"No, I'm not blind, just seeing it through"

Die on This Hill by Sienna Spiro

Hey Reader,

A healthy skeptic...

Lately I've been diving into the data on kindergarten. There are quite a few studies asking what age children are ready for elementary school and how to prepare them.

If I just read the results, I would be happy. I could take the conclusion if a child is ready for kindergarten at age 4, 5, or 6 and just move on with my life.

But when you open the study...

I almost always find the study doesn't follow the scientific method OR the control group isn't diverse enough.

Do we really want to draw huge conclusions about all the children in the country from a group of twelve children from the same town in rural Vermont?

One of the most popular studies people point to as an argument to delay kindergarten comes from a study of Danish children. The study is pretty compelling.

But here's the issue: children in Denmark get universal childcare and preschool. They have a completely different experience than the varied education American children get before kindergarten.

This is why I'm developing a system to determine when your child is ready for kindergarten. There's not one black & white answer. My goal is for you to feel confident in the decision knowing you made the best choice for your child and family. If you're interested in this click here to stay involved. ​

What does this mean for you?

I've been really frustrated with the way studies get blown out of proportion. Remember the big study claiming humans have as much microplastics in their brains as a plastic spoon?

Yeah, scientists can't recreate that experiment. And its now believe the study was completely inaccurate (phew!)

People make real changes in their lives (yes I did replace all my cooking utensils!) and tons of companies still advertise products to me leaning on claims from that completely false study.

I can think of a dozen studies the general public deeply believes in right now that are misunderstood. The experiment couldn't be repeated (an essential part of science) or the study was blown out of proportion.

So this week, I challenge you to channel your inner skeptic. Start asking how do you know that? Read the study to see if things add up off of instagram. Look beyond the headlines. You might just be surprised how many things don't add up.

What's New?

🍎 Last Chance to Save!: Don't wait to buy your ticket to the Kindergarten School Talk Workshop. TODAY is your last chance to get tickets for $45

🪑 Benched: Welp, I'm taking some time away from running this spring. I hurt myself about 6 weeks ago and MRI says it's a tear in my calf. It's called Tennis Leg (so fancy!) If you've got recs for upper body workouts to keep me occupied let me know.

📚 Story Time: Come say hi at Betty's Bookworms: Fri April 17 from 9:30 - 10am at Betty by Moxie Boutique​

Things I Love (contains affiliate links)

⭐️ MUST READ: This book is so freaking funny, it's perfect for a little kid's sense of humor. My aunt (school librarian) suggested it to me since her K-2 students love it so much. I read it at story time last week and even the toddlers were laughing.

🐕 This One Too: Also a total goofball of a book, this one is approved by me and my school librarian aunt. I'd say perfect humor for toddlers through first grade. Plus great vocabulary!

👁️ Eyeliner sharp enough to...: My fav eyeliner is on sale right now. It draws the thinnest line and stays on all day. Right now its under $20 try full size or the mini​

Have a wonderful week...and stay skeptical!