Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

At almost every single parent workshop I give, someone will ask me “Stacey, how did you decide between public, private, Christian or home school?”

My answer seems to shock many, yet inspire others. 

As a family, back in February of 2004, we visited all the schools in our area:  public, private, Christian, and even tried a few days of home schooling so we could make our decision as a family.  On our visits, we would ask to sit in and visit with every Kindergarten class.  Every principal commended us for making this a family decision and we were shocked when we found that we were in the 1% club—only 1% of parents ever actually do what we were doing.  I was shocked!

We walked the halls and ate lunch in every school cafeteria as a family. My husband was a strong supporter of his Christian Lutheran School that he had attended as a child. But, the 30-minute drive one-way was less appealing to me, especially during a Wisconsin winter, as I was the designated bus driver. 

I was a product of public school because I lived in a rural setting with no other options within 50 miles.  We discussed each school, looking for input from our soon to be 5 and 3 year old daughters.  It was a surprise to my husband and I, that we had unanimously selected the public school, three minutes from our home.  Heidi selected Mrs. Neitzke as her Kindergarten teacher, so we sent the school a letter for teacher request and completed her pre-Kindergarten screening and enrollment paperwork.

Because I was a stay-at-home Mom, I promised my family that I would embrace our new public school with a home school, Christian mentality:

• We would, as a family, become involved in the PTA.
• I would be the driver in charge of dropping off and picking up the kids.
• I would volunteer every month.
• I would travel and be involved in all class trips.
• I would get to personally know each child’s entire class because studies show children are less like to bully your children if you know their name.
• I would “do lunch” everyday of that first week of Kindergarten with my child and then plan a lunch “date” with them every quarter staying to play at recess time too.
• I would work with my school to help find funding and grant opportunities. It is much easier than it sounds. Simply search the Internet for “educational grants” and your city or your state. Then search “community grants” and your city or your state. Then, work with your teachers to write the grant or pass it to your school’s grant writer.
• I know that I am my child’s first and best teacher!

Whichever method you chose to school your children, as long as it is a family decision, you (as a parent) are armed with confidence, and are actively involved in the education process; your children will succeed academically, socially, mentally and physically.
Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

Care to share the steps you took to select your child’s educational path?  Perhaps your ideas will help make the process easier for another family.

It’s that time of year again.  We live a few miles away from an amazing pumpkin farm complete with a huge barn filled with amazing hand painted pumpkins, and outside a picture perfect setting with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes along with a corn maze, hay maze, hayride and petting zoo — we have had so many hilarious memories since we started making the trek when first born, Heidi was just a baby. 

The one thing I love most about the pumpkin farm is the absence of candy!!!  Is it me or is every year getting worse with the amount of candy taking up the aisles — it’s not just in the candy aisle anymore — it’s now in the produce section, again by the apples, by the bakery area, in big displays in the snack aisle and special large sections in front of the checkout area.  Yikes. 

Looking for a way to make the upcoming holiday season fun, safe and environmentally friendly – then you need to check out the new “Green Halloween” movement that is taking root in Seattle, thanks to Seattle area Mom Corey Colwell-Lipson…

Help Turn Halloween Green

Who says Halloween has to be unhealthy? And who says healthy can’t be fun?
Green Halloween is about making Halloween happy and healthy and about creating family traditions we can all be proud of.

Conceived by Seattle-area mom Corey Colwell-Lipson, the effort to revolutionize the way we celebrate holidays in the U.S. has begun and you can play an important role.

Starting this Halloween, we’re out to prove that holidays don’t have to be about candy and that going junk-food free can be easy, fun and affordable. We’re tackling the childhood obesity epidemic head on by working with community partners such as Whole Foods Market, Overlake Hospital, ParentMap magazine and many more to highlight new, creative, sustainable ways to celebrate the holidays, starting with Halloween.

