Hi! Settle in for some of the best-curated information to help you become a super-parent (as if you weren't already). We hope this lands harder than the NASA DART mission. (read on to get the reference 🛰)

What's happening this week:

1. 📖 The proven method for teaching your littles to read

2. 😴 Bring on the sleep...in only a few minutes

3. 🍲 It's soup time!

(and even more random bits of awesomeness)

Reading Wars: Battle for the Written World

Let me preface this one: I LOVE to read. In fact, I recently joined my local library to start getting back into fiction (a couple of decades of nothing but non-fiction, science, business, self-development, blah blah blah and it was time for a little literary mashup).

When I was a kid, I loved to read my favorite mystery series or adventure books. I can remember being almost transported to a new world. Frankly, it was awesome.

BUT, I can't remember learning to read. I sure don't know how to teach someone else to read. Enter the problem plaguing all of us parents that are trying to muddle through helping our kiddos make sense of the written world.

Essentially, there are two schools of thought regarding reading curriculums in schools. Wars are being waged between "balanced literacy" and "structured literacy". If you want a nice breakdown, check out this article that does a nice little job of explaining.

In keeping with our best bang for your buck model, here are the takeaways:

1. Balanced literacy came forth in the 90s (ah, the golden years) and taught us floundering bookworms a combination of whole language and some phonics. Sadly, it hasn't panned out: Barely 35% of 4th graders are reading at the National Assessment of Educational Progress proficiency level. (Yikes...🙃)

2. Structured literacy, enter stage right. This is the so-called true science of reading and is based on several decades of scientific research. This is more of a purer phonics approach but is also CONTEXTUAL, basically meaning it's performed within the overall context of reading to understand. Fun fact: this is also the method taught to students with difficulties like dyslexia. Pretty cool.

3. If you haven't read between the lines yet (ba-dum, here all week folks), the method that shows the most promise is the structured literacy group. How in the world can you tell if your child's school is using this approach? I'm glad you asked. Peep below, yo. 👇🏽

Oh, and one more tip that I personally found to be immensely helpful for my aspiring readers. Turn on the captions for whatever shows they are watching. Wild, right?!

I saw a HUGE change when I turned on captions for all the shows we were watching. Netflix, Disney, Youtube...basically any place that is trying to capture your child's attention has a caption option.

Now they can HEAR and SEE and CONTEXTUALIZE at the same time.

I know, I know. Basically a genius. (the crowd goes wild)

Zzz's in T-minus 13 minutes

Researchers out of Japan published a new study in the journal Current Biology reporting they have found a particular method to help that little one of yours get to sleep sooner.

Dubbed the "transport response", researchers have given us a tested technique. They say that in 10-13 minutes, your infant can go from crying to quiet and ready for the crib. Here is the quick and dirty:

1. If your little one is crying, place them in your arms and walk around for 5 minutes (avoid abrupt turns and fast moves...think of this as your first dance in high school).

2. After the first 5 minutes (and hopefully some progress in the soothing department), have a seat and hold them close for another 5 to 8 minutes

3. Now, try and lay them down in their crib

I hear you. It seems TOO easy. 10-13 minutes from fussy to fast asleep?

But hey, when you are in the moment, anything is worth a shot!

Just for Giggles 😆

Check out our favorite tweets from this week!

Bring on the yum!

Fall is swiftly approaching (although some exemptions may apply, please see the South for more details) and that means it's a great time to start serving up some delicious and wholesome soups!

Who doesn't love a good soup? Not only are they usually ridiculously easy to make, but you can tweak them to make it your own little signature dish AND ensure there is plenty to go around.

Check out a couple of options below!

Lawd, I am drooling over here! Bring on the bowls, baby!

Deals, steals, and money-saving thrills 🤑

You may have missed the annual Amazon Prime Day (July for those of you sleeping on that cash-saving button), but we have some sweet news for ya.

✅Amazon Prime Day Part II is coming in hot and due to drop on October 11-12. HOWEVER, Amazon is allowing early access for Prime members and it starts, like, now. (if you don't know, now you know!)

Also, if you hadn't already noticed, it's getting expensive to raise our minis. For real expensive, to the tune of more than $26,000 more than just 5 years ago.

What's a fam to do?! Well, there is a neat little tool that you can add that will live in your browser. When you search for items, it will conveniently crawl around and check to see if the item is for re-sale somewhere.

✅Meet Beni, the cool extension that helps to save you some of that hard-earned cash.

Say what?! 

Random finds from across the web to satisfy your non-parenting knowledge thirst!

• Duck, duck, uh...juice? Dollar Tree has a licensing agreement with Disney for Donald Duck Juice. Apparently, it's not half-bad. 🤷🏽‍♀️

• Packed in like a bunch of pachyderms: Drone footage shows a super cool shot of sleeping elephants. Click here for the Youtube clip.

• Stand by for more Mickey magic. Disney has released a new trading card game called Lorcana and it's already getting hard to find. 🎩

• Dimorphos catches a satellite to the face in the DART Mission! On Monday, NASA opened up a can of re-direction at an asteroid in the first-ever "Planetary Defense Test". (I hope this Google animation still works!)

• National Coffee Day is September 29 (like today). Need I say more? ☕️

• Hocus Pocus 2 releases out on Disney + TOMORROW. Witches are sure to be running "amok, amok, amok, amok, amok". ("I suggest we form a calming circle" - Mary Sanderson) 💃🏽

Behind the scenes from the "Oh, Hey Village!" crew

On the reading block:

• Currently perusing dozens and dozen of sites on the daily to bring you the best content, while trying to learn no code, but I recently read The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway and really liked enjoyed it after finishing Dostoevsky a few weeks ago (gotta love a good classic). - Z

• Working on The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. It's an easy read that makes you really think about your own personal energy and the energy from the people you surround yourself with. - IG

• If it's not the back of a mac n cheese box or Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (iykyk), it's not getting read around here. Totally kidding....kind of. My latest read is Where The Crawdads Sing, and I'm on the hunt for the next! -J

Recent yummy treats that just hit differently:

• The mangonada I had the other night from the local Hispanic ice cream shop. If only I could have it made by the gallon. -Z

• Oh my gosh, the friend cookie dough bites from Sonic. It's everything you love about eating cookie dough mixed with the perfect chocolate chip cookie. YUM. - IG

• Crumbl cookies...need I say more? If you haven't tried them, do yourself a favor and run as fast as you can to your nearest shop. I'm looking at you lemon glaze.🍪 -J

How did we do?! 🤔

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TTFN! (that's "ta-ta for now" for any of you non-Winnie the Pooh fans)