Family Road Tripping Goes Global
Rebecca Bernard wants your family to go to camp. Together. And bring your passports. Bernard is founder and chief culture officer at FamilyGo, a company offering group travel curated for kids, parents and even grandparents to enjoy together. Bernard calls her program a “camp on the road.” Groups of families visit a destination, and the children are immersed in local camp programs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. – giving the adults a chance to explore. Families reconnect at the end of the day. Upcoming trips depart for Costa Rica in June and Spain in July. The trips are about two-weeks long,...
Saugus Schools Implement Mindful Leading at Recess
For several mornings, Lisa Storaker, a campus supervisor at Mountainview Elementary School in Saugus, noticed a second-grader leaning against the wall near the playground watching the action around her, but not participating. Storaker became concerned. “I started chatting with her to get to know her better,” says the mom of five, who has been a campus supervisor for the Saugus Union School District for five years. “I asked her what she does after school and about her siblings. It turns out she comes from a large family, and mornings before class are her only alone time. She wasn’t being excluded....
Culver City Middle Tweens Win Scrabble Championship
Two Los Angeles tweens have taken home the title of 2016 North American School Scrabble Champions just days before National Scrabble Day. The annual championship was held April 9-10 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the NFL New England Patriots, and now, top Scrabble-playing students. After two days of competitive play, Jem Burch and Cooper Komatsu took home the Championship trophy and $10,000 grand prize. The win comes just ahead of National Scrabble Day, celebrated April 13, and makes them just two of many diverse and passionate competitive Scrabble champions from around the world. Mindsports International (MSI) was the official...
LA Opera’s Great Opera Choruses Has Families Sing Along
Going to the Opera is an experience many of us don’t get until later in life. Whether it’s the cost, the etiquette required, or having multiple kids, the traditional opera experience is anything but family-friendly for families with young children. Thank goodness the LA Opera is continuing their effort to meet families in the middle. LA Opera is introducing opera to L.A. families of all ages and music abilities through their Great Opera Choruses on April 10 at 3 p.m. at the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge on the campus of CSUN. And to sweeten the deal, it’s almost...
L.A. Parent’s Awesome Kids Contest
Deadline to enter is midnight July 17. Chosen winners must be present at L.A. Parent’s Birthday Bash from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. August 2 to receive their award and prize, including a gift card to The Original Farmers Market. Submit your nomination below!
Nintendo Hosts Kids Corner at E3 2014
By Annette Covarrubias A select group of lucky kids had quite an experience at this year’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), where Nintendo hosted the very first Kids Corner. Visitors had the exclusive opportunity to preview nine never-before-seen titles for the Wii U console and Nintendo 3DS family. Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company, came by and demonstrated Pokémon Art Academy, which is scheduled to launch in October. In this game, players will take on the role of aspiring artists and learn to draw Pokémon. But the fun didn’t end there. Super Mario Bros. and Legend of...
Tips for Long Journeys With Loved Ones With Autism
The author of “Cowboy and Willis” and mother of a son with autism offers helpful advice for special-needs travel. by Monica Holloway For many families with loved ones on the autism spectrum the idea of a long journey can be daunting. Here are some suggestions from the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (www.sath.org), a nonprofit educational organization, for making travel with those with special needs as streamlined as possible. Prepare your child with a rehearsal. If you are flying, contact the airport and inquire about visiting in advance of your trip. Let your child experience the hectic, unknown atmosphere...
Strategies For Struggling Readers
Whether they have a learning disability or other special needs, your child can build a relationship with books. by Christina Elston Paul Curtis’s favorite childhood book was The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. He read it in fifth grade, and there is a particular reason that it stayed with him. “It was the first book that I think I really pictured in my mind, and I can still see those images fairly vividly that I created in fifth grade,” Curtis says. Curtis, the Lower School Reading Chair at The Westmark School in Encino, says imagery can be key to helping struggling...
Steve Everett: Power(ful) Soccer Role Model
Steve Everett plays and promotes power soccer, where adults and kids play together from their power wheelchairs, and learn powerful lessons. by Christina Elston When Steve Everett talks about the sport of power soccer, played in power wheelchairs, he makes it sound fun. “We have these guards on the front of our chairs. They almost look like snow plows,” he says, “and when we spin in a circle, that’s how we can generate a lot of power in kicking the ball. It’s called a spin kick.” The game is played four-on-four, on regulation basketball courts with goals instead of nets....
Social Foundations Helps Special-Needs Kids Build Skills
Built on Michelle Winner’s ‘Social Thinking’ concept, the mom-run Santa Monica business touts social awareness. by Elena Epstein Moms Suzanne Tabachnick and Kelly Priest met seven years ago in an early-intervention program for children on the autism spectrum. They had an instant connection. Priest has a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and several years of experience working with families. She attended conferences on “Social Thinking,” a concept pioneered by speech language pathologist Michelle Winner, and shared her interest in the approach with Tabachnick, who then completed mentorship and clinical internship training with Winner at the Center for Social Thinking in...