It’s back to school time again, which means new teachers, new classrooms and new routines. As the long summer days are coming to an end, fall schedules start and families get back into the swing of the school year. To help kids make the transition, it’s important to create a healthy balance of school duties and family time, while maintaining the summer energy and fun.
Here are some tips to help your family create and preserve cherished memories during this back to school season.
Digitally preserve school memories School artwork, important documents and first day photos are special reminders of your child’s time spent in school. Keeping physical copies of these items can be cumbersome, with fragile pieces of artwork often ending up damaged or lost. * Skip storing items in a dusty basement box and create a digital scrapbook the whole family can enjoy. BEST IDEA! * Preserve special memories by taking photos of your kids’ artwork and uploading the images to a CD or flash drive with other important documents and photos. * Create digital scrapbooks or online photo albums, a fun activity that makes these items easily accessible for out-of-town family. * Involve the whole family to inspire imagination and create lasting memories.
Create musical moments (THOSE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS) Master morning chores, homework assignments and after-school errands with the help of family-friendly playlists. * Create an upbeat playlist to help get kids through the morning routine of brushing teeth, eating breakfast and getting out the door. * Lullabies and classical music have been known to help people absorb more information and de-stress. * Use music to support after-school study sessions and keep kids on task. * Make car time fun by letting your kids pick the playlist. * Let them include some favorite sing-along tunes to help travel time fly by.
This Creston News article had some really good ideas, I really liked the idea to scan all of your school memorabilia and create photo books with them instead of stashing the numerous papers and photos, drawings and awards (most enthusiastic teacher’s helper) in a tote (see through mind you) and have that eternal promise of “later” hanging over your head.
Another favorite tradition that is growing in the States? The idea to present your little scholar (regardless of what grade) with a Schultuete to celebrate their next school year. The school cones, Schultuete can really make a difference in attitude for many children.
Personally, I am looking forward when school starts again – I can look back at a great Schultüten season and prepare for the next one. The idea to fill my school cones with German school supplies and create editions was really good. I am going to travel to Germany next fall and see if I can find more items that would make a KinderCone stand out even more.
I love my home cooked meals (careful with those peas though!)
I love to cook, I love to cook with my kids and I wish they would teach these amazingly important skills at school. I came across this article from the Huffington Post and wanted to share this great idea. Those kids are really lucky, epecially nowadays when obesity and the lack of basic understanding for healthy and simple cooking is not passed on to our children.
I consider myself lucky because I was fortunate to stay home with my girls and show them that preparing meals is a normal part of everyday life. But I can imagine what it must be like for very busy moms coming home after a long day at work; you really want to start chopping a mire poix? Think about this though, teach your children how to cook and maybe, just maybe they turn around and make you dinner
This article is really interesting and I hope more schools, private or public would follow suit!
A little over a year ago, the principal of Public School 3 in New York City pulled me aside and said, “I think I have something you may be interested in.” It was early, not my best time. I was dropping my son off for class and screaming kids were bouncing off the walls and slamming into me from every angle. I couldn’t imagine anything interesting other than a cup of coffee and some early morning tunes to prepare for another chaotic day in the restaurant business. So, hanging back and doing the skeptical shuffle I followed the principle to the 5th floor.
This science classroom was built for the middle school students. But the middle school is moving out of the building. I knew immediately where she was going and I cut her off, “wow, there’s a gas line in here, 3 sinks, a refrigerator…and an ice machine! It’s like this was designed to be a demonstration kitchen.” And so the idea for The Cooking Room was born. A classroom in a NYC Public School dedicated solely to teaching elementary school kids how to create tasty food with real, fresh, non-processed ingredients. I had never heard of anything like it.
I knew I couldn’t get this moving all on my own, but as fortune would have it, good news travels almost as fast as bad news and I shortly had three fantastic team members to help this project get off the ground. One of whom was sent over by Dorothy Hamilton of the International Culinary Center / French Culinary Institute (ICC/FCI). I had reached out to Dorothy as I knew that the idea of creating a practical, hands on food education/cooking curriculum at the elementary school level would be of great interest to her.
Over the past year, we piloted a few different classes, most of which I taught to either the K/1 or the 2/3 grade levels (PS 3 groups grade levels…an age old practice at this progressive school). The classes were initially arranged by taste: sour, salty, sweet, bitter and then moved on to the building blocks of cooking which involve combining these different tastes. We cured anchovies, tasted bacon at 4 different stages, made tamarind soda, tempered chocolate, cracked cacao pods, and tasted every green I could find, from puntarelle to sorrel to lovage and on and on. The kids loved it! They ate caviar! But that was just a start; a test to see how they would respond.
