Traveling over the holidays? Make it educational and fun for the whole family!

During the holiday season, you may be spending more time in the car traveling to family gatherings. Here are a few suggestions, apart from movies, that may help to entertain and educate your child while you are making those long journeys away from home. The whole family can participate in these activities. Encourage older siblings to lead some of the word and number games.

 

1. Sing-alongs: Young children enjoy singing familiar tunes. You can use rhyming patterns in nursery rhymes and put the rhymes into singing tunes. Try singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or Little Boy Blue. Young children like to sing counting pattern songs like: One, Two, Buckle my Shoe, This Ole Man, He Played One, or Five Little Monkeys. Singing the Alphabet song is a popular tune. Try teaching your child oldies but goodies like: Ole McDonald had a Farm or She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain, When She Comes.

 

2. Books on CD: Use the car CD player and have the matching book for your child to follow along with the story or download stories onto an MP3 player for your child to listen and follow along to.  This will keep your child engaged and entertained while you’re driving to your appointed destination.

 

3. Talking games:

 

• Name that Category: name four objects, three of which belong together in the same category and one item does not fit. Have your child listen for the item that does not fit with the other three.

For example: cat, dog, house, and rabbit: Which one does not belong? milk, juice, water, and box: Which one does not belong? pencil, shoe, pen, and marker: Which one does not belong? Soon your child will be making up his own lists for this game!

• Name that number: think of a simple word problem that will help your child improve in listening and problem solving skills. For example: You have two apples and I gave you one more. How many apples do you have now? You have six toys and you give your brother three, how many do you have left?

• Guessing games: Play “I Spy” or “I'm thinking of a number”. These activities will keep your child engaged in a thoughtful manner as they use the clues to uncover the mystery word or number.

 

4. Storytime: Select familiar Fairy Tales like: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood; or talk about family events and happenings that would be of interest to your child. Either way, you are helping your child develop good listening and language skills.

Holiday Shopping Math Strategy

Shopping for Christmas bargains offers a great opportunity to help your child understand percentages. Select an item from the 50% off rack. Show your child the label for the original price of the item. Help your child decide what the cost will be with 50% off the original cost. For example: a shirt cost $24.00 before the sale. Now the price is 50% off. To determine the 50% off, multiple the cost times .50 and then subtract the amount from the original price: $24.00 X .50 = $12.00. $24.00- $12.00 = $12.00. So now the shirt costs $12.00. Also show your child that 50% off means the same as “half price”.


Try other percentages with discounts of 20%, 30%, and 40% to practice this math strategy.

Remember to multiple the original cost by the % written in decimal form and then subtract the answer from the original cost to determine the discounted price. Here are a few to practice with:

$40.00 X .20 = $8.00; $40.00 - $8.00 = $32.00 Sale price with 20% off

$40.00 X .30 = $12.00; $40.00 - $12.00 = $28.00 Sale price with 30% off

$40.00 X .40 = $16.00; $40.00 - $16.00 = $24.00 Sale price with 40% off

This activity will give your child practice with multiple-step math problems that he/she will need to know how to do in school. The more practice in real life situations your child experiences, the more likely he/she will be able to complete the problem solving activities on standardized tests.

WRITING IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

During the holiday break, encourage your child to improve in writing skills by using some of these quick and fun ideas.

1. Use your senses to describe the Holiday Season

• The smells of the season……

• The sights of the season…..

• The sounds of the season….

• The tastes of the season…..

• Christmas (Hanukah) makes me feel……..

2. Writing lists

• Grocery lists

• Santa wish list

• Things to do before Christmas list

• Places we will travel during the break list

3. Writing notes

• Make “thank you” note cards

• Make your own Holiday cards

• Make your own New Year’s Day cards

• Write a note to your best friend about your holiday experiences

4. Handwriting exercises

• Practice writing on lined paper

• Draw a picture and write a sentence to match the picture

• Practice writing words in alphabetical order

• Write words from the newspaper that begin with the same letter

• Write words from magazines that have blends

• Practice cursive lettering (second through fifth graders)


These are only a few of the many ways to engage your child in writing during the holiday break. Maybe your child can write in a diary or journal every day. Whatever you choose; make this an enjoyable time with your child.

E-Reader: A Great Holiday Gift for Children

E-readers for beginning and young readers

Research has shown that reading with and to your child daily for just 20 minutes will make a difference in the child's academic progress. Reading can come in different forms, not just library books. The main emphasis needs to be on "child engagement" with the reading, not just passive listening. Think about these questions:

1. Is the child an active listener?

2. Is the child questioning and answering questions correctly or creatively?

3. Is the child showing excitement and interest in the reading?

4. Can the child recall details and express an understanding in the reading?



If the answer to all of these questions is "yes", then the child is considered "engaged" in the reading. Now the question arises as to the type of reading media available for the child. Obviously we want children to experience good literature, classic stories, and the many genres available in print but introducing an E-reader to a child is a fantastic way to engage the reader. E-readers provide the motivational tools to hook a child on reading. The animation, colors, and instant feedback are exciting and encouraging to the young reader. E-readers are an acceptable media device to get children reading. And if they are spending their time engaged in the text, they are learning the necessary steps to becoming life-long learners.

Improved Reading Skills = A Better Grasp of Vocabulary

INCREASING VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE


The amount of reading that students do in and out of school increases their ability to learn a wide range of vocabulary. Research supports the value of exposing students to rich language environments through listening and reading a variety of literature selections.

For students, their vocabulary grows when they hear stories that contain unfamiliar words. Increasing the volume of reading increases opportunities to interact with vocabulary and word meaning.

Students need repeated exposure to vocabulary in order to improve comprehension. After specific words have been introduced, students need opportunities to see those words again and again in reading and writing. They need to develop strategies that will assist in learning word meaning so that this information can be transferred to new situations.

Here are a few word learning strategies that students should know by third grade:

• Using a dictionary to locate word meaning

• Using context clues in reading to determine meanings

• Learning about word relationships such as: synonyms, antonyms, and multiple meaning words

• Exploring meanings that are similar

• Using word parts such as: prefixes, suffixes, and root words

A large and flexible vocabulary is the hallmark of an educated person. The more words students acquire the better chance they will have for success in reading, writing, and spelling.

No Shoes - No Problem!

We learned so much recently on our trip to Finland to study the phenomenal Finnish educational reform efforts taking place that have resulted in Finnish students being ranked number one globally. 

One of the most unique aspects of Finnish students is the fact that they do not wear shoes in school!

Check out the link below to learn 26 amazing facts about the Finnish Educational System!

http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1

2012 Election Time for Parents and Students

As the 2012 presidential election draws near, it’s a great time to teach kids how our electoral process works. Take this opportunity to help our children develop a love and appreciation for our country and the freedoms we have.


Elementary school children can get involved in learning about elections. Use resources, such as: newspapers, magazines, television, and internet to locate information concerning the local candidates and presidential candidates. You can use sample ballots to preview the voting process with your child. This will help your child understand the procedures for voting. Plan to take your child with you to the voting poll. Some precincts will allow your child to stand with you while you cast your votes. Afterwards, your child can wear the “I Voted” sticker and feel proud of this experience.

During the election night tallies, include your child in watching the reports from the different precincts. Talk about how the President of the United States is elected by the electoral votes from each state.

Your kids watch what you do and your actions tell them what you value. One of the most important things you can do for your child is to pass on your own love for America. Set an example of patriotism and teach your child about the voting process and much more about being an American.