Academic Connections Tutoring

     “How was school?” Now I’m not sure when that happens exactly.  But one year along the way in their educational journey–we ask it and they hate it!  So what’s a mom to do?  I want to find out how their school day went.  So I think to come at it from another angle.  “What did you learn today?” They hate that even more–bad move Nancy Drew!  Ok–so let’s put our heads together.  We’re sharp, intelligent women!  How hard can it be to unearth from a child how his or her school day went?  Pretty hard–if they don’t feel like talking or telling us or both!

     Here’s my attempt at cracking the code of teenage silence and getting inside the heads of my high schoolers–I confess–I use humor and I do my best to not ask questions when they first get home but confess again that I don’t always succeed. 

     I try to save questions like, “Do you have any homework?” till after they’ve had time to get in the front door, eat something and relax for a few minutes.  The more space I give and the more accessible I am, the greater the potential there is for them to open up and talk when they’re ready.  They’d probably prefer if I just text them instead!! Not likely! It’s just a thought–can’t wait to hear yours!  Wishing you a great school year!!

If you’re kids are like mine, they reluctantly pulled themselves back to reality as they headed back to school after Spring Break.  Now they only have several weeks left and yet another school year will be behind them.  How will they wrap up the year?  As the weather changes and our kids find it harder to sit tight and ride out the remainder of the year,  we have to do all we can to help them finish well.  A few suggestions…

• Ask–if they have assignments on the deck, tests coming up or projects that may be due.
• Encourage–them to do their best and hang in there since the finish line is just up ahead.
• Assist–them with what they may need to complete their tasks and stay on track.
• Engage–them in conversation about how they are doing and help them stay motivated.
• Allow–some break time so that they are refreshed and can focus on the tasks at hand.
• Enjoy–the rest of the school year–summer will be here soon enough.
• REMEMBER–what is was like to be their age and to hear the warm weather and outdoors calling your name.

Helping our kids finish well and keep their priorities straight will benefit them as they close out the school year and as they prepare for the real world just up ahead.  With you in the homestretch!

Our children have come to look for easy answers and a quick-fix approach, not only to their school work, but life situations as well.  Helping our kids develop as thinkers is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.  If they can think and learn then they can succeed.  They will be able to not only make their way in the world but make their mark on the world.  Here are a few helpful tips to help us along in the process.

1.  Problem solve together 

2.  Think outside the box   

3.  Brainstorm and mind map the situation  

4.  Write a different ending  

5.  Foster an environment of learning and creativity  

6.  Keep it Positive  

7.  Encourage and commend their input   

Click on the link below to hear the Educational Audio Tip:

 Developing Thinkers

Here’s an article from a homeschool mom that I thought our preschool parents would find helpful.  Enjoy!

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Preschool Writing Activities - Fun Ways to Teach Your Child to Write

By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carletta_Sanders Carletta Sanders

 

Put down those boring worksheets!  The best way to teach your preschooler to write is to use simple preschool writing activities that make learning fun.  To be ready for kindergarten, your child needs to know how to cut and paste, copy simple shapes, trace vertical and horizontal lines, trace his or her name, and hold crayons, pencils and scissors correctly.

 

The first step to teaching the above is strengthening the small muscles in the hands and wrists that are used in handwriting.  This process is often referred to as building fine motor skills.  You can encourage fine motor development by having your child use art supplies like crayons, paints, markers, glue and scissors.  Lacing activities, stringing beads and cheerios, playing with playdoh, scooping sand or rice, and activities like pouring and stirring are also great fine motor activities.

 

When you feel your child is physically ready to write, have your child use a stick or finger to draw in sand, rice, pudding, shaving cream, paint or oatmeal.  Make simple lines and shapes and ask your child to copy them.  Next, let your child practice writing on a dry erase board, chalk board or Magnadoodle.  Preschoolers also tend to have fun with special crayons and markers designed for use on windows and in the tub.  Take care not to rush this process.  Let your child move through these stages at his or her own pace.

 

When your child is ready, move on to pencil and paper.  Build confidence by letting your preschooler trace simple lines and shapes, then proceed to letters.  You can eventually teach your child to write his name by letting him trace or copy it daily.  If your child needs help remembering how to spell her name, practice with fridge magnets, letter tiles or alphabet blocks.

 

Keep preschool writing activities relaxed and fun.  Don’t expect or require perfection.  Learning to write is a fun process that will give your preschooler a boost in confidence and solid foundation for future studies.

 

Here are some additional http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/preschool-writing-activity.html  preschool writing activities.

 

Carletta Sanders is a homeschool mom of 3. For more information about teaching preschoolers, visit the http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/homeschooling-preschool.html homeschool preschool section of her website, Successful Homeschooling.

