Help Children Focus on Homework

Step One: Get ALL the Info to Organize

   Step one for helping children focus on school related tasks is to start with correct information. It helps to read everything the teacher sends home including textbook instruction, if needed, and the assignment book. Children may insist something absolutely must be done a certain way when it is not true.

Moving the Body and the Brain

  Before doing a task, consider a study by Faber-Taylor.  It shows that playing in a green setting helps children to focus and pay attention. Planning a little time outside in nature before sitting down to do something that requires focus helps concentrating, following directions, and completing tasks. 

  Take a little walk.  Run around the house outside a few times.  Ride a bike for ten minutes. Run, walk or jump around to help get the fidgets out and focus.

Turn off technology

Move & Prepare, No Tech, List To-Do's

   You can turn off all screens and phones and place them by a family charging station. When older children insist they can multitask with music, often the moment you are out of the room they will play a game or talk to friends.

  Before children tackle homework or anything else that takes concentration, turn off the noise of technology, unless technology is part of the the homework. If others are watching a screen or listening to music encourage ear phones or move to a quiet area to be far enough away from distraction.  Studying regularly in the same quiet place next to an adult, with an adult on call, or checking often is a good family habit.

Make a List

  Having homework and chores can overwhelm children. Help them focus on getting things done and done correctly. To avoid a melt-down make a list together and cross of the item when completed. Plan to finish projects days in advange and put that on the calendar.

Have some signals

Signal, Breathers, Habits

Take Breathers

  Homework can be exhausting. After working for 10 minutes or more depending upon the age and skill level stand up and take a drink located close by and then get back to work. Make the relaxing time short.

Develop Habits

  Child psychologists suggest we create magic moments within our family as incentives to finish tasks. Little children like a bath and talking time with a parent. Older children can take a relaxing shower, washing their hair, having a snack, brushing teeth, and reading before lights out. Playing video games, watching videos, or texting friends turns on the brain again and interferes with a great sleep.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Keeping Toddlers Safe Challenging By Esther Macalady

Water Safety Starts with Knowledge

Someone once said that silence is golden unless you have a very young child and then it is suspicious.  Keeping this age safe is a 24/ 7 job.  Here are tips from the Department of Health and Human Services and emergency physicians.

Water

  Stay with young kids every minute they are around water.  Records show they can drown in as little as one inch of water.

 Use flotation devices that fit since water wings and noodles can create a false sense of security. Teach children not to dive head first, instead they can jump into our arms. Dunking is never allowed.

  Learn CPR and first aid for young children. YouTube has many good videos of how to perform CPR on babies and young children. Pediatricians suggest showing them to baby sitters, refreshing, and practicing. 

  Double check that pools and spas have the proper drains that will not trap hair and loose clothing.  Empty a play pool when finished and turn it upside down.

   When you feel your children are ready, enroll them in Red Cross approved or university swim classes and keep taking them until they pass tests, then refresh skills. Make sure they know how to float and tread water. Have an extra flotation device handy and watch for signs of dangerous tides. Teach children to keep their head, hands, and feet inside boats.

  Accompany little ones to public bathrooms and outdoor portable bathrooms because older siblings may not be strong enough to hold little ones securely.  

Sports

Choose the Proper Gear for the Activity

  Encourage children to drink water before, during, and after active playtime.  Stick around to ensure a safe playing environment and enforcement of safety rules including well- fitting helmets and other gear.

 Cars

  Safety experts ask families never to leave children in the car while going shopping or doing other errands. Children get over heated, too cold, or enjoy pressing dangerous buttons and turning switches. 

Batteries and Tech

  Keep small electronics or devices especially those with small button batteries out of reach. Remote controls, musical greeting cards, and flameless candles are common hazards. Keep in mind that children are natural explorers and can climb unbelievable high. If you think a child has ingested any kind of battery to not induce vomiting. Take your child to the emergency room. The national battery hotline is 800- 498-8666.
  Families are watchful for small pieces that toddlers love to put into their mouths and possibly choke on. We sometimes forget that now scientists warn that families must be watchful for what toddlers are putting in their minds. Interacting with technology may be actually changing the functioning of their developing brains.  

