Archive for September, 2011
You may have read part one of this two part series on our September 21st post where we talked about four homework help tips; timing, space, music and helping.
This week we will spend time considering:
- Rapid Review
- Tarry and Toil
- Paying Attention to Patterns
- Relegating Responsibility
Rapid review – it is beneficial to refresh your child’s memory, especially in subjects such as math where one concept builds upon another. Before she begins a day’s homework have her look back at yesterdays work and the remarks her teacher may had made regarding her homework. Have your child explain those lessons’ concepts so that she can go on to her next assignment. But, do not spend too much time on review so as to keep her fresh for her new assignments.
Secondly, if you notice your child is working for an extended time period on one assignment take notice if she appears tired or unfocused. Is she doodling? Maybe she does not understand her assignment. However, if she has been diligent and has still not finished in a reasonable amount of time it may be time to have her stop. Let her teacher know how long she did work to accomplish the problems that she did complete.
Paying attention to patterns your child exhibits is important. Homework is not supposed to be overly difficult and if your child frequently says she does not understand the work it may be a clue she needs extra support at school or even a tutor. Likewise, if your child whips through her work she may not be challenged enough and could get bored. Your child should have to put some time and thought into each assignment and if she finishes up too soon you may want to speak with her teacher for some suggestions.
And, fourthly, relegate responsibility. Your child, when old enough to do this, could have a check off list to take her own responsibility of her starting and finishing times. When longer assignments are due help her map out her work with a calendar. This will help teach time-management and organizational skills. Break down larger assignments into doable smaller sized projects. Check often to make sure she is not procrastinating and is staying pretty much on an acceptable time schedule in order to finish the whole assignment on time.
In conclusion, when you have a child in school it is important to constantly communicate with her teacher. As soon as the school year begins ask the teacher when and how the best time to communicate with her is. Small issues can escalate quickly if not addressed right away and even if things seem to be progressing without incident it is a good idea to talk to your child’s teacher on a timely basis. You want to make sure both you and your child’s teacher are pleased with the progress your child is making so there will be no unexpected surprises.
Have a minute? Explore our kids learning toys on our website, All I Can Imagine.
Friday Feature – Week #3 ImagiBRICKS Giant Cardboard Building Blocks
You will unlock endless hours of creative, safe play with kids toy blocks called ImagiBRICKS™. These toys for toddlers will be the focus of this week’s Friday Feature.
ImagiBRICKS™ are kids building blocks and are educational kids toys designed to stimulate your children’s minds as they provide opportunities for creative, open-ended play.
MADE IN THE USA!
These giant cardboard building blocks are made right here in America. They are produced in Wisconsin where there is a large paper industry. Smart Monkey’s warehouse is near the plant where the blocks are produced. By keeping everything close, they are cutting down on the fuel needed to transport materials and providing much-needed jobs to American workers. The paper industry in our country has been struggling with many companies buying their cardboard from China. China has to import their raw materials from the U.S. or Canada to make their cardboard.
These kids toy blocks are made from 50% recycled cardboard right here is the USA. Offering innovative “brick” design and superior quality, ImagiBRICKS™ kids toy blocks are the award-winning classic toy for toddlers that your grandmother used to play with and even then were considered important educational kids toys.
Cardboard building blocks by Smart Monkey Toys are crush-proof and have a drool proof coating for easy clean up. You can find these toys for toddlers in homes, day care centers, kid’s museums, play zones and preschools. Widely regarded as an essential developmental toddler toy, giant cardboard building blocks are kid’s building blocks that give your children a head start on physical development and coordination.
ImagiBRICKS™ toys building blocks are ideal for learning because they involve the child as a whole — the way she moves her muscles, the way she discovers how different objects feel in her hands, the way she thinks about spaces and shapes, and the way she develops thoughts and interests of her own.
There are no rules for block play – children will immediately feel a freedom to play and build towers, bridges, forts, houses and any other structure their minds imagine. The building blocks toys may be stacked as high as your child can reach and be knocked down over and over again. This “exercise” promotes increased muscle development as they reach and stack. These cardboard building blocks enable cooperative hand movements with this visual activity toy and promote development skills most other child’s toys do not.
