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So far in my teaching career, I've taught at schools with about 200 students and at schools with upwards of 800 students, as well as at a couple of schools that are somewhere in the middle. Several times, I've had parents ask me which is better. "I'm looking at moving to a new neighbourhood, but the in-district school for the house I saw is really really tiny. Is that okay?" Here are some advantages of small elementary schools. At a small school, everyone knows each other better. The principal will likely know your child's name, even if your child doesn't get in trouble. The teachers on recess duty know your kid; this is especially important if your child has behaviour or health needs or has experienced bullying. Your child will also be more likely to know kids in different grades because they'll all be outside at recess at the same time, and because extracurricular activities will be open to a larger range of grade levels. At my small school, it feels much more like a community. At larger schools, community-building is more challenging. A small school has fewer classes per grade level. This means that your child is more likely to be in the same class as their friends, and will be with the same classmates year after year. This can create a tight, family-like peer group. Another advantage of a small school is that it's easy to get involved in opportunities behind the classroom. In a large school, opportunities such as getting to read the morning announcements or present at an assembly may be limited to a select few of the oldest students. In a small school, your child is more likely to get a chance. It's also far less competitive to make it onto sports teams. For example, an elementary school soccer team can field the same number of grade five and six players, regardless of the size of the school. If there are 100 interested students, the kids who get a chance are those who play soccer outside of school. At a school with 20 interested students, nearly everybody can play on the team. While larger schools do have in-school leagues for the kids who don't make the competitive team, there's something to be said for the experience of getting to compete against kids at other schools. Also, the competitive team probably has a volunteer teacher or parent as a coach, while the house-league teams have limited coaching. At a small school, kids who aren't top athletes get a chance to develop their skills. Lastly, huge schools can be overwhelming! When the bell rings after recess and seven hundred kids have to find their lineups, or when 40 different classes of kids are making their way through the halls to the library or gymnasium, things can get rather chaotic. As a petite teacher, I was sometimes afraid I'd be trampled at a large school - so I can't imagine how a grade one student would feel. So there you have it! I love my small school and hope my own children get a chance to experience a wonderful school community like the one at the school where I teach.

In this post, I wrote/ranted about whether students should get into the TDSB's specialized schools based on merit vs. a lottery system. I have one more important point to add to this rant - what about the arts schools? The TDSB has several arts-focused high schools. Similar to the academic specialized programs, kids from marginalized and racialized backgrounds are underrepresented. To combat this, the school board has changed their admissions process from being audition/portfolio based to a random draw, invoking the ire of some parents, students, and school trustees. One problem that the school board has is that most high schools do not offer high quality arts programs. As a result, teenagers who want to study the arts in a postsecondary program are limited to the specialized arts schools or have to pay for lessons outside of school. This is why I believe that the specialized arts schools should still require auditions and portfolios - this can reserve these schools as a place for students who are truly serious about studying their art form. But what about the students who don't want to study the arts in college or university, who don't want to pursue a career in the arts? This is why every high school should offer an arts program that meets the needs of these students. A student shouldn't have to trek across the city or prepare for an audition in order to attend a school that allows them to take fairly standard classes in music, art, drama, or dance. The specialized schools would then be available for the students who want to take specific courses; for example, an arts-focused school might offer credits in animation, photography, and mixed media because they attract enough students to offer these courses, but every high school should offer visual arts courses taught by trained teachers. Ok, so if arts schools have a rigorous audition process, how is that fair? First of all, if every school offers high quality arts courses, there would be fewer students auditioning. Secondly, we need elementary and middle schools to also offer high quality arts programming. Since I have a background in music, I'm going to use music as my example here. Very few public elementary schools have the type of music program that would give children the skills to get into a program like Claude Watson. Currently, the students who get into that program need to take private lessons in order to meet Claude Watson's high standards. However, if an elementary school has a trained music teacher who actually teaches the music curriculum properly, the graduates of that elementary school will have the skill set to succeed in an audition for an arts school without needing to pay for private lessons. Seriously - if you take a look at the music curriculum in Ontario, the standards are pretty impressive. Children in grade six should be able to sight-sing proficiently, for example. But since most schools barely offer music classes, very few children actually get anything beyond a grade one level of music education. The same goes for visual art. So what do we need? Strong arts programs at both the elementary and secondary levels in all public schools. Special sessions to prepare interested middle school students for admission to arts programs. These sessions should be fully funded by the school board (including transportation and any materials they need) and should include coaching by professional arts teachers so that every interested student gets an opportunity to prepare their art portfolio or prepare for their audition. Funding for musical instruments and art supplies for elementary and middle schools. Training for teacher candidates (people in teachers' college) and in-service teachers to properly teach the arts. Yes, it's okay to have auditioned arts schools for the elite arts students - but a good arts education should be available to everybody.

