Portland Parents

Explore how to fulfill our expectations as parents while living with our children in a mutual beneficial and responsible relationship.

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Is your second or third grader ready for Dora?

You might think of Dora as a preschooler’s cartoon. Backpack and map are engaging for the younger kid. Maybe even a kindergartener. But a third-grader? Most third-graders have outgrown the three-problem, Swiper the Fox engagement, where’s the answer on the screen format that Dora presents. So Nickelodeon and Mattel are doing something about it.

Meet Dora the young girl. Her mysteries have moved to the mall and she’s more Nancy Drew than Bratz.

But is this really necessary?

source

And if you haven’t started your plantings yet, you should get to work .

My four year old is delighted in growing things. I figured I’d show her how to grow more stuff than she can shake a stick at. I rinsed out some milk jugs and then found this indepth instructable online.

and look, just last week!

Basically, you’re using the cotton twine through the lid into some water in order to keep the water in the pot damp. It (the water) will be wicking through the string, from the bottom to the top of the dish. You’ll be growing the plants in the top part of the milk jug (the pictures in the post I linked to explain it much better).

On my first “experiment” I just cut off the front of the jug, leaving the handle, stabbed some holes in the bottom of the jug and filled it with dirt. I sank a bunch of water into it, and I’ll go back and have her plunk some seeds into it. But these pictures have really given me some “food for thought” – we drink between 3 and 5 jugs of milk a week here (depending on the availability of chocolate cake). Maybe I could divert some of those from the recycling buckets to the garden.

The 4th Annual All Born “In” inclusion conference put on by the Northwest Down Syndrome Association, PSU and other area partners. The conference is held on April 18th from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm at the Ambridge Event Center, 1333 NE MLK Blvd, Portland, OR 97232. This unique one-day conference offers tools, networking and inspiration for parents and professionals committed to inclusive education opportunities for children birth – 21 with disabilities.

All Born “In” features over 14 dynamic sessions and two nationally known keynote speakers, and costs just $35-$50, including 2 meals. Online registration is available at www.nwdsa.org.

Presented by Dr. Steven Hughes

Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 7:00-8:30pm

Crowne Plaza, Belmont Ballroom
1441 NE 2nd Avenue, Portland

Tickets are $10 per person

We all want our children to be happy, successful, and to possess good self-esteem. What are the best ways to achieve these goals? The rules have changed over the past generation. Are parents erring on the side of being too strict or too permissive?

Dr. Steven Hughes’s presentation traces the development of the self-esteem “movement” and reviews some of the surprising (and relieving) results of research examining modern parenting practices. He closes
with a set of practical recommendations on how to “stay out of his clinic” by following sensible, research-proven strategies to raise happy, helpful children with authentic self-esteem.

Steven Hughes, Ph.D, L.P, is a pediatric neuropsychologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology. In his clinical work he has specialized in neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents with a wide range of learning, developmental, and medical disorders. As a Montessori parent, Dr. Hughes has helped many families understand their child’s
developmental needs.

In cooperation with the Oregon Montessori Association