Grasshopper New Media Presents...

There is a debate circling schools, states, and the parents of multiples. Many schools have created policies of mandatory separation for twins (or high-order multiples) once they enter kindergarten. Many parents of multiples are angry and are fighting the schools or trying to pass federal or state legislation that would allow them to keep their […]

Once again, it is the close of another school year, and those last gasp projects are rearing their ugly heads. One child had a book report, but the "project" part of it was to design/redesign a board game so that it reflects your book in some way. Child #2 read a fun book […]

When I decided to do a triathlon, the sport I was most confident about was swimming. After all, I swam competitively from 4th grade through college. What was 400 yards in the water for a triathlon when my best event used to be a mile? Never mind that fact that I’m going […]

My kids are taught in the public school system, which means that summer vacation is soon to arrive.
Now, most kids would want to use that time as a vacation from *all* learning. But just like a car that’s not being used, you need to start the engine every once in a while or it’ll […]

For the second year in a row, I have helped organize the Book Fair at our local elementary school. We use a local shop, rather than Scholastic, and the Fair always has amazing books I’ve never seen before. This is not a fund raiser for the school- we pass on the discounts to […]

Should summer vacation be a full on vacation from learning or should parents try to work some educational activities in there? What about actual school work, such as math workbooks or non-fiction reading? How do you handle summer vacation with your children?
I really believe that three months is too long to go without any structured […]

What rights do children have? Do they have the right to privacy? Do they have a right to freedom of expression? Parents, educators, and the general public all have conflicting feelings on these subjects.
From a legal perspective, children are often called “minors” and are not held legally responsible for their actions until […]

When September arrives, I will breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time, Jack will be purchasing lunch at the school cafeteria, as Ben has done for some years now. What’s that you say? You wonder why this sea change is such a big deal to me? Let me explain. […]

I have been having a challenge with my fourth grader. Every time I ask him if he has any papers for me, he says no. He’s getting his homework done, but he often says he doesn’t have this paper or that one. On a recent spelunking mission through said backpack, I found […]

Ben is rushing headlong into adolescence, and I’ve realized that I need to stay current and update a few of my time-honored parenting strategies. Let me lay out a recent scenario for you in order to illustrate just how I’m going to need to change things up:
A few days ago, Ben started intramural track […]