If you are a new or expecting parent, you’ve probably been thinking about your neighborhood in a whole new way. Suddenly, the school down the street is far more than a row of buildings to be avoided during your morning commute. Like it or not, your local

school district will have a major impact on your child’s education…or to be more accurate, your child’s future.

That being said, you’re probably wondering how your neighborhood school compares to others in the school district. You no longer need to wonder thanks to a new online resource Education Nation Scorecard for Schools developed by Fathom and The Gates Foundation. The scorecard won’t tell you everything you’ll want to know, but it does provide an accurate way to compare your school’s basics (language arts comprehension scores, math test scores, graduation percentages) with other schools and districts in the country.

After visiting Education Nation Scorecard for Schools (http://nbcscorecard.greatschools.org), shoot back to the baby blog and let us know how your school is doing by leaving a comment in the box below. Did the scores match the school’s reputation, or were you surprised to see the outcome?

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

The average American child spends 7.5 hours a day on computers, using cell phones, watching TV, and playing video games. Factor in the alarming statistic that each American now eats approximately 15 pounds more sugar than we did in the 1970′s and it’s no

surprise that our kids are facing chronic obesity.

The good news…implementing small changes can make big differences. This is why Chefs across the US are being asked to partner with their local schools as part of the Chefs Move to Schools initiative, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Interested in learning more about the program? Choose the appropriate link below:

• Chefs: find a local school that could use your help

• Schools: sign-up a school in your neighborhood
  

Let’s get with the program everyone. For the first time in American history our children are expected to live shorter lives than we do, simply due to diet and lack of exercise.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

You might have noticed that I’ve been on a K-12 technology kick this week. First, with OLPC’s XO-3 learning tablet and now with the Mesa school desk by designer Phelan Miller which is designed to incorporate traditional “paper learning” with a wired, stackable table.

Future features for this futuristic desk includes:

• Standard Grammar Tools: spell check, dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia.
• Screen: simple touch screen with tab system and “freewrite” feature which improves handwriting.
• Scanner: scans paper for saving and correcting lessons.
• Connected: built-in wireless modems connect students to school server, teachers, or internet.
• Size: fits two students per desk, modular design offering easy stacking/moving when not in use.

What do you think parents? Would you like to see your kids’ schools go completely digital (desks, ebooks, etc), or do prefer traditional teaching materials like books and paper?

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

> thanks to Yanko Design

If your kids (or classes) are asking questions about in politics now that President Obama is officially in office, you might be interested to know about “How to be President of the U.S.A” by Murray Suid. This workbook-style book is full of reproducible activities, facts, and quizzes which make How to be President of the U.S.A a fantastic learning tool for a child or an entire classroom. This 98 page book is a steal at $12.95  from Monday Morning Books, so don’t delay…they won’t last long with Obamamania in full force!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

There’s a lot of debate about serving healthier snacks in schools, but we rarely see anyone doing anything about it. Kids want food, parents want healthy kids, and schools need the revenue that vending sales provide. Designer Irina Ivanova of may have found the perfect compromise with her innovative VitaMeal vending machine design.

• Packaging: Nutritious foods are packed in fun packaging with special attention given to the portions provided in each pack.
• Vita-Smart Cards: Cards come with smart chips that function as credit cards with allowing parents to control what products kids can take from the machine. This is particularly useful with young children that may have food allergies.
• Vending Machines: Modular machines are adaptable to their environments allowing for free standing or wall placement. Refrigerated machines can offer everything from cold milk to mixed nuts without the need for two machines. Color coding and speaker features help young children choose the intended food, based on smart card programming by parents.

This looks like a great idea for young school kids, but major cola distributors may need to take the lead to make an expensive system like this a reality. Something tells me they would be more than happy to do it once their regular products were banned from US schools. Not that I’m suggesting we ban cola and other junk food vending machines from schools…just kidding, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

> found at IrinaIvanova.com via TheDieLine.com

Are you still hunting for that perfect lunch box? Here are a few options ranging from the classic heroic metal box to trendy totes that are built to last the entire school year!

• Superman Lunch Box: Fruit and sandwiches won’t get crushed in this tin classic. You’ll find the Superman and a collection of other hero lunch boxes at WickedCoolStuff.com for $10.95.

• ACME Medium Thermal Lunch Bag: This insulated bag fits well in most backpacks and is built to last with a 100% lifetime guarantee. Best of all, it’s made from recycled plastic bottles and containers (90% post-consumer recycled). Choose from three colors at ReusableBags.com for only $9.95.

• Tortuga Lunch Tote: This funky lead-free tote insulates hot or cold for approximately 4 hours. It stores flat when not in use and is designed without vinyl and PVC! You’ll find them in multiple styles at BuiltNY.com for $22.00.

