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Archives for 2020

Archives for 2020

This Is How to Help Kids Rediscover Play

December 29, 2020 By Carolyn Jabs

Babies reach for their parents’ cellphones before they can talk. Toddlers prefer to have their bedtime stories read on a tablet. Preschoolers clamor for interactive games. No wonder a recent study from the Pew Internet Project found that parents are more likely to download apps than other people who own interactive devices.

There’s no question that kids like apps, but are they actually good for them? The answer isn’t yet clear but some experts in childhood development worry that kids are spending too much time with screens and not enough time with three-dimensional play. The Kaiser Family Foundation now estimates that the average child spends almost eight hours a day engaged with televisions, computers and portable devices, squeezing out more traditional play activities.

Experts define play as any activity or game initiated by a child. Instead of being something frivolous that kids do in their free time, experts believe open-ended, child-led play is crucial to development for at least two reasons. First, play allows children to master increasingly complex physical, mental and emotional challenges, giving them confidence in their abilities to function in the outer world. Second, initiating play allows a child to follow his or her personal whims and fantasies, exploring a unique inner landscape that leads to discovery of what’s interesting, motivating and inspiring.

Quality interactive experiences may give children a sense of mastery but they aren’t particularly good at promoting self-discovery. In fact, some apps are so thoroughly designed by adults that they may actually stifle imagination. For many years, experts have warned that video games encourage kids to watch and react rather than reflect and create. Now it seems likely that parents should also pay attention to apps that impose an adult agenda on play, turning kids into consumers instead of explorers.

Restoring genuine playtime isn’t simply a matter of keeping kids away from screens. Parents will want to set the stage and create what the Alliance for Childhood calls “Time to Play Everyday.” (The alliance has useful fact sheets about play in the publications section of their website, allianceforchildhood.org). Here are some of the qualities that make play most rewarding for children and, for that matter, adults.

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Multi-Sensory Play

Technology, by its nature, strips down reality. No matter how cute the puppy is on the screen, he doesn’t poop, bite or smell doggy so what your child learns is inevitably limited. Keep in mind that mess and disorder are often part of quality play. If possible, set aside an area where kids can rough house, use art supplies and leave complicated projects in progress.

Physical Play

Using devices may also cut into the time children have for playing tag, riding bikes and turning somersaults. One way to set limits on “butt time” is to locate and visit playgrounds in your community. We host a list of the Island’s parks and playgrounds.

Open-ended Play

Interactive devices are, inevitably, programmed. Someone else figures out what will happen in response to a child’s action. Free play may also have rules but they are created—and changed—by the child. Following a child’s lead is often difficult parents who may be tempted to show a child how to do things “better.” Try putting your urge to “help” on hold. If you join in your child’s play, ask questions and let your child come up with the answers.

Social Play 

When kids interact more with digital devices, they often interact less with people. That’s a problem according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. They point out that children learn to cooperate by playing with other children, and they offer suggestions that will help parents facilitate peaceful playdates. Indeed, there’s growing evidence that adults who stay in touch with their playfulness throughout life are healthier, happier and more successful.

Interactive devices aren’t going away, and they definitely have a place in the lives of 21st century children as well as their parents. The trick is finding balance. You may, for example, hand your phone to your child for a ride to the park. Once you get there, however, turn off all devices, run through the grass, kick a ball, dig in the sand and abandon yourselves to good old-fashioned playtime.

Carolyn Jabs, M.A., raised three computer savvy kids including one with special needs. She has been writing Growing Up Online for ten years and is working on a book about constructive responses to conflict. Visit her site to read other columns.

@ Copyright, 2016, Carolyn Jabs. All rights reserved.

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Filed Under: Positive Parenting Tagged With: play

10 Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate New Years Eve

December 29, 2020 By Jessica Jones-Gorman

New Year’s Eve will also have a different vibe this year but there are still many fun options to kick 2020 to the curb. Here’s our top 10:

Create a New Year’s resolution jar

Have each family member write down a few New Year’s goals (eating healthier, getting better grades, improving that jump shot) and toss them into a mason jar or bowl. When the clock strikes midnight, read each of the resolutions out loud.

NYE scavenger hunt

Compile a list of a dozen or more hard to find household items and break up into teams. Whoever finds and gathers all of the booty wins a prize.

Create a time capsule.

It’s not exactly a year we want to remember but it might be worth documenting 2020 for the grandkids. Pull together your favorite memories of the quarantine in the form of photos, recipes and other keepsakes. Throw in a few masks and a roll of toilet paper if you can spare.

