Breezy Mama

...a breath of fresh air

Ages 6-10+

Meet The Marvels — Brian Selznick’s New Novel

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My 9 year old is a reader–nothing makes me happier than seeing him curled up with a book. It reminds me of my younger self–I would lose myself in a book and wonder where the afternoon went. The only problem–I can’t keep up with him–I get him a book and he’s done with it a few days later. I’m always on the hunt for a new series, or a great recommendation, and I really wish that James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein would write a little faster. So when the opportunity came to take a look at Brian Selznick’s new book, The Marvels, I was intrigued. Neither my son nor I have ever read a Selzick novel (he’s the Caldecott Medal–winning creator of [Read more…] about Meet The Marvels — Brian Selznick’s New Novel

Sponsored: Make Practicing Math Fun (Really!) with Go Math! Academy

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So, there we were—midway through summer and I hadn’t done a thing to keep my children up with the math skills they had acquired the year before. For summer, my eldest reads, writes in a diary, but math . . . forget about it. Probably because math is definitely not MY strong suit, but I digress. . .

So again, there we were, not practicing our math, when Breezy Mama gets an offer to try out Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Go Math! Academy™ which is an online, at-home learning program based on Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s textbook curriculum. Known for being THE standard in schools (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is used by over 7 million kids worldwide), I figured they knew what they were doing, and decided to give it a go.

To be honest, I was [Read more…] about Sponsored: Make Practicing Math Fun (Really!) with Go Math! Academy

Breezy Mama gets the Scoop on Earth to Echo

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Breezy Mama was able to get a back stage pass, courtesy of Relativity Media, of the upcoming Earth to Echo movie, to be released in theaters July 2nd. During our amazing experience, we were able to sit down with Dave Green (Director), Henry Gayden (Screenwriter/Co-Story Writer) and Andrew Panay (Producer/Co-Story Writer) to get a inside look to the movie. –Alex

I vividly remember going to see E.T. in the movie theater. I remember eating my popcorn, sitting next to my parents and brother, laughing, crying, feeling sad for Elliot, and so, so, so excited when E.T. was finally able to go home. After the movie, we talked about it, analyzing what we would’ve done, what Elliot should have done—the whole nine yards. Then came Stand by Me—another awesome movie about a group of kids and their friendship. I still ask my kids, “If Mickey is a mouse, and Pluto is a dog, what is Goofy?” And don’t get me started on [Read more…] about Breezy Mama gets the Scoop on Earth to Echo

Dads, Sons and Competition

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We’ve all seen it–what started as a little friendly competition between elementary aged boys turns into a full scale war and ends with tears–lots of them. This is an age where it’s hard to teach the fact that “we’re just having fun”, that life is not always about winning; one must enjoy the ride. This article came about because a dad wrote in to Breezy Mama--he was organizing a “friendly” kick ball tournament, and instead of enjoying the game, his 8-year-old son was out to WIN, and when things didn’t go that way, he lost it. How, the dad wondered, do we handle this? How do we teach our boys that’s about effort and good attitude? Breezy Mama turned to Dr. Ronald Levant, a professor of psychology at The University of Akron and the nation’s top expert on the psychology of men, for some answers.

How do I let my son know that I’m (dad) not disappointed when he’s not getting first place?

Convey to your son that sports are not just about winning and losing, but about how you played the game. I think the best way to do this is [Read more…] about Dads, Sons and Competition

Common Core: Your School is Adopting It, but What Exactly Is It?

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By now, you’ve probably heard the buzz words “Common Core”, and most likely, your school has implemented using the Common Core method when teaching. But do you know what it is, exactly? Neither did we, and it turns out that many of our readers are confused as well. So Breezy Mama turned to First Grade and Special Education teacher Libby Curran for some explanations. . .

What exactly is Common Core?

The Common Core State Standards are a set of [Read more…] about Common Core: Your School is Adopting It, but What Exactly Is It?