Photo courtesy of Flickr user chefranden via Creative Commons Attribution License.

Whether it's current events in the news or particular events in a child's life, more and more parents are noticing increased anxiety in their young children. 

Tamar E. Chansky, a psychotherapist who treats anxious children and adults was recently profiled in The New York Times. According to Dr. Chansky, her goal is not to trivialize children’s fears but to help them see that their fears are unwarranted and can be overcome.

Dr. Chansky offered the following Parent Tips for helping children gain control over their anxiety:

- Empathize with your child. Acknowledge the child’s concerns and the effect they have without dismissing them as silly.

- Describe the problem as coming from the part of our brains that jumps to conclusions and cannot be trusted. Give worry a name, like “brain bug” or "worry bug." This takes the focus away from the child’s specific fear and makes anxiety itself the problem.

- Rewire and resist. Ask your child what she is really worried about and what she thinks might happen. Then ask her to check whether these thoughts really make sense. Help her the inner voice that tells worry it is not the boss.

- Teach relaxation techniques that help temper the biological alarm to fight or flee whenever fear takes over. Deep breathing is a great self-help strategy. 

- Help your child focus on what he wants to do and what he would do if worry were not in charge.

- Finally, reinforce your child’s efforts. Praise her for getting through a tough situation.

For parents seeking professional help, there are many local resources:

Child Guidance Center

Family Centers

The Life Solution Center of Darien

The Southfield Center for Development

Looking to learn more about the Common Core State Standards? Here are a few great resources:

Presentation Slides from March 20, 2013 Panel Discussion

CoreStandards.org  The website that details all aspects of the standards. 

Connecticut State Department of Education 

About Common Core  Presented by the Connecticut Education Association 

Parent Guides to Student Sucess  Created by the National PTA, these are grade-level guides that detail the skills children are expected to master. 

Shifts for Students and Parents  Created by EngageNY.org, this document explains the six major shifts in English and Math that happen under Common Core. 

Congratulations to this year's ALA Youth Media Award Winners!

The Newbery Award for excellence in children's literature went to The One and Only Ivan by Kathryn Applegate. Newbery honors were given to Laura Amy Schlitz for Splendors and Glooms, Sheila Turnage for Three Times Lucky, and Sibert Winner Bomb.

This year, the Caldecott Award for excellence in picture books went to John Klassen, for This is Not My Hat. Klassen also won a Caldecott Honor for Extra Yarn, by Mac Barnett. Other Caldecott Honors were given to Peter Brown for Creepy Carrots, Laura Seeger for Green, David Small for One Cool Friend and to Pamela Zagarenski for Sleep Like a Tiger. Special Congratulations to Miss Kiera on her excellent work on the 2013 Caldecott Committee!

The Sibert Award for excellence in children's non-fiction went to Bomb: The Race to Build (And Steal) The World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steven Sheinkin. And the Geisel Award, for excellence in Early Readers, went to Up, Tall and High, by Ethan Long.

See a full list of winners below!

photo courtesy of Flickr user Eddie~S

From pushes on the playground to mean instant messaging, bullying is an issue that almost all children face at some time or another.  With a recent surge in media attention and a new focus on cyber-bullying, parents may wonder where and how to find the best information and ways of talking to their own kids about bullies. 

What if my child is the victim of bullying?

A recent article in Parenting magazine offered the following 3 Step process for parents:

Step One: Find out what's going on.  Get the facts and reassure your child that you will both work together on a solution.

Step Two: Help your child figure out how to respond.  Some responses include:

•  Stand tall and act brave
•  Ignore the bully
•  Stick with friends
•  Tell an Adult

Step Three:  Take action yourself.  Set up a meeting with the teacher, parent, or caregiver. 

What if my child's friend is the bully?

One of the hardest things for a child to learn is how to stand up for what's right, even in the face of possible scrutiny or embarassment. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services has a kid-friendly website called Stop Bullying Now that features info, games, quizzes, and webisodes all designed to address the issues of bullying , offer meaningful discussion starters, and help promote positive ways of combatting this childhood problem.  Check out this video featuring the character Melanie and her struggle with a friend who is a known bully.

What if my child is the bully?

It can sometimes be hard to tell if childhood squabbles are simply "kids being kids" or if there is a more serious problem.  

Stop Bullying Now offers the following advice to parents:

• Make it clear to your child that you take bullying seriously and that you will not tolerate this behavior.
• Develop clear and consistent rules within your family for your children's behavior. Praise and reinforce your children for following rules and use non-physical, non hostile consequences for rule violations.
• Spend more time with your child and carefully supervise and monitor his or her activities. Find out who your child's friends are and how and where they spend free time.
• Build on your child's talents by encouraging him or her to get involved in prosocial activities (such as clubs, music lessons, nonviolent sports).
• Share your concerns with your child's teacher, counselor, or principal. Work together to send clear messages to your child that his or her bullying must stop.
• If you or your child needs additional help, talk with a school counselor or mental health professional.

The Children's Library also offers some great books for both children and parents on the subject of bullying.  These are a few of our favorites: 

Miss Claire demonstrates some great apps.

On Thursday, the children's librarians hosted an App Chat. A small but enthusiastic group of parents met with Miss Kiera and Miss Claire to hear about great new apps for all ages and share their own favorites.

Click to view and print the handouts:

Awesome Apps for ages 2 to 5

Awesome Apps for ages 6 to 8

Awesome Apps for ages 9 to 12

What are some of your favorite apps- for children or grownups? Share them in the comments below!

"I'm totally gonna Tweet about this blog."

Whether you're sporting your first baby bump or expecting your third little bundle of joy, chances are there is a parenting blog out there that you'll love. Moms, dads, and caregivers can trade tips, tricks, day-in-the-life adventures, and even shopping bargains through social media platforms like blogs. Here are a few of our favorite parenting blogs:

Pregnant Chicken: Laugh-out-loud funny observations and straightforward information for new parents.

Cool Mom Picks: Real Simple named this shopping blog as one of their top three. The bloggers curate list of great gifts, craft ideas, and products for both baby and mom- so you don't have to. 

OhDeeDoh: From the creators of Apartment Therapy comes this interior design blog that has tips on everything from home improvement projects, to setting up a nursery, to converting a child's bedroom into a cool teen space. 

Babble: More of a parenting website than a blog per se, Babble is a fount of information on everything from taming tantrums to having "The Talk." They also feature some great personal mom/dad blogs.

Autism Spot: An empowering and positive blog with information for parents of children with autism or other sensory integration disorders. Contains news about scientific studies and trials, activities for sensory and social development, and support forums.  

Geek Dad: Several dads (and sometimes moms, too!) contribute to this fun, tech-savvy Wired blog for parents. From books, to video games, to Lego competitions, there is no shortage of great, geeky ideas.

Our Family Eats: Looking for a quick, healthy, and delicious dinner idea? Pop over to this practical foodie blog for busy chefs. 

Radical Parenting: Believe it or not, this insightful and informative blog is not written by parents- but by a group of teen writers. Started by Vanessa Van Petten at age 16, the site is now home to over 120 teen contributors. For an inside look at the brain of a teenager, this is an invaluable resource for moms and dads.  

Did you know we have some amazing parent bloggers right here in Darien? Check out these local mom bloggers and come meet them in person at the Tech Moms panel event next Wednesday, February 15 at 9:30am. 

Lisa Boncheck Adams (LisaBAdams.com): Writings on breast cancer, grief & loss, life, and family.

Nicole Lyons (All About Darien): A "good-to-know" guide for and about everything Darien.

Jacquie (Afterwordsblog.com): Funny, poignant tales of a transplanted Brooklynite (now Darienite) living with her husband and two kids ("The Boy" and "The Girl") in suburbia. 

Jennifer St. Jean (Itty Bitty Bag): Owner and creator of the Itty Bitty Bag company, this Darien mom is a craft and sewing goddess- she can even give detailed instructions how to hem a pleated jumper! 

Have a favorite parenting blog that we missed? Share it in the comments section below!

photo courtesy of Flickr user miguelphotobooth.

Little Clickers [Fridays, March 23 - April 27 at 10:30AM]

REGISTRATON OPENS FEBRUARY 27*

A technology class for three- to five-year-olds with a parent/caregiver. This interactive class will introduce new kid-friendly websites and help your preschooler learn basic computer skills. *Registration is a lottery; register here between Monday, February 27 and Monday, March 12.

Techsplorers [Wednesdays, January 4, January 18, February 1, February 15 at 4:15PM]

Wailtlist for Techsplorers (Space is limited)

Children ages six- to eight-years-old will have the opportunity to reinforce computer skills, explore fun new websites and create unique projects using both traditional and digital art techniques.

iKids [Mondays, January 9, January 23, February 6, February 27 at 4:15PM]

Waitlist for iKids (Space is limited)

A creation-based technology program for nine- to twelve-year-olds. This highly interactive class focuses on using technology to express creativity. From podcasting and digital photography to book trailers and art apps, kids will explore different media and create their own.

Storytubes Creation Lab [December 27 - February 4; see registration form for details]

Click here to REGISTER. 

Calling all kid filmmakers and book lovers! Storytubes 2012 is a national competition in which children combine their love of reading with savvy tech skills to create unique book trailers. Darien Library is proud to be a Partner Library for the 2012 competition! Register to reserve time in the computer lab to use the Children's Library cameras and software to make your book trailer.

Part of Cyber Parents & Digital Natives: A Technology Series for the Modern Family.