CHILDREN WHO HAVE A PHYSICAL DISABILITIES CAN PLAY WITH THESE CARDBOARD BLOCKS
The size and shape of these kids building blocks enables a caregiver to provide hand over hand assistance to a child without obstructing the child’s view. The light weight of these cardboard blocks is beneficial to children with muscle weaknesses. You may play catch with the toy blocks as they will not be harmed by tossing them and/or dropping them. They are easier than a ball to catch and have no rough edges to hurt any child. If your child can sit at a table he will still be able to do some stacking and/or sorting exercises/games. He, too, will be able to develop eye-hand coordination and cooperative hand movements depending on his abilities. And as with any young child he will delight in all the bright colors of this set of cardboard blocks!
These kid’s toy blocks are geared for children 18 months and up and will provide open-ended play for both boys and girls. The cardboard building blocks are available online and come in sets of 16, 24, 40 and bulk quantities. Except for the 16 piece set which contains all large red, 12 x 6 x 3 inch building blocks all sets have three sized blocks in yellow, blue and red.
Another popular toy block sets are the Rainbow blocks which are the same size as the red blocks. These Rainbow block sets include the red along with green, purple and orange.
Build Tall Towers with Rainbow Blocks
The 24 piece set of Rainbow blocks in on sale.
You can maxim your child’s academic success by staying informed and involved with your child’s homework and assigned projects. You can effectively show your child the importance of sticking to a problem until the correct answer is achieved and praise her for her completion.
Homework is an important part of your child’s learning experiences and if they do not come home with homework on a regular basis it would be worth your time to speak to her teacher. Families may make the most of homework time with these four useful homework tips.
- The Right Timing
- Private Space
- Music or Not
- How Much Help
Timing is very important and each child’s personality and temperament must be considered. When some children get home from school they may need a break while others will lose steam if they do not sit right down and get into their books. You can learn what is best for each child by trial and error then you will be ready to create a consistent routine based what works best for each child; of course, your own schedule will also need to be part of the decision.
Space. A desk-like area is best for concentrating and doing their best homework. It needs to be in an area where there are little or no distractions. Therefore, a bedroom may not be the ideal space because all their toys are tempting them. A second location that may not be ideal is your kitchen table when there are other family members going in and out or through. Finding a consistent area away from distractions may be challenging but it is an important decision to make.
Off or on – music or not. Parents need to consider their child’s learning style and the type of music if your child enjoys listening to music while studying. Although a small percentage of children do do better with soft music in the background, the majority of children require a quite atmosphere. It is best to refrain from having TV noise or familiar tunes playing that might distract your children’s concentration. Instead, choose unfamiliar songs without words such as soothing classical music. This may, in fact, help the entire family and help make for a more relaxed meal time atmosphere.
And finally, to bring this article of part one of homework tips to an end parents need to be aware of how much help they want to offer. Each subject may require a different amount. You can be busy with your own work but still keep an ear out for a child’s question or to notice their body language when they might be stuck. You can always read together and help with directions. Go through the first few questions to make sure you child understands the concepts and then let her do her own work on an independent basis.
It is a good idea to check in now and again and if you notice several mistakes encourage corrections. But, remember, teachers need to and prefer seeing work with wrong answers so they can know where more teaching is needed. If your child can have a homework buddy she can be in some contact with this may also help encourage her to try harder, especially if she is struggling on one particular concept.
When you child’s homework is finished they may need some active outdoor play time or maybe she can help with meal preparation. Some children may just want to read or play quietly with a jigsaw puzzle.
Part 2 of this article will be posted on Wednesday, Sept. 28th.
See the two baby wolves? They are separate toys.
Browse through our childrens toys on our website, All I Can Imagine.
Today, you are sure to think back to this day, ten years ago. Many of you will experience pain, tears, and sorrow. I am sorry for your losses and continue to pray for you.
There are really no words to express all the feelings bombarding our spirits on the anniversary of the two planes flying into the two towers in New York as well as the other planes crashing into buildings.
I have a large colored picture on my office wall; it shows a large American flag waving in the background of the New York skyline (including the two towers). In front of the skyline is the New York harbor with the Statue of Liberty standing tall and proud.
Although I have never been to New York, this picture is a beautiful remembrance for me of what others who live or lived or visited New York over ten years ago have been able to experience for themselves. It also reminds me of how the world used to be; a safer place – and more innocent.
To all the Firefighters, police men and women, and volunteers who helped on 9/11 and to those of you who lost friends, family and co-workers and to all Americans – this image is for you!
Keep praying for our brave men and women who have left home to serve our country and keep us safe! And, keep their families here at home in your prayers; they are experiencing their own sacrifices!