Oct 22, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Elementary, High School & Beyond, Middle School, Tutoring
By: Bill Tessien, Executive Director at A Step Ahead Academic Center Many students dread taking tests. And most may not even think about the best way to approach a test. However, there are best practices for test taking. To set up your student for success make sure he...
Oct 21, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd Win a book of your choice from today’s blog! Details below! As a child, I loved Halloween and couldn’t wait to go trick-or-treating. My mom made costumes for my siblings and me, and I vividly recall the excitement I felt when...
Oct 19, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Hot Topics, Just for Moms, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Rachel Hoeing Moms need “friend time.” It is a proven fact! Time with other women makes us better mothers. A few hours with your girlfriends can send you back home rejuvenated and ready to take on any motherly task that comes your way. There are so many...
Sep 23, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Parenting & Family, Private Schools, Raising Children
By Guest Blogger Kori Mackall, Director of Communications, The Piedmont School If you ask most boys, regardless of school grade, to look in their backpack for a school paper or homework assignment, more times than not there is a mom cringing in the background thinking...
Sep 9, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Education for Special Needs, Private Schools
By Guest Blogger Matt Zigler, Noble Academy Creative Director Creativity is second nature to us when we are young and ideas come at a fast and furious pace. In fact, young children routinely do much better on tests of creativity than high school children or adults do....
Sep 7, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd Win a book of your choice from today’s blog! Details below! September marks the the beginning of fall, at least on the calendar. Although outside temperatures may not feel fall-like, cooler weather is definitely around the...
Aug 22, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Elementary
By Guest Blogger Donna Siegle Sure, we’ve all got them, but do we really need them? “Routines are hard to put in place.” “My kids don’t like them.” We’ve heard the resistance to routines, but we’ve also seen huge benefits when they are used consistently. Routines get...
Jul 28, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd I recently heard someone refer to this time of year as the dog days of summer, and I wondered what this phrase really meant. According to dictionary.com, the dog days of summer are defined as “the sultry part of the summer… from...
Jul 21, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Elementary, High School & Beyond, Local Resources, Middle School, Non Profits
By Chelsea Cullen, Marketing and Communications Director for the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Do you remember your first day of school? Maybe you laid out a new outfit, organized your brand new school supplies and loaded up your new backpack, excited and ready to...
Jun 27, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd Grilling out, making s’mores by the fire pit, spending time with family and friends, catching fireflies, making homemade ice cream, and relaxing by the pool with a great book are some of the enjoyable things that come to mind when I...
May 18, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd North Carolina authors and books with thought-provoking storylines make up my selections this month. I appreciate books that make me dig deep and really think about what I believe and what is important. Ivan the gorilla made me...
Apr 20, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd North Carolina in the springtime has to be one of the most beautiful places in the country. We are so fortunate to live in an area that welcomes spring with open arms. With the gorgeous flowers and blooming trees, it is hard to not...
Mar 15, 2016 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Crafts & Hobbies, Education, Hot Topics, Moms & Dads, Pop Culture, Books & Movies, Recreation
By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd Books have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of my mother reading picture books to me. However, she didn’t just read the books aloud, she read them using the voices she thought the...
Mar 19, 2015 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Elementary, High School & Beyond, Middle School, Private Schools
By Leigh Anne Shelor, Online Program Coordinator at The Piedmont School Our educational system continues to push for “21st century learning” for students. Technology, of course, has been the forerunner in this non-traditional push for several years and...
Mar 12, 2014 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Pop Culture, Books & Movies, Recreation
By Rachel Hoeing “I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary...
Jul 25, 2013 | -, Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Local Resources, Non Profits, Recreation
By Chelsea Joslyn Join the Y for $1 with New Backpack Donation! Branches of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina are working with local nonprofits and schools to gather backpacks and school supplies to ensure every student starts the school year ready to learn. Now...
Jul 20, 2012 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education, Local Resources, Non Profits
By Guest Blogger Chelsea Cullen, Communications Director, YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Many parents will start back-to-school shopping in just a few short weeks – new outfits, school supplies – and the ultimate sign that school is starting again: a brand new...
Oct 19, 2010 | Books, Supplies & Gear, Education
By Rachel Hoeing and Allison Tobey Although children usually do not want more work after surviving a long day at school, completing homework, and playing sports, we have some tried and true after-school activities that will help boost brain power without the kids even...