Academic Support and Play Activities Archives - Page 18 of 22

Nov 28 2017

Manage School Days for Your Kids

School is in session. The days are growing shorter. Afterschool programs fill our days. We bring our children home from school after full days of school, work, socialization, sports, and errands. When we arrive home, all of us are tired. How can we respond to family stress when the kids are fighting, dinner needs to be made, homework needs be completed, and we must prepare for the next day of school?

Strategies

Listed below are five key strategies to simplify your kids’ school days:

Model stress management behavior. Our children learn how to respond to stress from us. When we take a deep breath, reflect, and choose our words carefully, our children can learn from our healthy actions. Most of us cannot detach from stress quickly. Thus, we fall into the trap of evening family chaos. When we conduct ourselves calmly and respectfully, our family will be happier during the nightly routines.
Dinner strategies that support a relaxed evening. When families arrive home from a busy day, most are looking for a break. The kids want to play or watch television. The parents want to change into their cozy clothes and just relax. The preschoolers demand their hugs and quality time with their parents. How can we unwind and adequately prepare dinner with so many demands? Some families preplan their dinners for the week and eat leftovers every other day. Some make simple meals on alternate nights while others occasionally grab prepared food at the store. Whatever strategy you choose, plan ahead to minimize conflict and maximize quality time with your family.
Set evening routines to reduce stress. Regardless of how well you plan for nighttime needs, it is important for families to consider the best time for their children to complete homework. Some families love to get up early, eat breakfast, and review spelling words and math facts in the morning. Some children work best on their homework after outside play and a nutritious afternoon snack. Others work on homework while dinner is being prepared for the family. Parents should be flexible in helping their children organize homework schedules. Some children are ready to learn after an afternoon activity, while others like to finish homework early so that they can have free time in the evening.
Balance each school day. As the demands of the school year increase, your children may tire earlier in the day and may need guidance on how to manage their schedules. Some children love to binge watch television. Others need lots of outside time to run and stretch their muscles. Many are very social and want daily play dates with friends. We must help our children structure their day to allow sufficient time for rest, eating, relaxation, homework, and socialization. We too, will be learning as we help our children adjust their days so that they are rested, happy, and enthusiastic about their next school day.
Get help when needed. As we juggle our work schedules, family responsibilities, and the nurturing of our children’s development, we may need to find added support. Many parents try to manage demanding schedules by themselves, which can be overwhelming and exhausting. Children can thrive with support shared by family, neighbors, and afterschool friends. A child friendly schedule for working parents requires flexibility and creativity. We should use support networks to simplify our days and provide our children with loving, stimulating, and nurturing care. When the childcare and carpool schedules meet our needs, the household functions more smoothly. However, alternative plans should be identified to account for sickness, changed schedules, and childcare adjustments.

[Read more…]

Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Digital Education Expert, is a substitute distance learning teacher for Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California and the author of STUDENT-ENGAGED ASSESSMENT: Strategies to Empower All Learners (Rowman & Littlefield: 2020). Dr. Burke creates digital language arts and substitute teaching K – 12 activities for teachers and parents. She is the Cofounder of the Genparenting.com blog. Burke is the former Director II of Categorical & Special Projects for the Santa Clara County Office of Education that supports 31 school districts serving 272,321 students in Santa Clara County. She is also a previous Director – State & Federal Compliance for Oakland Unified School District, the former Director – Grantwriter for the Compton Unified School District, and was the initial VISTA Director for the Community Partnership Coalition in southern California. Much of her work focuses on creating innovative digital trainings and partnership programs for teachers and families to support students’ learning. These programs were featured as a best practice at a National Title I Conference, California’s Title I Conferences, AERA Conferences, an ASCD Conference, the NASSP Conference, and statewide educator conferences.

Nov 07 2017

How to Get the Most Out of a Parent-Teacher Conference

Parent-Teacher conference time makes many parents nervous, but it does not need to be this way. Conferences are not an attack on your child, nor is it a time to put all the flaws of your child on display. Instead, shift your perspective. The question you should be asking is, “How can the teacher and I come together for the benefit of my child?” Here’s how to view Parent-Teacher conferences in a positive light.