Order takeout

Forget the cocktail wieners and serve something everyone will enjoy. Use this night to create a takeout sampler, ordering burgers and fries from five different fast food joints or a grab a few different specialty pies from a couple of different pizzerias. Have each of your family members vote on their favorite – maybe you’ll find a new hotspot to add to the weekday rotation.

Host a family slumber party

Drag all of your pillows and blankets into the living room and crash for the night. The kids will always remember the time mom and dad ate popcorn and slept on the floor.

Host your own ball drop.

For the first time in 114 years, crowds will not be allowed to gather to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Instead, the annual tradition will be virtual. Event organizers haven’t offered much more detail, only that a small group of celebrities and performers will be in attendance. So why not host your own ball drop? Hoist a piñata and attack it at midnight or suspend a bunch of balloons overhead and then release. How’s that for the new normal?

Set up an NYE Zoom

Since gatherings of more than 10 people are currently discouraged, a celebratory group computer conference might be the solution. If midnight is too late for such a celebration, schedule one with the grandparents for 8 p.m. Perform your own private countdown with lots of horns and noisemakers and break out the confetti if you dare.

Make a bubbly mocktail

Memories are built on the details. In addition to filling your table with delicious goodies, craft a signature mocktail for the kids. It can be as simple as a Shirley Temple (lemon lime soda, maraschino cherries and a splash of grenadine syrup), just make sure you pour it in a fancy glass.

Build a dessert bar

Fill it with ice cream, hot cocoa, or lots of little pastries to sample – it doesn’t have to be fancy, buy up all of the Hostess cupcakes and Devil Dogs you can find. Even on NYE comfort food is king.

Dress it up

After spending almost a full year in yoga pants, it’s time to break out the fancy clothes – if they still fit. If not, dress up the yoga pants with lots of jewelry and a full face of makeup. Best foot forward as we enter 2021!

Filed Under: Winter

NYC Public Middle School & High School Admissions Changes

December 18, 2020 By Jeannine Cintron

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced changes to the admissions process for New York City Public Middle Schools and High Schools, including Staten Island schools, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Middle School

NYC Public Middle Schools will not use academic screens — academic records, auditions, attendance, discipline records, special assessments, interviews, or other measures — as part of their admission process this school year. With no state test grades from last year and inaccurate data due to the pandemic, there is no way to rely on screens the way they have been used in the past.

In a letter to parents, the Department of Education said: “In effect, screening fifth graders without data, especially in a year as challenging as this one, is unfair, unequal, and untenable to continue.”

The DOE says this situation offers an opportunity to implement inclusivity in classrooms, since “screening criteria can be so closely connected to a student’s housing stability and economic status.”

The schools will prioritize admission to students who live near the school. If a school has more applicants than available seats, offers will be made using a random lottery.

The change to middle school admissions is temporary, could influence the process in the future.

Read more about these changes at the DOE website. This year’s middle school application will open the week of January 11.

High School

NYC Public High Schools will be permitted to use screens — academic records, auditions, attendance, special assessments, interviews, or other measures — but not from the 2020 year. So if your child is currently in the eighth grade, the school will look at his or her sixth grade academic grades (a combination of 2018-2019 state tests, the previous years’ grades, and/or other measures) instead of seventh grade. However, use of screens at all will be left up to the school. Schools will be required to publicly publish their academic screening criteria on MySchools.

In a letter to parents, the DOE said “schools that maintain academic screens are encouraged to make a concerted effort towards greater equity in their processes, either by electing to remove additional screens now, or implementing a Diversity in Admissions priority.”

Another major change is the removal of geographic prioritization. District priorities for high school admissions will be permanently eliminated this year, and all other geographic priorities—like borough residence requirements— will be eliminated next year. This means schools will no longer be able to give preference to students living nearby. After next year, the location of a student’s home cannot alone determine their chances of getting into a certain school.

As for the city’s nine Specialized High Schools, SHSAT exam will be administered in students’ own middle schools to reduce travel and different cohorts of students. Registration for the test opens on Monday, December 21, 2020 and ends on January 15, 2021. Test administration will begin in late January

Read more about these changes at the DOE website. This year’s middle school application will open the week of January 18.


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Filed Under: Featured Articles, School, Camp and Education Tagged With: school, news

Incredible Kids Recipients – November 2020

December 15, 2020 By Jeannine Cintron

Incredible Kids
The Incredible Kids of November are six-year-old twins Ariana & Amina Cross of Park Hill. They were selected via voting process on the Staten Island Parent website.