In Toronto, where I live, students and their families get a lot of choice about where to go to high school. Every student has a "home" school, which is a school at which they are guaranteed admission. Students in French immersion or gifted programs can choose a high school that continues their program, or they can go to their in-district English school. And then there are the specialized schools and programs. Students can choose a specialized program in the arts, math & science, leadership, athletics, or International Baccalaureate. Until recently, admission to these programs involved an application that usually included an essay, interview, audition, or portfolio. One problem was that white, affluent students were over-represented in the specialized programs. School board trustees blamed the admission process for this - and rightfully so. In order to get a spot in a music program at a specialized arts school, a student probably needs to take private lessons. To submit a visual arts portfolio, a student needs art supplies, and these are not always available in the art room at their middle schools. For an academic program that requires an essay or interview, it's certainly an advantage to have parents with a Canadian education to guide them through the process. Admissions exams? A tutor can help. Needless to say, these lessons, materials, and tutoring can cost a lot of money, giving an advantage to students whose families have the means to help them. The admissions process for the specialized high school programs changed for this school year. Now, interested students apply to a centralized application system; they are selected for programs based on a random draw. When this was announced, parents and students (mostly white and/or affluent ones) were outraged. They were concerned that lottery-based admissions would make it less likely for their children to get into the programs and that the quality of the programs would be watered down by having kids who didn't measure up to the high standards set by the old admissions process. Meanwhile, other prospective students and parents applauded the new process; now, families who couldn't pay to give their kids an advantage finally stood a chance. So, where do I stand on this? Given my interest in equity in the education system, you'd assume that I support the new admissions process. Surprisingly, I support the old process with its interviews, exams, and auditions, but with a very strong caveat. The problem, as I see it, isn't that specialized schools require auditions, exams, and interviews to get in. The problem is that regular high schools don't provide the high-quality academic, leadership, and arts programs that students are looking for. I believe that all public high schools should have academic programs with high standards; teenagers shouldn't have to apply to special programs and trek across the city in order to get a math class that challenges them and prepares them for university. Instead of having special schools where the "smart" kids are separated from everyone else, we need high schools that offer these challenging courses. We also need elementary schools that prepare everybody to succeed in high school. Currently, students often have to seek out private tutoring in order to succeed in reading, writing, and math. So how can the TDSB improve this? We need smaller class sizes. Currently, grade 4-8 classes can have well over 30 students! The full-day kindergarten classes often have close to 30 students, with one teacher and one early childhood educator, and are often housed in classrooms that are far too small. We need more educational assistants, special needs assistants, child and youth workers, social workers, and other support staff in our schools to support children who are struggling. We need resources in our classrooms. When I was growing up, we either had textbooks or workbooks in math class. Many schools have stopped using these, preferring more inquiry-based teaching methods, but haven't provided any materials! Teachers have to spend their own money buying resources, or they spend hours creating them or looking for them online. This means that many elementary school math programs are a weird hodgepodge of whatever the teacher can find. We need more special education teachers who can withdraw students in small groups to provide remediation in literacy and math. We need better maintenance for the physical school buildings. Students in Toronto often go to school in classrooms with mouse infestations, mold, and leaking roofs. There are so few caretaking staff that it's nearly impossible for them to keep the schools clean. We need more budget for basic school supplies. Have you ever tried to teach children to measure angles when there is one protractor for every five students? We need air conditioning! In September and June, some classrooms can have temperatures over 30 degrees. Teachers often do whatever they can just to have everyone make it through the school day without fainting. Teachers' and students' productivity suffers due to the heat for up to two of the ten months of the school year, causing us to lose a lot of instructional time. This is not conducive to a good education. We need real professional development to train teachers in evidence-based approaches for teaching literacy and math. When the new math and literacy curricula came out, the training we received was the chance to watch a pre-recorded webinar on our own time. We need every teacher to have paid professional learning opportunities. We need more robust school nutrition programs. As the cost of groceries goes up, more and more families are food-insecure. We need more resources for parents and families. So many parents seem so overwhelmed, and more and more kids are coming to school struggling with self-regulation. Schools need to be community hubs that can connect families with organizations that provide parenting courses, winter clothing, counselling, and the other supports that parents need to succeed. Ok, so if every school has top-notch academic programming, is there still a need for specialized high schools? I'll write more about that in a future post.