For ten years a source of information for families: see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live and podcasts, Facebook and Pinterest.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Storms Teach Science and Acts of Kindness

Storms Grab Children's Attention

Storms like hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards grab children’s attention and are excellent times for families to teach weather, geography, and how people help each other. Emergencies can bring out the best in people. One never knows how children can be inspired to become a scientist, meteorologist, first responder, builder, and medical person based on childhood teaching.

  Getting the facts

  Technology can be a useful tool that always needs to be monitored to protect children and to ensure the content is not too scary. However, if something is happening near an extended family member’s home, they will hear conversations and it is a good time to teach.

  There are many opportunities to use maps to teach the geography of the situation.  

Getting the Facts

The library has atlases for children. There are also placemats of maps of the world and the United States in local children’s stores and online at the Rainbow Resource Center for under $3.00 so children can see geography every day and you have an opportunity to grab a children’s map quickly.

Teaching Weather Facts

  Besides local news, the weather channel has many interesting maps and videos. You can select age appropriate ones, turn off the sound, and use your own commentary, if needed. There will be many examples of courageous rescues and acts of kindness and few minutes may be enough.  Your children may have many questions so this is a good time to discuss.

Very young children will be hearing about events and may draw their own scary false conclusions, unless you help them learn the facts. National Weather Service is an excellent source of information, videos, and pictures. You can Click 

Check Up-To-The-Minute Events

around the site to find exactly what you want.

  Books about weather and storms include: “Weather or Not” by Maryann Dobeck; “Fly Guy presents:Weather” by Tedd Arnold; “The Magic School Bus presents Wild Weather” by Sean Callery. Families can show some of the pictures and add their own simplified narration for young children. Older children will enjoy the creative presentation.  Some good online family teaching sites include weatherwizkids.com and weatherforkids.org. The Google maps site is an excellent example for older children to experience how technologists work with first responders to spread information and keep people safe.

Kindness

   There are many opportunities for families to teach how people pull together to help each other. Children will have opportunities to help give money and donate through schools, faith organizations, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Scouts, Rotary and many other civic groups. Children can help gather and pack donated supplies.  These often can include children’s drawings of courage, strength, and love that may be just what people need for the challenge of recovery during the months and years ahead. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons .

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos and http://www.weather.gov 

Enjoying Books Together

Daily Reading Is Extremely Important 

Experts agree that reading to your young children one or more times a day is extremely important.  It is an easy activity that begins soon after birth and continues through the school years.  Children who are read to on a daily basis will be ready to learn to read on their own, and they will develop a rich vocabulary, as well as, love books.  Listening to you read, discussing, and asking questions are the foundation for success in school.

  For the youngest children, read aloud any books with pictures that are cloth, plastic, or sturdy. As they develop they love a variety of colorful magazines and books that are fiction, nonfiction, and books with chapters.

Reading Tips

  During the day, at nap or bedtime, sit close with your children.  When possible, let them choose the books.  Often, children like to hear the same book over and over again.

   Talk about the cover. What is the title?  Who is the author?  Show how to hold the book and turn the pages as you go. Look at the pictures, guess what is going to happen, and talk 

Talk Together About What You Read

about the characters. Sometimes, point to the words as you read along. Encourage questions, and let your preschooler join in to say the fun parts or name things.

  When finished, talk together about the pictures you saw or about what happened in the story.  What is your favorite part?  Which pictures do you like best?  How do pictures and words get into a book?

Preschool Reading

  Teach preschoolers how to take care of books.  Have the books available in a special box for children to look at again on their own. Some children might like to draw or color their own picture from an idea from a book.  You could print a sentence for them at the bottom of their picture or label some of the parts.  Encourage your children to tell someone else about the story or book.

  Relatives who live far away will love 

Read Together via Face Time/Skype

reading a short book to young children on Face Time or Skype while showing them the pictures. Often older children clam up when Face Time is scheduled but enjoy practicing their reading to grandparents and other relatives. Reading out loud also makes a good short movie to show the progress children are making in school. It can be posted on a private family Facebook account.