We’ve launched our website, www.GreenHalloween.org as a way to connect with people like you who want to improve the health of our children and our planet.
www.GreenHalloween.org  is packed with:

• Dozens of ideas of what you can give out instead of candy
• Ideas for staging a Green Halloween party
• How to get started turning your Halloween Green
• Games and an e-book for kids
• Locations of Seattle-area Green Halloween events (take part in turning the Puget Sound green through our interactive map)
  And much, much more.

Help, help, we need you! Want to join the revolution? It’s easy.

Green Halloween is a not-for-profit community effort. It will only succeed if individuals decide to join in and do something different starting this year, with this holiday. Whether it’s switching from candy to honey-sticks, turning an annual Halloween party green, or spreading the word, everyone can play a role. Here are six great places to start:

1. Forward this e-mail to everyone you know including parenting groups, green organizations, message boards, neighborhood organizations, friends, co-workers and relatives.
2. Contact us to volunteer at a Seattle-area Green Halloween event.
3. Contact us for a community-impact kit to help you turn your neighborhood (or place of work) green this Halloween.
4. Sign up for our periodic Action Alerts. We’ll keep you up to date on what we’re doing, post volunteer opportunities and ensure that you are a real part of the Green Halloween adventure.
5. Attend a Green Halloween event, especially Whole Foods Market’s Community Giving Day at the Bellevue and Roosevelt Square stores on Thursday, October 11th (this event is a fundraiser for Treeswing, our partner and a 501(c)3.)
6. Add a link to Green Halloween (www.GreenHalloween.org) from your website or blog.

Live outside of the Puget Sound but still want to get involved?  Fret not! Our website has loads of suggestions and tips on how to make your Halloween healthy and Earth-friendly, but be sure to mark you calendar for October 2008 when Green Halloween goes nation-wide.   This year, why not think outside the candy box and help create a child and Earth friendly Halloween?

Copyright 2007 - Stacey Kannenberg, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

What are your ideas for creating a Green Halloween and/or 2007 holiday season?  Are you ready to take the Green concept to a new level?

Our family is committed to our school’s PTA.  We attend the meeting as a family and enjoy being involved in the social benefits it brings.  It is truly a fun way to get and stay involved in our children’s school.  Come on, what are you waiting for?

• Invite parents, teachers and kids to come to your next meeting and provide babysitting with a fun activity in another room for the kids.  Children who had a parent involved in education are more likely to be involved themselves as parents.
• Bring a healthy snack, water or fortified 100% juice for after the meeting and invite the kids to share ideas with the PTA, parents and teachers. Empowered kids mean successful kids.
• On PTA/PTO meetings day, pass out a sticker for the kids to wear home that says PTA/PTO Meeting Tonight to gently remind parents of the meeting and reiterate that kids are invited too. Keeping everyone involved is the key!
• Have a membership table at all school activities to recruit and inspire others to join and get involved.  When it’s fun, people want to come!
• Sounds like fun:  a brat fray; a car wash; a Christmas/Elf shop for kids to shop for parents and siblings; Fun Fair with games, clowns, bouncy houses, silent auctions, cake walks and guessing jars - to name a few.  
• Host a back to school picnic and greet the teachers, parents and kids the week before school starts to make everyone feel welcome and excited about the new school year.  The key to school success is to make it fun!
• Host a subject fair, such as Science Fair complete with a group of Mad Scientists who visit each classroom conducting experiments to generate interest in participating, or Art Fair with artists who visit each classroom creating masterpieces, or highlighting the classics to generate interest in participating.
• Raise money for school field trips or motivational speakers for assemblies to keep it fun for your children!
• Be a part of the school’s community and show your support, proudly!  If it’s not fun, you need to make it fun by recruiting fun, positive people and getting parents, teachers and kids all involved!!!

Copyright 2007, Stacey Kannenberg, Cedar Valley Publishing, Author of Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade!

Already a member of your PTA/PTO?  How does your group strive to make it fun for both the adults and the children?  We’re always looking for new idea.  Care to share with us?