I'm back! I took a hiatus from writing because I went back to work after my first maternity leave and discovered that teaching full time and parenting a toddler, while pregnant with baby #2, zapped all of my energy. Instead of blogging in the evenings, I napped. Now, baby #2 is seven weeks old and I blog while he naps. As I write this, both the baby and the cat are asleep on me.io,lop0----- Since I'm going to get political while writing this post, please note that any opinions I express are mine, and not necessarily those of my school or school board. If you're the parent of a school-aged child in Ontario, you have likely heard that there's a new language curriculum for grades 1-8. Here are some things you should know about it. It's supposed to roll out this September. The new curriculum was released in June 2023, and teachers are meant to start teaching it in September 2023, aka right now! This curriculum requires many teachers to completely revamp how they're teaching literacy, and neither the Ministry of Education nor many school boards have provided any training. Also, many schools don't have resources that match the new curriculum. So, if it seems like nothing has changed at your child's school, cut the educators some slack - they likely need a bit more time to prepare. Even though it was released by the Conservative government, it's actually a good thing. Given all of the damage that the Conservatives have done to the public education system in Ontario, it would be logical to assume that there's something wrong with this new curriculum. Fortunately, this isn't the case at all; this new curriculum is a much-needed change from the old one. The Ministry of Education developed the new curriculum in response to the Right to Read inquiry report, which was published in 2022 by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. This report found that the old curriculum was failing to teach many students how to read proficiently because it didn't use evidence-based approaches. The OHRC asserts that learning to read is a human right, and made recommendations to the Ministry of Education, which created the new curriculum. It's not just phonics! One of the main changes from the old curriculum to this one is the emphasis on structured literacy. Structured literacy involves using evidence-based methods to systematically and explicitly teach students foundational literacy skills. In a kindergarten or primary classroom that follows structured literacy, your child will be learning phonics (i.e. learning the sounds of letters and combinations of letters). Sometimes, structured literacy is criticized because people believe that it focuses only on letter sounds, and not on "real" reading, but this is far from the truth. In a structured literacy classroom, your child will be learning a variety of literacy skills. Phonemic awareness: This consists of blending sounds to make words, eg. m + o + m = "mom" and segmenting words into their individual sounds. It's often abbreviated as PA. Vocabulary: Teachers introduce new vocabulary words before students read a text. They deliberately choose words to be taught and review these words frequently. Handwriting: Your child will learn to print or write in cursive using correct letter formation. (This post explains more about why this is so important.) Sentence structure: Your child will learn how to write cohesive and grammatically correct sentences, as well as how to use the structure of a sentence to help comprehend a text. Written composition: Writing is complicated! Children need to know how to plan and organize their writing, do research, get their ideas on paper, and edit and revise their work. Morphology: In the older grades, children learn vocabulary and spelling by studying prefixes, suffixes, and root words. If this sounds rather "old school," it is! But it's far from boring. My grade one students last year cheered for our daily phonics, phonemic awareness, and spelling program, and loved practicing printing. Stay tuned for my next post, when I'll tell you more about these changes.

Do you know a kid who hates reading? I taught grade six for several years, and every class had a few kids who almost had to be forced to read. I've taught kids who would hold a book open but just stare at the ceiling, who would act out in order to get out of reading, and who insisted that all books are dumb. Some of these kids are reluctant readers because they struggle with reading and find it frustrating. If your child hates reading because they can't decode the actual words, there isn't any book series that'll get them to like reading; they need systematic instruction. Other kids, however, are capable readers but are bored by the books that they get from their parents and teachers. If you know that your reluctant reader can read, but just doesn't want to, here is a series that may pique their interest: And Then It Happened. This is a series of books by Canadian authors Michael and Laura Wade. There are now 14 books in the series. Michael did a school visit at one school I worked at. After reading book one aloud to my class, the kids eagerly checked the other books out of the school library. Many bought copies to have signed by the author at his visit. He's hilarious in person, too, and had the kids and staff in stitches. This series features the adventures and misadventures of the unnamed narrator and his two best friends. The books don't divulge the age of the kids, but they're old enough to go places on their own but too young to drive. I've had students and tutoring clients as young as eight and as old as fifteen enjoy these books. Each chapter is a stand-alone story, the stories can be read in any order, and each story is fairly short. This is great for kids who find long boos intimidating. The writing isn't the beautiful, poetic prose that I tend to like, but that's not the point. Laura and Michael Wade don't waste words on descriptions, and you won't find much imagery in their stories. What you will find, however, is likely what your reluctant reader is looking for: relatable characters, suspense, and potty humour. You and your child can enjoy some sample stories on the Wades' website. Yes, the site is called Books for Boys, but the girls in my classes have loved these books too.

