Collaboration & Group Learning

Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family & Healthier Kids

Kids need more than food. They’re starving for family dinners. Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes—with so much to do, dinner has been bumped to the back burner. But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Studies have tied shared meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders. Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice, the book explains how to:

Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners

Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief)

Adapt meals to the needs of everyone—from toddlers to teens

Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods

Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating

Add an element of fun

Reduce tension at the table

Explore other cultures and spark curiosity about the world

And more Mealtime is a place to unwind and reconnect, far from the pressures of school and work. As the author notes, family therapy can be helpful, but regular dinner is transformative.

Engaging City Hall: Children as Citizens

An article by Krechevsky, Mardell, & Romans putting forth a view of young children as citizens.

When Change Has Legs

Perkins, D. N., & Reese, J. D. (2014). When change has legs. Educational Leadership,71(8), 42-47.

From the introduction: "Initiatives to improve teaching and learning remind us of New Year's resolutions. They often launch at the beginning of the year—the school year. They commence with a cherished vision of possibility and a spirit of commitment. They begin with genuine progress. But most New Year's resolutions fail. And similarly, many initiatives to improve teaching and learning prove shaky in the long term."

Boston Early Civics Curriculum

Blog describing curriculum developed by Mardell and others in the Boston Public School kindergartens that recognizes children are citizens. And, examples from BPS K2: Kindergartners' ideas for making Boston a fairer and more interesting place for children.

The Color Investigation

10 short videos by Melissa Rivard that track the development from start to finish of a Boston Public School preschool class's investigation into color, accompanied by a Teacher Study Guide. Also on this site is a 5-minute video of two kindergarten classrooms who participated in a Making Learning Visible course in which children created "how-to" books that were ultimately displayed at the Boston Children's Museum.