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carletta_Sanders http://EzineArticles.com/?Preschool-Writing-Activities—Fun-Ways-to-Teach-Your-Child-to-Write&id=1949056

 

     In a few days, our nation will write a new chapter into its history as we witness our first African-American president sworn into office.  It’s an exciting time, even as we face economic uncertainty and radical change.

     This is the perfect opportunity to engage our kids in a dialogue about this pivotal time.  Our teenagers will be soon be entering college and/or the job force.  What will they find there?  We are being called to a time of change–what will that mean for us and for them. 

     By discussing the local, national and international issues at hand, we can help kids as they shape and form opinions.  They need our input, feedback and critique.  They need to see us wrestle with challenges and respond with resilience and resourcefulness.  They need to see us step up along with others across the country to bring about the necessary changes that are required to get us back on track.

     Our kids may be scared as they hear the news that the “sky is falling” but we can help them stay positive and solution oriented.   We need to show them that the way forward is through and that we intend to go forward and to make the best of things.  Our kids are watching us–our actions, reactions and responses.  As we turn over the page to this new chapter, let’s offer hope and encouragement, guidance and counsel, as well as mentoring and modeling–all the things that make us parents and a vital and vibrant part of our society.

I began journaling when I was a junior in college.  It’s been over 26 years now and I’m still going strong!  My journals are a chronicle of my life from the early 80’s to the present and I have no intentions of stopping
till I can’t write anymore—maybe then I’ll keep an audio journal.

Here are a few tips that may help you (or your child) to start keeping a journal:

1. Don’t journal everyday (unless you absolutely want to). If I knew I HAD to journal everyday—I wouldn’t have lasted a week.  Knowing my journal is there to receive my thoughts and musings when I want it to means it’s never hanging over my head like an undone task.
2. Be honest.  It helps bring clarity. As scary as it may seem, putting your you are at this moment you can get perspective on your situation. When I look back and see where I’ve been and how I’ve grown, I’m encouraged by the changes that have taken place in my life.
3. Find out who you are.  Being self-aware is a great thing. You learn why and how you think and do things, what you may have inherited from the past and what you may be passing onto the future. As you record your ambitions and aspirations, your disappointments and setbacks, you learn how you handle adversity and what you learn from it.  I wanted to move the Middle East and I did. I wanted to start my own business and I did.  That journey is recorded in my journals and I can see the patterns in my life as I approach challenges and embrace dreams.
4. Leave a legacy.  I have been writing since my early twenties, so my kids will have the journey of my life from a young adult.  They will be able to follow my story from college, early career, my move overseas, life in the Middle East and back again. They will see how I prayed through my fears, worked through my decisions and discovered the person that I am and the reason I am here.

Do you want to write down a family story, a journey through a tough time, your goals, hopes and dreams?
Then a journal is a place to do it and it will tell your story long after you are gone.

Journaling is a great way for children to learn how to express their thoughts and feelings.  Many of our kids
do that today through MySpace or in a blogpost, but some may still prefer to write in a journal. 

Helping them to record their long and short term goals gives them a sense of direction and purpose.   A new year lays ahead full of hope and possibility; potential and opportunity.  Why not write your 2009
journey down on paper in your journal.

Need help getting started–email me (donna@academicconnections tutoring.com) and I’ll send you tips, ideas and suggestions to get you going!  All the best for an awesome year ahead–Happy 2009!!!

Here is part two of Terry Mazzer’s mind mapping strategies for taking notes and staying organized.  I trust you will get as much out of it as I have.  Since I always use mind maps for organizing thoughts and ideas, I find Terry’s insights to be very helpful especially as he talks about the use of color–which I just love!  We’d enjoy getting your feedback and want to learn how you are using mind maps in school and business. 

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How would you like it if your children became more creative, studied faster and more effectively, remembered better, saved time and saw the ‘whole picture’? Well, you can have this happen, can’t you? After you have read this article, you will know how a Mind Map can achieve this.  A Mind Map will accelerate your kid’s learning and gets them to use their whole brain. It works in accord with your brain by using color, images, symbols, curved lines, words, space, associations and connections to have your thought processes flow.

How to Make & Take Effective Notes With the Ultimate, Organizational Thinking Tool - A Mind Map - P2
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer]Terry Mazzer

When your children use Mind Maps, they become more creative, study faster and more effectively, remember better, save time and see the ‘whole picture’.   Surely you would agree that these reasons are absolutely huge benefits for them.

A Mind Map will accelerate your kid’s learning and gets them to use their whole brain. It works in accord with your brain by using color, images, symbols, curved lines, words, space, associations and connections to have your thought processes flow.

