Tomorrow, Night Owl’s kindergarten will finally receive the H1N1 vaccine, but for us, it’s too little, too late. My daughters were both ill two weeks ago with what their doctor described as “classic influenza” — most likely H1N1, she said, since that’s what’s making the rounds right now.

The vaccine had been elusive at the pediatrician’s office too — initial doses reserved for high-risk children.

After their days of fever, cough, and upset stomach (and for Night Owl, a side of mild pneumonia), they are back in school. But even if they’re now immune to this one virus, even if we decide to be doubly safe and vaccinate, I know the usual parade of seasonal horrors will still visit us. And believe me, some have been far more hideous than what we endured last week (the intestinal virus Night Owl spread to all 15 guests last Thanksgiving, for one).

In order to fortify my kids, I’ve been collecting information on boosting natural immunity during cold and flu season. Certainly, improving overall health can go a long way in fighting off infections and rebounding more quickly from them.

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Recently, my cousin mused on her 20 years as a kindergarten teacher: “It has changed. It’s much more academic now than it was in 1989.” She loves her job but feels pressure to teach certain skills sooner, even if some children aren’t developmentally ready. This year, she opted for her son to repeat pre-Kindergarten and grow a bit, knowing firsthand the demands today’s kindergarten places on children.

The play-based kindergarten I remember is starkly different from even my daughter’s pre-K experience. Last year, “homework” began appearing in Night Owl’s mailbox some time around Thanksgiving. There were flash cards bearing her classmates’ names, so we could practice word recognition at home. Her teacher balanced the day with play and rest time, but I wondered if all this work was appropriate for four-year-olds (some still three). (more…)

Last night, I read my daughters Bread and Jam for Frances. My favorite part is the end, when Frances relishes every bite of her sophisticated boxed lunch (Lobster salad! Cream of tomato soup!) and “makes it all come out even.” Alas, in my house, a steady diet of peanut butter and jelly has done nothing to make picky Night Owl beg for something new. Cafeteria lunch? Forget it! We’ve tried. Each time, she eschews the healthier options in favor of a white hamburger bun dipped in ketchup. I figure we’re better off packing lunch.

Volunteering in the lunchroom, I’ve seen an impressive variety of homemade offerings on display. There are Caribbean stews and colorful Chinese stir-fries. My friend Min, who is from Korea, makes her son freshly steamed rice, on which she arranges black beans into a letter of the day. All of these lunches look healthy and hearty, and the children devour them.

A recent New York Times article detailed the art of the bento box; some of their examples dazzlingly intricate. If I had hours to spend sculpting bunnies out of food and thought it would coax Night Owl to eat more, perhaps I would perfect this craft. And I do get the idea of the bento box: to juxtapose as many colors, textures and food groups as possible, for nutritional value and visual appeal. A friend of mine packs Laptop Lunches, westernized bento boxes she says force her to create a varied and balanced meal — and leftovers work just fine for filling the compartments. (more…)

I admit it: last year, I ditched out early on our PTA meeting (my daughters were climbing on me). This year, I vowed not only to attend but to listen carefully until the bitter end — which was more than an hour and a half. Many other parents seemed to be doing the same, even those toting squirming babies. After all, we want to know how budget cuts will affect our children, what might be whisked away, how we can all help. It’s harder, this year, to take for granted that certain programs and services will magically happen on their own.

Our principal declared herself optimistic, despite the 5% cuts we’re being hit with. She opened the meeting on an upbeat note, reading friendly letters students had written to her over the summer — one, amusingly, begged for better toilet paper in the school bathrooms. As the stream of teachers and parents spoke, I realized just how much of what helps our school succeed comes from the PTA. They make many of our arts programs possible. They maintain the web site. They organize enrichment classes taught by parents (last year, a dad helped kindergartners make a movie). They pay for some of the school’s supplies. And, of course, they raise the money and recruit parent volunteers to do all of this. (more…)

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) brought school children a step closer to enjoying produce from small, local farms in their cafeterias. The “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, announced last Tuesday, seeks to better nourish kids and support local farms by creating stronger connections between the two. The USDA will allocate $50 million for public schools to buy local produce and will set up farm-to-school tactical teams to tour schools and help them put the plan into action.

How and when this initiative will benefit NYC schools (and growers) remains to be seen, but good nutrition is always good news. Many kids get the majority of their calories at school, so what they’re served there can make the difference between wellness and illness. With national rates of childhood obesity and Type II diabetes skyrocketing, it’s becoming more apparent we need to change our collective habits-quickly. Helping schools replace processed foods with more fresh produce is a move in the right direction.

