Category Archives: Teaching Techniques

August 4, 2015 · 7:09 am

Learning Games and Activities for Children to do During the Summer Holidays

6a00e55111563088340168e6f3fc88970c-320wiContinuing on from last week’s blog post, we’ve put together a few more activities to do with your children this summer. By keeping their minds activities during these few weeks off, they’ll be fully prepared for school in September.

Money

– Shopping
When shopping look for items that are cheaper than a dollar. Ask your children to pick a couple of items so that the total can be bought for $3.50. They’re rewarded with the items they’ve picked!

– Banks
Give your children piles of 5, 10 and 25 cents to count. If you give them fifteen 5 cent coins, how much is the total?
How many 10 cent coins will they give you to make a dollar?
If you have ten 5 cent coins, ask them how many 10 cent coins will they swap you for them?

– Piggy Bank
Most children like to collect money in a piggy bank, so every time they have earned pocket money give it to them in change.
When the piggy bank is nearly full ask you children to figure out the best way to count all the money. Big coins first? Make 10s? Put all the same values together? Randomly? Start with a few coins then add more, depending on your child’s confidence.
Shape

– 2D Identification
On walks, drives or at home, spot and name any 2D shapes that you see, for example: road signs = triangle and a window = square. Ask you children to draw them and then label them with the name of the shape.

– 2D Cutting
From newspapers/magazines, cut out pictures of 2D shapes to make colourful pictures.

– Shape Make
Use an old food box or greetings card to make a range of 2D shapes. Quadrilaterals and triangles should be easy, as should irregular pentagons, hexagons, heptagons and octagons.

– 2D Drawing
Use accurate ruler skills (or shapes made above) to make a picture using 2D shapes. For example, a house with square windows, rectangular door and circular door handle.

– Right Angle Hunt
Look around you to find lots of right angles (90 degrees). You could play an eye-spy type game (“I spy with my little eye a right angle on something blue and metal.”)

– 3D Identification
Draw and name any 3D shapes that you see at home or on your travels. For example a can = a cylinder, ball = sphere. Ask your children to name them and identify some of their properties.

– 3D Model
Make a model with ‘junk’ using mathematical names for the shapes. Discuss their properties, for example: vertices (corners), edges and faces.

Enjoy! Let us know which ones you try!

Advertisement

Leave a comment

Filed under Activities in Toronto, Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

July 27, 2015 · 9:18 am

Fun Math Activities To Do At Home With Your Children

For many children math is a difficult subject. It is a good idea to help your children to continue to develop their math skills during the summer holidays. It doesn’t have to be boring or a chore! We’ve put together a selection of fun activities for adults and children do together at home.

Time related activities

  • Convert Clocks

If you have a digital clock, try to write the time in an analogue way, if you have an analogue clock, write the time digitally or on the 24 hour clock. Check the time together at regular intervals.

  • TV Times

If you watch TV ask your child to find out what time their favourite programs are on.

What time do they finish?

How long are they on for?

Ask them to calculate how much TV they want to watch for week.

  • Birthdays

Look at a calendar.

Can your children find out how many days there are in a week, in each month, in a year?

How many weeks are in a year?

How many months are there in a year? Name them.

Which is the sixth/last/third month etc?

When are the birthdays or important dates in your family’s year? Put them in order or make your own calendar showing these special dates.

What are the different seasons and when do they start?

Mass activities

  • Kitchen

Record the weight of different foods you have in your kitchen.

Which are in kilograms (kg) and which are in grams (g)? Do you children know how many grams there are in a kilogram?

Choose 5 packs and order them from lightest to heaviest. Are the big packs always heaviest? Are the small packs always lightest?

Are there any units that your children are not familiar with?

  • Recipe

Look at a recipe for something you like. In what units are the ingredients measured? Follow the recipe reading the scales accurately, then enjoy sharing what you have made together!

  • Scales

Weigh different items around your home using any scales you have (kitchen or bathroom).

Focus on accuracy. What items added together make 2kg or 100g?

  • Fruit and Veg

Find a variety of fruit and vegetables. Estimate how much they weigh then weigh them accurately. Put the items in order of mass. Can they add any together to make 300g, 50g or 2kg?

Perhaps make a fruit salad or vegetable stir fry. How much did the peelings weigh?

Capacity

  • Water

In the bath/kitchen sink/paddling pool/bucket pour water from different sized containers. How many little ones does it take to fill the largest one?