What became clear to us was that The Cooking Room curriculum needed to dovetail with what was already being taught in the classroom. Each grade level has a different focus, whether it’s reading comprehension, scientific observation or fractions. What we are doing is and will be supported even more by the teachers and the school administrators if we can reinforce what the kids are learning in their regular classrooms while also introducing a whole new world of flavors and techniques. So this summer, with the help of the ICC/FCI we are writing an official curriculum that shadows the grade appropriate curricula set forth by the Department of Education.
This will enable us to create a standardized program that can, hopefully, organically integrate itself into the curriculum goals of the school and, one day, serve as a model for other schools. To date, Marion, Claudia, Phil (team Cooking Room) and I have been buying the product and much of the equipment out-of-pocket or it has been donated by Fatty Crab or Fatty ‘Cue. The school parents and teachers have donated time and equipment as well. Simultaneously, our school also introduced WITS (Wellness in the Schools) into the cafeteria and a garden project down at The Battery from which The Cooking Room and my restaurants (when school is out of session) get all types of produce. For a grassroots group of volunteers we’ve taken great leaps forward in terms of food education and food quality.
The next steps require additional money to further outfit the classroom, formalize the curriculum and hire some part time teachers. The Cooking Room is now able to raise funds as it has recently become a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. I have enlisted many of my friends and colleagues who work at and own restaurants in the West Village and beyond to contribute their time and teach classes in the Fall and Spring semesters 2011-2012. The goal: teach kids how to work with real, healthy, raw ingredients to prepare tasty food and learn that there are palatable alternatives to processed junk food. 2011-2012 promises to be even a greater leap forward!
Donations to The Cooking Room can be made at thecookingroom.org.
Wait a minute: Didn’t we just celebrate the height of summer? Didn’t we just put away the last of our red,white&blue picnic plates and swept the streets of the firework debris? It must be summer and yet we are seeing back to school signs creep up and some panicked looks on kids’ faces already. well, the back to school “thought” has started. BUT – there are also good things about that like the blog entry that I found where you can win a free lunch bag for your child. I remember making about 800 lunches for my four girls last year and how often we reused out tupperware we bought in the beginning of the school year. I can only imagine all the plastic baggies and garbage we would have created without those reusable containers. So read on and see if you can win one of these lunch sacks and save a little room in the landfill (maybe for all these plastic cups we used at the block party?)
Consumers are invited to visit Annies.com/bts11, print out the form then mail in proof of purchase of all four brands. Eligible products include:
“We know lunches packed at home with real food are delicious, healthy options for kids,” said Aimee Sands, marketing director, Annie’s. “However, we also recognize that using new brown or plastic bags each day leads to unnecessary waste. That’s why we’re excited to launch this back-to-school promotion; it provides an easy way for families to reduce waste and be rewarded for trying a selection of products the whole family will enjoy.”
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that of the more than 3,960,000 tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps produced annually, 90 percent are discarded and end up in landfills or oceans.
Kids Konserve lunch sacks are made from recycled cotton and are great for packing school lunches, family picnics or on-the-go snacks. Kids Konserve (www.kidskonserve.com) provides lunch systems and products that are reusable, waste-free and sourced by the best and safest eco-friendly materials. More than a company of reusable products, Kids Konserve is a source of educational information that parents, schools and kids can use to keep learning about environmental stewardship.
Annie’s Homegrown, Stonyfield YoKids, Honest Kids and Seventh Generation products are available at major grocery stores and other retail outlets nationwide. The free Kids Konserve reusable lunch sacks are available while supplies last. Limit one per customer.
We applaud these efforts and wish everyone Happy Lunch Making 2011/2012!
I have arrived at the last part of the story of the Schultute and how I ended up making it the biggest challenge of my life (aside from raising four daughters but they are not teenagers yet so what’s the worry?).
It has not been easy and my learning curve is pretty steep. The hardest part is to stay motivated and focused on my goal. The term bootstrap is a really good one when you try to introduce an entirely new tradition into a culture that has NEVER even heard of a school cone and thinks that the cone shape is reminiscent of a dunce cap (what is a dunce cap I ask?)
My first season was marked by the hectic and crazy goal to finish my website and get the product to market. I went to tons of festivals which was exhausting and good market research. The super short season ended with a modest success and a feeling of accomplishment. I headed into my second season with a new helper and enthusiast by my side, my then 11 year old daughter. We went through some grueling work hours together and I really felt that KinderCone had made waves since last year. Now in our third summer, we are waiting to get really splashed; I am still patient and determined – and maybe a little more tired.