What is Scarborough's Reading Rope? Scarborough's reading rope is a diagram by reading researcher Dr. Hollis Scarborough to demonstrate the different skills involved in skilled reading. The rope is divided into two sections. The top section is for language skills. These skills include background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. The bottom section of the rope is for word recognition, which is made up of three separate skills: phonological awareness, decoding, and sight word recognition. Dr. Scarborough explains that children need to be proficient at skills from both the top and bottom sections of the rope in order to become skilled readers. A similar model to explain this is the Simple View of Reading, coined by researchers Gough and Tumner. They don't claim that reading is simple (quite the contrary) but that there is a simple explanation for what is required for reading comprehension. Reading comprehension = language comprehension x decoding RC = LC x D They wrote this as a multiplication equation for a reason - any number multiplied by 0 is 0. What this means is that children who are excellent at decoding but have poor language skills will struggle with reading. So will children with excellent language skills but poor decoding skills. How does this help parents help their kids with reading? What I've found is that most children who struggle with reading have difficulty with the word recognition strand. So many kids have great vocabularies and comprehension skills, but can't figure out the actual words on the page. I help these students by teaching phonics and phonemic awareness; this involves following a systematic program, evaluating the children's progress as I go, and staying abreast of current reading research. When parents try to help their kids with reading, the most battles seem to come out of working on the word recognition strand. Most parents haven't been trained in how to teach reading. Have you asked your kid to sound out a word and had them dissolve into tears? Or spent hours doing flash cards of sight words and wondering why your child never remembers them? Does practicing reading create too much conflict in your home? This isn't your fault. You're just not a trained reading teacher, which is okay! Reading books to your child may be an entirely different experience. That same frustrated kid is happy to listen to a story or learn from a nonfiction book. So here's my advice: Focus on the bottom of the rope. Stop doing flash cards, or whatever else is making your child fight you about reading. Read a variety of books together and talk about what you're reading, focusing on making reading together a fun experience. If getting your kid to read to you is a struggle, don't fight it. If your child struggles with decoding, talk to their teacher to make sure they're getting the support they need at school. If necessary, get a trained structured literacy tutor if you can afford it. But don't turn reading into a battleground at home. As a grade one teacher, it's obvious to me which of my students frequently spend time reading with an adult. These kids don't learn letter sounds faster than their peers, nor are they better at blending sounds together. Instead, these are the kids who have huge vocabularies and can tell me about all kinds of science topics. Once these children learn to decode, they hit the ground running. If you spend half an hour reading to your child every day, you are giving them a reading boost that they can't get from school. I don't have enough time in the school day to spend half an hour one on one with each of my students. When your child snuggles up to listen to you read and talk about what you're reading, they're learning new vocabulary, gaining background information about different topics, getting experience with different literary genres, and practicing the comprehension skills that they've learned in school. On the flip side, if you spend your reading practice time with your child fighting over flash cards, your child is missing out on all of that background information and vocabulary. Plus, their relationship with reading is probably taking quite a hit, as is their relationship with you. Once your child gains the decoding skills, they'll have skills from both parts of the reading rope and be set up to become a skilled reader.

Here is another post in my series about alternatives to the popular Lovevery toys. The Inspector kit is for babies ages 7-8 months. It contains a wooden ball drop, a set of wooden balls, a set of felt balls, a board book that introduces baby signs, a set of cards with textured pictures, nesting/stacking cups that drip, a one-piece puzzle, a woven cloth basket, and a metal drinking cup. It costs $80 USD. Most of these items are fairly easy to find alternatives for or to DIY. I wouldn't spend the money on the actual kit. Ball drop box Your baby definitely needs a ball drop box! This is a really great simple toy. While it seems obvious to us that the ball will roll out into the tray, it feels like magic to an eight-month-old. Maneuvering the ball through the hole is a good fine-motor task too. It took a lot of modeling before my son figured out how to use his ball drop box, but once he did, he was enthralled by it. That said, there are many wooden ball drops that are far more economical than the Lovevery one. I got one from a local toy store, Thinkamajigs, for about $25. You can also DIY a ball drop box. Here's a video that shows how to make one from cardboard. Wooden balls There are so many alternatives to this. There is no reason why the balls have to be wooden. I get that wooden toys are part of Lovevery's aesthetic, but seriously - wooden balls are hard! They hurt when you get hit by them and they make a loud noise when they hit the floor. Get some other balls at a toy store. Just make sure they're safety rated for kids under 3 and that they fit through the holes of the ball drop box. If you buy a ball drop box, it'll come with balls, though they might not be wooden. Things I See cards There are many great books on the market that serve