Let us know if your family found the perfect lunch box by clicking on the comments bubble above.

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

The kids are on their way back to school and the polls are reporting what every parent already knows…August is an expensive month!

Here’s an early look at this year’s back-to-school spending numbers in the United States according to a National Retail Federation survey (8,361 reporting):

• School Clothing Spending: $234.51 in 2008 vs $231.80 in 2007
• School Shoe Spending: $109.75 in 2008 vs $108.42 in 2007
• School Supply Spending: $98.37 in 2008 vs $94.02 in 2007
• School Electronic Spending: $151.61 in 2008 vs $129.24 in 2007

How close did your family come to the $594.24 US average this year? Let me know if you have any back-to-school shopping tips or tricks to share with the other readers by clicking on the comments bubble above.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project was created to give children in developing nations an opportunity to learn with the help of an innovative little laptop, the XO. Judging from the new XO-2 demo given in yesterday’s OLPC Global Workshop, new versions of the little laptop may one day become the tool of choice for wealthy nations as well.

Equipped with touch sensitive (indoor/outdoor) displays, horizontal/vertical flexibility, and lower 1 watt power consumption, the XO-2 may be our first look at the next generation’s school “book”. The original XO sold approximately 600,00 units to date, but we can expect much more from the XO-2′s release in 2010 if they can offer it for anywhere near the advertised $75.

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

Dear Dr.MOZ,

We’ll soon be moving to a new state and I was wondering…how do parents learn about potential schools before they get there? When you are new to an area, you don’t really have anyone to ask except for realtors or the schools themselves. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for reviewing schools before the move?

Sincerely,
Angie

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hello Angie,

That’s a great question! I’m familiar with two online resources that I think you’ll find useful to (a) find schools in potential neighborhoods, (b) compare each school’s official stats, and (c) get the

inside scoop from parents in the area. Two websites worth checking out include:

• GreatSchools.net: The “research and compare” section is a great place to begin looking for schools in your new area based on your zip code. Ads will pop up as you dig deeper into the database and begin comparing schools, but it’s a small price to pay for the free service and they can be easily skipped.

• Education.com: Their “SchoolFinder” section is still in beta with school information available for: CA, FL, GA, IL, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, and TX. After locating the schools in your area with their easy-to-use search bar, you can refine your results based on school type (public, charter), student-teacher ratio, and other useful school characteristics.

I would take the “parent comments” with a grain of salt with both websites considering that the number of entries are still small (not yet a balanced collection of opinions), but it couldn’t hurt to take a peek if you find a few posted. The resources will get better as additional schools and related content are added over time, and the comparison features on both websites are a step above the realtor’s “neighborhood” summary.

Thanks for the great question Angie, and good luck with the move!

Have fun and stay healthy,

Dr.MOZ

~> Do you have a tip for Angie? If so, please click on the bubble above to post a comment.

Today we’re celebrating back-to-school madness with two fantastic guides! Our “healthy dose of fun” starts of with a crazy-cool shopping guide from Cool Mom Picks full of tasty discounts on sweet school swank. The “health” portion of today’s post is a survival guide by DIY Life for the other participants of the back-to-school craziness…the teachers!

The Cool Mom Picks Back to School Guide 2007 includes everything from the coolest kicks (Trumpette’s, ADAM, See Kai Run) and backpacks (Pooki and Co, Little Packrats) to school accessories like staplers (magic mini staplers that is) and pencil cases with style (by allerhand)! If that’s not enough for you, perhaps the huge pile of coupon codes or the $200 drawing will do the trick?

DIY Life’s Teacher’s First Week Survival Guide helps teachers prepare for what can be one brutal week. Although preparation for the new school year began when summer vacation began for most teachers, DIY helps ease the transition with “week before school” and “weekend before school” reminders. They won’t leave you hanging there “Teach”, they’ll make sure you find time to relax, exercise, and eat with handy reminders through the entire first week!

Thanks for visiting our blogging friends everyone, and don’t forget to submit your tips and tricks for helping students with their fear of the school bus (see related post).

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ

There will be a bus load of first-time school bus riders as we begin the new school year, and as you probably already know…many kids simply don’t like the bus. Some children are weary of bullies, others aren’t sure about the bus drivers, and most are afraid that they’ll end up somewhere in Egypt!

We thought this back-to-school season would be the perfect time to pick your brains to learn,

“How did you prepare your first-time school bus riders for the big day?”

Click on the comment bubble above to post your tips and tricks to help prepare the next generation of students for the bus. Thanks for sharing everyone!

Have fun and stay healthy,
Dr.MOZ