Michael Thal's Blog

Halloween fun for parents and kids in the San Fernando Valley

Halloween is a week away. As the father of two adult
daughters, I remember taking them trick-or-treating. We walked around the
neighborhood with our black lab, Keli who we dressed up as a witch. The kids were safe
and we all had a wonderful time.

With that said, there are quite a few events happening in
the Valley this Halloween season that are inexpensive and close by. (For more
information about each event, follow the links.)

Toluca Lake Pumpkin Patch

Here’s a great place to buy your pumpkins. While you’re
there, explore the Haunted Maze or the petting zoo.

The Haunted Wilsley Manor II

Los Angeles has a tradition of haunted houses this time of year. Presented by Rotten Apple 907, these folks have been
haunting the San Fernando Valley since the 1980s. They’ve studied the haunt and
their boo-antics have improved over the years. It’s a non-profit event.
Donations are accepted. This year their haunt is in Burbank.

Stough Canyon Haunt Adventure and Nature Walk

Docents at the Burbank Nature Center have a special
Halloween tour through their Haunted Nature Center. There are games, face
paintings, and plenty of other things to do as you await the tour. Tickets are
$5.00.

Fright Fair Scream Park and Harvest Festival

Spookley, the square pumpkin and his buddy, Jack the
Scarecrow are putting on a live show at Pierce College. While there, you can
pick-your-own pumpkin in the college’s huge pumpkin patch. There are many fun
events, too. You can travel through Adventure Corn Maze, or perhaps enjoy a
spook fest along the Creatures of the Corn Haunted Trail. There’s even a spook
house. Kids will also enjoy the farm animals, haunted hayride, and the bounce
house.

Whatever you decide to do this Halloween, spend time with
your kids. Nurture your relationship with them and have fun.

Michael Thal is the author of The Legend of Koolura, the story of a pre-teen with extraordinary psychic powers. 

Preparing for the “Great California Shakeout”

Hurricanes devastate the East coast. Tornados rip across the
mid-West, and California has earthquakes. What can parents do to prepare their
kids for a tumbler?

Being prepared for an earthquake isn’t paranoid, it’s smart.
Today, October 17 residents of Los Angeles and throughout the state will
participate in the annual “Great California Shakeout.” This is an annual
statewide earthquake drill in which kids along with millions of adults dive
under their desks at school or work to practice the drop, cover, and hold
technique for surviving an earthquake.

Here are a few suggestions for you to follow at home to
prepare for the BIG ONE. First, stock up on bottled water and canned foods.
Purchase a non-electric can opener, flashlights, batteries, candles, and
non-perishable foods. You want to keep at least a two- week supply on hand.

                                

Next, talk to your kids. Plan together a family escape route
in case of an emergency. Find a place in your home for everyone to meet when
the tumbler strikes.

You and the children should check the home for objects that
could fall on someone’s head during a quake. Bookshelves can be fastened to
walls, picture frames can be latched, and large plants can be moved. Make sure
you push beds and cribs away from windows that could implode.

Know where the gas shut-off valve is in your home, and
locate the master electrical switch. Place a wrench near the gas meter, a
flashlight in each child’s room, and candles and matches ready.

Once a month conduct a family drill. During the drill speak
to your family in a calm commanding voice. Have everyone duck under a table,
desk, bed, or doorframe. Children and adults should stay under cover until the
shaking stops.

Finally, prepare an emergency kit. Store medical supplies,
flashlight batteries, a portable radio, plastic bags, and a fire extinguisher.

When a quake does occur, after the shaking stops, check to
make sure everyone is together at the prearranged spot. If you smell gas, shut
it off. If electrical wires are crackling, shut the gas first, and then turn
off the master electrical switch. If you see any small fires, put the fire
extinguisher to work. Check your building for structural damage. If you think
your home is unsafe, get out.

Once the emergency is over, talk to your kids and listen to
their fears. If a child continues to be fearful long after the quake, seek
professional help.