Put the containers in order of capacity. Does the tallest/shortest container have the biggest/smallest capacity? Use familiar objects like yoghurt pots, bowls or plastic bottles.

  • Coloured Water

A few drops of food colouring in the water makes reading scales much easier.

Use a measuring jug of coloured water to measure the capacity (in litres and/or millilitres) of known items. Order them from smallest to greatest capacity.

  • Units

In shops, look at and discuss any products that are sold by capacity, for example paint, lemonade, soup or milk. Estimate, then calculate, how much liquid you drink each day.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog post where we will be putting together more educational activities for you to do at home with your children!

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , ,

July 19, 2015 · 7:31 am

It’s Never Too Early to Engage Children in STEM Education

istock_kids_stemExperts in education throughout the world agree that there is a national imperative to graduate students with an understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2007, a Carnegie Foundation commission concluded that the capacity to innovate and thrive in the modern workforce depends on a foundation of math and science learning.

But what is STEM exactly? STEM is an interdisciplinary and an applied approach to teaching. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications. STEM can also be described as a philosophy: it’s a way of helping students to think in a more connected and holistic way.

Many parents ask us what age we think it is appropriate to start teaching STEM to children. We believe that it is never too early to start STEM education.

Children are very active learners at 1,2 and 3 years old so you don’t necessarily have to wait until they start kindergarten to engage in STEM activities. The research is quite clear that the best practice in early childhood education is to break away from passive instruction and allow for more play and investigation, and this kind of learning early in life builds skills and interests that serve children throughout their school years, and later in life. Take your children to the park and let them explore, get up and watch a sunrise with them or let them swim in the sea.

Lilian G. Katz, in STEM in the Early Years, lays out a case that the best practice for early education is to allow students to be active, engaged, and take initiative in their own learning. Allowing our children to have the opportunities to take initiative in their own learning is not only good for STEM learning, but for overall long-term academic success.

In a lot of academic instruction children are in a passive or receptive mode instead of being more active. Early childhood education should tap into children’s natural curiosity and give them ample opportunities to be active participants in their own learning. Natural settings offer children almost unlimited opportunities to explore and investigate, helping them build STEM skills that create a solid foundation for future learning.

If you’d like more information about STEM education please get in touch. We over private and group out-of-school classes in Toronto.

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 9, 2015 · 12:57 pm

St. Patrick’s Day Joint Activities for Parents and Children

St-Patricks-Day-Kids-3St. Patrick’s Day is a chance for everyone to celebrate Irish culture and heritage. We’ve put together a fun list of activities and facts for your children, with a cheeky Irish themed cocktail recipe at the end for parents!

1. Grow your own Shamrocks

The weather has been so nice over the last couple of days here in Toronto, if it continues you could head out into your garden with your children. Plant some shamrock seeds and talk about the importance of gardening: you could mention anything from the source of food to looking after the environment. Alternative you can by little pots and plant your shamrock seeds indoors, either way your kids get to make a bit of a mess with a spade and you’re broadening their minds at the same time!

2. History

St Patricks Day history for kids doesn’t have to be all about drawing rainbows and wearing green. We’ve always enjoyed teaching our children the real history behind holidays and events. In this list we’ve include some of the popular stories and legends as well as the actual facts about the holiday, take note of the ones your children show interest in, you should follow up on them. There’s a ton of information online or head to your local library. Here’s a brief rundown of St. Patrick’s history:

  • St. Patrick’s Day is the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland named St. Patrick. Patrick wasn’t born Irish, he was brought to Ireland as a slave after he was kidnapped. He managed to escaped back to Britain to be with his family but while there, a voice told him to go back to Ireland. He was ordained as a priest and spent the rest of his life working to bring Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is the national holiday of Ireland and we celebrate it each year on March 17 because this is the day he is rumored to have died.
  • People search for four leaf clovers which are very rare, finding one is supposed to be very lucky. A shamrock is actually a three leaf clover like plant. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).
  • The colour of St. Patrick’s Day is green. Ireland is known for it’s green shades of grass and the shamrock is green as well.
  • Traditionally people eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day although we enjoy it all year.
  • Some people claim that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. However, science has proven that there never were any snakes in Ireland because of the cold climate. It is thought that the word snakes in this legend actually represent driving out the pagan ways when he introduced Christianity.
  • Irish legend says that there is a small Irish fairy called the leprechaun. He wears pointed shoes, a hat and a leather apron. According to the legend, he’s very unfriendly and lives alone in the forest guarding his pots of gold. The story says that if you find a leprechaun, he will have to tell you where is gold is hidden. If you look away for even one second, the leprechaun will disappear along with all his gold.

