Weekend Reads: Mental Health Month, Neanderthal Parents, and Vaccines Cause Optimism?

Oh heeeeey!  It’s May!  We’ve got two awareness weeks starting this week (May 4th-10th) that are pretty interesting:

National Children’s Mental Health Week

National Anxiety and Depression Week

This helps kick off the larger activities of Mental Health Month.

Alright, now what else are we in the mood for today????

If you’re looking for….a link between vaccines and optimism:

The Seattle Mama Doc digs deeper in to this previously unrecognized link.

If you’re looking for….a little responsibility lesson:

The Pragmatic Mom has a list of 10 books that help teach kids responsibility.  Poking around the site, she seems to have a lot of good book lists.  Check it out!

If you’re looking for….a history lesson:

New research suggests what kind of parents Neanderthal’s were.  An interesting read.

If you’re looking for….science resources for kids:

Jump magazine has a list going with lots of videos.

Also edutopia has some good tips for encouraging science at home.

If you’re looking for….some research:

This research, about the impact of positive teacher relationships on kid’s learning, is an interesting read.

If you’re looking for….some critical thinking:

Godless mom gives 11 ways to make sure you’re raising a critical thinker.

Featured Imaged Credit: PenneyBR