 

Michael Thal is the author of the award winning novel, Goodbye Tchaikovsky, a story about a teen violinist becoming deaf.

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Help for parents of teen girls

Sandra Dupont, Los Angeles Teen Therapist, has tackled
teenage girl problems in her book, What Would Your Teen Life Coach Say? A Survival Guide for Girls Entering High School.

Through the vehicle of eight fictitious girls ages 13-17
asking real questions, Dupont helps solve very problematic issues for teen
girls. Dupont provides sage advice regarding friends and friends of convenience
wisely defining friendship as “people who support you allowing you to be
yourself.” She advises teens on dealing with older siblings, over bearing
parents, and gossipy friends. When it comes to career advice, Dupont says that
before you can become an actress, educator, doctor or astronaut, “first you must
know yourself, and then develop the confidence to be yourself in all your
magnificence.”

                                                     

What Would Your Teen Life Coach Say? is an 82-page paperback that should be every parent’s and
teen girl’s guide through adolescents. Dupont provides an uplifting cogent look
at the teen years summing up adolescents as “a perfect time to begin reflecting
upon how you would like to contribute to the world.”

Here’s a suggetion for parents. Purchase two copies. Sit
down with your daughter and read a few pages together discussing the problems
identified and how such issues affect your daughter. This will be a great way
to strengthen your parent/child bond and get to know your daughter better.

 

Michael Thal is the author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky, a novel about a teenage boy becoming deaf.

 

 

 

Save college money: rent a textbook

College tuition is huge these days. One way to save money is
by selling used textbooks at the end of the quarter, and for the Winter-quarter
buy used textbooks or rent them. Here’s the plan…

Log onto ecampus.com. When a student is ready to sell their books
they can look into the buy back program. Buying used textbooks will save a
bundle. If a student doesn’t want to buy a used textbook, he or she can save
more money by renting them. It’s like a pay-as-you go Netflix for books. The
average savings can be as high as 70%. (If a student knows their classes for
the next quarter, plan ahead and order books sooner than later to guarantee getting
what they want.)

                                                          

Let’s assume the student is a Biology major taking a course
in evolution and needs to purchase Douglas J. Futuyma’s book, Evolution. Ecampus.com will sell the
book for $122.66. The student can buy it used for $86.18 or rent it for $54.29.
By renting the book they’ll have a 44% savings. If the student has an e-book
reader, he or she can purchase any available e-textbook close to a 70% savings
over the list price of the print book.

I know ecampus.com will save students tons of cash during their
college career.

Michael Thal is the author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky.

Meet author Sarah Grimm

First of all, I want to thank Michael for being
gracious enough to let me post on his blog today. I am so excited about the
release of my novella, BREATHLESS.

 What if one touch could unlock a thousand memories?

Eighteen-year old Claire Summers has a rare gift she must keep secret- she's a Breather—someone who can see other people’s memories by touching an object they’ve touched. When she stumbles across a memory of her friend in danger, she'll do anything to help rescue him. The problem is, her secret will be revealed. If the wrong people find out about her ability, they’ll hunt her because Breathers
are powerful weapons.

[image error] 

I started writing when I was … well I actually
can’t remember not writing. It’s
kinda my thing. I love fantasy—epic, urban, sword and sorcery, all of it—so
that’s what I write. You can learn more about Sarah Grimm and what I’m writing
on my website: www.sdgrimm.com                                                    

[image error] 

Breathless is an urban fantasy. For those of you
unfamiliar with whatever that is, it’s fantasy set in a city, sometimes it’s in
the future, sometimes present.