3. Cooking

Corned beef is a traditional Irish meal eaten throughout the year, but it’s a favourite on St. Patricks day. If you have time, spend an hour or so making it from scratch with help from your children. Not only is it a lot healthier to make a homemade version compared to the processed store bought alternatives, you’re setting a good example for your children (to eat healthy) and you’re bonding over the simpler things in life rather than games and tv.

4. Shamrock math race!

We really like this simple math game for kindergarteners from Coffee Cups and Crayons.

5. Pot of Gold cocktail for parents

Serves 2
-2 tbsp fresh pear juice mix (see below)
-2 tbsp Michael Collins Irish whiskey
-Sparkling wine or Champagne of your choice
-Lemon twist for garnish

Mix the pear juice and the whiskey together in a liquid measuring cup or some other cup that has a spout, which will make it easier to pour. Divide the mixture equally between two Champagne flutes. Slowly top with bubbly, then garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy!

For the pear juice mix:
-2 ripe d’anjou pears, peeled, cored, and diced
-4 tbsp water
-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and run the machine until the mixture is pureed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times to get the mixture smooth. Place a fine mesh strainer or sieve over a non-reactive bowl, then pour the mixture in. Allow the juice to drain out, stirring the puree gently to help the process along. Serve right away!

Leave a comment

Filed under Activities in Toronto, Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

January 12, 2015 · 11:02 am

3 Reasons Why We Are Grateful To Be Educators

Like many others, we see our role as teachers as something more than a day-to-day job, we’re educators, we help shape the future generation. It’s a profession which excites and makes us thankful for the small triumphs in the classroom and the bigger achievements at the end of each schooling year. We’re thankful that we’re able to do what we do and we do it with pride. Here are our 3 reasons why we are grateful to be educators, what are yours?

1. Technology. The technology of communication has made it so it is easy to connect to like minded teachers across the world and we’re able to find resources that enhance our students classroom experience. Connecting with teachers from across with world whether it be on Twitter or on an education blog, their opinions and ideas influence our day-to-day activities. Finding out how other educators teach is interesting, productive and fun.

2. New teachers. Each generation of educators brings a new light to our profession, it’s exciting to hear what ideas new teachers have. Our students are ever changing and so should we, talking to and working with new teachers is as rewarding for us as it is for them.

3. Freedom of ideas. Deciding how to teach a subject each week and allowing our students to form their own opinions on certain topics makes interesting lessons for students and teachers alike.

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , ,

October 31, 2014 · 11:03 am

Guy Fawkes Night: A History Lesson

Guy Fawkes NightGuy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual celebration which takes place on November 5, primarily in UK. The history of Guy Fawkes Night is incredibly interesting and if your children do not seem to show that much interest in history class, this is one history lesson that will capture their attention.

Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when a member of the Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords in London. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day.

Encourage your children to research the event, there are a great selection of books from Horrible Histories which explain historic events in a fun, colourful and easy to read manner, including the Gunpowder Plot.

There are many beaches in Toronto that allow bonfires, so what better way to teach your kids about an important historic event than to reenact it! Bonfire, sprinklers, fireworks (if permitted) and hot chocolate will make it a really fun evening for the whole family.

Guy Fawkes Night isn’t just for children, it’s an event that captures the interest of kids, teenagers and adults alike. Once the kids are in bed why not watch V for Vendetta which is based (loosely) on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot. This film made the Guy Fawkes mask an icon of popular culture.

Although Guy Fawkes Night isn’t really celebrated in Canada, it’s an excuse to organise family time! It’s also a good way to educate your children about British history without them knowing!

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

October 17, 2014 · 10:38 am

World Food Day 2014 Activites for Children

foodDid you know that 842 million people are estimated to be suffering from under-nourishment and chronic hunger? This is a staggering figure considering that the world has never produced so much food.

If the world is producing more than enough food why are so many people suffering? Food production relates to a variety of topics including politics, human rights and climate change and the problems that arise can be easily explored at home.

So this week, to mark yesterday’s World Food Day (16 October 2014), we’ve put together a range of resources about the challenges of feeding an ever-growing population which you can discuss with your children.

