Education

Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Children

                    By Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Children Children are confronted daily with rich opportunities to solve problems and exercise their own independent judgment when they’re given the chance to safely explore... Read More

Winter Break Camps

                Looking for a winter break camp? Here’s a list of fabulous day camps for all kinds of activities. The YMCA Chicago even offers overnight camps. It’s not too late to sign up so register now! Specialty Camps The... Read More

Easy & Fun Math Activities for Preschoolers

Oaklee’s Guest Post by Dr. Mary Mokris, Senior Advisor at Kumon North America.  Chances are, your toddler is already using math every day without even realizing it. Math is everywhere! Whether stacking blocks or counting toys, your child is already applying basic math concepts to daily... Read More

XOXO Feelings & Families leaves on February 1, 2015

Editor’s Note: The Museum is currently closed due to a flooding. Check the website to get the latest information.      XOXO: An Exhibit about Love & Forgiveness leaves the DuPage Children’s Museum on February 1, 2015! Developing Emotional Intelligence From infancy, human beings express emotions naturally. Developmentally children... Read More

EZ Leaps Shoe Tying Tool

EZLeaps shoe tying tool Are your kids learning to tie their shoes? Here’s a simple but helpful tool created by a local Mompreneur. Eileen Soan, a first grade teacher in Plainfield and Downers Grove, got frustrated always having to tie her students shoes, so she invented... Read More

Six Ways to Raise and Nurture a Young Entrepreneur

Guest Post By John Hope Bryant   Children are natural-born entrepreneurs. When they’re toddlers, they make homemade mud pies and “sell” them to Mom or Dad. As they get older, they start to understand that adults will pay them small amounts of real money in exchange... Read More

Ways Music Benefits Children

Young children seem instinctively drawn to music. I’m sure you remember your toddler bouncing and swaying to the beat as they first became aware of music around them. Music provides many benefits to children, including improving their memory, focus and social skills. It’s also an effective... Read More

Should you praise brains or effort?

What kind of learner are you? We’ve heard that some people learn by watching, others learn by doing it, and still others learn best by reading. What style of learning works best for your child? Educators have identified seven learning styles: visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social and... Read More

Magnicubes Recalled Due to Ingestion Hazard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to immediately stop use of all Magnicube Spheres and Magnicube Cubes and check for magnets that have become separated from the set. They have received numerous reports of ingestions involving the small, high-powered magnets, including many that required surgery.... Read More

10 Great First Pets

Kids are always clamoring for a pet, without understanding how much work comes along with the adoption. Before you say no to vet bills, food, grooming, clean-up and all the additional responsibility of a pet, here’s a list from www.howstuffworks.com of non-traditional pets that could be... Read More

Keep Kids Reading!

Are your kids picking up a book this summer? A new survey finds that children spend nearly three times as many hours weekly watching TV or playing video games as they do reading in the summer, despite research that indicates the importance of summer reading to... Read More

How to Cope with Chronic Homework Problems

Oaklee’s Guest Post by Andrew Spetter of The Tutoring Center When your child consistently fails to complete homework assignments, you need to step in. Can your child usually complete assignments with extra assistance and encouragement? On most evenings, children should be able to complete assignments independently.... Read More

10 Reasons to Visit a Museum

Oaklee’s guest post excerpted from Colleen Dilenschneider  1. Museums make you feel good. Experiences, such as visiting a museum, can become a meaningful part of ones identity and contribute to successful social relationships in a manner that material items cannot. So consider foregoing an outing for... Read More

6 Tips for Getting Boys to Read this Summer

A news story in today’s (April 24) edition of The Times of London states that the gender gap in children's reading skills is due to the industry being dominated by female gatekeepers – publishers, editors, reviewers… As the author of a series of books that are being... Read More

Get ready to kick homework butt!

As the summer winds down and the new school year approaches, it can be hard to get your kids away from the video games and back into books. The World Almanac® for Kids 2014 (available August 20; $13.99) is a perfect addition to every child’s back-to-school... Read More

Parents Keep Language Learning Alive at their Schools

The Power of Parents to Influence their Schools Hola! And Nihao! That’s what parents in Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 are hoping to hear from their children this year. When their school board eliminated the district’s world language program after funding ran out, parents raised their voices to find... Read More

How Homeschoolers can use Museums for Teaching

Here are some tips and tricks from experienced home schoolers to make the most of your visit to a museum. 1. Ask for an educational packet before your visit. Many museums have information packets for teachers that include fact sheets, math and science activities and other projects to... Read More

School Directory

School Directory As parents we know that our entire life hinges on being able to find great child care and picking the right one can be a daunting task! Oaklee’s Family Guide is proud to help you along the way! Find a comprehensive listing of pre-schools and... Read More

End Bullying Now!

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and it’s time to focus on this terrible epidemic that drives young children to commit suicide and keeps as many as 160,000 kids out of school on any given day for fear of being bullied. Brooks Gibbs, one of the nation’s... Read More

What are you reading to your kids?

My favorite bedtime books for reading to the kids were anything by Dr. Seuss, the Little House on the Prairie series, and the Junie B. Jones stories. I had one child who devoured books, and one who barely managed to get through a magazine page, but both of them liked... Read More

11 Tips for Making Homework Time Fun

Oaklee’s Guest Post By Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Tutor.com According to The National Center for Family Literacy, almost 50% of parents feel they can’t help their child with homework because they don’t understand the material. And let’s face it, for most parents it’s been a long time since they’ve been... Read More