   Children need to hear the sounds and patterns of our language and build a store of vocabulary words. They need to know that letters and words carry meaning, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end.  All this crucial learning can be obtained in a very natural pleasurable way when you enjoy picture books and stories together. 

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
For more go to wnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons podcast Tues & Thurs at 4:30 ET

Using Technology to Connect with Grandchildren

Children’s technology skills and time on devices can be good 

  Start by asking grandchildren to show you what they do on the computer which varies widely among families and ages. Inquire after you have taken a library computer course so you know what they are talking about and can use some of the vocabulary. Chromebook computers can cost under $200 and teens can set them up once you have the Internet.

Library Tech Classes

  There are so many classes at libraries taught by very patient people. This skill is just another challenge to meet, overcome, and embrace. Besides once grandparents take a class, learn the basics, and take good notes, grandchildren will teach the rest. Warn them ahead of time to be patient teachers. It is their turn.

  What should grandparents learn? How to use the Internet. Once on the Internet librarians will teach how to do some very fascinating searches for information and entertainment.

Keep in Touch

 You can set up and master e-mail.  Many accounts like g-mail are free. Then you can send messages once a week even to your college grandchildren. They will love the friendly words of wisdom, love, and a few bucks by old fashioned mail, too.

  You can learn how to use Face Time to see and hear grandchildren. It is free.

 Your family can also set up a private Facebook group for the immediate family. Keep a notebook for all of your passwords and notes. Let them know you will need help from time to time, fair warning.

  Many people now use Facebook 

Talk While Using Online Games and Devices 

for writing quick notes, clicking thumbs up, and sharing photographs.  Instagram is another place for photos. Let grandchildren know you want to be a part of their lives.  It is a lonely world sometimes if grandparents don’t know some of these basics. In addition to staying in touch with you, they will be staying in touch with cousins and extended families.

  With a little practice you can send out Internet Memes.  These are funny images or short videos like silly animal videos that little grandchildren will enjoy. You’ll never worry about your emails being unread if you send a funny video link.

  Talk with children while they show you how to play some games such as “Draw Something”, “Words with Friends”, “Ticket to Ride”,”Minecraft”, “Carcassonne”,  “Pokémon Go”, Sesame Street  and Lego games on their devices. Sites like Pinterest, Crafter, and You Tube are other sites to share activities and science with children. The khanacademy.org helps with all homework. Librarians will also share the dangers of the Internet’s “wild West”, also a part of technology, unfortunately.

 For more information, read this article summarizing a study following grandchildren and grandparents’ shared use of technology, Connecting Grandparents and Grandkids Through Technology  

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

For more go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

New Media Use Plan Helps Families

Journal of Pediatrics Guides Parents & Grands

The latest journal of Pediatrics October 2016 (aappublications.org), has released new recommendations for technology use by children. The report “Media and Young Minds” relates how technology can be managed in the home (healthychildren.org/Media Use Plan), the number of suggested hours of screen time, and helpful hints for parental guidance.

Positive Technology

  The report mentions some positive aspects and uses. 

Many Positives

Pediatricians still maintain that children younger than 18 to 24 months, a time of rapid brain development, should not have screen time. However, it is healthy, for families to get together with online resources like Facebook and Skype to chat with relatives and friends. Technology allows far flung families to see each other, communicate, and nurture connections.

Children Should Interact With Apps 

 If parents want to introduce some shows or apps they should watch with the children and be very selective. Even infants exposed to screen media blue light while in the lap show significantly shorter night-time sleep duration than those with no evening screen exposure.  Reading e-Books is different from reading a traditional book with illustrations on an adult’s lap.

   This age is better off on the floor actively playing and talking with family. “Because of their immature symbolic memory and attentional skills, infants and toddlers cannot learn from traditional digital media as they do from interactions with caregivers, and they have difficulty transferring that knowledge to their 3-dimensional experience. The chief factor that facilitates toddlers’ learning from commercial media (starting around 15 months of age) is parents watching with them and reteaching the content,” according to the report. Authors include Dr. Jenny Radesky from the University of Michigan and Dr. Megan Moreno from the Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Age Appropriate Guidelines

The guidelines recommend children ages 2-5 have a one- hour limit of screen time. They again recommend that families watch with the children, talk about what is being seen, and carefully select shows from PBS Kids and the Sesame Street Workshop. Children need to be active, talking, and reading with adults.  There is no substitute for human interaction and relationship for developing a healthy brain and the rest of the body. 

