Emily Oster

2 min Read Emily Oster

Emily Oster

Pandemic Homeschooling Resources

Some tools to help you with math, reading, and coding

Emily Oster

2 min Read

I made an off-the-cuff remark about homeschooling prep in the last newsletter and a number of you asked for my plans and resources. I considered a picture of an iPad here. My kids are currently on “spring break” so I have another week to figure it out.

However, I will make here three resource recommendations based on approaches I’ve used to supplement in the past.

Teaching reading

Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. A good starting point for a kid who is ready to read, and structured well for people who are not actual teachers.

Teaching math

 Eureka. A complete math curriculum online; used by many school systems. I use these lessons to supplement with my older even outside of the epidemic and I’m a huge fan of the thoughtful word problems among other things. The only issue is that I often read them wrong when I’m “grading” so sometimes Penelope has to write me notes saying “Actually, I got this right. Read more carefully, Mom.”

Teaching coding

I mean, okay, this is more optional. Still, Kodable is great. And for an older kid (say, middle school), I’ve played around with Grasshopper and it seems like a nice mix of actual skills and game-ification.

Community Guidelines
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Two women stand on a balcony chatting. One is pregnant.

Feb 27 2023

6 min read

Your Best Parenting Advice

ParentData is 3!

Emily Oster
A line graph with pink, yellow, and blue dots representing life's ups and downs.

Feb 21 2023

3 min read

Wins, Woes, and Autism

Your stories for the week

Emily Oster
A teddy bear sits on a chair in a doctor's waiting room.

Feb 06 2023

11 min read

New AAP Guidelines on Childhood Obesity

What does the data tell us?

Emily Oster
A child sits on a couch playing with a fidget spinner. His mother, seated next to him, kisses him on the forehead.

Feb 09 2023

13 min read

ADHD Diagnoses in Children

Answering your questions with Erin O'Connor, EdD

Erin O’Connor

Instagram

left right
Reflux: It’s more common than you think! Comment “Link” for an article by @thepediatricianmom breaking down the information we have about reflux — what it is, what you can do, and red flags to look out for.

This graph shows how reflux changes with age. Nearly half of all babies experience reflux by 3 months, often peaking around 4 months before improving by their first birthday. And remember, if you’re struggling, you’re not alone. The most effective treatment for infant reflux is time. It will get better!

#parentdata #refluxbaby #babyreflux #spitup #parentingadvice #emilyoster

Reflux: It’s more common than you think! Comment “Link” for an article by @thepediatricianmom breaking down the information we have about reflux — what it is, what you can do, and red flags to look out for.

This graph shows how reflux changes with age. Nearly half of all babies experience reflux by 3 months, often peaking around 4 months before improving by their first birthday. And remember, if you’re struggling, you’re not alone. The most effective treatment for infant reflux is time. It will get better!

#parentdata #refluxbaby #babyreflux #spitup #parentingadvice #emilyoster
...

We’re heading into a three-day weekend, which means a lot of you might take the opportunity to do some potty training. 

Here are some things to keep in mind:
🚽 It takes longer than three days (based on the data!)
🚽 Your child will have trouble staying dry at night.
🚽 Poop sometimes comes later than pee – this is common, you just have to work through it.

Comment “Link” for an article that breaks down potty training data from ParentData readers,  along with helpful tips and tricks.

#pottytraining #pottytrainingtips #pottytrainingproblems #parentdata #emilyoster

We’re heading into a three-day weekend, which means a lot of you might take the opportunity to do some potty training.

Here are some things to keep in mind:
🚽 It takes longer than three days (based on the data!)
🚽 Your child will have trouble staying dry at night.
🚽 Poop sometimes comes later than pee – this is common, you just have to work through it.

Comment “Link” for an article that breaks down potty training data from ParentData readers, along with helpful tips and tricks.

#pottytraining #pottytrainingtips #pottytrainingproblems #parentdata #emilyoster
...

Trampoline parks: great way to get the sillies out or injury haven? Or both? Comment “Link” for an article breaking down a 2023 study on injury trends in trampoline parks.

Here’s a visualisation based on the paper, showing the injury rate by area. Beware the foam pit and the high-performance areas! Slam-dunking, though, seems fine.

#parentdata #emilyoster #trampolinepark #childsafety #trampolinefun

Trampoline parks: great way to get the sillies out or injury haven? Or both? Comment “Link” for an article breaking down a 2023 study on injury trends in trampoline parks.

