Have you ever struggled with how to reply to your child’s curious questions when you don’t know the answer? There is great value of not knowing the answer to a question as it can:

I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing that children often have the same problem over and over in different situations. (Don't we notice that pattern in ourselves, too?) As an adult, I'm sure we feel frustrated seeing the pattern and not knowing how to help. Meanwhile, imagine the child's feelings, finding themselves in the same struggle, not receiving help to exit the pattern.

Let's talk about how an aged child explores society and how it functions and "practices" how to be in society. Going outs, or small group outings beyond the classroom, are another way for the elementary child to explore society. In these explorations, because the child is directly experiencing and navigating society, it is as if they are partaking in mini-sessions out in society.

The elementary-aged child is driven to work with others. We see this all day in the classroom, even with solitary activities such as reading. Children will sit and work in groups of two to four and sometimes more. You may have seen this at home as an increased desire to see friends outside of school or to play with one or more other children.

Is it a surprise that one-third of children between the ages of seven and nine use social media applications on their cell phones or tablets? Or that one in two adolescents aged 10 to 12 views and uses them? According to a report from children’s health researchers at the University of Michigan, one in six parents was not using any parental controls. It’s time to monitor your child’s social Apps.

At times, the world can beat a path to our children’s doors leading them into an anxiety-filled adult world. This steady news stream—war, crime, injustice and tragedy—is seen and heard 24/7 from TV and radio to Internet headlines and news on devices. Bad news creates stress! As a result, coping with anxiety has become a challenge for children that parents must soothe.

Carrying on from my last letter about geography, biology, and science in the elementary class, I would like to say a few words about the study of history, art, and music.  You can easily see that these three subjects would fit so well together in an integrated curriculum.  You can hardly study an ancient civilization without studying its art and music.

Today I am going to write about how the child's experiences in the areas of geography, biology, and general science in primary make the transition into elementary.