Teacher will be held accountable for teaching curriculum

When teachers start to explain all the standards that your child will learn in class for the coming year, it may be overwhelming! From the parent’s perspective, there are a lot of concepts that your child will learn. However, the flip side of this is that the teacher is actually outlining all the teaching standards by which he or she will be held accountable for teaching. This is the teacher’s commitment to you and your child. [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Discovering the joy of teaching while in high school, Jaime pursued her B.A. in English at Santa Clara University. She also received a teaching credential and a M.A. in Education Administration from Santa Clara University. Jaime taught English Language Arts at Rancho Middle School, motivating and inspiring young people to become effective communicators and contributors in their community. From being a Middle School English Language Arts/English Language Development teacher to becoming a stay-at home mom, Jaime is an education consultant who presents literacy workshops. Her workshops focus on a combination of her ten years of teaching expertise with tried-and-true experiences that she uses with her own children. Jaime is also a Teacher Consultant with the San Jose Area Writing Project. Jaime’s mission is to share effective reading and writing strategies with families to encourage literacy.

Oct 17 2017

Finding Help for Academic Needs

For some students, the start of school is an exhilarating feeling – new teacher, new friends, new subjects to learn. For other kids, the start of school brings about dread and despair – for all the same reasons! As a parent, how can you support your kids who are facing academic challenges?

Set up a consistent place and time to do homework

Kids thrive on structure. When they know what to expect, they feel safe. Set up a schedule where they know it is homework time. Have a place for them to complete assignments, whether it be in their room or on the kitchen table while you’re setting up for dinner. If the kids are going to grandma’s home or to an afterschool day care program, make sure everyone knows that getting homework done is a priority. [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Sep 19 2017

Places to Take Your Preschool Kids

As the summer days draw to a close, you probably have exhausted places to take your preschool kids. Parents have identified the following fun activities to pursue with your children this fall:

Inclusive Parks: Several parks have created Magical Bridge Playground areas that are inclusive for children with varying developmental needs. These areas typically include ramps with climbing structures, swings, and slides. Magical Bridge Playgrounds provide a lifetime of kindness and compassion through truly inclusive play. Details can be found at magicalbridge.org.
Water Activities: Many parks now provide a water play area with water tables and water channels to promote exploration when playing with water and “cooking” with sludge. Children can learn the basic science concepts of sink and float, and observe the velocity of objects floating through the channels. As an added bonus, children must learn how to take turns with the various activities. Typically, children, who bring their own toys, must share as they watch their toys gush through the channels of water. [Read more…]

Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting

Joyce Iwasaki has over thirty years of educational experience working with diverse students in grades from preschool through high school. Joyce’s extensive background includes teaching elementary school, serving on early childhood advisory boards, and advocating for educational initiatives as a legislative aide. During her tenure as a legislative aide, she helped create legislation that allowed incarcerated mothers to keep their newborn babies with them while in prison. Additional legislation was enacted to allow incarcerated pregnant mothers to remain unshackled during labor and delivery. Ms. Iwasaki established and served as the president of an educational scholarship foundation for fifteen years. Her foundation awarded college scholarships to emerging student leaders who provided service to their schools and communities. Joyce is active in performing arts and cultural organizations. She also provides ongoing support to her daughter and family by raising her grandson in her home.

Aug 22 2017

Get Your Children Ready for School

How is it that summer is already coming to a close? As the first day of school gets closer, there are a few things I do to make sure my kids are ready.

Set the Alarm Clock

During the summer, I’m pretty lax about when my kids wake up in the morning. However, a 9 a.m. wake-up call is not going to cut it for getting to school on time! A week or so before the first day of school, I shift their bedtime 15 minutes earlier and also set the kids’ alarm clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier than they are used to. Each day, I set it 15 minutes earlier until I get to the desired evening bedtime and morning wake-up call. [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy