Boys Built Better

BBB 001: Welcome to Boys Built Better

In this episode you will learn a little more about Boys Built Better and its host, Jessica Crow. Jessica is a mom to 3 boys aged 5, 9 and 11 who decided to get into podcasting after a particularly hard year as a parent.The Boys Built Better podcast is a bi-weekly show designed help all parents raise their boys, better.For more Boys Built Better follow us on Twitter @BoysBuiltBetter, Facebook at facebook.com/boysbuiltbetter and sign-up below to receive email updates.For more information about the art project mentioned in the show, check out our blog post about it here:https://boysbuiltbetter.com/arts-and-crafts/getting-started-with-perler-beads/

BBB 002: Growth and Development of Boys with Pediatrician Roy Benaroch

Last Fall, at my oldest son’s 11 year checkup, the pediatrician mentioned the onset of puberty. Sounds silly, but I hadn’t really thought about it before and I certainly didn’t know about the changes my son was about to go through. (If you need a great puberty resource, check out the book I bought for my son and I here.)Want to know more about your own son’s development? Today I am interviewing Dr. Roy Benaroch and we are chatting about the development of boys from newborn baby through to puberty with parenting tips for each stage of growth. Show NotesRoy’s blog is www.pediatricinsider.com and follow him on Twitter at @pedinsiderSearch for Roy Benaroch at www.thegreatcourses.com to learn more about his Medical School for Everyone video courses Time StampsRoy’s number one parenting tip (1:38)Parenting Babies (7:19)How parents treat boys and girls differently (8:38)Toddlers are little scientists (13:37)Developing Independence in Preschoolers (15:44)School age boys (18:32)Early Sexual Development (23:59)Understanding Physical and Emotional Development during Puberty (27:13)Sexual Development in older boys (35:37)When to call your pediatrician (38:24)

BBB 003: Mental Well-being of Boys with Kyle Douglas

Interview with Kyle Douglas, chatting about the mental health of boys with tips on how to raise boys to be mentally well and also information about what therapy is and when to utilize it.Show NotesChildren’s book about taking care of yourself so you can take care of others (https://amzn.to/2IzZoR0)Calm down toy to use during tantrums (https://amzn.to/2KER4f2)DIY calm down toy (https://childhood101.com/calm-down-bottle/)Brene Brown Ted Talk on Vulnerability https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerabilityWant more from Kyle? Check out his website. (http://www.kyledouglastherapy.com/) TimestampsMen in therapy today (5:21)How to raise boys that are aware of emotions (9:32)Coping skills for children (14:37)What to expect in therapy (28:00)Length of therapy (34:00)The stigma of therapy (36:28)When to seek therapy (38:20)What to look for in a therapist (40:55)

BBB 004: Surviving the Summer with Boys

Solo Episode, chatting about all things summer! Organizing yourself and your kiddos, fun activities, keeping up with academics and staying sane!!Tip 1- Get OrganizedTo Do Sheet – A few years ago, I used a “No Screen-time Until” sheet to this one to get us organized. I customized ours to reflect the things I wanted my kiddos to do each day. Here is a link to a great example. https://www.yourmodernfamily.com/no-screen-time-until-free-printable/Mom Bucks – Last year I used a more elaborate system of currency during the summer. My kids could earn “mom bucks” for doing chores, reading, spending time outside and then could spend the bucks on time playing video games, a special treat, or could save up to exchange for real dollars. The blog I based my system is this one. http://faithfilledparenting.com/mom-bucks/Organizing a summer with a Planner – This year, I am using an individual planner to keep my big kids organized. They are filling it out with daily and once a week chores. Check out my blog about using the planners here. https://boysbuiltbetter.com/education/summer-planner-lessons-for-tweens/Tip 2- Keep Up the AcademicsMath Facts – A small amount of time each day spent keeping up with math facts will make a big difference next school year. We get a packet sent home, but you could easily make your own based on your child’s level or buy a practice book. Tip! If you buy a book, put the pages in a sleeve protector and use a dry erase marker to complete, the book will last longer!!Here are some practice books specific to elementary school:Read 20 minutes a day – this is another great summer habit that will pay off next year. If you happen to have a reluctant reader, take the pressure off and choose books that your kiddo finds fun. This is the time to read for enjoyment!! The less pressure, the better.Handwriting lessons- Does your school teach handwriting? A lot of elementary schools have dropped this and no longer spend time working on it in class. I still think being able to hand-write is a great skill and there is research that states it supports the growth of reading, writing and language ability. Summer is a great time to work on growing this forgotten skill. And LOOK! There are even handwriting books developed just for boys:Tip 3- ActivitiesPerler Beads – This has been our favorite summer activity for three years straight. My boys started out copying designs and have now graduated to creating their own (sometimes 3-D) designs. Check out my blog about getting started. https://boysbuiltbetter.com/arts-and-crafts/getting-started-with-perler-beads/Rock Painting – This is the activity that I am introducing this summer (blog post coming soon). We recently went to the craft store and bought brushes https://amzn.to/2suZDmf, acrylic paint https://amzn.to/2syiH2U, varnish https://amzn.to/2JkEaCX and a great book https://amzn.to/2JmmQNI. I love this craft because we can hunt for rocks in our neighborhood and now that I bought a few supplies there is no additional cost for the canvas! We have already had a few neighbors around painting.Family Show – Because the summer is so open ended, I think creating some routines is helpful for kids. This year we decided to start watching America’s Got Talent together as a family. My husband, who often works nights, has set Tuesday’s aside and we are all sitting down together to enjoy it. A regular game night would also be a great option.Sci-Fri – I forgot to include this in the episode, but a few years ago I started Science Friday or “Sci-Fri” days during the summer. I got a small science kit https://amzn.to/2LqJJjA and we would work through an experiment every Friday. The kit is great because it includes the experiments as well as hard to find supplies.Evenings Outside – Another routine we started this year, is committing to spending sometime outside after dinner playing a game. There is something special about being outside just before dusk. We found a great outdoor game https://amzn.to/2szsHca that has you hitting a soft ball, but the included discs make the best Frisbee that is super easy to throw and catch.What are you doing to survive the summer? Let me know!

BBB 005: Transitioning to Elementary School

Chatting with my friend Sydney Smith about transitioning to kindergarten. I’ve been thinking a lot about getting my own son ready for kindergarten and moving to such a big building.  We discuss academics, independence skills and tips to make the transition easier. Show Notes* Sydney’s favorite thing: Guardians of galaxy CD* Jessica’s favorite thing: Hose reel* Recommended workbooks to prep academically* Easier way to tie shoes* Easy to open(and pack!) lunchboxTimeStamps* Our current favorite things (1:23)* Getting to know this week’s guest (3:30)* Thought on becoming a mother later in life (4:29)* Kindergarten overview (5:58)* Waiting a year (8:22)* What you need to know about academics (10:14)* Zippers, buttons and pants, oh my! (19:04)* The joys of new kids and peer pressure begins (24:54)* Carpool Etiquette (29:05)* Thinking about Lunch (30:58)