Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Parenting Matters. Real Talk from toddlers to teens. I'm your host, Rebecca Walsh, director of Early Childhood Matters in San Francisco, and I'm joined by my longtime mentor and co host, Belan Gioreto.
Together, we're here to answer your parenting questions from the early years through adolescence. As seasoned and humble parents and early childhood educators, we bring over 50 years of combined experience in teaching, directing, and coaching parents.
We started this podcast to help you raise resilient, confident kids and teens and to give you practical tools that can increase your confidence, effectiveness, and your joy in parenting.
This is Real Talk where we share multiple strategies because every child is unique, and we always explore what to try when just nothing else seems to be working.
So let's get real and let's get to it.
[00:01:12] Speaker B: All right, well, welcome back to Parenting Matters. We have a very special guest with us today, my son Joey.
[00:01:19] Speaker C: Hey, guys.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: And Joey's gonna help us out today with our episode, the Kids Are Ready for Summer Are youe?
And this is the middle school teen version for those of you with middle schoolers and early high schoolers at home.
And, you know, it gets harder as the kids get older. There's less and less camps.
Most of the camps, they kind of start to age out of. Right.
[00:01:41] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:01:43] Speaker B: So we're gonna. We have a few questions from our listeners, and I was hoping that you could answer them for us.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: Cool.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: Do we.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: So if. If I do that, you don't have to stare at the screen. Just like, try to keep your hair okay. Because we can always stop it and, you know, like this.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Because it'll be good if we just add a few, like, ad lib a little bit to make it more natural. This is just so I can stay on track.
Okay, so the first question is, what is a good balance of using summer for things like volunteer work or paid work and also giving your kids downtime and time to restore door and relax?
So I think that's a pretty good question, right?
[00:02:22] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: So, yeah, I think you had a similar question when the summer started for yourself. Right.
So, yeah, maybe you could tell us how you are balancing those things. What's on your agenda this summer and how did you come to that?
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Well, I mean, I do have track practice every day from Monday through Thursday at 6:45am So I have to wake up early every day.
And then so that kind of just gets me up and moving each day of the summer, which is pretty helpful. And then I also have this week, I'm volunteering at a Preschool. The preschool that I. The preschool that I used to go to, which my mom also used to teach at.
[00:03:01] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: Pacific Primary. Yeah. And then I'm also gonna do a music production camp. We're gonna be in the studio for 12 hours a day and it's gonna. We're gonna stay at the dorms of San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which is going to be pretty exciting. So.
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Yeah. You're volunteering at Pacific Primary this year. We actually. One of your goals this summer, I know, was to get some paid work.
[00:03:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: And to kind of get a job.
But can you tell us a little bit more about what happened there?
[00:03:28] Speaker C: Well, we found out that most of these stores don't hire people under 16. Even though like it's technically not the minimum age to work, but it's what everyone seems to be doing.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: Yeah. At least here in San Francisco it seems to be the trend.
[00:03:41] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: But we did find out that when you do go to apply for paid work, it's really great to have some work experience. So summer you've just been focusing on building up some of that work experience and getting some volunteer work and even at some places that you could potentially roll into some, some paid jobs when you turn 16.
[00:04:02] Speaker C: Like the, the Bay Club, it's like tennis and swimming. But they have a summer camp there that I went, I went to. I went to it like a few things a few summers ago.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: And that's a good one for middle schoolers too. Just for those of you that have middle schoolers, it's kind of an all sports and it's also when you can kind of sign up for very last minute. So it's good to know about.
[00:04:24] Speaker C: Yeah. And then I'm gonna volunteer there as a counselor in training and then there. And then I should be able to get a job there as a paid counselor next year.
Right.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: I think when you're 16, you can at least apply.
[00:04:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:38] Speaker C: Okay then. Another thing I'm doing this summer is I'm working my mom's summer camp.
[00:04:42] Speaker B: Yes. So we are very excited. It's going to be super fun. This is ECM's inaugural summer camp.
We are rolling out for three to five year olds. And Joey, my daughter Maggie and a couple of ECM alums are also going to be helping us.
If you are an alum from our Explorers program or other programs at ecm, your child is. Then they can also apply for next summer. So that's another great opportunity. We're going to start to build out that alum program. Yeah. So that's all very exciting. And it sounds like you've got some good balance going so far, Joey, let's go to our next question.