Here’s a visualisation based on the paper, showing the injury rate by area. Beware the foam pit and the high-performance areas! Slam-dunking, though, seems fine.

#parentdata #emilyoster #trampolinepark #childsafety #trampolinefun
...

I’m teaming up with @Wholefoods to remind you that even though school lunches can be tricky, they have everything you need, from conventional to organic, to give you peace of mind about the foods your kids eat. Through their rigorous Quality Standards, they ban 300+ ingredients from food. 

Does your kid have any special or weird lunch requests? Share in the comments! Tap the link in my bio for more tips and inspiration #WholeFoodsMarket

I’m teaming up with @Wholefoods to remind you that even though school lunches can be tricky, they have everything you need, from conventional to organic, to give you peace of mind about the foods your kids eat. Through their rigorous Quality Standards, they ban 300+ ingredients from food.

Does your kid have any special or weird lunch requests? Share in the comments! Tap the link in my bio for more tips and inspiration #WholeFoodsMarket
...

Travel is already stressful. Add kids to the equation, and it becomes even more complicated. Here are 3 tips and considerations for handling jet lag in kids.

#travelwithkids #jetlag #melatonin #parentingtips #parentdata #emilyoster

Travel is already stressful. Add kids to the equation, and it becomes even more complicated. Here are 3 tips and considerations for handling jet lag in kids.

#travelwithkids #jetlag #melatonin #parentingtips #parentdata #emilyoster
...

Happy 11th birthday to #ExpectingBetter 🎂🎉 Writing this book completely changed my life. I could never have imagined the opportunities and community it would lead me to. Grateful to all of you for reading and being here!

To celebrate, you can use the code “expectingbetter” for 15% off Web or Plus subscriptions on ParentData.org 💛

#bookbirthday #pregnancyadvice #parentdata #emilyoster

Happy 11th birthday to #ExpectingBetter 🎂🎉 Writing this book completely changed my life. I could never have imagined the opportunities and community it would lead me to. Grateful to all of you for reading and being here!

To celebrate, you can use the code “expectingbetter” for 15% off Web or Plus subscriptions on ParentData.org 💛

#bookbirthday #pregnancyadvice #parentdata #emilyoster
...

Screens have become a ubiquitous part of classroom life. Is this a good thing? Today on the ParentData podcast, I talk with @jessgrosewrites from the @nytimes. She recently ran a survey asking about kids’ screen usage after not being able to find studies and data on the subject.

“Nothing is all bad or all good. But I think overall, there just has been very little scrutiny into something that has been a massive shift in the way kids learn in the past, let’s say, two decades.”

Comment “Link” for a DM to listen to today’s podcast episode. 🎧

#screentime #technologyintheclassroom #parentdatapodcast #parentdata #emilyoster

Screens have become a ubiquitous part of classroom life. Is this a good thing? Today on the ParentData podcast, I talk with @jessgrosewrites from the @nytimes. She recently ran a survey asking about kids’ screen usage after not being able to find studies and data on the subject.

“Nothing is all bad or all good. But I think overall, there just has been very little scrutiny into something that has been a massive shift in the way kids learn in the past, let’s say, two decades.”

Comment “Link” for a DM to listen to today’s podcast episode. 🎧

#screentime #technologyintheclassroom #parentdatapodcast #parentdata #emilyoster
...

We surveyed the ParentData audience and here’s what you said about the worst baby products. Bottom of the list: unnecessary warmers. Don’t get your kid used to having warm diaper wipes! Nothing good can come of that.

Comment “Link” for the best baby items and other parenting wisdom from the ParentData community. Best general advice: get things used, and you do not need as much as you think. 

Add your advice below! What do you wish you’d known about in advance, and what was a waste? ⬇️

#parentdata #emilyoster #babyproducts #babyitems #newparents #firsttimeparents

We surveyed the ParentData audience and here’s what you said about the worst baby products. Bottom of the list: unnecessary warmers. Don’t get your kid used to having warm diaper wipes! Nothing good can come of that.

Comment “Link” for the best baby items and other parenting wisdom from the ParentData community. Best general advice: get things used, and you do not need as much as you think.

Add your advice below! What do you wish you’d known about in advance, and what was a waste? ⬇️

#parentdata #emilyoster #babyproducts #babyitems #newparents #firsttimeparents
...

Breast is great. But formula is also great. Shaming people for making either choice is harmful. Comment “Link” for an article on formula and the differences between brands.

#emilyoster #parentdata #babyformula #breastfedbaby  #babyhealth

Breast is great. But formula is also great. Shaming people for making either choice is harmful. Comment “Link” for an article on formula and the differences between brands.

