Newsletter May 2012

May 23, 2012
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We strive to bring you the most helpful and up to date information every month, and this month's newsletter is no exception.
You can scroll down through the articles below, or you can click on a headline you like to go directly to that article.

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This Month's Headlines:

Green-minded Kids
Helping Struggling Readers
Talking About School; More than Yes and No Answers

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Green-minded Kids

With April’s Earth Day events just behind us, kids may be hearing a lot of different messages on how to “be green.” This is the perfect time to start encouraging your children to be more environmentally conscious. No matter what your child’s age, you can make recycling, reusing, conserving water and energy and other actions a part of their daily routine.

The more they grow up with this kind of mindset, the easier it is to carry it into adulthood, and you are their best teacher. Here are a few tips to help you and your child be more green.

A little dirt
The best part of being green is the ability to get a little dirty. Gardening is a great start for teaching your child about farming, growing food, herbs and other plants, and about where our food comes from. There are other ways to embrace the dirt while conveying a powerful environmental message too—tree planting and picking up trash are just a few examples. You can even start small; simply visiting, hiking or mountain biking in a natural area can help your child understand what we’re working so hard to protect.

Craft hour
One of the best ways to reuse is to repurpose everyday items into craft supplies. Set aside handy containers, Popsicle sticks, scraps of fun paper and magazines. Look on the Internet for DIY ideas; there are many projects directed at children. For the more advanced, sewing or small building projects can be a fun way to make something new out of things sitting around taking up space.

In the bag
Phase out the use of plastic and other disposable bags in your house and start using the reusable ones. Let your child pick out a fun pattern or print they like to get them excited about their new carryall. Again, for the extra crafty, turn an old t-shirt or blanket into one with tutorials online.

Watch the water
Kids often unconsciously do things like leave the water running or the fridge door open, or leaving the lights on after they’ve left the room. Try to encourage them to break these habits early, so it will become second nature to them. Older children may just need a gentle reminder every now and then. The same applies to other commodities, like planning car trips to save gas, or eating leftovers so food doesn’t go to waste. Set an example by using and appreciating what you have.

Source “How to Grow Green Kids.” pbs.org.com
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Helping Struggling Readers

Reading is one area of academics that is highly personal. Some children pick up reading early and easily; others may take some time before they feel comfortable. No matter what your child’s ability, reading together is an excellent exercise for improving his or her skills.

However, when you’re reading together, there are ways of correcting and guiding your child that are more effective and encouraging than others. You want to try to take the frustration out of the process, and the more positive your feedback is, the more your child will enjoy practicing reading with you.

Here are some tips to avoid when you’re trying to help your child develop better reading skills.

Don’t interrupt your child to correct them. Wait for a break, or even wait until next time you read it. If it’s a word that doesn’t affect the meaning—using an “a” instead of “the” for example—just let it go all together. Reading retention and comprehension is far more important than getting every single word right. If the meaning became unclear because of the mistake, simply ask them to repeat the section and allow them to notice the mistake themselves. This kind of positive feedback and self-correction is much more effective and gentle.

Don’t tell them to slow down or speed up. If your child has problems pacing while reading, set by example. This is something learned, so making them feel like they made is a mistake isn’t a helpful way to develop good pacing and pronunciation. Children who really struggle with this can benefit from mirroring—where you first read a passage with proper speed and inflection and then your child reads it back to you.

Don’t laugh, no matter how funny the mistake or mispronunciation. If your child laughs first or finds a particular word funny to say and starts giggling, go ahead and join in. But laughing when your child is trying hard can be hurtful and discouraging.

Don’t get frustrated if they miss a word they already now. Again, it’s all in the delivery. Rather than saying “You know this word!”, help them sound it out by breaking down the syllables or recognizing smaller words within the word. Don’t just tell them the word—if they can ask you every time they’re stuck, they won’t learn to work independently, an important part of reading.

The safer your child feels reading with you, the more they will enjoy it and look forward to reading on their own. Remember to be patient, and make sure to congratulate them on a job well done.

Source Mascot, Amy, “5 Things Never to Say to Emerging Readers.” teachmama.com
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Talking About School; More than Yes and No Answers

We’ve talked about different ways to start conversations with your child about their day at school. We all know that firing a list of questions at them at the dinner table is not effective. And we know that kids, especially as they get older, don’t exactly love sharing details with nosy parents. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be clued in to what’s going on in your child’s school life.

Instead, it just means you have to find the right way to get the conversation started. It’s all about how you ask things, and posing questions that require more reflection than just a yes or no response. For some children it’s also about timing. They may not want to talk much at dinner but would rather share their thoughts on the ride to or from school. Whenever it is, be ready to listen and try some of these questions as starters.

1. What was the best part of your day? This is an open-ended question and allows your child to focus on what feels most important, interesting, etc. to them. Some may rather vent about the worst part of their day, but listening to the things that bug them is also an important way to understand what’s going on in their life.
2. Tell me the coolest thing you learned today? This doesn’t have to be something they learned in class, it could be something they read in a magazine or heard on Facebook, or even from a friend. The point is that to find out what had them feeling engaged.
3. Who did you sit with at lunch? Finding out who they hang out with is another essential step in learning more about their school environment. For younger kids you can also ask who they played with in recess, or who was their partner in gym class.
4. Did ____ fill in the blank __ do anything funny today? Questions based on certain people or events they told you about previously builds the trust in conversations and makes kids feel like you’re involved in their life, even when you’re not there.
5. What was your favorite class today? What was your least favorite? Why? Learning how and what your child likes to learn about is also key to their performance in school, and may help you find areas where they need more challenge, or need extra attention and review.

Source “Questions to Ask Your Child About His Day at School” scholastic.com.