Amina and Ariana were nominated by their mom, Alexya Infortuna, who said in her submission:

“Amina & Ariana Cross are my twin 6 year olds. I nominate them because no matter the time, pandemic or not, these two girls are always thinking of ways to help others. They constantly are asking me to give toys, clothes, and items we no longer use to kids that could use them to help families whose mommies and daddies can’t buy them things. They are always sharing and giving. I’m so proud they call me mom.”

According to the twins’ mom, they enjoy donating clothes and toys to specific charities that are important to them, such as the local women’s shelter and Staten Island Giving Circle, a community-based nonprofit organization serving underprivileged people and victims of disaster.

“They sort out their toys every year around Thanksgiving to give to the Women’s Shelter and Staten Island Giving Circle. They also like to choose family members’ birthday and Christmas gifts.” Ms. Infortuna told Staten Island Parent. “During holiday events they like to donate supplies or items needed to their school, Hellenic Classical Charter School.”

Amina and Ariana will be featured an upcoming issue of Staten Island Parent. They will also receive a $150 Amazon gift card, courtesy of Staten Island University Hospital.

Staten Island’s Incredible Kids Awards recognizes and honors outstanding children in the community. Nominees have helped others in need, donated time or effort to an important cause, boast impressive achievements at a young age, or simply stand out for their kindness and compassion.

A new child will be honored in Staten Island University Hospital’s Incredible Kids Awards each month until June 2021. To nominate a child, go to siparent-com.go-vip.net/incredible-kids and upload a photo, then explain in detail why he or she deserves to be nominated.


Meet November’s Featured Pediatric Specialists

Staten Island University Hospital’s board-certified adolescent medicine specialists evaluate and treat young people ages 12 to 23. The service also sponsors the FREE & CONFIDENTIAL Teen Risk Assessment Program that helps young adults better understand and achieve optimal health during adolescence, a time of physical, emotional, and intellectual change.

Dr. April Lee

April Lee, MD

Co-Director, Adolescent Medicine

Edward McCabe

Edward McCabe, DO

Co-Director, Adolescent Medicine


incredible kid button

Click the button above to enter or vote for a child in the Staten Island’s Incredible Kids contest!

Filed Under: Featured Articles

The Best Ways to Video Call Santa in 2020

December 11, 2020 By Katelin Walling

This holiday season will look so different from any other we’ve celebrated, so it’s only normal that you’d want to ensure your children have the best Christmas possible—and that means seeing Santa to make sure he knows what’s on your child’s wish list!

Your child can have a Zoom call or video chat with Santa to share their Christmas wish lists, get holiday wishes from jolly ol’ St. Nick in pre-recorded video messages, and more! Plus, when you have a video call with Santa, you can still receive a copy of your annual photo.

Here are six ways to video call Santa in 2020.

Macy’s Santaland at Home

This year, Macy’s is bringing Santaland to your home, with a customized, interactive experience for up to three children at a time! Santaland elves at the North Pole-bound train station kick off the interaction with a special greeting and lead the way through Santa’s Village and Workshop. Kids will meet Santa at the end through an interactive video where they will be able to share their holiday wish list and snap a selfie with Santa. The best part is, unlike when you can visit Santaland in person, reservations aren’t needed—it’s a fully on-demand experience! Nov. 27-Dec. 24; on-demand; free.

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Jingle Ring Virtual Santa

Kids can have a live, virtual visit with Santa from the safety and comfort of home! You can even participate in a storytime with Santa or Mrs. Clause or have Santa send your child a personalized, pre-recorded message. Santa can communicate with children of all abilities: Santa knows ASL, and you can book a sensory-friendly session. Plus, you can choose preferences for ethnicity, language, and faith for a fully customized experience. $24.95 live, virtual visit; $19.95 personalized, pre-recorded message.

Santa Claus is Coming to Zoom

While the holidays look different this year, the magic of the holidays can be shared with a Santa Zoom call! You can schedule an 8-minute video call with Santa for your children, and share some basic info with Santa beforehand so he’s ‘in the know’ to create a one-of-a-kind experience. After the call, you’ll receive a screenshot photo of your kids with Santa as a keepsake of this unique holiday season. $25 per person.

Personalized Santa Videos that Benefit Holtsville Ecology Site

Parents or loved ones can purchase a personalized video message from Santa for the kids in their life. Simply fill out a brief questionnaire about the child or children, and Santa will email them a one-of-a-kind video message! What’s more? All proceeds from the video sales will go directly to the feeding and care of the more than 100 animals that live at Holtsville Ecology Site. $25.