Singing With the App

According to the new report, children flourish during unstructured time.  They need to get outside discovering things in 3- D rather than on a two dimensional screen, crucial for development.   

Doable Reasonable Guidelines

  Pediatricians continue to urge families to include one hour of physical activity, 8-12 hours of sleep, and unplugged family time like meals.

Use Reason and Good Judgement with Media

• Ban screen time one hour before bedtime since noise and light can disrupt sleep.
•  Discourage use of entertainment media during homework time since multitasking interferes with learning. Monitored educational sites can help with homework learning.
• Continue to monitor what kids watch and do on–line.  Discuss on-line bullying, sexting, and other hazards with older children.

Websites Best Apps for Kids & Parents Magazine sites:

http://www.bestappsforkids.com/category/apps-by-age-grade/toddler-apps/ 

http://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/the-best-iphone-apps-for-babies-and-toddlers/?slideId=40807

For more go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.

S.T.E.M. Perfect for Families

STEM Opens Conversation Channels

S.T.E.M.  opens up many new opportunities for conversation and learning  during family time like taking walks. The acronym stands for having fun with science, technology, engineering, and math.  Most states have now added “A” for art making the acronym S.T.E.A.M. It’s a way of organizing learning and families can participate.

A Way of Thinking

  How does S.T.E.M. work in the family?  Whenever a family is doing an activity, adults can add a little learning. For example, if grandpa is taking a walk with young children he can stop to watch a few ants working around their anthill. He might even pack a magnifying glass, a

How Does STEM Work?

 real handy tool.  Maybe they’ll pick up a stick to watch an ant crawl. Gramps can add a few interesting science facts he knows about ants, like they bite and may sting.  They crawl down many feet below the frost line to survive the winter. What happens if we leave a little honey, cheese, or a dead fly by the ant hole?  What is the prediction?

  When they get home they might look up information about ants and images on Google or You Tube educational movies.  They might take a picture with their camera. This picture can be inspiration for some sketches, models of ants, or a library visit.  

How Does STEM Work?

  To get the “E” for engineering, grandpa might talk about now the ants make their home. What happens when their house on the sidewalk gets washed out?  How long will it take to rebuild? How is their home like ours—ant farm anyone?

  Let’s count how many ants we see on the way to the park?  Are they all the same color and size?  Is there a pattern to the ant holes on the sidewalk?  There is your math.

  Counting, finding likenesses and differences, looking for patterns, asking questions, figuring out answers, putting in groups, and classifying them are activities kids love to do. Adults can sneak them in anytime anyplace.

Seaborg Center

  Families can talk about the weather, gravity, animals, plants, tracks, mud, gardens, water, 

Sign up for Summer STEM!

food, signs, 

camping, or playing sports, all with S.T.E.M. or S.T.E.A.M. in mind. It’s a way of thinking that just takes a little practice.

  According to the National Science 

Foundation “Over 50% of the fastest growing jobs in the U.S. are math, science, engineering, or technology related” and with families helping, grandkids can get those jobs.

  

All Free Home Materials!

Northern Michigan University offers many exciting summer S.T.E.M. classes for young children at the Seaborg Center that are S.T.E.M. related.

  Many libraries, nature centers, Y’s, and summer camps use the S.T.E.M. model for organizing their programs.  There are also many on-line ideas to easily work S.T.E.M. into your family’s summer life.  

It’s all free with materials in homes, parks, and backyards. 