Okay, so the next question from one of our listeners is my son wanted to have some weeks without anything planned, but how do I prevent those weeks from being 247 screens?
[00:05:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I think that's a good question. I mean, I do have my exercise already every day from practice.
So, like, that's already good. I'm getting some energy out every day, early in the morning.
[00:05:46] Speaker B: Yeah. And, well, what would you recommend if somebody doesn't have a split sports practice during the summer or maybe they're not into sports. What would you recommend for that?
[00:05:58] Speaker C: I would say if you're playing sports and you just don't have summer practice, you could meet up with a friend during the day maybe a few times a week. Or just try to practice your sport on your own a few times a week or maybe go for a run, listen to some music.
And if you're not doing the sport, I would recommend just try to get out of the house every day.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: So.
[00:06:16] Speaker C: So maybe go to lunch or go to go thrifting or go to the mall or maybe something like that.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: So just getting out of the house every day, I think that is a really important goal.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: And something that's pretty achievable. So, yeah, I think as a parent too, if your child is asking you for a week of I just want one week of downtime, then you know, when they're asking for that, you're sort of in the bargaining position. So I would really use the opportunity to. To put it back on them and ask them for a plan.
So before you just say yes, or maybe you've already said yes, you could always say, well, I was actually thinking, and I found this camp last minute that you could do, right. So that you have a little bit more bargaining power in that conversation. But really just letting them know it is nice to have a couple weeks like Joey's wanted, a couple weeks where he doesn't have anything planned. But I really need to know what your plan is. And so how are you going to get out each day? Right. And, you know, joining a gym could be another thing that a lot of, you know, young, younger teens would want to do.
[00:07:24] Speaker C: So.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: So that's another idea.
[00:07:26] Speaker C: Oh, and another thing that's gotten me, like, motivated to get stuff done this summer is that I'm into getting into, like, music production and making beats. So my goal is to try and make a beat every day.
So that gets me like, working. I'm usually going to be making music for, like, at least an hour every day.
And it keeps me motivated to, like, at least do something productive since I have so much free time this summer.
[00:07:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's. That's been awesome. And do you want to tell us a little bit more about how that's helped you to keep that balance? I think you made an Instagram post about that.
[00:07:58] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I'm. I started a series on Instagram where I'm say, like, day one of making a beat every day, day two of making a beat every day in the summer. And then I'm keeping. I'm on like day seven right now. I think if you guys want to go check that out. It's J dub music, all lowercase and then it underscore at the end.
[00:08:15] Speaker B: Nice. Yes. So, yeah, you can check out Joey. He's gotten really into the music production and. But yeah, obviously, you know, whatever your child is interested in, or maybe they want to explore a new hobby over the summer, it's a great time to maybe think about learning something new.
And maybe it's just listening to music, creating playlists, maybe trying to listen to.
[00:08:40] Speaker C: A new album every day.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, that's always a good one. Listening to a new album.
You know, things like doing, you know, baking, cooking, you know, even things that they can learn from YouTube, but something that's going to be more on that productive end versus that consumption end.
[00:08:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:08:59] Speaker B: And, you know, really talk to your child, try to figure out what is it that they're. What are their goals, what are they passionate about right now and help them figure out how they could sort of at. Look, level that up during the summer.
Because such a good opportunity, if we do have that downtime, it's a great opportunity to sort of level up some of. Some of our interest.
But if we don't have a plan like that, then the problem is that the default goes to probably scrolling Instagram and video games.
[00:09:29] Speaker C: Yeah, that's true.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: Tick tock.
[00:09:32] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:34] Speaker B: So like you said, having that plan or that goal of kind of leveling up your own hobby or interests has really helped you to sort of find a bit of a balance. Okay, cool.
Okay, so our next question from our listeners is, if my child doesn't want to go to the summer camp or program that I signed him up for, then what should I do?
[00:09:56] Speaker C: That's a good question too.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:58] Speaker C: Definitely happened to me before.
[00:10:00] Speaker B: It has happened to you before.
And yeah, obviously when our children are little, it's easier. Right. And there may not be much of a choice. They're really gonna have to go to that camp.
But as they get older, it really gets more challenging to force an older child to do something they don't want to do.
And, you know, they say things like, I just want to stay home. Do you have any insights for. For us about things that maybe we've tried that have worked for you?