This year the focus of World Food Day is on the significant role that smallholder farmers play in feeding the world. In the poorest parts of Africa and Asia, around 500 million small family farms are responsible for 80%of all food production. This game from Oxfam will help your children learn more about the global food system and the impact it has on family farmers.

Why not try the “Flying the Kite for Food” activity, it is great for introducing younger children to the idea of food injustice. Let your children explore the reasons why some people in the world are hungry before making a kite to which they attach their wishes for a world without hunger.

Another idea is to test your children’s knowledge of different fruits and vegetables from across the world. Try creating authentic meals from the countries you have discussed!

Explore the themes of World Food Day 2014 further with this toolkit from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. There is a family-friendly leaflet, poster and Powerpoint presentation that can be used at home after school.  As a written exercise, can your children explain why family farmers are described as “an important part of the solution for a world free from poverty and hunger”?

In a society where we often take food for granted, it’s important that we show and discuss with our children that 842 million people worldwide aren’t as fortunate.

Leave a comment

Filed under Activities in Toronto, Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , ,

September 24, 2014 · 4:42 pm

Encourge your children to learn a second language

You don’t have to be bilingual to teach your children another language, you can start them off with the basics at a very young age before enrolling them in classes when they are older.

At the age of two or three, children are increasing their vocabulary and are starting to recognize speech patterns, this is prime time to start introducing a second language as it will be much easier for your child to pick up its unique sounds.

According to Francois Thibaut, director of the Language Workshop for Children in New York, the ability to hear different phonetic pronunciations is sharpest before age 3, and we lose the capacity to hear and produce certain sounds if we aren’t exposed to them early on. So just hearing a television show, listening to music, or learning a few words in a second language will give your child essential tools for appreciating it now and learning to speak it later.

The best way for your children to learn to understand a new language is for them to hear people speaking it fluently, as they will pick up on the sounds – young children love to mimic what they hear!

Teach a word at a time. If you don’t want to do formal lessons, you can introduce bilingual basics by pointing out to your child that objects can have two names — one in each language. As your child learns new words, tell him what they’re called in a second language too.

Of course, a children won’t learn to speak another language fluently from hearing words, watching videos, or singing songs. But simply being exposed to a language will help them understand phrases when they hear them.

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , ,

July 29, 2014 · 5:01 pm

How Louis Armstrong can help educate your kids

louis-armstrongAt the beginning of August every year we love to celebrate the birthday of one of our favourite American jazz musicians, Louis Armstrong. We try and attend a live jazz show, listen to old records and watch old videos of Louis Armstrong on YouTube with the family.

You may ask us why have we picked this one artist when there are thousands of musicians out there? We purposely picked Louis for many reasons: we like his music, we can educate our kids at the same time and he’s a good role model. 

As one of the main influences in jazz in the 1920s his music encouraged solo performances rather than traditional collection improvisation, he popularized scat singing and he was the first truly popular African American performer across the whole American class system. What’s not to admire?

Playing prominent artists like Louis Armstrong to your kids is an easy and beneficial way to promote healthy child development. Music can influence your child’s cognitive, physical growth and social growth in many ways as well as help them deal with any emotional issues they may be having. On top of that looking back at the lives of these artists also has the educational plus of reviewing the era in which they are from.

For older children encouraging them to listen to different genres of music other than current pop and rap music may be easier than you think:

Why not play a little Louis Armstrong around the house, then encourage them to write a biography of his life for history or music class if homework is required. You’ll be surprised how much they will learn about the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s just from researching his life.

Take the family out to a blues/jazz/folk festival, your children may be more accepting of the music if they see other kids there of a similar age. Or they may just be totally moved by the music… you never know!

You don’t have to be a musician to give your children the benefits of music, simply playing it from a speaker and discussing it will help motivate them, just make sure it’s age appropriate! Encourage them to express how it sounds through basic music vocabulary such as:

Pitch – how high or low does the music sound?

Dynamics – how loud or soft?

Tempo – how fast is the music?

If nothing else, this will a least impress the teacher!

We find that playing music that you personally like will result in greater enthusiasm from your children as they will want to enjoy it as much as you do.

With younger children it may be more helpful to find music in every day sounds first before playing “adult” music. Songs like Hickory Dickory Dock encourages children to identify everyday sounds within music, which then helps them to become active listeners.

Once your children become too old for nursery rhymes move on to the adult music. It’s important that you don’t just focus on one genre, not every kid has to listen to classical music in order to achieve in later life!

