trouble with a subject, you dont have to wait until parent-teacher conferences to bring up your concerns. Call or email the teacher for ideas. He may recommend an after-school reading group or new study strategies to try at home, for example.
Experts agree: Children
tend to rise to their parents expectations. And the expectations you set for your youngster about homework can motivate her to work hard. Consider this advice.
Snail mail
Create a home office
Your mailbox is full of learning opportunities! Let your youngster check the mail and sort it into piles (bills, catalogs, invitations). For a math challenge, have her gather coupons and add up how much youd save if you used them all. Or she could read a power company brochure to learn how your family can use less electricity.
Setting aside a special
workspace in your house shows your child that homework is a priority. Help her pick a place thats away from distractions, such as her bedroom or a corner of the family room, and stock it with school supplies. Then when shes working, let her hear you tell younger siblings, Your sister is doing homework, so play quietly.
DID YOU KNOW
One of the most common places for kids to
find drugs is in a household medicine cabinet. Keep prescription and over-the-counter medications locked up, and talk to your child about what to do if a friend offers him medicine. Explain that its dangerous to take a drug that his doctor didnt prescribe and that he doesnt need. Worth quoting If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams. Roald Dahl
JUST FOR FUN
Q: How do you tell which end of the worm is the head? A: Tickle the middle and see which end laughs.
2014 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
Make time
Will your youngster do homework right
after school or later in the evening? Some kids work better if they have a snack and take a break after being in school all day. Others do best if they start right away while theyre still in school mode. You might have your child try both to see
which works best. Once she decides, she
should pencil in homework on a calendar or planner so she expects to do it at a certain time each day. Encourage independence
When your child does homework, stay
nearby and do your own thing (read a book, prepare dinner). That way, youre available if she needs you, but youre showing that you expect her to do her homework herself. Tip: If she asks for help, find out what she has already tried, and offer suggestions for figuring it out on her own. (Maybe you could look at yesterdays assignment.)
Lets collaborate Working well with others is a skill your youngster needs for school and his future career. Try these ideas at home: Team up to make family decisions like where to go on a day trip. Share your ideas, and try to agree on the answer. Ask, Does everyone agree? and if not, explain your reasoning. (I know you like the national park, but its far. Going to the state park means more time there and less time in the car.) Encourage your youngster to collaborate with friends when they visit. Would they like to build a city with toy buildings and cars? They might work together to draw a blueprint. To organize a neighborhood kickball tournament, they could divvy up teams and make a bracket.
Home & School CONNECTION
October 2014 Page 2
Empathy: The bullying antidote
say what that person may
be feeling (I dont know anyone, so Im a little nervous) and how hed like to be treated (I hope someone will talk to me).
What causes children to bully others?
Theres no one answer, but empathythe ability to understand and share another persons feelingscan help prevent bullying. Guide your child to develop empathy with these suggestions.
Connect with others.
Use your imagination. Kids love to pretend. Encourage your youngster to imagine he is a new student in school, for instance. Ask him to
ACTIVITY CORNER
Making connections There are no wrong answers in these gamesas long as you can defend your choices! Play together, and your child will practice thinking deeply and strategically.
1. Creative categories. Choose a
category (foods, places), and take turns
naming something that fits. The catch? Each answer has to relate to the one before it. For instance, carrot is related to cream cheese (carrot cake has cream cheese frosting), and cream cheese is related to bagel (bagels taste good with cream cheese). Keep going until someone is stumped. 2. Degrees of separation. Name two famous people who dont seem connected (Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Seuss). The next player has to link themin six moves or less. Example: Franklin links to George Washington (both were founding fathers). Washington links to Abraham Lincoln (both were presidents). Lincoln links to Dr. Seuss (he and the Cat in the Hat both wore tall hats). O U R
P U R P O S E
To provide busy parents with practical ideas
that promote school success, parent involvement, and more effective parenting. Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated 128 N. Royal Avenue Front Royal, VA 22630 540-636-4280 rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.com www.rfeonline.com ISSN 1540-5621 2014 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
Its easier to feel empathetic
toward someone youre familiar with. Suggest that your youngster get to know his classmates. He could invite a student he doesnt know well to play with him at recess or to read a book together in the library. This can make your child less likely to bully others and more apt to step in if someone else bullies his classmates.
Q Be a parent volunteer &
Q: Ive always wanted to volunteer in my
daughters school, but I work during the day.
Is there a way I can still help out?
A: Absolutely. Any kind of help you provide
will make a difference. Contact the teacher she may be able to send home projects for you to work on in the evenings. For instance, she might give you materials to make geography games or ask you to create a list of kid-friendly poetry websites. Also, consider volunteering with an after-school activity like chess club or Odyssey of the Mind, or at an evening event, such as a science fair or school carnival. Call the school office or visit the website to find out about activities and opportunities. Finally, if youre able to take a few hours off, look at the school calendar, and plan ahead. Maybe you could take a shift at a book fair or chaperone a field trip.
PARENT TO ENT R A P
Find teachable moments
At back-to-school night, my sons teacher talked about how she uses teachable moments so kids learn something from unexpected events. For example, during a recent thunderstorm, the class counted the seconds between the lightning and thunder. Then they divided the number of seconds by 5 to figure out how many miles away the storm was.
I decided to be on the lookout for
teachable moments, too. Last week, I called home while I was on a business trip. That led to a conversation about time zones around the world and when the sun would set where I was and at home. And yesterday, my son spotted a hot air balloon in the sky. We wondered whether it would drift in the same direction as the windand it did. We are both learning new things, and now we look for teachable moments when were out together!