Originated in 1970 by Tony Buzan, Mind Maps are now used by millions of people around the world - from the very young to the very old, in business, for personal reasons…hey, for any reason at all.

OK, so what do you need to get started with a Mind Map?

Blank unlined paper

Colored pens and pencils

Your imagination

Rules to follow, and lastly…

A subject you want to make and take effective notes on.

Here Are Some Mind-Mapping Rules To Follow:

1) Create a unique and memorable central figure (with no box round it ); use at least 3 colors; if you feel that you are not an artist,

then photocopy or cut and paste

2) Use a piece of blank A3 paper - turn it landscape ways so you have more room for branching out.

3) Start the order of your important facts close to the central figure; less important details towards the edges. Begin at the 2 o’clock  position.

4) Use key words - which tend to be nouns; printed (upper and lower case); one per line.

5) Lines - length of each line = the length of key word or image; connect each line to end of previous line; radiate from centre;  decrease in size; centre = thick like branches of a tree; have 7 ± 2 main branches; make the branches wavy/ curved and taper off; use only one color for each branch

6) Make use of color, arrows, codes, senses, symbols, 3D images, humor, jokes, cartoons, different pens ( fat, thin, glitter, scented, highlighters)

7) Review -Date your mind map and add these review codes: 10, D,W,M,3M at the bottom right hand corner (10 = 10 minutes, D= day, W= week, M= month, 3M = 3 months) Cross out after you have done each review.

OK, It’s Time for Some Action. Here’s What I invite you to do NOW:

Search for Tony Buzan and discover how magical Mind mapping is.

Begin by brainstorming a topic and then grouping the sections into categories.( This was shown in a previous article.)

Using Buzan’s mind map examples, get started creating your own mind map and follow the rules mentioned above.

Model a mind mapping activity to your children and have them actively involved.

Have FUN learning and remembering.

Here’s What I Want You To Do Now- Claim your instant FREE access to a MP3 recording of one of my teleseminars by going to http://www.SecretsToRaisingSmartRichKids.com  - you’ll get practical tips and valuable information about this critical topic and you can ask me your most burning question about ‘Raising a Smart Rich Kid’.

AND….You will also get access to my FREE ‘Raising Smart Rich Kids Mentor’ Tele-seminars

P.S. By the way, do you know someone else who would benefit from this article? Please send them the link to it……and you can, can you not?

From Terry Mazzer - The Raising Smart Rich Kids’ Mentor - “Work SMARTER, not harder”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-and-Take-Effective-Notes-With-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool—A-Mind-Map—P2&id=1621326

I thought this would be a great article to share with you since Terry Mazzer is using Mind Maps for brainstorming!  This is one of my all-time favorite graphic organizers and is great for global, right-brained thinkers–like me!  Enjoy!  Donna

Brainstorm & Group Before Using the Ultimate, Organizational Thinking Tool - A Mind Map! (Part 1)
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer]Terry Mazzer

How many of you have been asked to brainstorm a certain topic? If you’re like me, then you’ve probably said to yourself, or out loud, “Not another exercise like this! What a waste of my time!”

How many of you knew that brainstorming is actually the beginning of such an activity? That there is a more important reason for doing so?

Brainstorming is one way to express and freely link in ideas that you associate with a particular topic. What happens is that we write down whatever comes to our mind and most importantly, we do not judge these ideas.

By the way, I encourage you and your children to  draw a picture  (or photocopy or cut and paste an appropriate image) that they associate with that idea in the centre of their paper. I strongly suggest that they use a  blank sheet of paper . This does not restrict the flowing nature of the presented ideas.

I also encourage them  not to put a frame  around it as this helps them associate more freely.

Curvy lines  are then drawn from the image and they  radiate  outwards.

Next, have your children  write words  or even  draw pictures  on these lines. Obviously, you and your kids will have an idea that then  triggers  some related ideas. Great!

These ideas are then written on smaller lines off the main lines which are radiating from the image.

Does this make sense? Yes or Yes?

So, we’ve completed the  brainstorming  section of this simple note-taking activity. Now it’s time to  group  your ideas together into categories.This will get you and your children more focused.

For example, if you were planning a family vacation, and you had brainstormed these ideas - Australia (Gold Coast), China, Disneyland, then the grouped related ideas would be “Places. Highlight or color code the connected ideas.

When you look through your list of ideas, you will notice how they are naturally connected.

Once this has been completed, the various categories then become the  main branches  of a  Mind Map . This strategy will be shown to you in Part 2 of this article.

I invite you to get started using these techniques - brainstorming and grouping. Then look out for Part 2 of this article which will show you how to use the ultimate, simple, organizational thinking tool - a Mind Map- for making and taking effective notes.

