Family Engagement Specialists

Welcome to our blog! We are passionate about empowering parents and educators with the knowledge and strategies to boost and sustain family engagement goals. Our products and services are currently in 48 states and Puerto Rico and New Zealand. All products are available in Spanish. When schools and communities connect, students succeed.


Thursday, March 28, 2013

Take a Trip to a Museum


With spring break approaching, now is the time to consider ways to make learning come to life for your child.  Consider visiting local museums where your child can experience exhibits and galleries that make learning fun.  Museum staff members are able to stretch the visitors' imagination and flex their creative muscles in the interactive, hands-on activities.
                One such place is Amazement Square in Lynchburg, VA.  This museum is Central Virginia's first multidisciplinary, hands-on children's museum.  Visitors get to: climb, slide, and discover exciting activities as they explore global and regional topics, such as: arts, humanities, science, and health related themes.
                Another place of interest is the Science Museum of Southwest Virginia in Roanoke, VA.  Visitors can explore the light and sound arcade, plasma sphere, and a giant "big mouth".
·         in the light and sound gallery, there are over forty interactive exhibits
·         in the plasma sphere, the three states of matter are explored through physics and chemistry experiments. Plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized.
·         with the Big Mouth, visitors will learn how the mouth tastes food; how our teeth are designed to bite and chew; and how a healthy body starts.
                Why not schedule a day trip to a local science museum.  Your child's imagination will be sparked and the hands-on learning will create lasting memories.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Plant Beautiful Memories with Your Children


During spring break, your child will want to get outside and enjoy the warmer temperatures and fresh air.  Why not guide your child's energy into making a flower garden in your yard.  This experience will not only teach your child lessons in biology, it will also provide an opportunity to instill responsibility for the care of the plants.
                Here are a few tips to help your child get started.  First of all, select a flower bed or create a new one by clearing out any grass or weeds.  Choose a boarder by placing rocks or terrace logs around the perimeter of the flower bed.  Then smooth the soil with a rake and remove any stones or clumps of hard dirt.  Now that the flower bed is ready, the next step will be to select the appropriate flowers for planting.
              When selecting the flowers to plant, consider these guidelines:
  • flowers come in three basic types: bulbs, annuals, and perennials
  •  a bulb is one of the easiest flowers to grow but need to be placed in the ground in the fall for spring growth to occur
  • an annual dies off each year and has to be replanted the following spring
  • a perennial is a plant that dies back to the ground each winter and then grows back in the spring
  • you can visit your local gardening store for potted plants, as well as, seed
  • ask the gardener for advice on selecting the best plants for your child to grow

                After selecting the flowers your child will plant, help your child to design the layout of his garden.  Place the plants around the garden in different arrangements before digging any holes.  After the plan is decided upon, your child will have fun digging in the dirt to create the holes for each plant.  Follow these steps for planting the potted plants:
1.  dig a small hole deep enough for the potted plant to sit in
2.  put water into each hole
3.  gently remove the potted plant from the plastic container and drop into the hole
4.  cover the base of the roots and dirt with more soil and pat evenly around the flower
5.  water the plants again
                Now your child can become the caretaker of the flower garden, remembering to water and weed the garden as needed.  Enjoy the beautiful flowers all summer long!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Spend the Afternoon with Thomas Jefferson

Maybe during spring break, your family is looking for a day trip that is entertaining and educational. Why not consider visiting the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. His estate, Monticello, is the image recognized on the back of the American nickel. If you are planning to visit Monticello, be prepared to have good walking shoes and a light jacket, as much of the tour will be outside on the beautiful grounds of the estate.


To begin your visit, stop at the visitor's center and pay a nominal charge for the one hour tour. Visitor guides will suggest walking tours along the grounds and gardens. Take the shuttle bus to the estate entrance. The house tour will take your back in time to the early history of our country, as you witness the well decorated home. Jefferson's library and bed chamber are two rooms of particular interest to guests. From the outside, you will notice the domed shaped buildings that were designed by Thomas Jefferson. Plan to take Mulberry Row and enjoy a stroll to Jefferson's grave. Then you can return to the visitor's center and see the film about the history of this amazing estate. Also, take the children into the Griffin Discovery Room where hands-on exhibits are available for them to explore the inventions by Thomas Jefferson.

Choosing a day trip to a historical place will give your child lasting memories of lessons learned in school. Talk to your child about places studied in school and plan to make "history tours" a part of your child's spring break.

Monday, March 25, 2013

How to Plan a Vacation on a Budget

A family vacation can be expensive with high gasoline prices and expensive air fare travel. But during spring break from school, your family can plan a vacation on a budget. Get the kids involved in the planning and work together to make this spring break a fun time for the whole family. Include your children in making plans for the days off from school. Your child can put into practice math skills by helping to create a vacation budget. Have a family meeting and discuss the expenses that you expect to have each day. Include your child in making suggestions of how to cut costs and save money for special events that are a little more expensive. Here are a few suggestions that can help the family to save money and have fun, too.


You can begin by visiting venues in your home town. Check out a few of these:

1. Visit local museums and parks

2. Bring your own food and have a picnic

3. Plan a barbeque and invite family and friends

4. Rent or visit the movie theaters at a reduced price
5. Visit your local library and check out some great books

6. Use the local media to investigate other family friendly opportunities

The main thing is to include your children in the planning for your spring break vacation. You are helping your child appreciate the value of family time and are building those lasting memories that will last a lifetime.