There are many strategies for getting kids ready to go back to school, from gradually moving bedtimes earlier in the evening to buying and organizing school supplies.
Going back to school can be exciting for kids, but it can also be disheartening. After a long summer of sleeping in, playing outside or traveling to unfamiliar places, they’re back to working 9-to-5 (well, 7-to-3, but you get the idea).
This year, make things easier on your children – and on yourselves – by taking some time before school begins to prepare the whole family.
The term “dog days of summer” goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks.
In late July, the star Sirius – otherwise known as the “dog star” – would appear to rise just before the sun. In The Iliad, the dog star was considered a bad omen.
Even if you don’t take much stock in omens, the dog days of summer can be unwelcome news for parents. Summer camp and vacation are over, and kids may not have much to do until school starts.
One of the scariest scenes in the movie Jaws has nothing to do with the shark.
It’s in the first 10 minutes of the movie, where we meet Chief Brody, his family, and their dangerous – it cuts the older son’s hand – creaky, 1970s metal swing-set.
OK, so we may be biased, given our line of work. But there’s something about seeing a low-quality backyard swing set that makes us cringe.
