22
Larchmont Chronicle
JULY 2022
SECTION ONE
Keeping your summer travel with children fun and stress-free It’s summer! And many Larchmont families are taking to the air again after a year or two of avoiding flights due to COVID-19. With kids not used to being seated on planes for hours, how can parents help flights be fun and stress-free for all? Here are some great tips for air travel with kids. For little ones traveling for the first time, the experience will be new and exciting. But it can also be a bit overwhelming for some children. Help alleviate uncertainties prior to the trip by reading books about airplane travel and talking about the adventure you’ll be going on. Being a bit familiar with what is happening helps kids feel calm and safe. On travel day, as everyone is getting settled on the plane, a great way to start the trip is
Tips on Parenting by
Casey Russell to talk about what’s going on outside. Watch the luggage being loaded and see if your child can spot your bags. Talk about what different people on the tarmac are doing. See if you can spot planes landing and taking off. Explain what the control tower is and how pilots know it’s their turn to take to the sky. If you take a minute to notice, there’s a lot of fun stuff of interest to kids right outside your window. Non-digital As the flight gets under way, kids are looking for things to do. Of course, screens are the
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new go-to. But I am not a huge fan of hours of screen-time, and I find that plane travel can be an opportunity for more than staring into a digital device. A good rule of thumb for travel with kids is to keep a few toys and activities reserved that are only brought out for travel days. Maybe you have a classic Etch A Sketch toy, some Silly Putty, some invisible pen workbooks or a paint-by-sticker activity book. Perhaps you have a miniset of playing cards or some finger puppets. Things kids don’t often see always seem more exciting and will keep them happily occupied for longer. If you’re up for creatively engaging with your kids during the flight, you can write a story together. I like to bring a bunch of stickers to spread out on my daughter’s tray table. Then, I get out a notebook and pen and say, “Want to help me write a story?” I let my daughter dictate. I write what she says while she sticker-illustrates the pages. This ends up being great fun for both of us. Lacing Cards are a fun activity for the 2- to 4-year-old set. And, for kids between ages 4 and 8, beading activities can be good for seated fun. Think ahead and pack some widehole beads and string and let your kids make presents for the flight attendants, people you’re going to visit or for themselves. Bringing a small new Lego kit for kids ages 6 to 10 can be a great idea. (Just remember to also pack a container that can corral the many pieces.) And, for the older set, a surprise magazine targeted to their latest interests is something that can light up otherwise bored faces. Reading to kids during flights is a great way to connect and pass some time.
Have a Happy Summer! Neville Anderson, MD, FAAP Amaka Priest, MD Courtney Mannino, MD, FAAP
FLYING TO OREGON are Clara and Lucas Valdes.
Before travel day, you can check out some books on tape from one of Larchmont’s local libraries, stop by Chevalier’s Books for a few new picture books or take advantage of one of the many Little Free
NEW COVENANT ACADEMY
By Dale Lee Rising 12th grader It’s finally summer, and that means the start of NCA’s summer enrichment program! Elementary and middle school students are coming in for daily classes and activities. After some basic classes preparing students for next semester, a variety of different clubs such as soccer, weight training, golf, gardening, music, volleyball, basketball and e-sports are offered for the taking. Elementary students will also have the opportunity to attend a variety of field trips to the movies, museums, aquariums and other fun spots. High school students have the opportunity to volunteer as teaching assistants to these clubs and help their little buddies out. Summer is the most important and productive time for high school students. NCA high schoolers are busy taking online courses to earn college credit and our juniors and seniors are busy drawing up their plans for college. Seniors can visit the school to receive one-on-one counseling with their families, readying them for their near-college future. We hope all students can have a wonderful and fun summertime!
By Hank Bauer 12th grade At the end of every year, ESLA holds the Senior Triduum: Baccalaureate service, graduation and, the most beloved of the three, Senior Dinner. Senior Dinner is an outdoor, three-course, evening meal where senior families are given their own tables and served by the parents of the juniors. All throughout the dinner, each student receives a toast by a surprise faculty member who goes up on stage and talks about all the great traits of their respective student. This year, toasts ranged from a series of compliments, to a poem, to just a speech built to capture a student’s nature, all in the name of reminding them how special they are before they leave. It was in this moment that the sentiment of the meal was the most palpable and the most tears were shed. We were also given a toast as an entire grade, by Dr. Yoon-Milner, who did a wonderful job helping us reflect on how far we’ve come and getting us excited for the future. When the meal ended, each senior was given a toolbox full of supplies they might need in preparation for college. By the end of Senior Dinner, each student seemed more ready for graduation and had been reminded that they would always have a community at ESLA.
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Libraries that families in our area have lovingly provided. Travel with kids can seem daunting. But, with a little forethought, it can be really fun. If your family ends up traveling this summer, the Larchmont Chronicle would love to hear about your adventures! Take a photo to share where you’ve been. And, for more tips on life with kids, feel free to send parenting questions to Parent Tips at: casey@larchmontchronicle.com. You can also check out my new parenting book, “The Handbook for Life With Little Ones: Information, ideas and tips for birth to age five,” on Amazon.
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