[00:10:31] Speaker C: Well, I think a big one that you've done with me before is, like, just try out one day, and if you don't like it, you can stop.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. That's a good reminder.
Yeah. Instead of, like, asking you to, you know, sometimes thinking about that whole week of doing something that you think you're not gonna like.
[00:10:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: Could feel kind of overwhelming. So we would just kind of break it down and say, let's just try the first day, and then we'll reevaluate. And another thing, if you remember I used to do would. Was I would say, on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad do.
[00:11:02] Speaker C: You think it's gonna be?
[00:11:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:04] Speaker C: And then after you say how. How bad it was. How bad it actually was. Right.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:10] Speaker B: And what usually happened during that time, it was.
[00:11:13] Speaker C: Usually ended up being a lot better than I thought it was.
[00:11:15] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think almost always you would just go ahead and finish out that camp.
[00:11:19] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't think I ever, like, quit a camp.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
So, you know, it is. It is just kind of getting over that hurdle.
But, yeah, it's a great idea. Just kind of talk about, let's just try it. Let's just try that first day.
[00:11:32] Speaker C: And also, like, if you're, like, doing with a friend, it's, like, gonna be a lot easier. So that'd be better is like, if you can get your kid to sign up with a friend, that would make it a lot easier that you know someone there. You're not going into it with, like, totally new kids and stuff.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: Yeah. I think that was always, you know, always a key. But sometimes as you get older, you do find that you have different interests than your friends. Right. True. And so, you know, but. But yeah, I think definitely, or sometimes your interests may have changed. Like, maybe your parents signed you up for something, you know, six months ago that you were interested in, but now not so much.
But the other thing that you could do is to. If. If something like that did happen would be, you know, depending on the refund policies and that kind of thing, but would be to ask your child, okay, well, then what's the alternative?
You know, if you really don't want to do this camp for whatever reason.
What are you going to do instead? And you know, can they find another camp that they're interested in or something else that they're interested in?
Or maybe the bargaining power is more around like then if we don't do this camp, then we'll do a screen free week. Oh yeah, that would get you to go, huh?
[00:12:46] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:12:47] Speaker B: But for real, you're your aunt in Australia, you know, she does that with some frequency. Just turns off the, the WI fi in the house and you know, her and her husband will use hotspots if they need to work. But, but yeah, but that can be an option for sure and you know, could end up leading to some very productive, interesting summer. But I think the, the idea is, you know, you have to have an alternative. And so we're, you know, if, if they're not wanting to do that camp, they're really resisting it. You know, try the one day thing, try the scale. Yeah, but you know, maybe you can find a friend to join. But if, you know, if they're really digging their heels in, then they've got to come up with an alternate plan that works for both of you and you know, in that you could ask your child, like I said, to find something else. And I mean, how would you recommend that, that somebody find a camp based on their interests?
[00:13:49] Speaker C: Oh, the way I found my music production camp was actually just chatgpt. I just looked up like music production camps in San Francisco and that came up and there were a few slots left. So I had to apply by like sending them a few of my beats and then they let me in.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: So yeah, believe it or not, or at least hard for me to believe, ChatGPT is actually a pretty good resource for finding camp camps or specific activities for your child based on, yeah, their interests.
[00:14:17] Speaker C: I mean especially in San Francisco, there's like a super wide variety of camps. So you're totally able to find something that's super like specific to your like interests. Like, do you find something that's perfect for you?
[00:14:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So it is actually a great idea. You could also use it to find volunteer work.
But, but yeah, my rule of thumb is usually what's the replacement then is the next question, if you don't want to do this, what are you going to do instead? Okay. And like I said, just making sure that they have a very clear understanding and answer to that question. Because honestly, for most kids, if they are just given the opportunity to stay home and play video games or scroll, you know, Instagram or TikTok all day, you know, it's going to be hard for them to choose something else, and so making it really clear again what the alternative plan would look like.
And, yeah, reminding yourself, as a parent, you do control the router, and so there are ways you can actually.
You can actually do that. Although obviously there might be a little more flexibility during the summer with screen time and some later nights and all that.
[00:15:27] Speaker C: Yeah, totally. But the thing is, like, if you like, gonna play with your friends instead of, like, I think that's a lot better than just, like, grinding video games by yourself, because you're, like, still making social connections, you're having fun in a group. You're, like, reinforcing your relationships with your friends.
