 
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“Just hosted my Healthy Home Party yesterday. It was so great! We had a great turn out and I think everyone really appreciated the discussion topics and product information “
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Standardized testing strips "primary school children of their basic human right to a well-rounded education"
Springtime in the United States means it’s time for standardized testing. In California, STAR testing begins in the second grade, despite recommendations from the National Association for the Education Young Children (NAEYC) that this is too young. NAEYC explains:
- Standardized tests for young children must be valid and reliable for their purposes and must be used only for those purposes for which they were designed.
- Standardized tests may be used only if and when they bring benefits to young children (through more individualized planning, more appropriate instruction, a better match of curriculum and instruction with individual needs, and clearer communication with parents).
Of course, assessment is an important part of education, but it must be authentic and developmentally appropriate. According to the NAEYC position statement:
• Assessment evidence is gathered from realistic settings and situations that reflect children’s actual performance.
To influence teaching strategies or to identify children in need of further evaluation, the evidence used to assess young children’s characteristics and progress is derived from real-world classroom or family contexts that are consistent with children’s culture, language, and experiences.
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Editor’s Note: We are honored to publish the following guest post by Zoe Weil. Zoe is the President of the Institute for Humane Education(IHE) and author of Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.
Among some environmentalists, there is a strong anti-civilization movement and the belief that the only hope for a sustainable world entails a return to a veritable Stone Age, a time when humans had neither the capacity, the desire, nor the wherewithal to create havoc within ecosystems, cause the extinction of myriad species, and utterly despoil our environment.
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We Need Knowledge AND Critical Thinking in Schools
Editor’s Note: We are honored to publish the following guest post by Zoe Weil. Zoe is the President of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) and author of Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.
Once again, an op-ed writer has created another false either/or about education. In “Critical Thinking? You need knowledge” Diane Ravitch argues against what she describes as faddish efforts to teach critical thinking and cooperative learning in schools. She writes: this “skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked.” Personally, after 25 years in education (and alternative education at that), I know no one who is promoting “knowledge-free” education.
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Editor’s Note: We are honored to publish the following guest post by Zoe Weil. Zoe is the President of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) and author of Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.
What’s the difference between niceness and kindness?
To me, niceness is pleasant but a bit anemic, lacking depth and character. It’s not something to strive for or cultivate in any powerful way, unlike kindness, which is worthy of our full attention and the dedication of our lives.
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Editor’s Note: We are honored to publish the following guest post by Zoe Weil. Zoe is the President of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE),www.HumaneEducation.org and author of Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times and Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life.
In her recent Atlantic Monthly article, “Cultivating Failure”, Caitlin Flanagan critiques the current educational movement to bring the cultivation of gardens into schools and curriculum. Because Flanagan makes her argument so well, I don’t want to try to paraphrase her, except to summarize her position: Taking time away from book-learning for gardening, especially for Hispanic children whose families have worked to escape poverty and to provide their children with an education that will enable them to do things with their lives other than farming, limits precious studying time, thereby reducing the acquisition of essential knowledge. As with many well-thought-out critiques, the criticism is compelling, but suggestions for solutions are weak, if non-existent.
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