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Vocabulary Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’

website: Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube

Khan Academy - Help With Your Child's Homework

 Have you ever been frustrated helping children do homework? Adults of the world, we have been rescued!  Salmon Khan and the team at Khan Academy have provided an amazing library of easy to access online video tutorials and practice lessons just for you and your children. To hear an audio podcast about Khan Academy,  go to the Learning Through the Seasons WNMU Radio 90 podcasts.
What Do You Need:
The website is at: https://www.khanacademy.org/  Browse the home page for lesson videos, they have over 4,000 tutorials that range from beginning arithmetic through high school and beginning college math. They also have videos for Social Studies, Science, Art History and Computer Science. The practice lessons coincide with the tutorials, giving students the hands-on they need to become more proficient.
 You can create an account and have the Khan Academy site keep track of your student's progress and set the video and practice lessons all electronically. This way students can work at their own pace, but not move on without mastery. The courses are organized by using a "Map of Knowledge." You can start working anywhere on the map, and the Khan Academy will suggest the best skills for you to work on. This computerized system will even remind you when you need a review.
 Want to know more? This site also offers and About page that gives a full overview of how to use the materials and set up your child's account.
How This Will Help My Child:
Millions of students from all over the world use this completely free website to help them learn at their own pace. It give students the ability to control and take responsibility for learning and helps foster curiosity and challenge. 

Reading Picture Books

Books with few words but beautiful pictures are fantastic for story telling and developing conversation skills. Children who read well have usually been read to often. Researchers recently reviewed eight studies and found that reading to your child can raise his or her IQ by over six points. No TV show, video, or computer game can replace two people engage by reading together and talking.

Materials you will need:

Ask your librarian for Caldecott Medal winners with few words.

  If you can’t get to the library, use your computer and go to the Storybird site. It is an excellent collection of very visual stories all created by other readers. In your browser: http://storybird.com/

Find out more tips and ideas in the Storybird Blog: http://blog.storybird.com/

What to do:

   Gather a few stuffed animals to read with you in a cozy spot. If you are using Storybird on computer, you can browse from a list of topics and age leveled links. You can even create your own picture stories right in Storybird since the pictures are all provided in the program. These stories can be saved and shared with others when you create your own account.

How to read together:

 After reading the title and author, start a conversation “Look at that.  What do you see? Just soak in the beauty of a few pages. Then start making up your own story using your words and the author’s illustrations. Your child will learn to add to the story.

  Ask questions that begin with “What, who, where, when, why do you think, or how?”  How do the characters feel—happy, sad, angry, upset, lonely, warm and cuddly inside?  What is the character thinking about?  What will the character do next?” Give the characters names,

    After you have exhausted those questions ask, “What do you think will happen next?” Predicting is an important reading skill.

Whatever you do, take it slow.  Adults often hurry children. Instead, give them time to think. Relax. Reading calms children and adults, preparing for sleep soothing a hurt, and giving great joy.  This is an extremely important part of every child’s routine before naps and bedtime. 

More recommended books: 

Here are a few award winning picture book authors and titles to start: Tuesday, The Three Pigs, Flotsam, Free Fall, and Sector 7 by Wiesner; Lehman’s The Red Book, Museum Trip, Rainstorm, and Trainstop; Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla, and 10 Minutes till Bedtime; Briggs The Snowman; VanAllsburg’s Ben’s Dream; Blake’s Clown; dePaola’s Pancakes for Breakfast; Spiers’ Rain; Rohmann’s Time Flies; Deep in the Forest by Turkle; The Silver Pony by Ward; Yellow Umbrella by Jae-Soo Liu; and Hug by Alborough.

Find more American Library Association Award Winners at: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/the-one-and-only-ivan-wins-the-newbery-medal_b64364

Photos & Illustrations: http://storybird.com/pascalcampion/artwork/read-me-a-story/ ; Storybird logo
Reference: http://bit.ly/YxPbTk 

iPad Apps for Young Children

Exploring new electronic games and activities is very engaging and can be great learning tools for young children. Technology expert, Richard Byrne, has collected a recommended list of these apps on his web site: iPad Apps for School. Look in the pre-school section found at: http://ipadapps4school.com/category/pre-k/ to see this varied list of activity apps.

Richard includes apps for recognizing emotions, reading, writing practice, story creation, a virtual zoo, and many more. Many of these are free and some are available for both iPad and Android platforms.

Check these out on iTunes or through Richard's site. As always, make sure children vary their time with physical activities and other interactions.  Time on electronic devices should be a healthy balance with many other daily activities.

Enjoy!