[00:15:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:43] Speaker C: Maybe because you might not be seeing them that much in the summer, too.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:46] Speaker C: But, like, if you're playing by yourself, you're just, like, grinding for hours a day. That's not really healthy. That just probably means you're addicted. Whereas I feel like playing with friends is more like. Of having fun kind of thing.
[00:15:55] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's actually a really important distinction. And there's some more research that's kind of looking into those nuances right now.
I've talked on our last episode about Pixel Parenting, which is a podcast committed to really helping parents in the digital age. And Patricia, she actually just interviewed a researcher who is a video gamer himself. Oh, yeah. And so he's doing research on the impacts of gaming. And one of the things that he's saying is instead of asking all the same questions about how much time do you play, how are you feeling? They're really looking at the nuances. And he's finding that some of these social elements of the video gaming is really allowing some buffers to some of the negative impacts.
[00:16:42] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:16:43] Speaker B: So, you know, I think if you do see a lot of your child going into that solo video gaming or solo scrolling and just kind of being on their own going down the Instagram. Yeah, really, I think that is something that you really want to raise some red flags, flags around for both boys and girls and make sure that, you know, that that could be a sign that, hey, maybe they have too much free time and we need to get you a little bit more busy. But we do need to know a few things.
And, you know, using technology in a creative way is actually really different.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: Right.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: And so that's a whole nother thing that you can talk about. Like, you're doing these Instagram posts right on your music club and, you know, making your own videos. Whether that's like I said, cooking, baking, you know, some kind of arts, crafts, so many different things. And you can look into, you know, coding with simple things like scratch or there's obviously more complex ones as your child gets older, but using technology to do video editing or just, you know, it's. It's that creative versus consumption. Right. So I'm also going to put another link in our podcast link notes of an amazing resource.
But also I'm going to link to another amazing resource and shout out to Evelyn Nichols at Mighty Bambini's over in Marin for introducing me to this amazing organization called Screen Sense. And they actually have a great summer packet right now. It's called Summer irl.
[00:18:21] Speaker C: Summer in real life.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Summer in real life.
So, you know, it really talks about ways to balance real life activities with on screen. Screen activities.
[00:18:32] Speaker C: That's really important. Totally.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: Right. And like you were saying, you know, getting out of the house just at least once a day, doing all those things.
And there's honestly a great list of ideas there of alternatives to screens, but there's also a whole list of ways to use technology and screens in positive ways that creative versus consumption and you know, playing with friends versus in isolation.
Another distinction on that summer in real life handout around screens is the story form versus the short form.
[00:19:07] Speaker C: Or like long. Long form.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: Yeah, like long story form versus a short form. So that could be like actually watching TV, actually watching a movie.
[00:19:15] Speaker C: YouTube video.
[00:19:16] Speaker B: Yeah. What do you think the difference is there, like from your experience?
[00:19:20] Speaker C: Well, like when you're scrolling, it's like really short clips and it captures your attention and it's like floods your brain with dopamine. And I think if you watch them and it becomes really addictive too.
[00:19:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:19:32] Speaker C: And if you watch like a YouTube video movie, I think it's. You're gonna learn more. It's gonna be more. More fulfilling and you're gonna actually, your brain will be like, will be flooded with new information. New information. And it's gonna also be better for like your attention span too. So you're gonna like, learn more and it's gonna be better for you.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:19:48] Speaker C: And it can also be just as interesting.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. But it's hard. I mean, you've struggled with that too. Like, it's hard to not watch the scrolls because there's so like instant reward. Right?
[00:20:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:01] Speaker B: So is there some balance that you found or.
I guess we have the screen time limits.
[00:20:06] Speaker C: That helped. That's true.
[00:20:08] Speaker B: Yeah. So. So yeah, even like, you know, using you like actual YouTube versus YouTube shorts for finding something like cooking or baking or. Or music. You know you've used it.
[00:20:18] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:20:19] Speaker B: To. For music production, like making up videos.
[00:20:21] Speaker C: Of tutorials and stuff.
[00:20:22] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. So.
So, yeah, another thing to think about with technology is just using devices in the common rooms versus bedrooms and bathrooms. So that's a really important thing to think about as a parent and especially during the summer, just to, you know, really keep that in balance. Have some family rules about where these devices are allowed and where they're not allowed.
And yeah, there's a whole list, though, of different ideas of using technologies in creative ways. Making stop motion. You used to really be into.