SO – if you have that really great idea and want to make it big, here are a few ideas:
Since I had never set foot into a business class I took a class at De Paul’s Coleman Center for Entrepreneurship a great resource for classes and a good discussion forum. They will not write your business plan but give you some great tools and ideas.
I also read Made to Stick by the Heath brothers; a really funny and surprising read; test your idea while you read this and hopefully your idea will stick. Other publications such as Fast Company or Inc. are good too, even though it is a little annoying to read about someone who made 100 000 $ in sales in the first two months of being in business. I guess some angel investors are also really good public relations connections.
KinderCone will make it, I am sure but the road will be a little more winding and steep than I thought, there is only one way for me though and that is up…
No, my KinderCone is not a dunce cap! (what is a dunce cap?)
My first day of school
So Lillian grew and grew, we had two more little girls, moved to Chicago and settled in an amazing neighborhood in the city, with tree lined streets, friendly neighborhoods with tons of kids jumping around. We enrolled the girls at Bell Elementary School, a really amazing public school option right in front of our noses and have been so lucky to live here. The big day was approaching – my oldest would enter First Grade. To many this might not be a big deal but for a German it is THE day when the baby you once held close and nurtured is basically WALKING AWAY from you. That’s it! Now school has them, life has them and there is no turning back to the cuddly days of being Mama’s Schatzi. I think it is this emotional attachment of my first day of school as well, that made me run out, grab colored paperboard and try to make a Schultute out of cardboard and tissue paper. As you could see in my previous post, it did work – somehow….
To make Lillian feel a little better about being the only one with a school cone on her first day, I made one for her best friend Deidre and picked them up handing them the heavy and somewhat deformed KinderCones. I had filled them with some cool supplies, cookies and a new pencil case. They were thrilled! But who was really going crazy ? The kids on the playground! I had to think about that reaction and my entrepreneurial spirit starting twirling crazy ideas in my head. Why was there no Schultuete here in the States yet? We love to celebrate anything, so why are we sending our kids off on their first day of school with some hugs and new sneakers? The idea of KinderCone was born but it took me another 4 years, a bitter loss and a new life to realize my dream. To be continued
I came to the US in 1992 when the first war in Iraq had just begun, computer labs at colleges were a necessity and most of us had a left over perm from the 80′s. I ended up in Detroit, Michigan, attended Wayne State University and got a degree in literature and “how to survive driving a 1982 Honda Civic and eating Ramen noodles”.
Enter the responsible phase of my life in 98′ when I was expecting my first child Lillian, married and living in a cottage in Grosse Pointe with my husband Lancelot. We would laugh and say that we lived in the “slums” up the street from the manicured lawns of mansions while we tried to conquer our hopelessly overgrown English style garden. Life was great!
How did I end up with four girls, one crazy idea and a business?
Keep reading…
Where the idea for KinderCone was born
I admit it, I am one of the worst bloggers out there. My blog KinderCone, Celebrate School came to life in the summer of 2009 with the help of my then web designer. That was the first mistake. I had no idea what a blog was supposed to do, let alone did I have any time to write or develop a concept. As my business was being intensely “watered” and carefully tended to, my poor blog page was left without water (entries) or soil (any concept). Well, the tradition to celebrate the first day of school with a Schultüte is going into its third season and my blog is still on the sideline watching and drowning in a sea of rather interesting spam mails. You know the ones from Russia with LOVE?
Enter my 13 year old daughter Lillian who took my little plant called blog under her wings and is inspiring me to do better. So watch out for new and exciting, funny and maybe some useless tidbits of our lives, as a Momentrepreneur, mother and founder of a really fun little company called KinderCone
And by the way, if you want to read a really good blog check out hers!
OneWorld4Girls
As all Germans know, the first day of first grade is a milestone event in a child’s life, and this transition is celebrated universally with the presentation of the anxiously anticipated Schultüte. In cities across the U.S., children are now getting a taste of how Germans celebrate this special day thanks to the gift of KinderCone from their parents, grandparents and family friends. KinderCone is the first American company to re-create this tradition outside of Europe, and the concept has been well received by parents and children alike, who love the cone’s fun and educational contents and embrace the idea of celebrating the first day of school.