#emilyoster #parentdata #babyformula #breastfedbaby #babyhealth
...

Don’t worry about buying a bottle warmer, worry about your relationship. Comment “Link” for an article by @yaelschonbrun on ways to help baby-proof your relationship.

#parentdata #emilyoster #newparents #lifeafterbaby #relationshipadvice

Don’t worry about buying a bottle warmer, worry about your relationship. Comment “Link” for an article by @yaelschonbrun on ways to help baby-proof your relationship.

#parentdata #emilyoster #newparents #lifeafterbaby #relationshipadvice
...

How do we get our kids excited about math? Can every kid be a “math kid”? Shalinee Sharma of @zearnmath shares her insights on the ParentData podcast. 

When I offered her a magic wand to fix math education, she told me: “We have to pair understanding with memorizing. And the best way to understand really anything, but especially math, is simple pictures, concrete context, just make it feel real, not abstract and theoretical. What’s a negative number? Think about if sea level is zero and then you dive into the ocean, that’s a negative number. And then you climb a mountain, well that’s a positive number… We just need pictures to be a part of mathematics.”

Comment “Link” for a DM to listen to today’s podcast episode. 🎧

#parentdata #parentdatapodcast #parentingpodcast #mathforkids #emilyoster

How do we get our kids excited about math? Can every kid be a “math kid”? Shalinee Sharma of @zearnmath shares her insights on the ParentData podcast.

When I offered her a magic wand to fix math education, she told me: “We have to pair understanding with memorizing. And the best way to understand really anything, but especially math, is simple pictures, concrete context, just make it feel real, not abstract and theoretical. What’s a negative number? Think about if sea level is zero and then you dive into the ocean, that’s a negative number. And then you climb a mountain, well that’s a positive number… We just need pictures to be a part of mathematics.”

Comment “Link” for a DM to listen to today’s podcast episode. 🎧

#parentdata #parentdatapodcast #parentingpodcast #mathforkids #emilyoster
...

I hear from many of you that the information on ParentData makes you feel seen. Wherever you are on your journey, it’s always helpful to know you’re not alone. 

Drop an emoji in the comments that best describes your pregnancy or parenting searches lately… 💤🚽🍻🎒💩

I hear from many of you that the information on ParentData makes you feel seen. Wherever you are on your journey, it’s always helpful to know you’re not alone.

Drop an emoji in the comments that best describes your pregnancy or parenting searches lately… 💤🚽🍻🎒💩
...

Milestones. We celebrate them in pregnancy, in parenting, and they’re a fun thing to celebrate at work too. Just a couple years ago I couldn’t have foreseen what this community would grow into. Today, there are over 400,000 of you here—asking questions, making others feel seen wherever they may be in their journey, and sharing information that supports data > panic. 

It has been a busy summer for the team at ParentData. I’d love to take a moment here to celebrate the 400k milestone. As I’ve said before, it’s more important than ever to put good data in the hands of parents. 

Share this post with a friend who could use a little more data, and a little less parenting overwhelm. 

📷 Me and my oldest, collaborating on “Expecting Better”

Milestones. We celebrate them in pregnancy, in parenting, and they’re a fun thing to celebrate at work too. Just a couple years ago I couldn’t have foreseen what this community would grow into. Today, there are over 400,000 of you here—asking questions, making others feel seen wherever they may be in their journey, and sharing information that supports data > panic.

It has been a busy summer for the team at ParentData. I’d love to take a moment here to celebrate the 400k milestone. As I’ve said before, it’s more important than ever to put good data in the hands of parents.

Share this post with a friend who could use a little more data, and a little less parenting overwhelm.

📷 Me and my oldest, collaborating on “Expecting Better”
...

I spend a lot of time talking people down after they read the latest panic headline. In most cases, these articles create an unnecessary amount of stress around pregnancy and parenting. This is my pro tip for understanding whether the risk presented is something you should really be worrying about.

Comment “link” for an article with other tools to help you navigate risk and uncertainty.

#emilyoster #parentdata #riskmanagement #parentstruggles #parentingstruggles

I spend a lot of time talking people down after they read the latest panic headline. In most cases, these articles create an unnecessary amount of stress around pregnancy and parenting. This is my pro tip for understanding whether the risk presented is something you should really be worrying about.

Comment “link” for an article with other tools to help you navigate risk and uncertainty.

#emilyoster #parentdata #riskmanagement #parentstruggles #parentingstruggles
...