Here’s What I Want You To Do Now- Claim your instant FREE access to a MP3 recording of one of my teleseminars by going to http://www.SecretsToRaisingSmartRichKids.com - you’ll get practical tips and valuable information about this critical topic and you can ask me your most burning question about ‘Raising a Smart Rich Kid’.

AND….You will also get access to my FREE ‘Raising Smart Rich Kids Mentor’ Tele-seminars

P.S. By the way, do you know someone else who would benefit from this article? Please send them the link to it……and you can, can you not?

From Terry Mazzer - The Raising Smart Rich Kids’ Mentor - “Work SMARTER, not harder”

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Mazzer [http://ezinearticles.com/?Brainstorm-and-Group-Before-Using-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool---A-Mind-Map!-(Part-1)&id=1618900 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?Brainstorm-and-Group-Before-Using-the-Ultimate,-Organizational-Thinking-Tool—A-Mind-Map!-(Part-1)&id=1618900

At times the amount of school work our kids receive seems overwhelming to them.  They may have more than one subject that they find challenging and they may feel like they’re climbing Everest.  Enter graphic organizers–these wonderful charts and visuals offer assistance and help kids make sense of the mountain of work in front of them.  Here are few helpful tips you can use during homework tonight!

1. Choose the organizer best for the job.  Are they trying to brainstorm ideas for a story, remember as many facts as possible for a report or test, generate a plan for a project?  Then you’ll want my favorite–the concept web.  To remember a list of dates and events, draw a timeline.  Do you have to compare and contrast?  Use a Venn diagram or a T-graph.
2. Help them see the big picture first.  By putting information out in front of your child they have the benefit of an at-a-glance, aerial view which helps jog their memories and clear their heads.  They may remember things as they go and they can fill in the blanks as things come to mind.
3. Fill in the details.  Seeing what they have already put on paper will help them remember what is still missing.  They can refer back to notes and flashcards to complete the graphic organizer and then use the graphic organizer to write essays, make an outline or complete a chronological list.

If your children are a visual or kinesthetic learners, they will appreciate using graphic organizers even more.  If they are globlal thinkers, who learn by association, then you will see that their brains already think this way and you will not only help with tonight’s homework but with a strategy for learning that they will use well beyond their school years.

     Now that we’re back in the swing of things and the familiarity of the back to school routine, it becomes easier to see the direction our kids are headed with their school work.

     By now,  we have a feel for which teachers they love and those they’re not so fond of, which subjects are a breeze and which are grueling, and whether they’re keeping it together in time management and organization.

     Yep, it only takes a few short weeks–we just got started but we’re far enough in, that if we let things go that need help, before long our child will be buried and finding their equilibrium will become more challenging with each passing day.

      So let’s keep our eyes and ears open and by the time that first progress report comes home, get ready to step into action if need be.  The tidbits we get from our kids (especially teenagers) need to be taken through the proper grid.  It’s important for us to distinguish between the drama and the dilemma. 

     Soon our kids’ progress reports will arrive in the mail.  And though we may keep pretty close tabs on what they’re up to–the progress report is the indicator on the dashboard of a child’s current academic situation.  We can choose to let it blink and ignore it or we can get help.

So what to do if the progress report isn’t what one would hope?  Here are a couple of suggestions:

1.  Sit with your child and get a feel for what they’re really struggling with–is it a learning issue, personality conflict with the teacher or too much socializing friends?  Have they handed in all of their homework, completed all projects and assignments?  These can tend to nosedive a grade quicker than you can blink.  We need to help them see the importance of staying on top of things so they don’t get buried under an avalanche of back assignments.

2.  Visit their teachers and subjects in question.  This is a great time to become an ally with teachers so they know that you are working on the same team on behalf of your child.  Be willing to listen to the good, the bad and the ugly about your child.  That’s really the only way you’ll be able to help, if you’re willing to see what needs work and where the gaps are.

3.  Now it’s time to close those gaps.  Identify them and get the necessary help to build knowledge, skill and confidence into your child in those areas.  This could be a time when to have your child stay after school for extra help that teachers offer but it may also be the best time to call a private tutor.  If you wait and see how things go, the information may overload your child and he/she may be further behind as a result.  If we are forward thinking and take a proactive approach we can position our kids for confidence. The help they receive will aid them in comprehension and will help ease the stress they may have been feeling. 

     Getting off to a great start can make the difference for the whole school year.  When that first progress report comes home, let’s jump into action and be sure to do all that we need to do to ensure academic success for our kids.  The small effort we make now can yield great results in the weeks and months ahead.