this purpose. My favourites are the First 100 Words book by Roger Priddy and DK My First Words. We saved a lot of money by getting the DK book (and others in the same series) from the public library. Nesting stacking dripdrop cups This is a very common type of toy, so there are many alternatives. Your goal is to find cups that nest, stack, and have holes in the bottom. The ones we have are the Sprout Ware stacking cups by Green Sprouts; they're made with a plant-based resin so they're BPA-free and PVC-free. Another good option is this set from The First Years. You don't need fancy brand-name stacking cups, but you do need to get your baby some kind of stacking cups! They're such a versatile toy. My son loves to stack them, nest them, hide other toys under them, use them in the bath to pour water, bang them against each other, put them on his head, and fit other toys into them. They're a great creative play option. First Puzzle If you're a newbie to baby toys, a one-piece puzzle might seem really basic. And it is - that's the point! Before your baby can figure out which pieces fit into which holes, they first need to learn how to pick up a puzzle piece and put it back in again. A round puzzle is perfect since the circle goes in however it is placed. One of my local toystores, Thinkamajigs, has a single-piece circle puzzle that's very good for your wallet. Fit a photograph (or baby-safe mirror) into the puzzle piece and it's just as good as the Lovevery one. I wouldn't say that a circle puzzle is an essential item though. We got one, and my son couldn't care less about it. He really enjoyed Lovevery's Circle of Friends puzzle, which comes in a later kit and which we scored second-hand. Treasure basket This is definitely one of Lovevery's filler objects. You probably already have a basket somewhere at home. We did - we had a set of them from Homesense that we kept baby clothes in. Some alternative basket choices are these eco-friendly ones from Ikea, this woven one (also from Ikea), this reversible one from Indigo, or this set from Bed Bath and Beyond (you'll use the larger ones around your house, I promise). Since the goal is to have your baby enjoy putting things into the basket and taking them out again (my baby loves this activity), cardboard shoe boxes can work just as well! Felt ball set This is such a fun DIY! If you have an older kid, they'll enjoy helping you make some for the baby. Here's a video tutorial that shows you how. That said, this isn't really an essential item. As long as your baby has balls of different kinds, they're at no disadvantage if they don't have felt ones. Drinking cup I'd consider this another filler object. Cups are easy to find. Perhaps metal cups are harder to find, but you actually might not want a metal cup - its clanking sound would entice your baby to drop it to the floor. My son uses a silicone cup that I admittedly spent too much on. In retrospect, I ought to have gotten some plastic kids' cups from Ikea or gotten some acrylic shot glasses during patio season. I agree with Lovevery that babies should learn to drink from an open cup, but these are fairly easy to find at baby stores. My First Signs book Baby signs must be difficult to learn from a book, since they involve moving your hands and books stay still! I'd skip the baby sign book and teach your baby the signs without one. There are lots of guides online for which signs to teach and how to teach them. If you must have a baby sign book, here are some options; My First Signs by Annie Kubler Baby Signs by Joy Allen First Words Baby Signing by Scholastic The Bottom Line The only items from this kit that I think all babies need are the ball drop box and nesting cups, and you can get these two items for just under $40. If you DIY the ball drop box, you can save a lot more. Economically, I don't think buying the actual kit is worth it.

You're almost at your destination. Your toddler is happy playing with his Oombee Cube. Your kindergartener is making up plays with her finger puppets. And now, it's your school-aged kiddo's turn: "I'm bored! When are we going to get there? Can I play on your phone?" Here are ten choices for bored big kids. All of these are no-tech, can be played solo, and don't require any reading. Pixy Cubes This little tin contains three spatial and logic games that can be played by 1 to 4 players. There are 16 cubes in the tin, and the goal is to recreate a design using four cards or all sixteen. Kids use the challenge cards to either recreate a design quickly or attempt to do it from memory. They can also create their own designs. Ages: 6 years and up Ideal for: airplane, restaurant, visiting relatives Restrictions: requires a table or flat surface Moulin Roty Pocket Puzzles These are classic challenges for kids and adults. There are six styles of puzzle, and each one comes in a tiny (5x5x5 cm) box. Some of these can take hours to solve, so they just might keep your kid (or partner!) busy for the better part of a transatlantic flight. Ages: probably 6+? The manufacturer says 3+, but I can't imagine a three-year-old having the patience for this Ideal for: car, transit, airplane, restaurant, waiting room, visiting relatives Restrictions: not good for kids with low frustration tolerance Thinkfun Block By Block and Shape by Shape Block by Block is a 3D building logic puzzle based on the Soma Cube. There are seven puzzle pieces, made of conjoined tiny cubes, and 60 challenge cards with structures for you to build. Shape by Shape is a similar idea, but it's two-dimensional and based on a tangram with a border. Each game is sold separately and comes with its own travel bag. Ages: 8+ (definitely a challenge even for adults) Ideal for: airplane, restaurant, visiting relatives Restrictions: requires a flat surface Kanoodle Kanoodle is a brain-teaser that involves two hundred different challenges, some two-dimensional and some three-dimensional. If your kids master all of them, there are other versions, like Kanoodle Genius and Kanoodle Extreme. You can get by without a flat surface since the box has indentations