[00:20:56] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, totally.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: The stop motion with.
[00:21:00] Speaker C: What were you doing? Legos or maybe like drawings on the chalkboard.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember that. And then even like sometimes just using fruit. Oh, yeah, I remember that one.
So. So yeah, there's a lot of different ideas and I really encourage you to sit down with your child.
Oh, another thing that we did a lot was we would come up with a list of things that you could do when you were.
[00:21:26] Speaker C: Bucket list.
[00:21:27] Speaker B: Oh, the bucket list for summer. Yeah. Yeah. That was awesome. Do you remember some of the things that were on there? We haven't done that.
[00:21:33] Speaker C: It was like a lot of, like, touristy stuff. Yeah, well, like, sometimes that can be pretty fun to do.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:39] Speaker C: Like going to Pier 39 or like going to Golden. Going across the Golden Bridge, like on a run.
Or maybe like.
Yeah, or maybe like you go to get food in the hate Ashbury, huh?
[00:21:54] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, we have a lot of different things, but yeah, creating a bucket list. Yeah, and that's always fun. I mean, that's fun for any age. And also we also had another list of just things that you could do when you're aboard. There's. Oh, what's that website that you and Patrick use sometimes with a wheel?
[00:22:11] Speaker C: Oh, yes, Spin the Wheel website. I think you can just look up.
[00:22:16] Speaker B: Yeah, but you can also, like, you can use it to. For example, there could be a wheel of what to do when I'm bored. Right?
[00:22:23] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, we did do that, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: So you could just create a list of things that your child could do, alternatives to screens, and then whenever they. They tell you they're bored or whatever. Spin the wheel. Okay, so another question is, any tips for getting middle schoolers or high schoolers to read this book?
[00:22:42] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
I think, like, a really great way to get to get into the book is just if you ask the librarians for recommendations, they usually have some pretty good stuff if you just tell them what you're into and they're usually able to find some pretty good recommendations for you.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: Yeah. And you know, maybe tell them books that you've liked in the past and then they can kind of help you. But yeah, obviously when children, like when you were little, you were a super avid reader and it definitely, it does drop off a little bit as children get older. That is, can be normal.
But I found honestly that having the right books around is really key to keeping the reading up and going to the library even once a week, just trying to refresh and get some new things out there.
[00:23:29] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:23:31] Speaker B: I found that, you know, for some kids that you really have to explore different genres and just find something that resonates with them. Definitely. I feel like you were always into fantasy. Maggie was always more into like non fiction or biological. What is that?
[00:23:49] Speaker C: Biographies?
[00:23:50] Speaker B: Yeah, biographies. And Patrick is really into the history books.
[00:23:54] Speaker C: Right.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: So you really have to experiment with each child and try to figure out what, what books are really going to resonate with them. Sometimes a friend might recommend a series that really resonated with your child, with their child, but it may not resonate with yours. So really doing that time and that research at the library, but just having a lot of different material I think is one of the number one way. It's one of the number one ways to help kids continue in their reading even as they get older.
[00:24:21] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: Do you have a favorite book right now that you're reading, Joey?
[00:24:24] Speaker C: I'm reading this pretty cool book called Elantris and it's like a pretty cool fantasy book.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:24:30] Speaker C: I would recommend it.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: Okay, cool. Have to check that out.
[00:24:35] Speaker C: Why do you ask that?
[00:24:36] Speaker B: Okay, Joey, our last question is any tips for last minute opportunities to volunteer or find camps or programs for men, middle schoolers or high schools, High schoolers that could still have openings.
[00:24:50] Speaker C: Well, definitely, Chad. GBT is a really great resource for that to find that.
[00:24:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
And I will say there are a lot of opportunities out there, especially with volunteering.
[00:25:03] Speaker C: Oh yeah. Like, well, for volunteering you can actually get like sign up pretty last minute because usually not a lot of people like, like they don't flood in like right when they. The applications open like summer camps too. So you can usually sign up like the day before, like a week before and you'll be flooded.
[00:25:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Can you talk maybe about some other volunteer work you've done this year or that you're doing over the summer?
[00:25:28] Speaker C: Well, throughout the school year I did a program called glad, which is pretty cool. Basically, you're in this big, like, kind of cafeteria, and you'll be assigned to a job. Either you're going to bring out the trades of food and homeless people, or, like, and hungry people will come in and you'll serve them. So maybe you're going to put the food on the trays, you're going to carry the trays out, or you're going to be, like, bussing the tables.
