An interesting thing happened at Chinese School a few weeks ago.  The teacher gave the preschool class a written midterm exam.   I knew that it was midterm time for the school. I, however, had no idea that they expected the preschool class to complete a midterm as well.  Seriously, a midterm.

The preschool class, which they call the kindergarten class,  is composed of children 5-years old and younger.  Most of the class are 4-years olds and there are a set of twins who are 3.  None of the children in the class can read and I'm only aware of one that can actually write.

The exam was about 20 questions long.  The questions were written in English. The exam required the student to circle the correct character or write in the missing Chinese character.  It also covered numbers 1-100, because this is what they have been learning over the last few weeks.

The teacher passed out the exams and I had a small panic attack.  That nightmare about getting an exam you are completely unprepared for came true.  My hands were even getting clammy.  My daughter the test taker, however, was fine.  She wasn't phased in the least. She picked up her robot pen and asked me what question number one said.

Over the next 20 minutes we muddled through the exam together.  The parents were allowed to assist each other and the children. We were also allowed to ask questions to the teacher.  The children are still little after all.

Midterms for preschoolers actually turned out to be a wonderful idea.  The children really seemed to enjoy working on the questions and showing off all their newly obtained knowledge.  Sure, they couldn't answer all the questions on their own or even read the instructions. That, however, didn't stop them. They were so little they had no fear about being unprepared.  They just jumped into the exam like they would any other project a teacher has placed before them.

That day I learned three valuable lessons:

1) Language acquisition is for the young. I am embarrassed to admit this, but my 4-year old daughter knew the answers to several more exam questions than I did.  My old brain is obviously now filled with useless information and I am therefore unable to retain anything  new.

2) My first instincts are not always right.  Even though it might be a little unusual to give a preschooler a midterm that doesn't make it a bad idea.

3) Preschoolers aren't afraid of exams.  Most of them actually find the exercise pretty fun. I am, however, still petrified of  being unprepared for an exam.

Fisher Price has recalled nearly 10 million of its products. The massive recall includes baby play areas, tricycles, toys, and high chairs. The company website offers a detailed list of all the recalled items: Link

The US Consumer Products Safety Commission also has information available: http://

Photo: US Consumer Products Safety Commission website

Let me introduce you to the wonderful Nanny Caddy.  This is a vending machine that sells diapers, baby wipes, sippy cups, pacifiers, and pretty much anything else you might need as a Mom on the go.   Apparently they are starting to pop up at amusement parks and children's museums across the United States, but I say we need more of them.   I advocate for installing them at airports and malls everywhere.   Oh, how having access to this beautiful little machine could have saved me so much torture.

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Johnson & Johnson has announced that they will be putting infant and children's medicines back on store shelves starting as early as next week.  It has been nearly 5 months since the big recall. This is good news for parents who are bracing themselves for the start of cold and flu season.

I can tell you from personal experience sourcing the generic stuff has not been easy.  During one bout of illness this summer my husband had to trek to 3 different drug stores to find generic infant ibuprofen.

A total of 4 million bottles will eventually hit the market by year end.

Parija Kavilanz of CNN has more: Link

School is back in session and hopefully that means more kids are cracking open a book or two.  They may even be reading a book that has been banned or challenged in the past.

Did you know that this week is officially Banned Book Week? Yes, groups across the United States will be celebrating the written word this week by bringing attention to banned or censored books. Many schools and libraries have planned special events to condemn censorship.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Southern California will wrap banned books in yellow-and-black caution tape and encourage students to review the books for gift cards and candy.

Feel free to share your favorite banned or challenged book in the comment section. I am personally partial the Harry Potter series.

CNN's This Just In has more: Link

Are you having trouble deciding on the room decor for your animal enthusiast? Paper Boy's Animal Magic wallpaper might just be for you.  This slightly creepy and yet so adorable animal skeleton wallpaper would be perfect for the room of a budding veterinarian.

