Monday, September 3, 2012
Fashions for the elementary school set are becoming more and more adult. Do you have trouble finding clothes for your little girls?
Does it make you cringe when you see 13- or 14-year-olds wearing booty shorts and T-shirts that say things like “future trophy wife”? How about the fact that the same attire is now marketed toward girls half their age? It’s becoming harder for parents of young girls, not to mention teenagers, to dress them in what was long considered age-appropriate clothing. The Chicago Tribune reported last week that sociologists and retail experts confirm that clothes for girls are becoming more sexualized and are designed to look more like their moms'. And the recession has only spurred the trend, the article says, since parents are more willing to spend money on their children’s clothes than their own, and retailers have caught on. A blog on Baby …
Monday, August 27, 2012
School starts today, Monday, Aug. 27 for high school students in District 155, and tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 28 for children in K-8 in District 47.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Monday, August 27, 2012
Today is the first day of school for the approximately 7,000 students in Community High School District 155. Tomorrow, the slightly more than 9,000 children in Community Consolidated School District 47 begin the new school year. Their outfits may be new and clean (not sure for the high schoolers!), the hair is perfect and their smiles are big — a perfect photo opp for many parents. Share your photos with the community and make your child feel extra special by posting his/ her picture on Patch. Feel free to include your child's name, grade and school with the picture, if you'd like. Here are some easy ways you can submit your photos: We look forward to sharing your photos on Patch.
With an increase in kids with allergies, schools are adapting by having special rules such as peanut-free cafeterias. If your child has allergies or goes to a school with special rules, packing a lunch can be difficult.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 4-6 percent of children in the U.S. under 18 have food allergies, and that number is rising. School can be a particularly dangerous place for these kids. The CDC says that 16-18 percent of them have had an allergic reaction at school due to accidentally ingesting a food allergen. Odds are that if your child isn’t one of those with a serious allergy, he or she goes to school with someone who is. Because schools are required by federal law to make adjustments for any student with a life-threatening allergy, this may mean nut-free tables in the lunchroom, or even an entirely nut-free school. If you’re in either of those categories, how do you pack a healthy, allergen-free lunch for…
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
College is exciting so don't be bogged down by too many items.
Preparing to head off to college is exciting, but it can be stressful when you realize that what you are bringing might not even fit in your car. Casey Sundstedt, associate dean of women at Judson University in Elgin, suggests keeping extra items to a minimum. “There’s lots to explore in college,” she said in an e-mail. “Don’t miss out on the events on campus by sticking to what you’ve always known.” When packing for school, there are items that definitely should be left out of your suitcase simply because there isn’t enough room in most dorm rooms, but also because schools prohibit items that you never would have expected. Check out this list of items that you do not want to bring to college:
Monday, August 20, 2012
More than 20 million children ride the bus to and from school. What do you stress to yours about how to stay safe?
OK, parents, a pop quiz: What’s the largest public transportation system in the U.S.? The answer: school buses. About 22.5 million kids ride them, resulting in more than 94.2 billion student-passenger miles each year. The good news is that according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, “school buses are the safest mode of transportation for getting children back and forth to school.” Still, accidents can happen. According to the National Safety Council, loading and unloading are the most dangerous parts of the bus ride for students. Many organizations provide safety rules for riding the school bus, including this pamphlet from the National Safety Council and this primer written for kids from Kids Health. They …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Inject a little fun and creativity into your kids' school lunch ideas so the lunch box comes home empty
For many of you, sending the kids back to school means packing a lunch box every day. The thought of having to pack 5 lunches a week for 9 months straight can be daunting. In the past, I know I would quickly run out of school lunch ideas. I would get bored packing the kids' lunches so, I could understand why my kids would bring home a lunch box full of wasted food. But, I figured out that getting my child to eat his or her lunch just takes a little fun and creativity, especially if you pickly eater that limits your food variety. Here are 7 ideas to make school lunches the highlight of your kids’ day. 1. Shake it up. Prepare the same old food in a new way. Instead of a regular peanut butter and jelly on white bread (ho hum), make Pinwheel …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
As recent high school graduates head off to McHenry County College for their first year, MCC provides a little help in adjusting to college life.
- BACK TO SCHOOL
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012
For McHenry County College student Edward Abraham, being a student orientation leader has expanded his knowledge of the array of resources on campus, which he says helps him to be a better student. In addition to giving tours and sharing his first-year experiences with new students, he has a keener grasp on how to “deal with things.” “I like to help students by sharing my experiences,” said Abraham, who lives in Cary. For example, he tells new students that counselors can help them choose a career path and campus public safety police officers, who are on duty 24-7, are willing to help students at any time. “They helped me find my car in the parking lot during a severe snowstorm last year,” he said. “Being involved on campus, such as a …
Monday, August 13, 2012
Make your kid feel extra special by sharing their first day back-to-school photos on Patch.
It's the first day of school for District 300 students. The outfits are new and clean, the hair is perfect and the smiles are big — a perfect photo opp for many parents. Share your photos with the community and make your kid feel extra special by posting their pictures on Patch. Please be sure to include your child's name, grade and school with the picture. Here are some easy ways you can submit your photos: We look forward to sharing your photos on Patch.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
You can submit your first day back-to-school photos by e-mailing them to Local Editor Amie Schaenzer at amie.schaenzer@patch.com.
We want to help make sure you capture the best photos of your kids on their first day back to school with some tips from a photo expert. With cameras today offering bells and whistles like facial recognition and the ability to focus an image after it's taken, it's getting harder to make a technically poor image. But technology can't help composition, and there are still a few things to remember and avoid when taking back-to-school pictures: Frame a tight shot If you're using a point-and-shoot camera, chances are it has an ultra-wide angle lens. Tilt the camera vertically to a portrait orientation, then follow the rule of thirds: the eyes of the subject should be in the top third of the frame. If you want your kids to remember how cute …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Students entering sixth and ninth grade must receive the Pertussis vaccine.
Health officials are reminding parents of a new vaccine requirement for teens entering sixth and ninth grades aimed at curbing the outbreak of Pertussis, or whooping cough, in the state. Cases of pertussis have been rising in McHenry County as well as throughout the state. McHenry County’s outbreak started in August 2011 and continued to July 2012 with 384 cases reported, McHenry County Department of Health officials said. In a typical year, the county averages 20 cases of pertussis. Kane County has seen 70 cases as of Aug. 6, compared to 54 all of last year, according to a news release from the Kane County Health Department. Illinois has over 1,500 cases reported in 2011 in children under 18, up 40 percent from the previous year, …
duncan faber
11:21 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2013
Thank you! Someone who gets it. We have 3 little girls, and it drives me nuts that so much clothing that is sold is so inappropriate. Girls grow up fast enough as it is. Can't we just let them stay young? We found a site that sells beautiful, AGE APPROPRIATE clothing for girls. Here's the link, if anyone is interested. www.twirlygirlshop.com more ›