Keeping collections is good for children. The benefits of collecting do not come from the type of collecting done on the Internet with a credit card. That thinly veiled consumerism is not what I mean by collecting. Beneficial collecting is also not the hoarding of valuable things in hopes of reselling them later for a…
Kid: Mom, I need…a new ruler…new pair of scissors…a box of tissues for the classroom…cupcakes for my birthday…a science fair display board… Mom: When do you need this by? Kid: Tomorrow! If you were a fly on the wall in my house, you would hear this conversation quite frequently. Different kid. Different item needed. Sometimes…
Every human being loves attention and praise. Many of us even crave it and feel less than confident when we are not reassured by affirming words. As parents, we have incredible influence over our children through the words we use with them. Unknown to many parents, some types of praise are actually counterproductive to hard…
Educating your children at home doesn’t have to be expensive if you are willing to be creative. For example, an ordinary magazine can be used to create weeks of language arts and math activities. Most children will love being able to cut up or write in a periodical to do these unique activities. Language Arts…
When a unit of study is over, it is important to wrap it up with some sort of culminating review. Otherwise, big picture connections may never be made. Maximize the time you’ve already invested into a topic of study by lingering just a while longer for review. It doesn’t have to take a long– just a single…
I’ll admit something to you that I don’t admit to my children: Homework stinks. While I would definitely prefer to let the kids play every day from the end of school to bedtime . . . the reality is that most kids, even in the youngest grades, have homework. Every year we have to tweak…
Normally we think of math lessons as a pattern of instruction and then solving problems. The teacher goes over some new skill or concept, and then the student does math exercises from a workbook. But what about having your child create the math problems for his lesson? This turning of the tables is a great…
Your child’s homework is your homework in many ways. Have you ever rearranged your evening plans just to make time for extra homework or a special school project? Homework affects the entire family especially when it is difficult and your child needs help. Let’s be honest. It is tempting to just give the answer or…