Breathless takes place in a few cities—Podunk
towns actually. Yup, there’s a road trip involved, and it’s in this awesome,
awesome ride.[image error]

                      Photo Credit: John Rosa

For your reading pleasure, here’s an excerpt:

My shoes crushed the thick grass. Thunder
rumbled in the distance. Damp, summer air swirled around me unable to cut
through the heavy fog. Headstones, cracked and crooked, spread across the
grassy hill. I’d been here before. My dreams often brought me to this cemetery.
The full moon lit my way down a familiar path. Even though I was dreaming, I
was chilly in my tank top and shorts.

I headed toward the tallest headstone on the
hill’s crest. No flowers or American flags decorated this soul’s final resting
place. I reached out, like I had the other times I’d dreamed this, and I knew
what to expect. Before I could touch the stone, my subconscious would pull me
back and I’d wake on my bouncing bed feeling like I’d fallen from somewhere
high.

The rough stone was cool beneath my fingers.

Three translucent figures walked away from me,
passing through the untouched fog. Two men; one held a young boy’s hand, the
other followed them. The boy looked so familiar. They walked through the
headstones littering the hillside as if they were insubstantial, and then
flickered out.

My hand jerked back. A chill skittered across my
chest and spread over my whole body leaving me with goose bumps. Heart racing,
I willed myself to wake.

I didn’t.

My chest tightened. Was I dreaming or not?  Thunder rolled closer. I backed away from the
creepy headstone and stepped on something slippery. Arms flailing, I lost my
balance. I landed in the moist grass. Pain shot up my elbow as it connected
with rock.

“Back here. Quick.” The whisper turned my blood
to ice.

“I’m dreaming,” I said aloud since this was too
freaky to be real.

“Dream? No, sweetheart, you’re in a trance.
Snap out of it or whatever it is you Breathers do.” The stranger’s voice
rasped.

I froze, watching him inch closer. Breather?
What was he talking about? My head cleared like a fan turned on and blew the
fog from my brain, and I realized my situation. I so wasn’t dreaming. This was real. This was real?

I faced the stranger hiding behind a headstone
and caught a glimpse of his rifle. Oh holy night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgotten homework

Here's a letter I received from a fifth grade student:
Dear Mr. Thal,
I overheard my parents arguing Friday night after I went to
bed. You see, I’m a 5th grade student at the Pressman Academy on La
Cienega Blvd in Los Angeles and we live in North Hollywood. Mom told Dad she
drove back home, after dropping me off at school, to get the English homework I
had forgotten. Dad said, “Becky needs to face the consequences of her actions.”
Mom didn’t want me to start school with a red blemish on my record. Who’s
right?

Forgetful Student

Dear Forgetful Student,

That was very sweet of your mom to take the time away from
her busy day to race 20 miles back to your San Fernando Valley home to retrieve
your forgotten homework. My question to you is, “Did you learn anything from
this experience?”

From past experience with forgetful children, I think your
honest answer would be, “no.”

When I taught sixth grade in Glendale at the John Muir
Elementary School I had a strict policy about homework. If students forgot an
assignment, they could turn it in the next day. However, if they pulled the
same stunt again that semester, they would get an automatic ‘F’. My students learned real fast not to forget their homework.

As a dad, I always asked my daughters if they had their
homework before heading out the door in the morning, so I can’t recall a time
they forgot their work.

So to be honest with you, though I think your mother is a
sweetheart, your dad is 100% right.

Best wishes,

Mr. Thal

Michael Thal is the author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky and The Legend of Koolura. Both books provide insight into school life. 

Back to School Rituals

We all want our
children to perform at their peak performance this year. Parents can help by
providing the environment children need to be top notch students.

Many children
have returned to their classrooms for the 2013-2014 school year. The best thing
parents can do for them is to provide daily rituals designed for peak school
performance.

First, establish
parameters. Kids work best with daily rituals that include a set schedule. For example,
homework should be done prior to dinner. After dishes are stacked away, spend
time with your children. Check their homework, then click off the TV and play
games, read together, or just sit around the fireplace and chat. Pamela Volker,
head mistress at the Warren Walker School in San Diego says, “Share in the
school experience by discussing topics of study at the dinner table.” Find
something to praise your child about so you set him up to get your attention in
positive ways.

