Here are some links to posts I’ve written about Long Beach’s Kathy Salazar and Practical Parent Talk (PPT). Kathy not only has 20+ years of professional preschool teaching experience on her side, but she has also raised children of her own. Her parental wisdom comes from that balance of being in the mommy trenches first-hand and from her preschool education and classroom experiences.
Kathy Salazar and I at our last Practical Parent Talk class with Coastal Cuties of Long Beach. I hope I can “check myself” without the weekly check-ins! Thanks for everything, Kathy!
From time to time, I like to “check myself” and check in with parents who have gone before me and/or are experiencing my stage of parenting right where I’m at. Most recently, I’ve taken Kathy’s PPT course (Spring 2013) with members of my parent group, and it’s been eye-opening. And now, Kathy’s been gracious enough to allow me to pass along a PPT tip or two every so often to you, RMT’ers.
Kathy Salazar’s “Practical Parent Talk” Is All Talk AND Action
More with Kathy Salazar: The Antidote to the “I Can’t” Chant
The Key to Empowering Kids to Change their Own Behaviors: “Please Make a Different Choice”
Teaching vs. Telling: PPT’s Kathy Salazar Teaches 4 Steps toward End-Result Success
Tattling vs. Reporting: Taking Control of (and Empowering) Our Littlest Eyewitnesses
If you’ve tried any of the PPT techniques with success, I’d love to hear your feedback, and I am sure Kathy would, too. To contact Kathy personally and/or enroll in PPT classes to “check yourself,” please contact her here.
Real Mom Time (RMT) 
I love your site and am so looking forward to putting my little Lego guy in Shared Science this summer. I also took Kathy’s course and think she’s so great I had her come present at my kids school (minie Gant). I’m wondering if u have come across a hands-on animal lovers camp besides the SPCA’s very expensive option ($400 for the week and they only see animals from noon to 4)? I’m almost thinking about making my own camp for my 9 year old dog loving daughter by reaching out to some no-kill shelters to see if they need her help but I know the peer interaction is half the fun..
Hi and thanks for writing! Yes, Kathy of PPT is a true gem for all us parents in Long Beach and beyond! Glad you have discovered her as well. 🙂
As for the summer animal care camp ideas, have you tried some of the local stables listed on the page? They’ve not listed their definite plans online for Summer 2014 yet but I recall one of them focusing on not just riding but horse care and companionship together in summers’ past. Other ideas for either camps or apprenticeship/ volunteer opportunities might be (and these are just brainstorms off the top of my head, nothing confirmed): Seal Beach Animal Shelter; Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) (who has a K-12 education program with LBUSD, so maybe a camp opp there); Caring Friends Cat Rescue (operates out of LB Towne Ctr. Petsmart); The Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley/HB area (I’ve blogged about them before); Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro (rehabilitation facility for local wildlife); and BARK Dogs (reading companion animals that visit area children with human partners; I just blogged about them in my Read Across America Post).
If you decide to follow up on any of these please share and I will definitely place the listing(s) onto my camp page for everyone. I will also share should I discover any other definite summer camp plans in this particular area of interest.
Thanks for your questions and comments!