Most students know what can happen at a wet grad party, but think it will always happen to someone else, never to themselves. Well, sometimes they are wrong.

This link is to an article in the Terrace Daily paper, which is actually timeless. Although it was written a year ago, the comment and advice is as appropriate today as it was then, and will be in the years to follow.

Why, because some kids just don't listen. Some don't want to exercise good judgment.

This article was written by the RCMP and addresses the 2008 Grad Class of Caledonia Senior Secondary School. The article is called, CONGRATULATIONS CALEDONIA GRADS, BE SAFE.

I can only wish for a safe grad for all of our high school and junior high school grads this weekend.

Cheers - Mike

PS: have a read of this from Susan Duncan, published in the Times-Colonist on June 7, 2009 called, Dry grad and the parent's dilemma. It's good.

I found a great resource about talking with kids about school. It is from PBS. The four web page article includes; Understanding Each Other, Talking Strategies, Questions that Work and Age and Stage Tips.

There is a lot more for parents at the site as well, just check the sidebar.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction page, "Why is it so hard to talk about school? Parents often get exasperated with kids' monosyllabic answers to their simple questions. That one well-intentioned line, "How was school today?" has probably provoked more bad feelings between parents and kids than either party ever intended."

There is some really good advice and very workable changes for parents on this topic. So, please have a look at the intro page called, Talking with Kids about School, to get started.

How many parents have had the conversation illustrated in the cartoon on the page? I know as a parent I have, which is why I found this site so interesting and the straight examples so good. I consider the site a valuable resource for parents.

That's all for now...

Cheers - Mike

Today we look at kids and experience. What kind of experience? Well, getting over shyness, going back to school and more.

The first article I found addressing the shyness issue is from the Child Study Center in New York called, Helping Shy Kids get the Most Out of Their School Experience. It's good.

Parental experience is next. Parents have to be ready for school, in order to help their children be ready for school. Here is a helpful article called, Parents: Start the School Year Off on the Right Foot, which may help both parents and students together.

"Study: Game experiences can provide hands-on learning opportunities" By Kristin Kalning. It is called, Can games make your kid a better citizen?

Here is a consideration which isn't usually thought of, as it is outside the experience of most people. The education experience of military children. Here is a US DoD article which helps explain it better than I can. It is called, Ensuring Kids get Quality, Consistent Education. A quote from the article, "In some of our small and remote locations we need to ensure the kids are getting the same kind of qualities and 'the comprehensive high school experience' that they are getting in our larger schools".

There are summer camps, road trips, overseas trips, ski trips and more, all designed to give kids an experience they haven't had before. Here is one long term experience that most haven't heard of doing.
What kids can do - Yupik Eskimo Youth Embrace Subsistence Living and Renew Community.

Experience counts! Programs such as Venturers or Civil Air Patrol are great confidence builders as well as gaining life experience.

That's all for today...

Cheers - Mike