You will notice quite quickly if your children enjoy and show aptitude to learning about different forms of music. If they do you can introduce them to a musical instrument of their choice, you may have the next Louis Armstrong on your hands!

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , ,

June 13, 2014 · 11:22 am

 How your children can benefit from the FIFA World Cup mayhem

Picture source: South China Morning Post

Picture source: South China Morning Post

The football World Cup is the most exciting sporting tournament for most football fans. Though like other competitive sports it has faced much criticism and scrutiny, but that doesn’t meant that children shouldn’t enjoy The Beautiful Game.

If you put to one side the controversy surrounding FIFA and the often aggressive fans, the basic game of football is a wonderful sport to teach young children. It’s a team sport, it is great for exercise as it involves a lot of running and it requires determination to learn the required skills.  

Aside from having a kick around in your local park there are many educational activities you can introduce to your children during the World Cup that will help them with their studies:

1. Geography

Draw out/print pictures of all of the flags for the teams in the World Cup. Help your children remember which flag belongs which country and where that country is located.

2. Languages

Why not teach your children a few basic words in the language of one or two of their favourite teams? 

3. Maths

Keep a score sheet of the points each team has won, every night encourage your children to add up the points of the teams to see who’s winning each group. 

4. Culture

Research the host country, Brazil, what is their main religion? What is their main language? How big is the population? Famous landmarks? Show your children lots of pictures and ask them to repeat your answers. 

5. History

Did you know that the World Cup has taken place every 4 years since 1930 (except for a few years during WWII)? Research the history of the World Cup with your children, how is has changed and developed over the years. Where has it been held? What did those countries look like then compared to now? 

Let us know what team you’re supporting and if you’ve tried out any of these activities with your children. Sadly Canada didn’t make it through but there are numerous great teams playing who we will be supporting including England and France! 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 14, 2014 · 8:45 pm

Tips for parents to improve their child’s spelling

Learning to spell

When it comes to your child’s education your role as the parent is pivotal in helping them achieve success. Alongside after school tutoring and study groups, here are some handy tips to help your child with spelling.

  • When reading to your little ones point out the patterns in words. For example if there’s double “oo” in word, make the sound and encourage them to look for other words that sound and look the same. 
  • When your child asks how to spell a word, encourage them to spell the word first. Only when they spell it wrong should you slowing spell the word out for them, they’re more likely to remember the spelling this way.
  • Point out words that are related to each other and have similar meanings. For example the words tragic and tragically don’t sound that alike but their spellings are. Once your child can spell tragic then encourage them to spell tragically!
  • Break up longer words so that they are easier for children to memorize. You can break them up in to sounds or in to smaller words depending on the word. 
  • For younger children associating words that rhyme with each other is a very effective way of helping them to spell. If they know how to spell tend, ask them how to spell bend.

Good luck! Let us know if any of these tips help or if you have any to add to the list!

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , ,

April 25, 2014 · 2:31 pm

9 simple tips for stress free exam revision.

Stay focused while studyingExam season is definitely going to come round quicker than expected, with only 6 weeks to go, it’s looming on the horizon. Now is the time to sit down and plan your exam preparation for the coming weeks. We’ve put together a few pointers to help you:

1. Organize your study space, do you have enough room? Are all distractions out of the way? Is your chair comfortable? Focus is key!

2. Give yourself enough time to study, leaving it to the last minute is not the best approach. Set out a timetable for your study, write down how many exams you have and the days on which you have to sit them. Then organize your study accordingly, some topics may need more study time than others, so find a balance that works for you.

3. Revise topics rather than questions and make sure that you understand the material you’re revising — we can only remember what we understand!

4. Hiring a private tutor or joining an after school program can really help if you’re struggling to get to grip with a topic.

5. Tests have shown that you can remember what you write up to 5 times more as compared to what you read, so make sure you write down notes as you’re revising.

6. Visual aids can be really helpful when revising, so consider using flow charts and diagrams. At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you already know about a topic – and then highlight where the gaps lie. Closer to the exam, condense your revision notes into one-page diagrams. Getting your ideas down in this brief format can then help you to quickly recall everything you need to know during the exam.

7. One of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is to practice taking past versions. This helps you get used to the format of the questions, and – if you time yourself – can also be good practice for making sure you spend the right amount of time on each section.