Santa Cameo

Typically a platform for fans to get pre-recorded videos from their favorite actors, musicians, comedians, and athletes, Cameo also has various Santas (there’s even a puppet Santa!) participating in the message service. You can preview videos of all the Santas available to choose the one you like best (or simply the one that fits your budget)! $25-$75.

Santa for a Cause

Virtual visits with Santa. Schedule your visit now and spend some time chatting with the big guy! Make memories and give back! 50 percent of proceeds are donated to childhood cancer research. $19.99

Call Santa’s Hotline

If your child would rather not video with Santa (hey, sometimes we’d rather not be on camera either!), you can call Santa’s Hotline to hear a special greeting from the man in the red suit and your child can leave a message with all the items on their Christmas wish list. And when you call on a mobile phone, you’ll receive a text with a recording of your child’s wish list to share with family and friends. 1-605-303-4000 (standard calling and messaging charges may apply).

 


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Filed Under: Featured Articles

How to Celebrate Hanukkah in Staten Island in 2020

December 10, 2020 By Barbara Russo

Even though it’s a weird year to celebrate holidays, here’s how to ensure your family has the best Hanukkah possible.

Hanukkah this year begins in the evening of Thursday, Dec. 10, and ends in the evening of Friday, Dec. 18. With COVID-19 guidelines and safety measures limiting holiday travel and large gatherings, many Jews will celebrate the Festival of Lights with their extended families remotely. But celebrating Hanukkah differently this year doesn’t mean tradition has to be lost. With some creative thinking, families can have a wonderful and joyous occasion throughout the eight nights of the holiday. Below are some ideas we have to help you start planning a safe and family-focused celebration right at home.

Have some fun with food.

Serve up some food-focused fun, like Manetto Hill Jewish Center in Plainview, Long Island, is doing. The temple’s ritual committee is holding a Virtual Hanukkah Cooking and Cocktails event on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 11am. The next day, you can join the temple’s Sisterhood for a Virtual Latke Eating Contest at 6pm (there are contests for adults and kids). You could also host your own latke eating contest, either within your household or over video chat with your extended family!

Get your kids cooking!

Chef and author Lauren Braun Costello says staying home and cooking with the kids is a great way to commemorate the holiday. Her Instagram page (@itslaurenofcourse) is a great resource for cooking ideas parents and kids can do together.

“Hanukkah is about oil and frying. It’s about fried things. People want their favorite takeout from their favorite restaurant,” Costello says. “Now, with the weather getting colder and outdoor eating a bit of a challenge for families, I like making takeout in my home. I love making vegetable tempura with my kids on Hanukkah. It’s a different spin and lots of fun.”

Another idea is to have a food-focused art project to do together. For example, dessert company Sully and Vanilla sells Hanukkah-themed paint-your-own-cookie kits in menorah and dreidel designs. Or make your own kosher gingerbread cookies to decorate.

Potato and spinach croquettes, potato dumplings stuffed with curd cheese and chives, or apple fritters, anyone? Try making these tasty Hanukkah recipes with Russian, Turkish, and Italian roots with your kids.

Stream a Hanukkah service.

A major portion of the Hanukkah rituals takes place in the home, but many Jewish houses of worship are offering virtual services. Central Synagogue in Manhattan streams services online, including Hanukkah services. Temple Emanu-El will hold a special Hanukkah and Shabbat service featuring the premiere of the temple’s Koolulam video, a story told by Rabbi Davidson, and a Zoom candle lighting for members on Friday, Dec. 11 at 6pm.

Host a video chat while opening gifts.

You don’t have to be in the same room with someone to see their face light up when they unwrap your gift. Consider creating a virtual family gift exchange. Send gifts to each other in advance, then plan to open them together via video chat. You can also try scheduling delivery of the gifts for each of the eight nights.

Volunteer with your family.

The holidays are the perfect time to give back, and doing it as a family is even more rewarding. Maybe your family wants to donate to a food drive or food bank. There are plenty of opportunities to give back in the New York area, whether it’s in-person or from the comfort of your home. You can also have your family give back to the first responders and frontline workers of this pandemic by delivering food to hospital workers or writing thank you cards to their teachers.

Participate in a Hanukkah activity in the New York area.

Experience the Jewish festival of lights and learn about Jewish culture at one of the many events or activities in the New York metro area or from the comfort of your home!

However you decide to celebrate, the most important thing to remember is that the holiday doesn’t have to feel distant. The right programs and activities can create memories you’ll cherish forever.


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Filed Under: Featured Articles, Winter

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