to keep the pieces in place. Ages: 7+ (great for teens and adults too) Ideal for: car, airplane, restaurant, waiting room, transit, visiting relatives Restrictions: don't use this anywhere where dropped pieces are irretrievable Crocodile Creek Puzzle Tins The beautiful Crocodile Creek puzzles also come in 150-piece tins for older kids. Your options are dinosaurs, ocean animals, and African animals. The finished puzzle is 12x8 inches, so it's small enough for an airplane tray. Ages: 6+ Ideal for: airplane, restaurant, visiting relatives Restrictions: requires a table or flat surface Tegu Again? Yes, this is truly a toy for all ages! These magnetic wooden blocks can be assembled to make a variety of creations. They're safe for babies but also fun for older kids, so both your toddler and school-aged kiddo can enjoy them. The Travel Pals, Pocket Pouch Prisms, and Pocket Pouch Original lines are small sets that are ideal for travel. The Pocket Pouches come in a variety of different colours, and you can combine two pouches to make bigger creations. The Travel Pals are shaped like animals or vehicles, but you can reconfigure the blocks to make other designs as well. These toys can be used by one kid or possibly shared by siblings (depending on how well they cooperate!). Since the blocks are magnetic, you don't need a flat surface to play. Tegu are expensive, but they're worth it because your kids won't outgrow it. Don't be surprised if you find yourself playing with these as well. Ages: 0+ Ideal for: transit, car, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: not ideal for anywhere where dropped pieces can't be retrieved, so whether or not it's a car-friendly toy depends on your child Kaleidoscopes and pocket prisms This is another toy that was also on the preschool list, but big kids love these too. Just when you're tired of hearing "When are we going to get there?," pass these cool classic toys to your children and let them enjoy seeing the world in a whole other way. If you have more than one kid, get enough kaleidoscopes for everyone, since this isn't a toy that's easily shared. Some of these are small enough that your kids can carry them in their own pockets. The mini camera is neat because it allows kids to pretend to take photos and has a carry strap. Most of these are available to order from Dilly Dally Kids, an amazing independent toy store in Vancouver. If your school-aged kid bores of this toy sooner than a preschooler does, pose this question: "How do you think it works?" There are a few brands that make these: Mader wooden prism Moulin Roty pocket kaleidoscope Moulin Roty prism/fly eye Plantoys mushroom kaleidoscope Plantoys mini camera Schylling tin kaleidoscope Ages: 3+ (I've seen ten-year-olds mesmerized by these) Ideal for: airplane, car, transit, visiting relatives, waiting room, restaurants I hope that adding these cool toys into your purse or carry-on can help keep your school-aged kid happy and screen-free!

Once again, you're out and about and you have a bored kid. A few days ago, I wrote about some portable toys for babies and toddlers, but what about your preschooler? In this post, I'll show you some developmentally appropriate toys for children ages three and up, so that you can hand them something educational instead of relinquishing your phone. All of these are items that one child can play with independently and that don't require any reading skills. Some are toys that siblings can share, but note that most of these are marketed for ages 3+ due to choking hazards. Atelier Fischer Cube Puzzles These puzzles are made up of four, six, or nine wooden cubes. Preschoolers can put them together, matching the parts to make a whole picture. Each puzzle set contains six different puzzles (one for each side of the cube), and they come in a little wooden box. There are many companies that make these, but the atelier Fischer ones are my favourite because the drawings are so realistic. These are available at some independent toy stores, including Dilly Dally Kids in Vancouver and Ava's Appletree in Toronto. Ages: 3 years and up Ideal for: airplane, restaurant, visiting relatives Restrictions: requires a table or flat surface Folkmanis finger puppets These are by far the best finger puppets I've ever seen. They're so realistic and very well made. There are dozens of different species, mostly North American woodland animals, sea mammals, and birds, though there are also some fantasy creatures, tropical and African animals, and pets. If you have a creative child who likes to play pretend, pack a couple of these so that your child can make up lots of pretend animal adventures. Your child can also use these to entertain a younger sibling. These are available on Amazon and from many independent toystores and bookstores. Ages: 3+ for independent play, younger if supervised Ideal for: car, public transit, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: not ideal for anywhere where dropped puppets can't be retrieved Crocodile Creek Mini Puzzles These 50-piece puzzles come in a small tin, the size of a pencil case. There are three colourful choices: unicorns, dinosaurs, or shark reef. The finished puzzle measures 12 by 8 inches, so it can fit on an airplane tray. While the larger Crocodile Creek puzzles are available on Amazon, the mini puzzle tins are only in independent stores. Ages: 4+ Ideal for: airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: requires a table or other flat surface Plantoys Mini Tins Each tiny tin comes with a different activity. You can get no-tech wooden toys, such as a set of mosaic blocks, a cube puzzle, or a set of spinning tops, packaged up in an adorable and packable tin box. Some of these games are better suited to two or more kids and others (like the mosaic blocks or cube puzzle) are great for solo play. Ages: 3+ Ideal for: airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: all of these toys require a flat surface Kaleidoscopes and pocket prisms Just when you're tired of hearing "When are we going to get there?," pass these cool classic toys to your children