Ideas for parents in May that will be helpful!
What I’m learning and loving in the month of May, I talk about a few things that I am learning and loving in my life right now. This may include recipes, books, movies and gadgets, etc. Here are some ideas for parents in May.
(Here are the posts for March and April) Let me know what you are learning and loving so that I can add that to future posts! Without further ado, here are my ideas for parents in May. *This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is here.
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Learning:
Did you know that Mr. Rogers was often quarantined as a child because of breathing problems? He used his imagination to get himself through these times.
This teen created a flow chart for surgeons after the death of her cousin! Read about it here…
Scholarships to apply for in May:
Pureland Supply Vocational and Skilled Trade Scholarship
- Award: $500
- Deadline: May 1, 2022
- Eligibility:
- students who have been accepted to an accredited trade school, vocational college, technical school or community college for the study of trade, craft, or labor occupations
High school transcript or GED
One letter of recommendation from a non-family member
- A completed application
- GPA Requirement: I could not find where this is required
- Requires Essay
- Award: $1,000
- Deadline: May 3, 2022
- Eligibility:
- Any U.S. resident high school senior who is on track to graduate, and currently holds a minimum 3.0 GPA, who plans to pursue a post-secondary degree after graduation
- Any U.S. resident student currently enrolled in a two-year or four-year post-secondary educational institution
- GPA Requirement: 3.0 or higher
- Requires Essay
- Award: Up to $3,000
- Deadline: May 19, 2022
- Eligibility:
- Scholarship is open to high school students in the United States
- GPA Requirement: No GPA requirement
- Requires Essay
- Award: $1,500
- Deadline: May 31, 2022
- Eligibility:
- 14 years of age or older
- US citizen
- Currently enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution of higher education
- GPA Requirement: No requirement
- Requires Essay
Loving:
Movie:
One of our all time favorites! We just watched it again as a family the other night, Secondhand Lions. If somehow you have missed this- you must watch!
A great coming of age film about a boy who is basically dumped with 2 great uncles that he doesn’t even know. Great stories come from these two old curmudgeons played by Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. The boy is played by Haley Joel Osment in his younger days.
Have you seen The Tender Bar on Amazon? I remember loving the book. We took time out from packing our house to watch this the other night with our 17 year old. It was wonderful!
A boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle’s bar.
Book:
Non-fiction
This was written by a 16 year old! Here are some things that he says in the description…
“During these past few years, I’ve learned a lot and executed and implemented like crazy. I’ve also made plenty of mistakes, and figured out workarounds and solutions to them. This book is not just a guide for how you can start making money on the side, but also a blueprint of ideas for you to expand upon.
While I cannot guarantee you any results, these exact methods have worked very well for me, and I am giving you every tip, trick, tool, technique and tactic I’ve learned and used, so that it can help you on your own journey.“
I think that this would be a great book for any teen to read and get ideas.
Other books for considering careers for teens:
Careers: The Graphic Guide to Planning Your Future
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Could Change Your Life… And Maybe The World
Skip College: Launch Your Career Without Debt, Distractions or a Degree
Fiction
Maisie Dobbs #4 -Winspear
I love this series. Each book stands alone. There are 17, and I have been spacing them out so that I can enjoy other books along the way.
London, 1931. The night before an exhibition of his artwork opens at a famed Mayfair gallery, the controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope falls to his death. The police rule it an accident, but Nick’s twin sister, Georgina, a wartime journalist and a infamous figure in her own right, isn’t convinced.
When the authorities refuse to consider her theory that Nick was murdered, Georgina seeks out a fellow graduate from Girton College, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, for help. Nick was a veteran of World War I, and before long the case leads Maisie to the desolate beaches of Dungeness in Kent, and into the sinister underbelly of the city’s art world.
If you have not met Maisie, here is a link to book #1.
The Gatekeepers -Lancaster
This is a heavy subject. It would be a good one to read with your older teen. The author does a great job of being in the characters’ thoughts. Suicide is not glorified, but treated in a manner that helps the reader to think, along with Simone, “What can be done?” There are so many things in this book that could lead to great conversations!
