Tagged with 'tips'

Make your own indoor shining stars fun!

Space. Stars. NASA. Astronauts. Moon landings. Spaceships. If any of these terms are major buzzwords in your house, feed your child’s natural curiosity with as much astro-centric info you possibly can. Unlocking the heavens for them is easy with the Shining Stars Projector – a take-it-with-you planetarium. Right out of the box, it is easy to hold and easy to explore. Let’s get this light going!

Pop in the batteries and watch the discovery begin. There are three discs that serve as slides, each labeled by number with a key in the manual. The discs are easy for little fingers to pull in and out.

Soon everything in your house becomes a possible projectable surface. That beam of light sparks imagination and space exploration!

Why not make your own planetarium at home? We grabbed an old play tent, a dark throw from the couch as a backdrop, and some pillows from the bed to make a super cozy dome of learning right in the living room!

Situating the Shining Stars Projector in the pillows, we shot the beam of the light right in the middle of our screen, held up by clamps from Dad’s workbench.  It was fun for the little ones to adjust the projector to the right angle and change the slides. Can you name all the planets?

Our planetarium was set up all day, but we couldn’t resist one more viewing before bedtime. There’s always time for one more view of the galaxy!Happy stargazing!

At Rolph Literacy Academy at Fundamental Learning Center in Kansas, we teach our students — who have dyslexia or other reading difficulties — to read. Through the years, we have learned some tricks to engage kids who are not natural bookworms to look forward to story time.

We recommend parents and caregivers help readers select books that have subject matter coinciding with a child’s interests. Research also shows reading aloud to children helps build comprehension skills, develop positive feelings about books, increase their vocabulary and more. We love using Learning Resources Color Cubes to help children comprehend text.

Here are five ideas Fundamental Learning Center uses to aid comprehension using Learning Resources Color Cubes:

1. Before you begin reading, assign each character a different color represented by the Color Cubes. Each time you are introduced to one of the characters as you are reading, have your child pick up the appropriate-colored block. This helps your child understand the players in your story.
2. Before you begin reading, pull out 3-5 vocabulary words from the text. Go over them with your child before you begin. Each time your child encounters one of the vocabulary words as you are reading, have him or her add a block to a vocabulary tower he builds.
3. When you are reading with your young reader and encounter a multi-syllabic word, have your child pull down a color cube for each syllable, moving left to right. Segmenting words into syllables helps emerging readers understand how words are built. This can also be done while segmenting sentences into single words.
4. If you are reading a non-fiction book, assign one colored block to stand for main idea, and one block color to represent supporting details. As you read, come up with main ideas and supporting details for the subject matter, using the blocks to help you keep track.
5. Write the following words, one on each block: who, what, where, when and why. After you are finished reading the book with your child, use the cubes to ask him or her each question as it pertains to the plot of the story. Who was this story about? What happened? Where did it take place? Etc.

 As you can see, Learning Resources Color Cubes can help emerging readers engage with the words in books. For more specific training on how to assist your emerging reader, visit funlearn.org and check out our curriculum and training to assist emerging readers, “The Sound Case.”

How often do you find your child lost in their only little world of imaginative play? In our house, it’s a daily occurrence – and since school has started again this Fall, I often find the girls playing school. Pretend play is not only a critical part of early child development, it can also help you learn more about your child and their current school experiences.

4 Things You and Your Child Can Learn Playing School

Have you ever been struggling with a project at work, and you come home and think through it while you go through the motions of your day, maybe even in your dreams? Our kids are no different! While you may ask them how school was and get little more than a word or two response, left to their own imaginative play devices, they may reveal far more about their day.

So the next time they want to play school, you should not only encourage it, but listen up.

You Learn 95% of What We Teach to Others  

Ever heard the saying “We Learn . . . 10% of what we read,  20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, and 95% of what we teach others.

”It originated from William Glasser, a famous American psychiatrist, who pioneered work in choice therapy and its applications in education. What it means for playing school? If your child can come home and pretend to teach what they’ve learned to their stuffed animals and dolls, they are more likely to master the material.

Last week, my daughter’s preschool class was beginning a year-long alphabet study by reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. John Archambault. She was playing school, and asked me to write the repetitive refrain from the story on her pretend play school board – she’s a pre-reader, but after I wrote it, she used the pointer to point and read each word on the board!

So instead of doing more math worksheets, or practicing sight words on paper, ask them to teach addition to their favorite play things.

Gain Insight into What’s Happening at School 

How many times have your picked up your child from school with a glum face? You ask, “How was school today?” and get met with a single word response if you’re lucky. You can push the question, but you know it often leads them to shut down even more.

If you back off, and let them play freely when you get home, you can often learn exactly what’s going on at school without even asking. Whether they are playing school, or re-enacting dialogue with princesses or stuffed animals, you might just hear what’s bothering them. Or if nothing is bothering them, you can often discover what they are learning about, who they are playing with, who’s being reprimanded by the teacher, and more.

I recommend letting them play as independently as possible, and revisiting what you learn with them when you have quiet 1-on-1 time. I find the best time to really get them talking is just before bed, after stories, when you are tucking your child in for the night.

Role Playing Develops Social and Emotional Skills 

When your child is playing school (or engaged in any form of pretend or imaginative play), you will often hear them replaying dialogue they observe in the world around them. Maybe they are re-enacting scenes from their favorite show, or replaying what happened at school that day.

Practicing the exchange of dialogue and re-enacting events are an amazing way to help your child develop social and emotional skills they will use for the rest of their life. Role playing during imaginative play is also a great tool for you as a parent to help guide your child when they are struggling with feelings, or even after they have behaved inappropriately.