Alongside the Garden to School Café programs, which our family participated in this past summer at PS 29, “Know your Farmer, Know Your Food” provides an opportunity to educate our kids about nutrition and food production, while feeding their growing bodies. If students’ enthusiasm last week over pesto and salad from the PS 29 garden was any indicator, kids won’t need much convincing that wholesome fare is delicious too.

Is any tasty local food ending up in your school lunchroom? Comment below to let us know.

School is back in session and the parks around here are a bit emptier; toddlers once again rule the swings and sandboxes. All went smoothly for us, enough for me to question my own moments of worry. Night Owl, my kindergartner, still struggles with the early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine, but she put on her game face and strode confidently into her classroom. Her old classroom. It was the only hiccup in an otherwise smooth morning at PS 29. Thanks to clear communication from the school, everyone seemed to know what to expect that first day, so the momentary congestion in the halls only seemed to produce amiable chitchat.

Many arriving kindergarten parents were pleasantly surprised to see classroom assistants alongside teachers — after being told in June we would not have them. Our school is increasingly crowded. A new kindergarten class sprouted this year to absorb the influx, but the classrooms are still full. It was a relief when news came later in the summer that the city had reversed itself, and granted permission to keep PTA-funded aides in the classroom, especially in the face of budget cuts. Our PTA leaders hired them in time for opening day, so there are an extra set of hands in the kindergarten classrooms. (more…)

My daughters have declared themselves ready to go back to school. It was too easy! I can’t take any credit for the last couple of rainy, boring days of our vacation that convinced them. But, just because there’s no apparent angst around here doesn’t mean we’ll be breezing gracefully through the school’s doors, on time, next Wednesday morning.

We’ve gotten more than a tad lax, having been out of town for August. I’m not entirely sure my daughters know how to clean up after themselves any more, not to mention follow a classroom routine. I can’t say whether any of their school shoes fit (or where they are), and there was a list around here somewhere of supplies we’re supposed to get for my daughter’s kindergarten classroom. We need updated medical forms and booster shots and, worst of all, my 5-year-old Night Owl is living up to her nickname with a vengeance, creeping around until 11 p.m. and snoozing until 10. Help! (more…)

Could it be? The back-to-school ads are here! For me, that’s usually a signal to revisit my list of summer ambitions before September arrives. Soon, I figure, my children will be in school and indoors for most of their days.

My 5-year-old daughter, Night Owl, is a nature freak, so the two of us recently took a trip to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Near JFK airport, it’s a protected oasis of marshland where over 330 bird species feed and nest. We drove, but you can take the “A” train to the Broad Channel stop, then walk three-quarters of a mile to the visitor center. If your kids up for it, the trip is well worth the trek. The Q53 and Q21 buses from Queens also serve the refuge. (more…)

This summer, my daughters and I are getting our hands dirty, thanks to their schools and our city. We may live in an asphalt-dominated landscape, but with minimal effort we have found green spaces where we can practice the good, old-fashioned art of gardening.

My 4-year-old’s school, PS 29, participates in the Garden to School Café program. Their vegetable garden, tucked in a sunny corner of the schoolyard, acts as science lesson, cafeteria supplier, and classroom pet. Science teacher Tina Aprea-Reres, featured in a July Daily News article about the program, maintains the garden as part of her curriculum, which extends into the summer months. Children help grow vegetables, which become cafeteria lunches in the fall. Last year, pesto was popular, even with those otherwise wary of green stuff. This spring, kids offered beautiful bunches of radishes from their own “farm stand”. (more…)

Claiborne Williams Milde is the parent of a kindergartner at PS 29 and a three-year-old preschooler. She lives in Brooklyn and is a freelance writer and cook. We’re pleased to welcome her regular contributions to The InsideSCOOP.

On a gray day this June, my daughter—I’ll call her Night Owl—stood on a blue riser and “stepped up” to kindergarten. The teacher spoke of what an amazing group of preschoolers this had been, and I realized how much I would miss the faces I saw each day at pick-up, at lunch duty, and on field trips. Another week of school followed Stepping Up, but it barely counted; as each day passed, paintings and projects disappeared from the walls, and with them, the room’s personality.

I flash back to Night Owl’s first day at PS 29. Climbing the huge stairway, she looked comically tiny, as if trying on a grownup’s clothes. I wondered how she, newly four, would tackle life in the big school. But pre-K turned out to be a safe bubble. Sure, there was structure and discipline, ABCs and 1,2,3s. But these little kids also rested on mats, tinkered in the play kitchen to their hearts’ content, and got plenty of hugs from the assistant teacher. In the final weeks, there was an aura of excitement as they practiced for fall by visiting kindergarten classrooms and lunching in the cafeteria. (more…)