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YouTube Link


Over the last several days Chinese all over the world have been celebrating the Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival.  They have been gathering with family, eating moon cakes and sometimes putting pomelo hats on their kids. Why do they put pomelo hats on? Some say wearing the pomelo rind enables the moon lady to see the the children better.  If she can see the children she is better able to answer their prayers.

The Moon Festival falls on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. This year that's September 22, 2010.

Happy Moon Festival everyone!

A couple of 12-year old Oregon boys decided to steal a van and  take it on a joyride.  I guess driving wasn't as easy as they thought, because they crashed the van into 2 parked cars and nearly killed a neighbors cat.

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A Utah high school is sick and tired of its students being late. East  High School is now fining its students $5 every time they are late to class.  If the kids can't afford the fine, or don't want to pay the fine, they can opt to serve 30 minutes of detention.

School officials say the money raised will go towards paying the teacher who has to stay after school and run the detention.

According to school officials the program is working and the kids are a little more punctual these days.

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It was a normal school morning until a suspicious character was spotted by an elementary school crossing guard.  A 7-foot alligator was milling about as unsuspecting children were making their way to campus. Soon the  sheriff's department was on the scene.  Three officers worked together to subdue the scaly perp.

Once the gator stopped rolling, the deputies were able to secure the mouth with electrical tape and secure its hind legs with handcuffs.

The gator was taken into the custody of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Emily Nipps of the St. Petersburg Times has more: Link

Photo: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

YouTube video via AssociatedPress: Link

Andrew Polasky, a 5-year-old Wisconsin native, has won Alaska Zoo's moose calling contest.

So what's his secret for winning a moose-calling contest?

His mom says he just likes making a lot of noise, and, she says, "He's good at it."

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A pizza place in California claims to have an amazing labor inducing pizza.  Skipolini's Prego Pizza includes salami, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, extra onions, sausage, ground beef, linguisa, extra garlic, parmesan and oregano.

In the spring of 1981, a woman desperate to give birth after a trying pregnancy, wandered into Skipolini's Pizza in downtown Clayton. Jokingly, the woman demanded that the manager give her a pizza that would make her have the baby soon. Seeing her desperation, the manager concocted a pizza with just about every known topping in the restaurant.

The masterpiece had thirteen different toppings including extra onions and extra garlic. The pizza was loaded with fresh vegetables and six types of meat. The creation weighed over four pounds and could have cured the hunger of several small countries. The results were amazing. The woman left the restaurant after eating the "Prego" pizza and went into labor that same evening. So began the amazing history of the first ever, the original, "Prego" pizza.

I know a few women who wish they had heard about this pizza when they were pregnant.   I'm pretty sure my sister would have called them up and asked if they would overnight the thing.

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I often feel like my kids are climbing the walls at home. Apparently now you can put up a cool little tree and literally let them climb the walls. I'm not sure this is for me, but I love it none the less.

Jennie Lyon of Inhabitots has more information on this product: Link

A Michigan elementary school has decided to ban the practice of parents bringing birthday cupcakes to celebrate their child's birthday.  The sweet treats are no longer welcome in the classroom.  The principle at Vandenberg Elementary wants children's birthdays to be honored with healthy snacks.

"I know we're not the first school to do it. And, we didn't actually ban them from the school, they're just in the classroom," Malek said. "If parents want to bring them to school and serve them themselves during the children's lunch hour, that's fine."

The banning of cupcakes in the classroom is really just an extension of the healthy lifestyle theme of this school. The students there don't sell junk food or have pizza parties.  The cafeteria is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables.  None of the food served to the children is fried.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/family/25024560/detail.html

A Connecticut Mother took her two children, ages 6 and 7, on a field trip to watch a  murder trial.  The Mother home-schools her children and wanted to use this opportunity to teach her children about the legal process.   Some critics have argued that a murder trial is no place for children. The Mother vehemently disagrees.

To those who say a murder trial is no place for children, there's this.

"Then where is the place? Is it in front of a videogame where you're slaughtering your opponents and no parents are around to monitor it?” Jennifer Ghoshray told News 8. “I mean, I'm here, I'm interactive, we took notes when my children had a couple of questions I discussed with them."

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