Children are born to learn, however if not stimulated, children lose this ability. For some children in a day care situation that 'babysits' more than teaches or guides, these children fall behind. If we wait for preschool screening (usually given age 2 1/2 to 3 years of age) such children are found to be lacking in simple skills that are being taught to children before age 1. Sadly, the statement "50 percent of Minnesota children begin kindergarten not primed to learn" talks about these...

Catherine,
i love to read any article you write and while i have never read The Princess of Mars, i too, have watched these movie trailers for John Carter and wished they would go away. another movie about transformers (as you mentioned) or other worldly beasts. now i have discovered another book for my must read list. good job of taking us all back to our childhoods and the reading we would discover on Grandma and Grandpa's cabin shelves. although, it took me a moment to realize what...

dear Max, am very sad you are leaving, but happy for your new adventures in LaLa land. please keep us uprised of you and (one assumes)Coco's lives out west. Three Cherry Cocktails was my favorite column.

And! you got to dance with Matt "Where the Hell is Matt" Harding!! when i first saw the video 3 or 4 years ago, i thought if everyone could just sit and watch this video once a day; blood pressures would go down, anger management would be an unnecessary treatment and the feel good medications would be redundant! it is a video that just makes you smile and enjoy the fact that Matt has gone all over the world (and under water and in a zero atmosphere) to do his little dance. look at the...