and let them enjoy seeing the world in a whole other way. If you have more than one kid, get enough kaleidoscopes for everyone, since this isn't a toy that's easily shared. Some of these are small enough that your kids can carry them in their own pockets. The mini camera is neat because it allows kids to pretend to take photos and has a carry strap. Most of these are available to order from Dilly Dally Kids, an amazing independent toy store in Vancouver, but you can also find them at other independent toy stores across Canada and internationally. I recommend getting a wooden or metal kaleidoscope or prism, since the cardboard ones don't last as long. There are a few brands that make these: Mader wooden prism Moulin Roty pocket kaleidoscope Moulin Roty prism/fly eye Plantoys mushroom kaleidoscope Plantoys mini camera Schylling tin kaleidoscope Ages: 3+ (I've seen ten-year-olds mesmerized by these) Ideal for: airplane, car, transit, visiting relatives, waiting room, restaurants Tegu Wait, wasn't this on the list of travel toys for toddlers? Yup. This is a travel toy for anyone, ages 0 to adult. These magnetic wooden blocks can be assembled to make a variety of creations. They're safe for babies but also fun for older kids, so both your toddler and school-aged kiddo can enjoy them. The Travel Pals, Pocket Pouch Prisms, and Pocket Pouch Original lines are small sets that are ideal for travel. The Pocket Pouches come in a variety of different colours, and you can combine two pouches to make bigger creations. The Travel Pals are shaped like animals or vehicles, but you can reconfigure the blocks to make other designs as well. These toys can be used by one kid or possibly shared by siblings (depending on how well they cooperate!). Since the blocks are magnetic, you don't need a flat surface to play. Tegu are expensive, but they're worth it because your kids won't outgrow it. Don't be surprised if you find yourself playing with these as well. Ages: 0+ Ideal for: transit, car, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: not ideal for anywhere where dropped pieces can't be retrieved, so whether or not it's a car-friendly toy depends on your child Stuff some of these toys into your purse or carry on, and enjoy a few minutes of relative peace.

You're on a bus ride to another city or you're waiting at the doctor's office. Your child demands to play on your phone, but you don't want to give up your phone. Maybe you need it for something, it's almost out of batteries, you don't trust your kid with it, or you just don't want your kid to have more screen time. Here are some toys that you can fit in your purse or diaper bag to keep your child amused without resorting to handing over your phone. All are toys that one child can play independently, though some are also ideal for sharing. Tegu These magnetic wooden blocks can be assembled to make a variety of creations. They're safe for babies but also fun for older kids, so both your toddler and school-aged kiddo can enjoy them. The Travel Pals, Pocket Pouch Prisms, and Pocket Pouch Original lines are small sets that are ideal for travel. The Pocket Pouches come in a variety of different colours, and you can combine two pouches to make bigger creations. The Travel Pals are shaped like animals or vehicles, but you can reconfigure the blocks to make other designs as well. These toys can be used by one kid or possibly shared by siblings (depending on how well they cooperate!). Since the blocks are magnetic, you don't need a flat surface to play. Tegu are expensive, but they're worth it because your kids won't outgrow it. Don't be surprised if you find yourself playing with these as well. Ages: 0+ Ideal for: transit, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives Restrictions: not ideal for strollers or anywhere where dropped pieces can't be retrieved Oombee Cube by Fat Brain Toys This is a small shape puzzle for babies and toddlers. The shapes are attached to the cube, so they can't lose any pieces. This toy is made of silicone, making it a satisfying chew toy for teething babies. You can use a pacifier clip to attach it to the stroller or car seat. Ages: 10 months and up Ideal for: car, public transit, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives, stroller Mobi Zippee This is a fine motor and sensory toy that appeals to toddlers, though you may find yourself fidgeting with it too! Toddlers grab the end of a zip and pull, then repeat. There aren't any pieces to lose, and it's made of silicone, so it's lightweight. Use a pacifier clip if you're using it in the car seat or stroller. Ages: 18 months and up (note that it's not meant as a teether) Ideal for: car, public transit, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives, stroller Manhattan Toys soft books This is a great option for younger toddlers. The books have sensory parts, like textured tags and crinkly fabric, as well as mirrors, toys to put in and take out of pockets, and cloth flaps to lift. Some of the books have a basic storyline, like a dog looking for its bone, and others are wordless. The books have a loop so that you can attach it to a stroller or carseat, and all of the components are tethered on. Ages: newborns and up Ideal for: car, public transit, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives, stroller Manhattan Toys Farmers Market Peas in a Pod This adorable toy is a little zippered pea pod with three peas inside. The peas each have a different sensory feature (a squeaker, a rattle, and crinkly fabric), and they're attached to each other and to the pod so that they don't get lost. Younger babies enjoy feeling the different textures, older babies play by taking the peas out of the pod and putting them back in again, and toddlers can master zipping and unzipping the pouch. Ages: newborns and up Ideal for: car, public transit, airplane, restaurants, waiting rooms, visiting relatives, stroller Whether you're planning a trip to escape winter, or hoping that your toddler can join you at a restaurant, grab one (or more!) of these toys to keep your little one happy.