But that's pretty fun.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: Yeah, and that's a great one, because it's very easy to sign up for. There's almost always openings.
[00:25:58] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:25:59] Speaker B: They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day here in San Francisco. Francisco. In the Tenderloin. And. Yeah. Really nice people that work there, too.
[00:26:06] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, totally.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: And like I said, really easy to sign up, so that's a great one. You know, you could honestly sign your child up, like, every day if you wanted to. Just have one thing that they do every day. And also, you know, obviously, you could. For the first time, you could go together or go as a whole family. You only have to be eight, actually, to volunteer at Glide.
[00:26:27] Speaker C: Not by yourself.
[00:26:27] Speaker B: No, not by yourself.
[00:26:28] Speaker C: You can bring your child.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Right, right. Exactly. But as they get older and obviously, if you're not here local in San Francisco, you know, just looking up different churches or organizations that have a soup kitchen or have a meal service like this. Oh, and then the other thing that you're doing. Do you want to tell them about the. The Fog reading program?
[00:26:47] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. So it's a program that's created by the SF library branches, and it's to help kids who are having trouble learning how to read.
So first I have to take some zoom classes to, like, to teach me how to teach the curriculum and stuff. And then I'll get paired up with a kid, and we'll meet at a specific library branch that's, like, near me or, like, a great location for both of us. And then I'll teach them the curriculum and, like, teach them different strategies for, like, sounding out their words and recognizing word patterns and stuff like that. And then give them updates. And then I'll do logs and give updates back to, like, the program on how the kids do it.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: Yeah, it sounds pretty intense.
The. The trainings were a little bit long, right? Yeah.
But I think it's going to be really fun because you can develop a relationship with one child over time.
[00:27:36] Speaker C: Totally.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: How old do you. Do you remember how old you had.
[00:27:39] Speaker C: To be to, I think, 15.
[00:27:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it was one of those, like, 15 and up. So. So yeah, if you're local here in San Francisco, that's another great opportunity. And, and I think that you can kind of sign up for that. It's on a rolling program, so I think you can kind of sign up for that all year.
[00:27:56] Speaker C: Yeah, totally.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: So.
Okay. And as far as finding a last minute camps, you know, if you do find your child just has too much free time, it's never too late. There are things use chat cheaper, start with your child's interest. Right? Yeah. Or sometimes, you know, maybe an academic subject that they need to improve on. But there is actually a lot out here. There is actually a lot of opportunities and there's also some things that you can do online if you are living in more of a rural area or, you know, outside of a city. Do you want to talk really quickly about out?
[00:28:42] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. So during the pandemic, I was homeschooled for a year and pretty much all my core classes were taught on outschool. And it's a program where you can sign up for to take online zoom classes and you can pretty much take about anything. Like I had one class that was like history taught through the lens of Star wars. So they have or like some art classes too. So basically you can find anything on there that matches to your interest. So you can take drawing lessons or music lessons or like all sorts of stuff on there.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: Yeah, the teachers are pretty good, right?
[00:29:11] Speaker C: Yeah, the teachers are great.
[00:29:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I think you had one writing a creative writing class with a published author that was super fun.
So yeah, so that's like another thing that you could have, just like a consistent thing for your child, even if it's online. And obviously there's a lot of great online learning programs out there as well. Okay, all right, well get out there this summer and have some fun. Really find that balance with the IRL right in real life experience experiences, wisdom and your insights.
[00:29:43] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:29:43] Speaker B: Let's try that again.
So I hope you enjoyed hearing it. From the Source here, our 15 year old, Joey.
Thank you so much, Joey, for coming on the show.
[00:29:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot.
[00:29:58] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks for sharing your wisdom and your insights and thank you for listening.
[00:30:02] Speaker D: Thank you so much for listening to Parenting Matters. Real talk from toddlers to teens where your personal parenting journey matters. And your questions are always welcome. If you've enjoyed today's podcast, we'd love it. If you'd like, subscribe, leave a rating and review and share this podcast with a friend. It really helps others find us and supports the work we are doing to support parents near and far. Check out the show notes, leave your parenting questions in the comments or head to our dedicated webpage earlychildhoodmatters.org podcast. There you can find even more resources, resources and ways to stay connected.
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