Second, make
sure your students get the shut-eye they need. Without the daily school ritual
of proper sleep, children will show short term memory problems, become
hyperactive, irritable, lack attentiveness, show delayed response time, and
could bring home poor grades. To avoid these problems, make sure your 6 to
9-year-old gets ten hours of sleep; 10 to 12- year-old children need at least
nine hours of rest, and your teen should snooze at least eight to nine hours
per night.

Here’s the hard
part—wake up before the kids and make sure they get a healthy breakfast.
Science teacher Alysson Abella says, “Children should eat a breakfast including
fruit, healthy cereal with low fat milk. Whole wheat toast, peanut butter,
fresh juice, and eggs will give children energy to focus on their studies and
lead to physical and emotional well-being.” Remember, breakfast is the most
important meal of the day and is an important ingredient to your child’s daily
ritual.

Before your
child heads out the door, inquire about what he’ll be doing in class. This
forces him to focus on the previous day’s work so his mind is ready for his new
lessons. Math teacher John Rick says, “Pack him a healthy lunch with enough
nutrition to keep him going throughout the day.”

If you want your
children to be successful in school, you need to enforce a daily ritual that
encourages education by following through on all school homework assignments. Make
sure your child goes to sleep on time, gets a nutritious breakfast, and always
pack a power lunch daily.

Michael Thal is
an award winning author of Goodbye Tchaikovsky.

Chores for kids

Betsy Braun, author of You’re
Not the Boss of Me, says, “Chores build the child’s sense of responsibility
as well as a sense of value to the family.” Though children’s homework is top
priority, they need to know they are also responsible for the well being of
their home.

To get kids to be contributing members of the
household, plan a list of chores you
want accomplished. For example, throw out the trash, recycle newspapers, dust
furniture, or vacuum the rugs. Keeping their rooms cleaned and beds made is a
daily routine they should maintain. Then have your children select those tasks
they feel comfortable doing, or write the tasks on folded paper as each child
selects that month’s assignment.

Children need to know that when they are adults they will be
responsible for house chores as well as hold down a full-time job. You are
simply preparing them for reality. (By the way, Dads should be modeling this behavior, too.)

Finally, expect all chores to be done, but be reasonable.
Patients and praise works miracles. Point out excellent work while joke about
jobs that didn’t meet expectations. Never give in to shoddy work by doing
it yourself. Excellent work can be rewarded with a weekly allowance, which
should be withheld if a job is hastily done.

Visit Michael Thal's website.

 

 

Back-to-school checklist

Kids are
flocking back to school as parents are asking, “What can we do to get our children
ready for another year of reading, writing, and math.

Here’s a common
sense checklist for parents and children to get back on track for school.

Getting
to and from school

Walking or
riding a bike to school is an excellent way for your child to keep fit. Figure
out the safest route he will follow if he walks to school. Choose the most
direct way with intersections that have crossing guards. If the school is
too far away, make sure you have a carpool in place with drivers you trust.

School
Supplies

Kids need a
variety of supplies depending on the classes they take. Permitting your child
to choose his own supplies increases his excitement about returning to school.

I suggest
sharpened pencils, erasers, a 3-ring notebook, 3-holed paper, a lunch box, and
backpack.

Keep the backpack small. If a student has
a huge backpack, he will fill it. Children carrying around twenty-five pounds
of school supplies on their backs are a chiropractic nightmare.

You can find
excellent deals at your local business supply stores. There are plenty of
Staples, my personal favorite, in the Los Angeles area. You’ll be buying in
quantity, so store what your child doesn’t need in September for December or
May.

Please avoid
buying character do-dads that go on the end of pencils, character erasers, and
pencil sharpeners. Too many children use these utensils as toys, which
distracts from the daily lessons.

