Switching between languages enhances your mental control. PETER DOCKRILL Speaking more than one language at home doesn’t just expose young children to two sets of vocabularies – it could also confer hidden benefits to their cognitive control, according to a new study. Researchers in Canada have been investigating how the ability to speak more than one.. read more →

Enjoy this link to an incredible timeline of Maria Montessori’s life, read more →

Dave McGinn The Globe and Mail Published Tuesday, May. 20 2014, 8:15 PM EDT Last updated Wednesday, May. 21 2014, 8:33 AM EDT A man and children are silhouetted while standing in the waters of Semiahmoo Bay as rain clouds move into the area in White Rock, B.C., on August 26, 2013. A new report.. read more →

Imagine a kindergarten classroom. Picture the vividly colored scalloped borders on the walls, the dancing letters, maybe some charming cartoon barnyard animals holding up “Welcome to School!” signs. That bright, cheery look has become a familiar sight in classrooms across the country, one that has only grown over the last few decades, fed by the.. read more →

We sat, afraid to move lest we interfere with the learning and interaction we were witnessing. Children — young children — moved throughout the classroom, carrying various materials while maneuvering around tables with teapots and an occasional flower vase before landing and unpacking their selected treasures. The materials were designed to foster discovery, engage imagination,.. read more →

After a Toronto District School Board survey revealed high levels of anxiety in teenagers, we asked online readers to submit their questions about anxiety in that age group to Dr. Alexa Bagnell in Halifax. Here are some of her answers.   What is normal anxiety for a teenager? Worries, fears and anxiety are very common.. read more →

The problem “My kid just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. It drives me crazy. Why can’t he ever accept it for what it means? ‘No.’ Why is it that whenever I say ‘no,’ it triggers an endless flood of objections?” “But why not?” “You have to.” “That’s not fair.” Why can’t you ever get.. read more →

The other day I gave a talk to a parents’ group at a boys’ school. It was a big group. I asked them if they’d ever known a boy who hadn’t made a pretend gun with his fingers and gone bang-bang. Not a single hand went up. No surprise there. Boys have been fighting with.. read more →