8. Keep away from junk food! You may feel like you deserve a treat, or that you don’t have time to cook, but what you eat can really have an impact on energy levels and focus. Keep your body and brain well-fuelled by choosing nutritious foods that have been proven to aid concentration and memory, such as fish, nuts, seeds, yogurt and blueberries. The same applies on exam day – eat a good meal before the test, based on foods that will provide a slow release of energy throughout. Sugar may seem appealing, but it won’t help when your energy levels crash an hour or so later.

9. Finally, drink plenty of water. Being well hydrated is essential for your brain to work at its best.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , ,

March 28, 2014 · 9:57 am

5 Tips to Get Better Grades, exclusively from Light in the Attic Learning!

This video will show students how they can achieve better grades with a few simple, yet essential, techniques.

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

February 21, 2014 · 8:25 am

How to improve your child’s reading abilities

So I ended the blog last week without providing any solutions to your child’s reading problems. I understand that might seem odd, but don’t freak out, because this weeks blog will focus on the best way to improve your child’s reading skills.
Yes, you read that right. I purposely used the singular “best way” in my description. I say this because I believe the best way to improve reading skills is to read more material, more often. In fact, as a parent you can take certain actions to promote your child to read more. Here are some of those actions.
1. Read to your Child
Your child may not be reading because they are struggling to read. This creates a catch 22. You can break the cycle and help build your child’s confidence by reading to them. As you read together, get them to read and sounds, then words, then full sentences, and finally whole pages. Slowly they will eventually be able to read basic words and sentences by themselves.
2. Surround Your Child with Books
In order to boost your child’s vocabulary, they need to continue to read more material.  Yes, you could buy one or two book at a time, but I recommend having a great variety of books on different subjects. The reason for this choice is because it will help ensure that your child will find a book that they deem interesting. If your child is interested in the book they will be more engaged and read more often.
3. Set up a Reading Time
If surrounding your child with a greater variety of books doesn’t spark their interest, it’s a good idea to become more active and make sure that they are reading. You can ensure that they are reading by setting aside a time in the day that they have to read. This can be whenever, but at least an hour (can be more) should be set aside for reading. If you need some help to ensure your child is reading, Light in the Attic learning has a homework hub with a licensed instructor who can do this, and also answer questions about a word’s meaning and pronunciation.
4. Reading is Just Not About Books
Reading can be done anywhere. I take this notion to heart and when my son was learning to read I took flash cards and labelled the entire house. This is a true story and just proves that your child can read anything, anywhere as long as they are reading. It is important to find something that interests them and run with it. The only thing is to make sure you can sustain your child’s interest in this type of material over time. Broadening the material your child’s reads will ensure they never run out of content.
Before I close this blog, I like to say that all of these options are not mutually exclusive and can be used together! Which way do you think is the best?
All the best,
David

Leave a comment

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , ,

February 15, 2014 · 6:09 pm

Why Jump Math?

Jump MathI don’t think it’s a secret that here at Light in the Attic Learning we love and trust the JUMP math program. JUMP math was created by our hero John Migthon and brings excitement to learning mathematics. The program holds students attention by turning them into active learners seeking out how to solve problems, instead of being passive learners who are taught a method.

While the program does turn the student into an active learner, it does not bombard them with too much information. Its slow burn approach really allows them to grasp the information at their own pace. Here at Light in The Attic Learning we provide personalized tutors and programs in order to help your child learn, and not memorize the material at their own, unique pace. JUMP really facilitates this way of learning and that’s why I love it.

Another reason I love JUMP is because unlike many curriculum’ word problem approach to math (which seeks to teach key concepts through contextualized word problems), JUMP uses a building block approach, which makes sense when you acknowledge that math is a subject that builds on prior knowledge.  This building block approach to math, strips down every aspect of a math equation and teaches the basic concept in a step-by-step fashion. By providing basic concepts or the building blocks, students will always have the tools and confidence to solve any mathematical problem they face.

Also, by focusing on steps (or building blocks) our tutors can identify the specific concept that is at the source of any blockage and focus on explaining that specific step.

Overall, as an educator and parent I love to engage the people around me and help them gain the essential skills to succeed in all their endeavors. JUMP math works in coordination to this belief. That is why JUMP is effective and a staple of Light in the Attic Learning.

Do you have any questions about the JUMP Math Program? Click the email button below and send me an email! I’ll get back to you ASAP.

All the best,
David

2 Comments

Filed under Teaching Techniques

Tagged as , , , , ,