Gr 10 Up—North Shore is a seemingly perfect Illinois town; its motto is “We breed excellence.” But underneath the porcelain exterior, there are large cracks in the foundation. The suicide rate for teens is one of the highest in the nation, and each kid is under intense pressure to be the absolute best at academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.
To ease the tension, many students turn to partying and opioid abuse, which are all too easy to support using their absent millionaire parents’ bars and medicine cabinets.
New girl Simone is unsettled by the compulsory perfection. She quickly finds solace in new friends. Her rival is Mallory, who is dating the most popular guy in school—until he breaks up with her for Simone. But tragedy rears its ugly head when a beloved student commits suicide, and that event is quickly followed by another.
Simone and Mallory are too shattered to be rivals. They create the Gatekeepers Club with the intent to integrate a viable support system into the school to prevent these suicides. A diverse group of teens come together to try to create a positive future.
The first half of this best-selling author’s YA fiction debut is slow. There is a large cast of characters and alternating perspectives. But as the characters gravitate toward one another, cohesion in the narrative begins to form.
The Long Call -Cleeves
This was a great whodunnit! Just finished it, and I have the second one on reserve at my local library. Here is the link to book 2, The Heron’s Cry.
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. On the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.
Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.
The case calls Matthew back to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed, and his new life is forced into a collision course with the world he thought he’d left behind.
H Is For Homicide – Grafton
I have read a couple of these each year for awhile. I enjoy getting to know the main character, Kinsey Millhone. This one is great, and they can each stand alone, although it is fun to read them in order… Here is the link to the first one, if you want to start the series…
His name was Parnell Perkins, and until shortly after midnight, he’d been a claims adjustor for California Fidelity. Then someone came along and put paid to that line of work. And to any other. Parnell Perkins had been shot at close range and left for dead in the parking lot outside California Fidelity’s offices.
To the cops, it looked like a robbery gone sour. To Kinsey Millhone, it looked like the cops were walking away from the case. She didn’t like the idea that a colleague and sometime drinking companion had been murdered. Or the idea that his murderer was loose and on the prowl. It made her feel exposed. Vulnerable.
Gadget:
Thermal laminator machine with clear pouches for laminating. I never in a million years thought that I would use this as much as I have. I got it for my classroom, but I have used it at home for things like laminating our car insurance cards and a couple of pictures for family. It’s small and really easy to use!
Product:
Chub Rub is the greatest. You apply to any area that chafes, and you are good to go! I thought I was the only one!
Helpful term to know with teens:
Deferment—Payments on loans paused up to 3 years. Subsidized interest is paid for by the federal government, and unsubsidized interest will accrue. Certain qualifications have to be met, and you have to apply for this.
Holidays:
May Day -(1st), Kentucky Derby Day -(1st Saturday in May), Star Wars Day -(May 4th), Cinco de Mayo -(5th), National Teacher’s Day -(Tuesday, first full week in May), Mother’s Day -(2nd Sunday in May), International Nurse’s Day -(May 12th), Memorial Day -(last Monday of the month) These are just a few reasons to celebrate this month!
Quote:
“The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.“ – Edwin Way Teale
Ideas for parents in May
I hope that you like my ideas for parents in May!
Posts that are timely
5 Steps To Avoid Losing your Cool With Your Teens -When They Come Home This Summer
Best Subscription Boxes For Mom
Father’s Day Gifts That a Teen Can Afford
Books You Should Read If You Are the Parent Of a Teen
Teens and Summer and You -Save Your Sanity
I would love to stay in touch!
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“Second Hand Lions” is one of my all-time favorite movies!!
I had forgotten how great it is! That is why it was my May recommendation! Such a sweet and original story:)
This is a great resource for parents of all ages but especially high school. Wish we had had things like this when my kids were growing up.
You always have the most amazing suggestions, Melanie! My kids love them for their kids!
Thank you!☺️