“When my oldest daughter Lillian took that big step from kindergarten into first grade a few years ago, I wanted her to have the same sense of appreciation and love that I felt as a child growing up in Germany. So I made and decorated a Schultüte and presented it to her on the first day of school. She looked like any other child that day except for the big, colorful Schultüte, which she proudly carried in her arms. When I saw the excited looks she received from other children, I realized what a great idea it would be to share this tradition with other families and to help Germans living in the U.S. pass on this custom to the next generation. It’s a small gift, but it makes that first day so special and much more fun for young children. That’s when I began creating the concept of KinderCone.” says Lie.
The tradition of the Schultüte dates back to the early 19th century, and throughout the many generations since then, the tradition has found its way into the arms of almost every German child to attend school in Germany. As Jutta Feingold recalls, “I remember very well. We had nothing, but I did have a Schultüte. In 1946 when I went to school we had nothing at all, and we lived in Cottbus in Eastern Germany at the time. My Schultüte had candies and fruit in it; it was a big deal to have an orange and chocolates, and there were pencils too!” Feingold moved to the United States in 1966 and now lives in Chicago and Florida with her husband. She’s giving a KinderCone to her granddaughter Emily and cannot wait to pick her up from school with it. “I think (KinderCone) is a wonderful thing and it’s so exciting. All the kids and parents can celebrate it and this way it is so special. This will create special memories for a long time.”
It is this connection between two generations that delights Vivian Lie the most. “I find it so wonderful when I can take the time to talk about these important memories and hear the voices become happy, almost giddy. Now these grandparents are able to easily create this lifelong memory for their own grandchildren.”
KinderCones are exclusively available online at : www.kindercone.com
However, there is always time for a phone call to KinderCone
Dating back 200 years, the tradition of the Schultuete (translated “school cone”) is one of the most celebrated and enduring traditions in Germany. At the beginning of the very first school year, children all over Germany set off with their large and shiny Schultueten, referred to by many as sugar cones. These large, colorful cones are made of sturdy paper and enclosed on top with felt. Hand-made or store bought, they certainly sweeten their first day of school as they come filled with little gifts, school supplies and sweets. Oftentimes the cones are also called Zuckertüte or “sugar cone” for their sweet content. The custom of the Schultuete dates back to 1810 when parents in the Eastern part of Germany gave their children little sweets and gifts on the first day of school. The tradition grew, as did the size of the Schultuete, and today parents will go to great length to make the first day as memorable as possible. Sometimes the cones are nearly as tall as their child!
When I decided to bring this wonderful back-to-school tradition to America, I thought of my own joy holding this large cone in my arms. It made my first day! The beginning of school is a special and cherished time in a child’s life and KinderCone celebrates this annual event of returning to school for another year of growth and learning. Whether you give a KinderCone Schultüte as a welcoming gift to your littlest scholar or ease your child back into another exciting year in their new grade, I hope KinderCone becomes part of a new celebration in your home.
For the past two seasons I had the good fortune to receive many letters thanking me for bringing this memorable event back into families’ lives. I also received numerous photos, a few of which I would like to share. You can also see them on Facebook or on my website www.kindercone.com.
Once again I participated at this year’s Christmas Market, also called Christkindlmarkt. Every year, the German American Chamber of Commerce organizes this truly biggest German imported event right in the heart of the Chicago loop at Daley Plaza. All little market houses are brought in every year from Germany and almost all vendors are from Germany selling their traditional wares. The sounds and smells are so wonderful and really remind me of those markets in Germany. By the time dusk falls, throngs of people gather in the little gangways, clutching little boots full of hot spiced wine (this year they are red) and meet, greet and enjoy a little time of just, well having time to re-connect. If you are lucky you can snag a seat in one of the few warm up huts, equipped with tables, chairs and service of more Gluehwein and Beer. The food is also good, if not getting cold too quickly – so eat quickly and have some more wine. By the way, if you bring your boot from last year for a refill it is less expensive!
KinderCone was happy to be part of their annual Lanternparade, an event that always sells out! Little kids and their parents parade around the festival grounds, sing St. Martin and Christmas songs with their lanterns and follow the so-called “Wassertraeger”, a man who carries two huge buckets filled with golden, delicious candies! I had the chance to introduce more people to the Schultuten tradition and happy to report that some people not just have heard about the back to school tradition of the school cone but actually associated KinderCone with Schultueten in the USA! Word is spreading
Afterwards, my daughter and I went to the carolling a the Bean in Millenium Park, a perfect end of a great day filled with traditions!
"Mama, I'm booored!" -Josephine 36 hours after school let out.
Make a count down calendar in the form of a paper chain link, a little "things to do" for each day, for example -practice some quick math for 10 min. - or - sort out and keep your favorite school supplies from last year-. Each morning you can break the link and look inside to see what the chore for the day is.