Preparing
for Homework

Establish an
expectation (on day one) that homework needs to be done. This is top priority.

Many schools give students a planner to record daily homework assignments and
special events. Look to make sure your child has a planner and uses it. A
parent’s job is to check it daily to ensure the child is accountable. Take this
one step further and model the behavior. Show your planner and discuss with
your child how you keep your schedule and projects in order and presented on
time.

Organization is
the key. Students need to organize their work into subject matter, due dates,
and long term projects. Divide classes into different colored folders—red for
Math, green for English, and purple for History. The inside pockets of the
folder can organize work in progress, completed assignments, and handouts.

School
Clothes

Before you head
to the department stores, check your school’s dress code. Many schools ban
suggestive clothing, baggy pants, or open toed shoes and spaghetti strapped
tops. Sometimes students will hide inappropriate clothing under a bulky
sweatshirt. Inspect your child’s clothes before he leaves the house to avoid a
trip to the vice-principal’s office.

Immunizations

State of California has regulations regarding
immunizations. All kindergarten children must have their second MMR
(immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella) and completed or started
their Hepatitis B series. All seventh graders need to have completed or started
their Hepatitis B series.

Establish
Rituals

Kids need
parameters, so set a schedule. For example, homework should be done prior to
dinner. After dishes are stacked away, spend time with your children. Check
their homework, then click off the TV and play games, read together, or just
sit around the fireplace and chat. Share in the school experience by discussing
topics of study at the dinner table. Find something to praise your child about
so you set him up to get your attention in positive ways.

Make sure your
child gets the shut-eye he needs. Without the proper sleep, children will show
short term memory problems, become hyperactive, irritable, lack attentiveness,
show delayed response time, and could bring home poor grades. To avoid these
problems, make sure your 6 to 9-year-old gets ten hours of sleep; 10 to 12-
year-old children need at least nine hours of rest, and your teen should snooze
at least eight to nine hours per night.

Wake up before
the kids and make sure they get a healthy breakfast. Children should eat a
breakfast including fruit, healthy cereal with low fat milk. Whole wheat toast,
peanut butter, fresh juice, and eggs will give children energy to focus on
their studies and lead to physical and emotional well-being. Remember,
breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Before your
child heads out the door, inquire about what he’ll be doing in class. This
forces him to focus on the previous day’s work so his mind is ready for his new
lessons. Pack him a healthy lunch with enough nutrition to keep him going
throughout the day.

Goal
Setting

Before school
starts, sit down with your child and brainstorm goals he may like to achieve
this year. Don’t emphasize getting A’s; emphasize progress, diligence, and
engagement in the learning process.

Before those
school bells ring, go through the checklist to ensure your child has a happy,
rewarding, and enriching school year.

Teachers Don't Need to be Boring

Do you give the same boring speech every year? Next month, when school resumes, here are a few suggestions to make you stand out as a cool teacher for your students. 
Try being different this year. Before classes start, compose
a letter of greeting introducing yourself. Send the notes a week before school
commences. Include a picture. Remember, it is often the fear of the unknown
that causes anxiety in children.

Plan an informal get together to meet your students and
their families. Open house is always crammed with speeches and information.
Teachers, parents, and students don’t really have an opportunity to talk.
Organizing a picnic at a local park is a relaxing way for students and parents
to get to know you. If you teach in the San Fernando Valley, try Lake Balboa.

On the first day of school give your important speeches. But
do fun activities in between. Here’s a wonderful class building activity.
Distribute brown bags for each child to decorate. Make sure names are
noticeable on each bag. Tape the decorated bags around the classroom. At the
end of the day, have students write something nice they’ve learned about
someone in their class. At dismissal time students can deposit their signed
notes in their classmates’ bags. After school, check to see if a child has an
empty bag. If so, write a note to him. The next day children can look into
their bags for their messages.

Have high expectations for your students, and enjoy your
year.

Learn more about this author on his Website.