 | Raise a Grateful Child |
| Raise a Non-Materialistic Child |
| Raising a Skeptical Child |
| How to Tease Your Preschooler |
| How to Be a Perfect Parent |
| Your Shy Child (1750 words) |
| Words That Hurt—and the Parents Who Use Them |
| Enrichment Classes: How Much is Enough? |
| Teaching Sportsmanship |
| Raise an Optimistic Child (1460 words) |
| Raise a Resilient Kid (900 words) |
| Raise a Can-Do Kid (1185 words) |
| Raise a Sensitive, Caring Child (1120 words) |
| Raise a Child Who Flows |
| Raise a Mindful Child |
| Discipline—a Round-up of Expert Opinions (1500 words) |
| Six Books Every Parent Should Have |
| Interview with Dr. Stanley Turecki on “The Difficult Child.” |
| Kids and the Emotional Uses of Food |
| Know-It-All Kids |
| Is Your Child Conceited? [Usually a normal stage, a need for reassurance, feedback.] |
| What Happens to Girls at Puberty (emotional changes) |
| Sex Games Children Play (1650-word version; 700-word version) |
| Kids on the Couch [when does a child need therapy, what to expect; Best Feature Award] |
| Don’t Praise Your Child (Q & A with Dr. Thomas Gordon of Parent Effectiveness Training) |
| Helping The Child Who Doesn’t Fit In |
| Teaching the 3-6-Year Old about Money |
| Choosing a Day Camp |
| The Overly Sensitive Child |
| Children’s Dreams |
| The Trouble with Rewards (Interview with Alfie Kohn) |
| Tired of Nagging? |
| Raise an Honest Child |
| Language Development: When Do You Need to Worry? [1345 words includes Sidebar) |
| Dealing with Bullies
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| Celebrating the Senses |
| Birthday Games |
| Theme Parties for Ages 6-8 |
| Turning Work into Play |
| Take a Hike! or 10 Toddler Walks |
| Free Fun for Preschoolers |
| Magic and Illusion |
| Make a Me-Book (350 words) |
| Build a Better Sandcastle (1000 words) |
| Let’s Pretend (role playing activities) |
| Coming Together at Dinnertime |
| A Round-up of Psychological Games for Kids |
| Learning Comes to Life in Cemeteries |
| Fun with Kites and Flight |
| Holiday Gift Kits for Kids |
| Instant Fun |
| Journal Journeys |
| Psychology for Kids |
| Cultural Diversity: It’s All Relative |
| Photography for Kids (including “Make a Photographic Book of Changes”) |
| Kids in the Garden |
| Mind Snacks: Recipes for Kitchen Learning |
| Use Your Head: Mind-Challenging Physical Activities |
| Non-competitive Games (Playing Fair) |
| The Junior Geographer |
| Anytime Adventures |
| Brain-Benders |
| Bringing Literature to Life |
| Drawing for Kids (different methods, drawing as a learning tool). |
| Backyard Playsets—A Developmental View |
| Music for Kids (should music appreciation be “forced,” what instrument, methods (1000 words)
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Here are the leads of some of my recent travel articles available for sale (slides are available for each):
1. Out-of-the-Way Graves of Literary Greats [a round-up of 12 sites; 1500 words but cuttable—also available in a second-person version]
While hunting for obscure village graveyards in Britain and Ireland, my husband Stephen, a poet, and I have driven through pouring rain and gotten lost repeatedly. Undeterred, we count among our most treasured memories our journeys to the final resting places of famous writers.
I have finally come to understand how such quests are akin to holy pilgrimages. There is something transcendent about turning the corner of a quiet lane and finding ourselves suddenly next to a tombstone or memorial plaque of a world-renowned poet. As we stand so near to authors whose books weve read and cherished (or simply remember from school), we feel connected to them. [Plath, Eliot, Blake, Yeats, Milton, Coleridge, Shelleys heart(!), etc.][could even be tied to Halloween]
2. Quirky Museums in the United Kingdom [a round-up of 9 sites; 1900 easily cuttable words—also available in a second-person version]
Its almost worth the high cost of traveling just to come back and tell our friends about the obscure museums we went out of our way to visit. When we returned from a recent trip to England and Wales, one friend looked at us as though wed really gone bonkers. “Drainage engines? A pencil museum? You’ve got to be kidding, right?”
But if we hadnt detoured to Prickwillow on our way to Cambridge, we wouldnt have learned that a chunk of England called The Fens used to flood until engineers invented efficient sump pumps. And if we hadnt meandered to Keswick while we were enjoying the Lake District, we would have missed the biggest pencil in the world.
The truth is that my husband, Stephen, a poet, and I are bizarre fact junkies. . . .
3. Beyond London: Adventures for Kids in the UK and Ireland [875 words plus 155-word BOX]
You’ve already done London with the kids and are wondering what to do next? Leave town.
We recently spent a few weeks driving around England, Wales, and Ireland. We delighted in what kids delight in: a chance to shed formal manners, take picnics in pristine parks, prance on footpaths, clamber up castles, and float in underground boats. Above all, we got face-to-furry-face with nature. [visits to Jersey Zoo, Rabbit World, Pencil Museum, Snowdon Mountain Railway, Potters Hill Top, Irelands sheep-filled Burren, an underground boat ride]
4. London and Beyond: Adventures in the U.K. for Kids—and the Kid Within [approx. 1070 words plus 230-word BOX; cuttable]
Whether or not you’re taking children with you to the United Kingdom, youll get more out of the trip if you think like a child. My husband Stephen and I recently spent a few weeks driving around England and Wales, beginning with a few days in London. We delighted in what kids delight in: any opportunity to shed formal manners, take picnics in pristine parks, prance on footpaths, clamber up castles, and float in underground boats. Above all, we got face-to-furry-face with nature every chance we could.
In the new London Aquarium, however, it was more like face-to-fin. . .
5. Wine, Windows, and Seascapes [a tour of B&Bs in Mendocino, California; approx. 2000 cuttable words with excellent color slides]
We had heard too many good things about the Sonoma-Mendocino wine country. No way could any place be that serene, that gorgeously unspoiled. So we headed north to see for ourselves. . . .
We relaxed into a delicious several-course meal with wines to match. These people love to cook, preparing elaborate dinners on request. We asked innkeeper Jack Bullard what it was like having people in his home. “I love it,” he said, and it showed. Antiques and arts and crafts were in evidence everywhere. On the table at dinner were Victorian glass netsuke-like glass hand coolers. Apparently, a proper Victorian damsel who didnt want the warmth of her hands to be felt by a gentleman would handle the glass until she cooled down a bit.
One of the best things about B&Bs is the people you meet. Here we shared conversations ranging from teaching eighth-grade English to evolutionary biology to the meaning of life. . . .
6. Maui Memories of White Clouds and Mynahs (700 words—family focus)
Wherever we went in Maui, there were those evocative clouds. Unlike anything in Southern California’s skies, they piled thick and high as Cool-Whip, with dreamily dark undersides. The nearness of Haleakala, Maui’s volcano, constantly reminded us we were in the middle of a vast ocean, far from home. At our feet, mynahs skittered freely among flowers that ranged from gigantic to outrageous. It was our first trip to Hawaii, and we were kept wide-eyed by its natural beauty.
We concentrated our visit in Wailea on Maui’s southwestern shore. The Maui Intercontinental was our home base, one of a string of facilities catering to families in this lesser known portion of the Islands. . . .
