What parents should know about the conflicting news on school food
January 27, 2012 – 7:00 am | 2 Comments

The very same week we learned about the push to ban trans fats from Colorado school food, both at lunch and in before- and after-school snacks, another study asserted that junk food in school vending machines has no impact on students’ weight or obesity levels.
It’s confusing. Kind like all the conflicting studies about coffee [...]

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Article Archive for December 2011

Outside Guide: Colorado’s outdoor ice-skating rinks
December 11, 2011 – 8:27 am | 3 Comments
Outside Guide: Colorado’s outdoor ice-skating rinks

Sharpen those blades of glory: Colorado’s outdoor ice-skating rinks are open and glistening in the wake of a dozen Zambonis. Some rinks are cozy and family-oriented, like Lakewood’s little Rink at Belmar, where a couple of long glides can take a skater halfway around the ice. Go to larger rinks, like Keystone’s frozen lake, to [...]

How to Throw a Cookie Exchange Party & Enjoy Our Fabulous Recipes!
December 11, 2011 – 7:07 am | 4 Comments
How to Throw a Cookie Exchange Party & Enjoy Our Fabulous Recipes!

I will bet all of you would agree that one of the best things about the holidays is the wonderful smell of Christmas cookies. While it may be a tradition for many families, it is also one of the most time-consuming. Have you wanted to discover a new holiday tradition that helps this dilemma, but [...]

Denver judge rules low funding for Colorado schools is “unconscionable”
December 10, 2011 – 10:30 am | 12 Comments
Denver judge rules low funding for Colorado schools is “unconscionable”

In a ruling that could have profound consequences for Colorado’s budget, a Denver judge Friday said the state’s school-funding system is not “thorough and uniform” as mandated by the state constitution.
The state’s school-funding system “is not rationally related to the mandate to establish and maintain a thorough and uniform system of free public schools,” District [...]

‘Tis the season to get pampered
December 10, 2011 – 7:00 am | 4 Comments
‘Tis the season to get pampered

And I ain’t talking diapers for the baby.
I’m talking a facial for the mama.
The Ritz-Carlton Spa in Denver is a four-time Forbes Four Star award winning spa (2008 – 2012). And it is currently offering special ways to pamper anyone in your life that may be under a wee bit of stress (you, perhaps?). Or someone [...]

Places to cut your own tree in Colorado (& do you prefer artifical or real?)
December 9, 2011 – 7:01 am | 5 Comments
Places to cut your own tree in Colorado (& do you prefer artifical or real?)

Holiday revelers have plenty of options when it comes to finding the perfect Christmas tree. They can buy artificial timber preloaded with lights and ornaments. Or, they can opt for the real deal, selecting a Colorado spruce or Douglas fir from one of the many precut vendors who set up shop this time of year.
But [...]

No chimney full of toys? How to handle holiday disappointments
December 9, 2011 – 7:00 am | 3 Comments
No chimney full of toys? How to handle holiday disappointments

In a recent interview with Dr. Jeffrey I. Dolgan, PhD, Senior Psychologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, we asked how to manage children’s expectations during the holidays. Here’s what Dr. Dolgan had to say about how to deal with holiday let-downs if Santa, Mom or Dad come up short.
What do kids expect at Christmastime or Hanukkah?
Kids [...]

Resistance to Homework is Futile
December 8, 2011 – 7:00 am | 3 Comments
Resistance to Homework is Futile

Resistance to schoolwork is futile. You will be assimilated into the schoolwork collective.
Public school or homeschool, there’s bound to be resistance to schoolwork at some point, or multiple points. How do you handle the complaints, the dislike, the utter resistance that kids throw our way?

Holiday cards: We’re sending fewer than we used to, but we want them to be special
December 8, 2011 – 6:45 am | 6 Comments
Holiday cards: We’re sending fewer than we used to, but we want them to be special

Once, Christmas cards represented a tradition so widespread that extra holiday mail required the U.S. Postal Service to hire seasonal help to sort through the annual paper blizzard.
Lately, that storm is decreasing into flurries.
“We only get about 20, 25 cards by Christmas,” says Elissa Auther of Denver.
“When I was growing up, we got dozens, and [...]

Kids Need To Fail
December 7, 2011 – 7:00 am | 11 Comments
Kids Need To Fail

I think it’s important for kids to fail.
No really. Hear me out. I’m not saying I want kids to fail all the time and never succeed, but did you know that failure and success are not mutually exclusive?
Claire has always been good at everything, right away: Academics, Ballet, Karate, Swimming, you name [...]

Denver middle schools recruiting and captivating students
December 7, 2011 – 6:55 am | 2 Comments
Denver middle schools recruiting and captivating students

At one recent Denver middle-school open house, the principal greased visiting fifth-graders’ palms with chocolate. Another dangled international travel before visitors. And one captivated recruits with classroom chairs that actually bounce, to accommodate fidgeting pre-teens.
Practically every Denver middle school now invites fifth-graders and their parents to an open house. Many host fifth-graders as they “shadow” [...]