Bunchland

Fiona Highet on the joys and not-joys of school fundraising

One afternoon we precooked 600 sausages. We started at 3:30 and finished around 7:30. We went back to the school at 6am the next morning, still reeking of pork, to reheat those selfsame sausages. What we learned by 9am was that we really only needed 400.

The next pancake breakfast, we bypassed the pancake mix in the overcrowded aisle at Costco because we were certain we already had two full bags. That night, as we were cooking the 400 sausages we realized that the pancake mix was probably “compromised by vermin” in the months that had passed and we were now at 7pm – batterless. What we learned was a little about taking inventory and much more than we wanted to know about vermin in the school.

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What we’re reading today:

1. Very important news for all moms unable to breastfeed: Your baby formula might have arsenic in it. Stay away from products sweetened with brown rice syrup!

2. More Americans are saying that interracial marriage is a good thing. As people who live in the most ethnically diverse city in the world, we’re proud of the Americans in the survey.

3. Bad news for science-y moms hoping to secure a tenure-track position at your local ivory tower: A new study shows that motherhood and math and science research is basically incompatible. So no procreating for Drs. Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler, then?

4. Inequality seems to be on the rise in Canadian public schools — why?

5. Grab the kleenex! It’s time for another inspiring and sweet video about gay parents raising awesome kids:

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What we’re reading today:

1. A new study shows that 6-month-old babies can understand words. Better be sure that baby’s not a secret agent before you go spilling secrets in your house.

2. Woo! New Jersey’s State Senate passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. There is a risk of a veto from Gov. Chris Christie though, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that someone talks some sense into Christie. So congrats to all those gay and lesbian parents in New Jersey whose kids are bugging them to get married! Soon!!

3. Republican U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says that working moms find working outside the home to be professionally and socially gratifying. This is because it’s been “radical feminism’s misogynistic crusade to make working outside the home the only marker of social value and self-respect.’’ Wonder if Robyn has a response to Mr. Santorum…  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. One Toronto school had banned any ball that isn’t super spongey soft like a Nerf. So, basically any sport ball is out of the question. A good safety measure, or extreme?

2. Do you know BunkiMunki, the social networking site for kids ages 7-13? It’s safe for kids and was created by three Canadian mothers, but it’ll cost you.

3. Are there things you meant to do in your life but didn’t get around to before you had kids? What do you wish you’d done before you’d had kids. (We kinda think most things can be done after you’re a mom or dad, though the writer makes a solid point for that last one.)

4. Will helping students one-at-a-time work to fix entire schools? New York thinks so.

5.There’s going to be a Toy Story short film called Small Fry playing before the Muppets. Here’s a peek:  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Not everyone can have a good divorce (or break-up); Cary Tennis advises on what to do when things are tense between you and an ex and there are kids involved.

2. What happens when the 1 percenters’ schools are in the same district as the 99 percenters’ schools and someone suggests they share their funds so all kids benefit?

3. Could America ever become one of those places like Sweden where it’s illegal to spank your kids? Could Canada?

4. Kids stressed before a big test? Get them to meditate.

5. Remember the awesome girls who covered Nicki Menaj’s “Super Bass”? They’re back and covering Adele.

Photo by cleverchimp via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. In defence of the 50-year-old new moms.

2. A school in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood created a few 3-grade split classes and parents were none too pleased and worried about bullying. Now they’re looking at alternatives.

3. A mother of five (under 6-years-old) explains how and why she brought her kids to Ireland for a vacation.

4. Versace, Fendi, and Marc Jacobs are trying to start a lifelong relationship with your baby.

5. An 11-year-old and her sister sing Amy Winehouse. The next Beyonce and Solange Knowles?

Photo by marv117

One Bunchlander things making things more open would make for better schools

For the past couple weeks, we’ve been asking you what you’d like to see in your kids’ schools. Bunch reader Dave Fingrut, who happens to have studied education a little, wrote to tell us he’d like things to be more open:

“Assuming that schools are going to continue using internet and computer technologies as educational tools, it would be great to see more open content materials, complemented by free and open source software, operating systems and hardware.

For kids at the elementary level who use computers at school – whether in the classroom, the library, or computer labs, and in desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device format – the experience would be more creative and interactive, faster and easier for teachers to plan, cheaper for schools and school boards, and students could use older computer systems without losing speed and performance.”  Read more...