If they have had an argument with a sibling or a friend at school, or even with you, when they are calmer, you can recreate the situation and offer up words, phrases and alternative actions they can use the next time the situation arises.

Discover Your Child’s Passions

Want to find out what your child is really into? Leave them to their own imaginative devices. When they are playing school, see what lessons they choose to teach. Are they reading books to their stuffed animals? What books do they gravitate towards?

When they are playing school, do they re-teach science experiments or math lessons? The areas they choose to explore voluntarily are likely the subjects they enjoy most. Be sure to encourage those passions… but also take note of the areas they often avoid. This may be an indication of subject areas they struggle with, and may need your help to develop in those areas.

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So the next time you happen upon your kids ‘playing school’, be sure to sit back, let them play and catch the conversation. Not only are they having fun, they are cementing their learning while offering you valuable insights into the part of their day you don’t often get to see firsthand.Grab your own self-storing Pretend & Play School set here. For more great play ideas for kids, check out my Imaginative Play and Kids Activities boards on Pinterest.

The lazy days of summer have come and gone. It’s time for your little ones to take the next big step as they kick off their upcoming school year. Back to school isn’t just about getting backpacks and school supplies ready. It is the time when parents focus on prepping their kids for success in the classroom.The parent organization Learning Heroes conducted a national survey of K-8 parents, which revealed that peer pressure and their child’s happiness topped parent worries. Most parents said it is most important that their child be happy and free of stress vs. topping their academic class.Nearly 9 in 10 parents believed their child was performing at or above their grade level, while only a third of American students are at the level they need to succeed.One of the best things parents can do to help their kids adjust to the change of pace and perform at their academic peak is to get organized!

Let’s look at the top 10 tips to get your kids off to a great start this year…

1. Multiply productivity with a homework station: Clutter can make your head spin. When you’re heads spinning, it’s not easy to learn. Collect all those pencils, papers, and folders in a nifty homework station. Keep supplies stocked so your kids can jump right in and blaze through their homework assignments – imagine what they’ll do when they aren’t concerned about finding a stray highlighter or needed eraser!

2. Snack attacks = no problem: Give your kids the fuel they need by creating a handy snack station! By organizing foods, you can cut much of your lunchtime prep time or after school bites. Bag apples, carrots and other perishable snacks, as well as premade PB&Js, cheese sticks, yogurt, and other munchables and toss them in a drawer in the fridge. Keep a pantry shelf for bags of chips, juice boxes, and sweet treats. This helps kids to minimalize the process of food selection and eat regular, healthy meals.

3. Dress for success with an organized closet: Take some time on Sunday evenings to plan your kids wardrobe for the week ahead. Make the process super simple by creating hanger labels for each day and pre-select outfits. Young fashionistas can take their time to express their personalities without early morning stress of digging through drawers and laundry baskets to find their favorite go-to items.

4. Make a quick getaway: Keep get-out-the-door essentials where you can actually find them. Every parent knows how last minute rushing around can cause uber stress – say goodbye to the days of rushing up and down stairs to grab a forgotten this or that. By creating a designated place by your main household exit, you’ll be able to find that sunscreen stick or those needed swim goggles. Other items to go here are the day’s lunch money, a pen for permission slips … keeping these items handy in a select drawer or basket will help to keep anxieties to a minimum.

5. Organize books and resources: It’s oh so easy for books to go missing in a bustling household. Keep library rentals and course books in book baskets where kids can “borrow” and return them as needed. You’ll find you won’t be scrambling on due dates. And your young learners will have easy access, which will enable them to study when they need to. They may even find material in there they wouldn’t otherwise explore, which helps to encourage and boost an interest in reading.

6. Screen time guidelines: Wipe away the worry of disputes over TV/game/computer time by setting guidelines before the school year begins. Put your concentration on what is most important for your kids… homework, outdoor activity time, and face-to-face socialization should be considered. Help your kids to make a chart that your kids can check off, outlining what needs to happen before its time to plop down in front of a screen.

7. Organize your street shuttle: How often do you drop your kids off from school and they’re tripping on everything they’ve tossed in the vehicle? Clear their way for fantastic day of learning by organizing a section of your ride for the items they tote. Some ideas include hangers out of suction cup hooks and portable containers for your rear hatch or trunk. Use this practice when you pick them up and you won’t be cleaning out your vehicle when you’re ready to kick off evening fun.

8. The meal of champions: Breakfast provides youngsters with the nutrition they need to get going and sustain through their day. Get them off to a great start, minus the mania! Prefilling Tupperware containers with favorite cereals is a great go-to to turn to on busy days. Keep a jug of milk handy with spoons readily available. There’s no reason to not start your kid’s day off right!

9. Celebrate in style: Parents love to display their child’s school work and awards. Make a special place for such items – utilizing magnetic refrigerator frames keeps these items in order while providing an artistic presentation your kids can take part in and pride in. Or think of a post-it board that is in clear view in a family-centric area of the home. This little trick keeps messy papers to a minimum and provide a special touch to the display.

10. Schedule downtime: Keeping a calendar is helpful – especially for parents who have multiple kids in different grades with various interests. Do your best to input regular activities such as groups, clubs, athletics, etc. But go a step beyond and take time for NOTHING. Having time to relax helps young students to reboot and reload, and get ready for their next big adventure.

The coming school year offers the opportunity to start your family off on the right step. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get organized and get those kids out the door and onto the school bus. It’s coming soon… are you ready?