Few authors are accomplished at writing both picture books and novels, but Grace Lin has done exactly that. Lin is a Chinese-American author and illustrator who has won both the Newbery and Caldecott medals. Much of her work draws from her Chinese heritage, and several of her books are inspired by events from her own childhood. Here are my three favourite books by Grace Lin. Dim Sum for Everyone is a simple picture book for young children, available as both a paperback and a board book. It shows a family going out for Dim Sum, and is a great way to introduce toddlers and preschoolers to this part of Chinese culture. It's also a great book for beginning readers. The end of the book provides more information about Dim Sum. A Big Mooncake for Little Star is about a little girl whose mother makes mooncakes for the upcoming Moon Festival. Little Star is impatient to eat the mooncake, so she sneakily nibbles away one bite each night. This is a relatable family story, an introduction to an Asian holiday, and a description of the phases of the moon, all in one beautifully-illustrated book. This book won the Caldecott Medal. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a Newbery Medal winner, is one of my favourite middle-grade novels. It's part fantasy and part Chinese folklore, about a girl named Minli who goes on a journey to meet the old man on the moon in order to help her family. Many parts of the plot are inspired by Chinese folktales, so it's full of lessons for young readers. Children as young as grade two or three could handle reading this novel independently, but I've also had grade six students who loved it. It's appropriate to be read aloud to younger children as well. It has two sequels which are similar but follow different characters. In addition to writing fantastic children's books, Lin advocates for diversity in children's literature. Her video essay, Your Favourite Book From Childhood Might be Racist, explains how you can love an old favourite book but still address its problematic content, and she did a TED Talk in 2016 on the need for representation of diverse cultures in children's books. Every child from toddlerhood to middle school needs to have books by Grace Lin on their bookshelves.

In my last two posts, I explained why a B is an acceptable grade and why report card grades are so subjective. Now this is where this post really turns into a rant. I have big feelings about this, because I wish that I was allowed to just write honestly about your child's progress. We're often not allowed to be honest in our comments I often feel really bad about this one. We have to phrase everything positively and often use a lot of jargon. The times that I've tried to write what I really wanted to say, I was asked by the principal to change my comments. By now, I know to write in edu-speak so that I don't have to revise every single report card for being too honest. What I wish I could write: "Timmy hasn't learned to count to 10. Children at this point in grade one should be able to rote-count to 20." What I'm supposed to write instead: 'With considerable support, Timmy can count to 10." The results? Parents see that I've written what their child can do and is proud of their accomplishments. Yay! My kid can count to 10 with help! Since most parents haven't read the curriculum documents, they don't know that that's far below expectations. They're not concerned about their child's progress and may not attend the parent-teacher meeting to learn more about how we can work together to support their child. OR Parents see the comment about what their child can do and a letter grade of C or D and are upset with me that the comment doesn't match the letter grade (quite frankly, I don't blame them). I'll put this in all caps so everybody hears me: IF WE SAY YOUR KID CAN ONLY DO SOMETHING WITH CONSIDERABLE SUPPORT, WE'RE SAYING THAT THEY CAN'T DO IT. We're just not allowed to actually write "can't." So what can you do? Please, please come to the parent teacher meeting. If you're not available on the day that the meetings take place, ask for an alternative time. Ask how your child is doing in relation to the curriculum expectations. Make sure that you and the teacher have a mutual understanding of your child's progress and of what you, the teacher, and your child plan to do to help your child succeed. If you're confused about the edu-speak in the comments, please ask us!