How Do You Find Age-Appropriate Clothes for Girls?

Fashions for the elementary school set are becoming more and more adult. Do you have trouble finding clothes for your little girls?

Does it make you cringe when you see 13- or 14-year-olds wearing booty shorts and T-shirts that say things like “future trophy wife”? How about the fact that the same attire is now marketed toward girls half their age? It’s becoming harder for parents of young girls, not to mention teenagers, to dress them in what was long considered age-appropriate clothing. The Chicago Tribune reported last week that sociologists and retail experts confirm that clothes for girls are becoming more sexualized and are designed to look more like their moms'. And the recession has only spurred the trend, the article says, since parents are more willing to spend money on their children’s clothes than their own, and retailers have caught on. A blog on Baby …

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Supply List For Evanston Township High School

What does your student need to start the school year? Here's a list of required and suggested supplies from Evanston Township High School District 202.

Looking to outfit your student for the new school year at Evanston Township High School? Here's a list of supplies, as posted on the district website: REQUIRED: OPTIONAL SUPPLIES (Not required, but helpful):

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How Do You Make Lunches Safe for Kids With Allergies?

With an increase in kids with allergies, schools are adapting by having special rules such as peanut-free cafeterias. If your child has allergies or goes to a school with special rules, packing a lunch can be difficult.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 4-6 percent of children in the U.S. under 18 have food allergies, and that number is rising. School can be a particularly dangerous place for these kids. The CDC says that 16-18 percent of them have had an allergic reaction at school due to accidentally ingesting a food allergen. Odds are that if your child isn’t one of those with a serious allergy, he or she goes to school with someone who is. Because schools are required by federal law to make adjustments for any student with a life-threatening allergy, this may mean nut-free tables in the lunchroom, or even an entirely nut-free school. If you’re in either of those categories, how do you pack a healthy, allergen-free lunch for…

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David Greenberg

12:58 pm on Thursday, September 6, 2012

"Special education is meant for kids who for whatever reason cannot learn in the regular education setting, and require special classes to allow them an appropriate education. Food allergies do not cause learning problems. What you are proposing is that kids be separated from their peers all day because of what they can't eat. That sounds like discrimination." Sully, I'd never discriminate …   more ›

Books To Ease Back-to-School Jitters

Is your child worried about heading back to school? Try these book suggestions to ease their fears.

Shopping for school supplies is entering the final stretch, and some kids are starting to get a little apprehensive about starting school. Here are a few books to help ease those jitters from a local youth services librarian. (And don't forget to take them to the Evanston Public Library to get their own card!) 1. In Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George (Albert Whitman, 2010), a tortoise sets off to school with his backpack and  his dapper red cap. Along the way, he starts to worry: “What if he tripped while getting lunch, and all the kids were mean to him?” Just as he’s persuaded himself not to go in, he gets to wondering, “What if…he made lots of new friends?” His gloomy attitude turns around, and in a delightful twist, “Mr. Tortoise…

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How Do You Talk to Your Kids About School Bus Safety?

More than 20 million children ride the bus to and from school. What do you stress to yours about how to stay safe?

OK, parents, a pop quiz: What’s the largest public transportation system in the U.S.? The answer: school buses. About 22.5 million kids ride them, resulting in more than 94.2 billion student-passenger miles each year. The good news is that according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, “school buses are the safest mode of transportation for getting children back and forth to school.” Still, accidents can happen. According to the National Safety Council, loading and unloading are the most dangerous parts of the bus ride for students. Many organizations provide safety rules for riding the school bus, including this pamphlet from the National Safety Council and this primer written for kids from Kids Health. They …

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7 Ways to Make Your Kids' School Lunches Less Boring

Inject a little fun and creativity into your kids' school lunch ideas so the lunch box comes home empty

For many of you, sending the kids back to school means packing a lunch box every day. The thought of having to pack 5 lunches a week for 9 months straight can be daunting. In the past, I know I would quickly run out of school lunch ideas. I would get bored packing the kids' lunches so, I could understand why my kids would bring home a lunch box full of wasted food.  But, I figured out that getting my child to eat his or her lunch just takes a little fun and creativity, especially if you pickly eater that limits your food variety. Here are 7 ideas to make school lunches the highlight of your kids’ day. 1. Shake it up. Prepare the same old food in a new way. Instead of a regular peanut butter and jelly on white bread (ho hum), make Pinwheel …

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Jennifer Fisher

10:58 pm on Thursday, August 16, 2012

Hahaha that's exactly the way I felt when I found out! This is by no means an endorsement of this company's products but I have drooled over several extremely delicious looking varieties on this website: http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/   more ›

How to Ease Your Kids' Fears When Starting a New School

Whether your kids are starting kindergarten, middle school, high school or a brand new school, these tips will help reduce back-to-school jitters

Heading back to school is exciting but it can also cause some jitters for your kids. Especially if they are starting a new school. Being introduced to a new school, new teachers, and new classmates is a big transition. Even if your child is excited and eager to go to their new school, they may be anxious about a few things and it's helpful to identify their stress and talk it out. Here are some tips to smooth the transition and start the new school year off right.   Get Them Involved. Have your kids help you with the back to school shopping. They'll feel more in control if they can help with the process of choosing their supplies, backpack and even school clothes. Don’t Miss Orientations. No matter what grade your kids are entering this …

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How Do You Save Money on School Supplies?

Patch has compiled a list of tips, and we want to hear your great ideas, too.

Parents, get ready to open up your wallets. It’s about time to start shopping for school supplies. According to the National Retail Federation, on average people with children in kindergarten through high school will spend $688.62 on their children’s back-to-school shopping, up from $603.63 last year. That money, combined with back-to-college spending, will total $83.8 billion, “serving as the second biggest consumer spending event for retailers behind the winter holidays.” Patch has compiled some tips for how to stay within your family’s budget on these shopping sprees. And we want to hear what tricks you have, too. Please add your thoughts to the comment section below so your neighbors can benefit from your frugal wisdom. Frugal Living …

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Moms Talk

Back-to-School Checklist

Get your kids back to school with ease with this checklist of things to do before school starts

It's time to get the kids ready to go back to school. What? So soon? Yes, back to school time is here and even though you are busy enjoying the last days of summer, there's work to be done to get your kids ready. No need to panic though. This checklist will help you stay in control and prepare for the new school season with ease.  First Steps 3 Weeks Before School Starts 2 Weeks Before School Starts 1 or 2 Days Before School Starts What tips do you have to make the Back-to-School season go more smoothly? For more on how to make ease the kids back into school, read all of my busy Mom Back-to-School Sanity Saving Tips. ************ Sue Kirchner is a family fun coach, kids party planner, and weekly contributor to Patch.com. Sue and her family…

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When Does School Start in Evanston?

We've got dates and times for the start of the Evanston public schools' 2012-2013 school year.

Wondering how much summer you've got left before school starts in Evanston? Patch has you covered. Evanston Township High School begins the day after Labor Day, Sept. 4 with a staggered schedule. Grade 9 starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 11:15 a.m. Grades 10-12 start at noon and end at 3:35 p.m. Check the school's website for more details. District 65's elementary schools also start on Sept. 4, with a full day of school. We know there are a bunch of private school's in the city, too. If you're a parent or staff member at one, feel free to jump in the comments section and add in the start times to share the information with the rest of the community.

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